Chas:
I like to think I have a wide circle of friends & aquaintances, & I have certainly been around long enough to experience some pretty bad winters.
I didn’t hear of the existence of Winter tyres untill 3yrs ago. I still don’t know anyone personally who uses them.
This is despite spending more than a few weekends a year on a Derbyshire hill farm, where a set of snow chains are kept on standby for the SWB Series 3 Land Rover that gets used only when it gets really bad up there.
Also. One of my bestest mates owns & runs an independant tyre & exhaust garage, he never heard of ‘Winter tyres’ untill 3yrs ago either?
You don’t think, maybe, all this talk about ‘Winter tyres’ is playing a small part of conditioning us into believing that our climate is becoming more extreme, 'Cos I’m sorry, 2 INCHES of snow does not a disaster zone make.
If he never heard about winter tyres, that’s really sad. Did he ever left Britain■■? Also, somebody already wrote; they are NOT for the snow ONLY…
I’m 43, been driving since I was 17.
Never got stuck in snow, even in rear wheel drive cars. Never used winter tyres.
IMO, winter tyres can make people to confident…
rambo19:
I’m 43, been driving since I was 17.
Never got stuck in snow, even in rear wheel drive cars. Never used winter tyres.
IMO, winter tyres can make people to confident…
That’s great, but I lived in a country with proper winters. Also, they are legal requirement in the most european cpountries, so I have to have them fitted, if I wanna go to visit my kin, etc.
Dennisthemenace:
If he never heard about winter tyres, that’s really sad. Did he ever left Britain■■? Also, somebody already wrote; they are NOT for the snow ONLY…
What is “left Britain”?
I reckon the clue is in ‘Winter tyres’, they’re not called ‘Snow tyres’ for no reason you know.
Fact is, I’ve only been aware of their existence for the past 3yrs. Asking the opinions of my wide circle of friends & aquaintances it seems no one else was aware that folk have been using them, & swear blind by them, for as long as 7yrs.
This is despite me knowing several Derbyshire hill farmers & a bloke that owns a thriving independant tyre & exhaust garage.
With every mention that these mystical beasts called ‘Winter tyres’ get, the more sceptical I’m becoming that their very mention is part of pre-conditioning us to a future of extreme weather
rambo19:
I’m 43, been driving since I was 17.
Never got stuck in snow, even in rear wheel drive cars. Never used winter tyres.
IMO, winter tyres can make people to confident…
Well I’m 58 and have also been driving in the UK since I was 17.
I have been stuck in snow, and on ice too, in the very road I live in.
I was stuck in my Scudo MPV (FWD) on the bends on the hill leading up to my house 3 years ago. With the help of neighbours pushing and shovelling I did get up to my house eventually.
I decided to invest in winter tyres so had some fitted. In the same conditions that had proved impassable before, I was able to simply drive up the hill. Now you may say I’m a crap driver, but fitting winter tyres wouldn’t turn a crap driver into a good driver would they? If they could do that, Im sure you would say they ought to be compulsory.
As for being confident, yes winter tyres make me confident to go out to work in conditions that previously would have seen me parked up until conditions improved. Is that too confident? I don’t think so, I just think winter tyres are a tool that allows you to do your work more effectively. Until you try winter tyres you will never know for sure.
Dennisthemenace:
If he never heard about winter tyres, that’s really sad. Did he ever left Britain■■? Also, somebody already wrote; they are NOT for the snow ONLY…
What is “left Britain”?
I reckon the clue is in ‘Winter tyres’, they’re not called ‘Snow tyres’ for no reason you know.
Fact is, I’ve only been aware of their existence for the past 3yrs. Asking the opinions of my wide circle of friends & aquaintances it seems no one else was aware that folk have been using them, & swear blind by them, for as long as 7yrs.
This is despite me knowing several Derbyshire hill farmers & a bloke that owns a thriving independant tyre & exhaust garage.
With every mention that these mystical beasts called ‘Winter tyres’ get, the more sceptical I’m becoming that their very mention is part of pre-conditioning us to a future of extreme weather
Years ago I read about the climate changing; somebody said, the weather conditions in Britain could be similar in wintertime, like in north Scandinavia.Also; seven years ago, when I moved here, noone knows what “snowshovel” is; now, you can buy it anywhere, even I’ve seen snowchains in the Lidl. And there is a reason, why the government spend so much on home insulations. (would be better using proper buildingmaterials instead the traditional bricks).
rambo19:
I’m 43, been driving since I was 17.
Never got stuck in snow, even in rear wheel drive cars. Never used winter tyres.
IMO, winter tyres can make people to confident…
Well I’m 58 and have also been driving in the UK since I was 17.
I have been stuck in snow, and on ice too, in the very road I live in.
I was stuck in my Scudo MPV (FWD) on the bends on the hill leading up to my house 3 years ago. With the help of neighbours pushing and shovelling I did get up to my house eventually.
I decided to invest in winter tyres so had some fitted. In the same conditions that had proved impassable before, I was able to simply drive up the hill. Now you may say I’m a crap driver, but fitting winter tyres wouldn’t turn a crap driver into a good driver would they? If they could do that, Im sure you would say they ought to be compulsory.
As for being confident, yes winter tyres make me confident to go out to work in conditions that previously would have seen me parked up until conditions improved. Is that too confident? I don’t think so, I just think winter tyres are a tool that allows you to do your work more effectively. Until you try winter tyres you will never know for sure.
They’ve only been on sale here for cars for the last 3 -4 years or so.
They aren’t just for snow…they are for cold temperatures/wet roads, and the difference isn’t just the tread pattern, but the compound, which is high silica.
The standard tyres that cars are supplied with as OEM have changed over the years.
For cosmetic reasons they tend to be larger width and lower profile on bigger rims than standard tyres were say 10 years ago.
For ‘environmental’ reasons they have low rolling resistance and low noise tread (shallow, with grooves and no lugs).
All of which means, they are worse in winter conditions than standard tyres were say 10 years ago.
It’s a ■■■■ sight easier to fit winter tyres in November and swap them back again in March than it is to lug a set of snow chains around then try to fit them when you are stuck, then have them snap and flail about.
Winter tyres are brilliant on cars…but I was wondering what they are like on trucks in UK conditions.
Yes we managed years ago because most cars were shod on sensible sized tyres, with enough sidewall that you could let 'em down to 10psi if things got desperate enough which would give far more grip in the soft.
Fast forward and we’re in most cases running round on massive chunks of aluminium with spray on tyres between the beads, superb for a billiard table road in the summer sun and as much use as the proverbial chocolate teapot on normal British third world cratered roads** in the cold wet let alone slush and ice.
You won’t know what you’ve been missing till you try them, but the cost isn’t cheap if you change cars regularly, if like me you run the things till they fall apart they cost literally nothing, spare set of cheap wheels off ebay, set of good cold weather (snowflake inside a mountain embossed) tyres, put them on Dec to March, they’ll last about 7 years on average, cost nothing as your summer set on the nice shiny wheels (that as a bonus won’t see any salt) are resting in the garage, your tyres have cost nothing extra over time.
**PS…its getting difficult to stay in the seat on the A43 near Silverstone Brackley and Aynho such is the state of the road, if i commuted that route by car i’d buy a Landruiser and hope even that didn’t break.
I won’t use my winter tyres for more than 3 winters as they don’t work quite so effectively when the tread has worn down. They still have plenty of tread from a legal point of view but not enough grip for use in snow. I will use those worn down winter tyres beyond March though until they are no longer safe and legal for summer use. This will mean my normal tyres remain in the shed for longer so saving wear on them. I will invest in another new set of winter tyres for next winter for the van and use the van’s winter set on the MPV which doesn’t do so many miles now as it once did. The van covers about 25K miles/year and the MPV about 12K miles/year.
Winter tyes only became commonly available in the UK about 3 to 4 years ago, but have been available in Europe and North America for many years. I suspect people discovered winter tyres while visiting places with worse winters than the UK gets and began to request winter tyres from the tyre dealers here. The popularity of German and Scandinavian cars in the UK probably contributed to the demand for winter tyres too.
I suspect winter tyres are mainly bought by people with a bit of disposable income, rather than those struggling to keep the baliffs at bay.
They were called Town & Country tyres back in the 1960’s and 70’s,so winter or snow tyres are not a new thing.I think they help you get that extra bit of traction whether its two inches or a foot of snow.They also help if you go offroad as well.
Dave the Renegade:
They were called Town & Country tyres back in the 1960’s and 70’s,so winter or snow tyres are not a new thing.I think they help you get that extra bit of traction whether its two inches or a foot of snow.They also help if you go offroad as well.
Actually they are a bit different… Long time ago the thread was similar on them, now the mixture of the rubber makes them better on snowy/icy roads.
Dave the Renegade:
They were called Town & Country tyres back in the 1960’s and 70’s,so winter or snow tyres are not a new thing.I think they help you get that extra bit of traction whether its two inches or a foot of snow.They also help if you go offroad as well.
No, town and country tyres, like mud and snow tyres, just have deeper treads and and are knobblier than normal road tyres so they grip mud and snow better than regular tyres. They don’t work any better on ice or in very cold weather. They are very noisy compared to normal tyres. Often found on older Land Rovers. I had M & S tyres on an old Land Rover.
Winter tyres are made from a different rubber compound which remains flexible at lower temperatures. They also have tiny slits in between the grooves of the tread which act like lots of little suction cups. Winter tyres don’t make more noise than normal tyres.
Dave the Renegade:
They were called Town & Country tyres back in the 1960’s and 70’s,so winter or snow tyres are not a new thing.I think they help you get that extra bit of traction whether its two inches or a foot of snow.They also help if you go offroad as well.
Actually they are a bit different… Long time ago the thread was similar on them, now the mixture of the rubber makes them better on snowy/icy roads.
I agree the compound in the rubber is different and the tread pattern is different,but I had Town & Country tyres on a couple of my cars in the 60’s and they did help,as I live in Mid Wales.
Big Jon’s dad:
Of course I’m an above average driver, just like the rest of us, so I need winter tyres.
and you live in canada…i live in derbyshire,so winter tyres are not required
Do they have fiat scudos in canada;-)
I’ve never seen one while visiting my sons in Canada. I left Canada in 1967 so there were no Fiat Scudos anywhere when I lived there.
It may happen in the future though as Fiat and Chrysler are in bed together.
EDIT: I just remembered, the Fiat 500 is now available there.
I’ve put winter tyres on this year, and although I’ve never been properly stuck in snow in the past, the difference between normal tyres and winter tyres on Snow, packed down snow and slush is quite amazing. They grip like a grippy thing. This means you get really good braking and really good traction which has got to be safer. It’s not just rural Country roads that aren’t treated a lot of side streets and residential roads in towns aren’t treated I’ve noticed a lot of people parking their cars on main routes through towns this week because they can’t get onto their side streets. If they had winter tyres I’m sure they’d be able to use the side streets.
Of course we normally only get a few days of snow each year, especially in the South, but we do get a lot of cold wet weather and these winter tyres are supposed to handle those condition far better than normal tyres because the tread and the compound.
I’m not sure if everybody can justify the costs, but I think I can, I live in Norfolk but work in Tunbridge Wells, so I do quite a few miles a year commuting, so tyres normally only last about 18 months so after the initial cost I reckon it will work out about the same as having one set as I’ll have the winter tyres for about 3 years and 2 years from the normal tyres, we also have tyre fitting gear at work so I can fit them myself.
Also, they are legal requirement in the most european cpountries, so I have to have them fitted, if I wanna go to visit my kin, etc. 
