It's decision time as new tyres are needed in the next few weeks.

Are mud and snow rated summer tyres worth bothering with or not - I couldn't tell any different between summer and summer M+S tyres when I had my Sport. Current: FF Westminster money pit

Gone:
RRS 4.2 SC
RRS 3.6 TDV8
FL2 TD4

Last edited by Bradders on 19th Mar 2019 9:24am. Edited 3 times in total

M+S are not the same as winter tyres.

M+S is just a wider block pattern in the tread that assists with the tyres being able to 'self clear' mud & snow.

Most tyres designed for SUV's are likely to be M+S anyway.

I have found more summer tyres for the FF than M+S when looking over the last few weeks between £150-£180. Once you fork out £200+ as you say, Alistair most do seem to be M+S.

My question really is as decent summer tyres seem to be cheaper than decent M+S summer tyres, are M+S summer tyres worth the price difference given they are just as rubbish in snow as non M+S rated summer tyres ? Current: FF Westminster money pit

Gone:
RRS 4.2 SC
RRS 3.6 TDV8
FL2 TD4

Last edited by Bradders on 19th Mar 2019 9:22am. Edited 1 time in total

I think you may do better with some All Season tyres rather than looking for M+S if you don't really need them. Better in the wet and when the temperature drops below 7C.

All Season SUV 4x4 / Pirelli Scorpion Verde All Season - 255/55 R20 110Y XL (LR)

Just my 2p.

(Yes I know these are also marked M+S )

If you’re never going to drive on anything but a made up road and never beneath 7 degrees centigrade, then the summer tyres will be fine.

Otherwise M+S will give you a bit of a safety margins for more difficult conditions, while the All Season Pirelli Verde M+S’s (above) are astonishingly versatile and capable, especially in the snow They even come with 8.5mm tread depth, which is significantly better than the 7mm that my current Michelin Latitude Sports came with and could help justify some of the cost. The Pirelli’s also last really well.

Define 'decent'

I'm a bit of a tyre snob - I fit the best I can & have summer & winter tyres (and wheels)

IMHO - if a tyre is marketed as a summer tyre, then it will be crap in the winter - and I don't just mean snow - stopping distances on cold wet tarmac will likely be poor to etc.

Separate summer & winter tyres - or as bob-lad says, all seasons are a good compromise. Lots of people have gone for the Pirelli Verdi in 255 as it's more widely available & cheaper than the 50 profiles.

your FF will run through snow quite easily on normal/standard tyres Bradders..

Alistair wrote:

Define 'decent'

Nope, that was me. I meant reasonable quality mainstream manufacturers not Chinese rubbish. Current: FF Westminster money pit

Gone:
RRS 4.2 SC
RRS 3.6 TDV8
FL2 TD4

stan wrote:

your FF will run through snow quite easily on normal/standard tyres Bradders..

That’s more a reflection on the irrelevance of an M+S marking (it essentially means nothing) - the reviews of true winter vs summer tyres in winter conditions show the difference in ability is massive.

4WD and good traction make setting off on snow and ice easy, it’s the turning corners and stopping that are the problem.

I still don't think you understand the difference between 'summers', 'winters' & M+S........

I tried to explain on this thread

Ultimately it's a compromise - I'm at one end of the spectrum - a set of cheap chinese would be the other.

Only you can decide where you want to be on that spectrum........

I've now done 2 full seasons living in a ski resort & not yet needed chains - proper winter tyres are truly impressive, but likely a huge extravagance in most pars of the UK

Trommel wrote:

4WD and good traction make setting off on snow and ice easy, it’s the turning corners and stopping that are the problem.

+1 for summers and winters - never understand why people are mean when it comes to tyres and performance - winters stop you in less distance if the temp is below 7c why would you not want that? Summers perform better in higher temps so why would you not want that ?

Very logical and I now run separate summer and winter tyres, although storing a spare set of wheels and carting them to and from for fitting isn’t for everyone.

I’m not aware of a single tyre dealer locally that have the facilities to securely store a spare set of wheels year round either

Also, with low mileage users, two sets of tyres are likely to time expire before they wear out.