I had studded winter tyres on my 4x4 Golf in Sweden. Great fun! Also Nokian winter tyres on steer and drive axles on lorry.
Wouldn’t bother in England though. M+S tyres are a bit of a con, they are as useless as summer tyres on actual ice. With two weeks of snow a year… just take it steady to and from work and buy your Mrs something nice instead.
Saratoga:
commonrail:
i live in derbyshire,so winter tyres are not requiredI beg to differ. Midlands area and kept me mobile this winter. Rural areas were worse hit, obviously, even just in Slippy conditions it helps.
Found my Rover lost grip when a foot deep in snow but could still drive and pull off in snow. Ice is a bit more difficult.
Well my old man nips about in his fiesta… No prob
commonrail:
Saratoga:
commonrail:
i live in derbyshire,so winter tyres are not requiredI beg to differ. Midlands area and kept me mobile this winter. Rural areas were worse hit, obviously, even just in Slippy conditions it helps.
Found my Rover lost grip when a foot deep in snow but could still drive and pull off in snow. Ice is a bit more difficult.
Well my old man nips about in his fiesta… No prob
I bet he wouldn’t on the Snake Pass !
i went over woody this morn…without drama…and atm ■■■■ all is going over snake,so don`t be thinking your winter tyres will crack it 
SwedishSteel:
I had studded winter tyres on my 4x4 Golf in Sweden. Great fun! Also Nokian winter tyres on steer and drive axles on lorry.Wouldn’t bother in England though. M+S tyres are a bit of a con, they are as useless as summer tyres on actual ice. With two weeks of snow a year… just take it steady to and from work and buy your Mrs something nice instead.
^^^from a man that knows
commonrail:
i went over woody this morn…without drama
That’s fine. You have decided not to use the best tools for the job.
I guess maybe you don’t use a mobile phone either, because you can find a pay phone instead. Do you use maps instead of the satnav? You may prefer old style, I don’t, although it took me a while before I abandoned my street map books.
Times have changed, new products have become available that work better or are more convienent than what we used before.
Sure we managed before, without drama, but if something makes your life easier why not use it, if you can afford it?
Are you afraid you won’t seem as macho if you use modern conveniences?
If winter tyres make my life easier and hopefully safer, why should you denigrate them?
Big Jon’s dad:
That’s fine. You have decided not to use the best tools for the job.
incorrect…my tyres are plenty adequate.
may i suggest that youve bought into this winter tyre ■■■■■■■■,and as such have convinced yourself that you have spent well. i reckon youve been had 
commonrail:
SwedishSteel:
I had studded winter tyres on my 4x4 Golf in Sweden. Great fun! Also Nokian winter tyres on steer and drive axles on lorry.Wouldn’t bother in England though. M+S tyres are a bit of a con, they are as useless as summer tyres on actual ice. With two weeks of snow a year… just take it steady to and from work and buy your Mrs something nice instead.
^^^from a man that knows
M & S tyres are NOT the same thing as winter tyres. I don’t use M & S tyres.
I use proper winter tyres, but not with studs as they aren’t permitted here and aren’t needed for the conditions I encounter here.
M & S tyres are the kind of thing you put on a Land Rover for driving on the farm. They have a very pronounced knobly tread pattern and are very noisy on the road.
Winter tyres are similar to normal car tyres but softer and more flexible in cold weather and with a tread pattern optimised for grip in cold slippery conditions such as snow slush and ice. They dont work very well in mud as I found out when I was working on my allotment and was caught by a heavy rainstorm which turned the dirt road into a mud bath. Mud is a lot slippier than slush. Winter tyres do not have the lumpy tread pattern found on M & S tyres.
my tyres work in mud…semi off road rain tyre…perfectly suited to the british climate
evening all, i have a set of kleiber quadrakers all season tyres on my car,not too expensive 150 quid, last 2 cost 165 including tracking, these tyres grip much better in snow and hardly ever get stuck except on the steepest of hills and ice,on fresh snow or slushy roads give excellent grip,i put a set of kleibers on in nov 2010 and they lasted till oct last year, nearly 2 years and 27000 miles on the front of a touran,traveling on a wet road is much easier as they seem to give excellent grip in the wet,i see no point in swapping tyres for the summer as these are excellent,no other tyre has come close to 27000miles on the front.
just replced my oe michelins at 29 thou…plenty of tread left,but side walls cracking.
car is 7 years old
commonrail:
Big Jon’s dad:
That’s fine. You have decided not to use the best tools for the job.incorrect…my tyres are plenty adequate.
may i suggest that youve bought into this winter tyre ■■■■■■■■,and as such have convinced yourself that you have spent well. i reckon youve been had
I said the best, I don’t want “adequate”. I work for myself. I buy my own tools. I don’t buy my tools on price, I buy the tools I want and feel comfortable with.
As I have actual experience of driving the same vehicle with and without winter tyres I think I can decide for myself if winter tyres are ■■■■■■■■. If I’ve been had it is willingly and happily because I think winter tyres are the dogs ■■■■■■■■. When you have actually tried them yourself rather than relied on MMTM I expect you will change your mind. Until then, you carry on being merely adequate.
Are you convincing yourself that winter tyres are a con because you can’t afford to buy them?
I can’t afford not to, as a day of missing work is worth more than the cost of a set of tyres.
Yes, you did read that correctly, a day when I stay at home instead of doing the job I had booked can cost me more than £600.
Look Commonrail, you may have 50+ years of experience of driving our nations roads at all time of the year, can cope with it being icy, wet, cold and snow bound and can manage to maneuver around other idiots on the road as well but I’m not as old (and wise) as you.
Last year I asked advice in various places and so spent about £70 a corner of my car and got 4 winter tyres. It meant I could not only get to work when other drivers couldn’t; which as an agency driver was and is quite important to me, but also get around as well.
I don’t have the luxury of four wheel drive at the moment, but I am already glad I have had these winter tyre’s more than once this year.
Being able to pull off up a slope covered in snow, driving around in thick snow and above all, when work has been offered to me, being able to get there when others haven’t.
I have also had the chance to drive vehicles without suitable tyres and it has been an interesting experience, sliding all over the place.
A lot of older drivers seem to prefer not to put winter tyres on, preferring their skill at driving to keep them on the road but I know at least one other older driver who has fitted winter tyres, and his wife, disliking winter weather, had thought them wonderful on the car.
So, do I believe an old trucker from a forum showing how well his driving skills are coupled with his belief in his infallibility and superiority or two winters worth of experience of using the proper tools for the job, ie winter tyres.
Sorry mate, you lose.
Hi all this subject has come up before here and the questions and answers were the same.The problem is that we cannot predict what sort of conditions a winter will bring anymore.We had temps of -40c in November,today it is -10c[it was -24c in Stockholm,1400kms SOUTH of here].Now it is -35c.
As has been stated there is a vast difference between M and S tyres and ‘‘winter’’ tyres.The winter tyres referred to are what we call ‘‘friction tyres’’ and due to the profile and composition of rubber work in the way described.
I myself have Hakkapellita SUV tyres which are friction,but with studs added.Yes they are expensive,but with a set of 2nd hand rims you have summer and winter tyres for about 3-4 years if driven sensibly.You have balance the cost of tyres,or maybe having the front of your car rebuilt after an accident,then paying increased premiums[which are already extortionate].or,as has been mentioned losing work.Mike
The winter tyres I have are naff on solid ice and mud, but do work well below 7’c, which for most of our winters from November to April is good enough.
Last year I got 4 winter tyres, but this year only fitted two of them to my Rover. Next year the pair that spent this winter in the shed will go on the front of the car and 2014/2015 I might get another fresh set, or at least another two new ones…
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…
just seen your location, have you ever seen proper snow?
i live 10 miles south of buxton derbyshire and tonite we have had 6 inch of fresh snow on the road so far, on top of the stuff we had over the last week, whilst i have been in the pub!
other parts of the world must take the ■■■■ out of the british when it comes to snow, mainly the folk in the south who go into panic as soon as a snowflake lands on the roof at the BBC tv centre!
Sure some swear by them ,but I really feel that’s down to their driving ability or lack of . Absolutely no need for them in Britain for the small amount of bad weather you have each year .
If you’re that scared of driving in snow then stay off the roads during the occasional bad day and give other drivers a break from mobile hazards like yourself .
flat to the mat:
Sure some swear by them ,but I really feel that’s down to their driving ability or lack of . Absolutely no need for them in Britain for the small amount of bad weather you have each year .
If you’re that scared of driving in snow then stay off the roads during the occasional bad day and give other drivers a break from mobile hazards like yourself .
The driving ability is a different story, I would say, 30 percent of the average british drivers (average I say, not the professionals!) could not survive a week without accident in Germany, Italy, or Turkey even summertime. I have got standard tyres on my car but for the next winter I will buy a set of winter tyres and I will put them on. First, I live among hills and the useless council never cleans the roads, second, it’s not so expensive, cos obviously these tyres will be usable for several years. And I’m pretty sure, Britain’s weather is completely transforming. The snowy and icy conditions going to be worse and keep for longer periods.
flat to the mat:
Sure some swear by them ,but I really feel that’s down to their driving ability or lack of . Absolutely no need for them in Britain for the small amount of bad weather you have each year .
If you’re that scared of driving in snow then stay off the roads during the occasional bad day and give other drivers a break from mobile hazards like yourself .
I don’t think anyone using winter tyres is scared of driving in snow, they have simply selected the best tool for the job in hand.
By your logic, a Trabant driver is a better driver than a VW driver because the VW driver has a better vehicle.
Therefore the worst drivers are those using the best equipment and the best drivers are those using the worst equipment. 
Can I assume you will be asking to use the worst available truck at work, preferably one with worn tyres?
Big Jon’s dad:
flat to the mat:
Sure some swear by them ,but I really feel that’s down to their driving ability or lack of . Absolutely no need for them in Britain for the small amount of bad weather you have each year .
If you’re that scared of driving in snow then stay off the roads during the occasional bad day and give other drivers a break from mobile hazards like yourself .I don’t think anyone using winter tyres is scared of driving in snow, they have simply selected the best tool for the job in hand.
By your logic, a Trabant driver is a better driver than a VW driver because the VW driver has a better vehicle.
Therefore the worst drivers are those using the best equipment and the best drivers are those using the worst equipment.
Can I assume you will be asking to use the worst available truck at work, preferably one with worn tyres?
I’m overimpressed…So you know the Trabant? Not so many people do in the UK… 
Actually they were pretty good in snow, after the terrible diagonal tyres been replaced by something better. 