Looking at various charts my guess is that it will be Jan at least before my winter tyres go on

Famous last words Sandy

True think I might have to replace my summers on the rear as they are down to 3mm to cope with all the wet weather we will have so it might not be cold but it will be wet

unless you live half way up a mountain then you dont need to change , the FF copes very well with its 4 wheel drive and normal tyres. ... - .- -.




Y. O. L. O.
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I never bothered with winter tyres. I know they would be better in the winter, but I found my normal tyres were good enough.
I would never think of going into winter with less than 5mm on my tyres though. At 3mm I could feel the car aquaplane on puddles never mind snow. Previously..
Vogue SE TD6
Defender 90 2.4
Defender 110 TD5
Vogue 3.5 EFI

I usually put the winters on in October but not this year so new contis on the back later today - my deal with the winters is the stopping distance when cold i.e. below 7 oC - I drive hard so want every advantage I can get

Have a look /read here
http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/car-news/6669...test-video

Best bet for winter 4x4 with winters

Winter tyres make zero difference unless you live in constant sub-zero temperatures. It's basically about the compound of the rubber and it's optimum working temperature range. Obviously no one tyre can be as good in 50 degree desert temperatures AND arctic minus 40 degree ones, hence why buying tyres designed for mediterranean climates is a bad idea in the UK.

I spent plenty of time in Copenhagen in winter and in such places it makes sense. The temperature difference between hard winter and a good summer's day there is extreme, like -40 to +30 - i.e. 70 degrees. That's where winters come into their own.

In the UK, -5 to +25 is only 30 degrees as a range. Add in the FFRR 4WD, terrain response and good tyres, i.e. Pirelli M&S, why would you go to the expense of winter tyres?

On a performance 2WD saloon maybe, but the FFRR isn't a thing to row along like for example, a Merc E63 or an M5. Or possibly to keep a set of rims away from the salt of winter perhaps. But not for reasons of being able to make progress.

Well I put winters on all the cars we have never had an accident because we had winter tyres on As for expense maybe I am lucky that it is not an issue

having an accident is down to driver error not the type of tyre...you and your family obviously drive carefully in winter conditions  ... - .- -.




Y. O. L. O.
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mzplcg wrote:

Winter tyres make zero difference unless you live in constant sub-zero temperatures.

Yep, in this country it makes no sense. The only difference I would notice is the increased wear rate of the softer compound. But then I don't buy cheap tyres, only Scorpions or Contis. They possibly grip better than those dreadful Nexens I had on which would slide around on a mildly damp surface and deafen you in the process but the Scorpions are about the best I've used, including comparing to winter Vredesteins.

It's not about cost, it's about necessity and I genuinely can't find an ounce of necessity, certainly in the UK midlands. Yes, in Denmark I had them and there it was worth it but that's a vastly different climate. Northern Scotland? Maybe, but I don't live there.

I don't think it could be argued that winter tyres are WORSE than normal tyres in cold conditions, therefore if I had had them I would have used them. I think I just modified my driving style in winter conditions as I was too lazy to change to winters.. Previously..
Vogue SE TD6
Defender 90 2.4
Defender 110 TD5
Vogue 3.5 EFI

Well each to their own I run Contis in the summer and Pirelli Winters in the winter I am led to believe by Pirelli that the Winters perform better at temperatures below 7 degrees c than their other tyres and as I do in excess of 25k per year and quite often early morning in winter for me it is an added bit of safety I may be deluded on this but it makes me feel a tad more at ease.

mzplcg wrote:

Scorpions are about the best I've used, including comparing to winter Vredesteins.

Should be interesting - I've just bought a set of Scorpions - but probably won't fit until next year as my Michelins still have 4mm on them and my Vreds have 6mm and they go on at the end of November.

The Vreds are noticeably different to the Michelins on a cold wet surface - can't comment on the Pirellis yet.

Each to their own - I feel better for having winter tyres on - we have 3 cars & I swap them all over - I have 2 sets of wheels for each car.

I also run diamond cut alloys on 2 of them for the summer - so I do have another reason for swapping over for salt season