Winter tires, worth it ?

IanS100 · 10-30-2012, 02:24 PM

Over the next 5 years, with an annual mileage of about 10,000 per year, Winter tyres will cost me the £400 I laid out for wheels, over 5 years that's £80 per year and the wheels will probably still be worth 50% of the purchase price. I know my life and that of my family are worth an £80 per year investment so for me it's also a no brainer?

rsmallwo · 10-30-2012, 02:54 PM

good, even the best summer tyres will be worse than cheap winter tyres in snow...fact

winter tyres are made of a softer rubber that doesnt turn to rock in sub zero conditions. The other key difference is the tiny groves in the rubber that reduces micro aquaplaning that occurs when on ice.

If in doubt, go cheap like i did. running cheap winter rubber actually saves me money in the long run on my premium summer tyres.

Nankang sv-2's cost me Â£65 a corner 2 yrs ago.

CarAbuser · 10-30-2012, 02:59 PM

I do remember seeing a comparison linked in one of the other winter tyre arguments that compared cheap winters to good summers and the cheap winters came out worse.

Nankangs will do you no favors if it's a mild winter.

rsmallwo · 10-30-2012, 04:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CarAbuser

I do remember seeing a comparison linked in one of the other winter tyre arguments that compared cheap winters to good summers and the cheap winters came out worse.

Nankangs will do you no favors if it's a mild winter.

While this link doesn't show my nankangs in the best light it contradicts your point

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/tyre-guides/45316/nankang-snow-sv-2

Sure there are better tyres, but for the amount of white stuff we see, Im more than satisfied with them.

Lets not forget we only run winters for 3 months, I can sacrifice the dry grip in that period.

As others have said, it depends on your need to keep mobile in winter. If I dont work a day, i dont get paid that day.

jimpom23 · 10-31-2012, 03:28 AM

So when do you put your winters on then? In recent tests winter tyres have proven to be sub-standard to summer ones stopping distance wise in the dry around a temp of 5 degrees? I'd say you're more likely to encounter a cold dry day than a snowy one so whilst you'll be fine and dandy when it snows, what about the other 3/4 months the tyres are on for?

Do a search OP, there are loads of posts including many from people who have bought them and found them to be substandard

http://www.whatcar.com/car-news/wint...ditions/259257

parapaul · 10-31-2012, 10:21 AM

As I posted earlier in the week, my winters won't be going on until there's a firm forecast of either snow or freezing weather.

alzieboy · 10-31-2012, 10:27 AM

Are RUN FLAT Winters a softer tyre , I bought a SH set of Alloys with run flat Winters on a couple of months back, Goodyear Eagle GW3, they were a good price

ALF_E90 · 10-31-2012, 10:38 AM

Neither will mine be going on until is is regularly frosty - but when they do, I won't be worrying that the dry stopping distance has gone up by a tiny fraction, when the wet weather performance (where grip is much more marginal) at all temps is as good as summers, and the grip in cold conditions is much better - even before you get to ice and snow.

If you live in the countryside, for months of the year the road seems to have either frost, water, or mud on it for much of the time - true dry roads are pretty rare. In that sort of winter road slime, at low temps, I have always felt winters a better bet. I did my first journey in these conditions at the weekend, when temps in the south dropped, and would have been far happier on my winters. In the massive amounts of mud that some sites and tractors leave on country lanes in the winter, especially lately it seems, I am far happier on winters, they bite much better on mud. Hence the "M" bit of "M+S". You can really feel it.

I get the arguments on both sides and there are a lot of good points made - but the fact remains that for many of us, as soon as it snows at all, we can't get out at all on summer tyres. My close has a slight incline and none of my 2WD cars, FWD or RWD, have been able to get up it at all in snow. So it is a case of make no money for however many snowy days we have (weeks in some recent winters), or have winter tyres. Semantics about being worse in the dry (which is hardly when grip tends to be a major safety issue) and so on are pretty irrelevent for those of us who may need to drive up any sort of slope in snow, as that won't happen with summer tyres, full stop, ever.

For me, being able to keep working and earning (I drive a lot) and not having to poop myself when it starts to snow hard when I am 150 miles from home are well worth the cost. The wear thing seems to be true too - winters used only in winter, and summers used only in summer, wear very slowly. Even with me driving. Common sense applies - always read the reviews, and buy good quality winter tyres for the UK with an eye more on wet and dry road performance than on snow/ice (which will always be many times better than any summer).

And don't expect to be able to drive in winter conditions on summer or winter tyres in the same way you do in the summer - grip is lower, live with it! I love it personally - modern road cars are too grippy to enjoy much of the time...

HighlandPete · 10-31-2012, 12:11 PM

^^^^

Well said, a balanced post.

Dry roads are rare things in winter up here, even when it's typical temperatures. Lots of shaded areas that don't see the sun or dry during short winter days.

Dry road grip is the least of our worries in winter driving. As said, it is the wet and damp conditions where we start losing the grip levels and where our safety factor starts falling off.

Winter driving does need a different approach, performance driving is for the warmer months, IMO. In winter we really do need to ease off a bit, even here in the UK. Risks are much higher in winter months, even without mud and snow around us.

HighlandPete

BIFCAIDS · 11-01-2012, 02:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alpina-d3

I doubt you'll need them in Cheshire

Gets cold up here in the north though.

I wish this was true lol, so bloody hilly round mine

nealer74 · 11-01-2012, 03:28 PM

i took a slightly different approach and as a few people said before its the driving first, then the tyres..

i was nearly wiped out due to others seriously bad driving for the conditions on too many occasions and decided to invest in a 2001 4L Jeep Cherokee for the same price as the winter wheels

only problem was after I had tinkered with it a bit, I got bored and upgraded to a grand cherokee that had all the toys that the BMW had.

10-30-2012, 02:24 PM	#23
IanS100 Major General 136 Rep 5,050 Posts Drives: 520d F10 LCI M Sport Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Southport UK iTrader: (0)	Over the next 5 years, with an annual mileage of about 10,000 per year, Winter tyres will cost me the £400 I laid out for wheels, over 5 years that's £80 per year and the wheels will probably still be worth 50% of the purchase price. I know my life and that of my family are worth an £80 per year investment so for me it's also a no brainer?
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10-30-2012, 02:54 PM	#24
rsmallwo Captain 40 Rep 939 Posts Drives: Z4 35i Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Hull iTrader: (0)	good, even the best summer tyres will be worse than cheap winter tyres in snow...fact winter tyres are made of a softer rubber that doesnt turn to rock in sub zero conditions. The other key difference is the tiny groves in the rubber that reduces micro aquaplaning that occurs when on ice. If in doubt, go cheap like i did. running cheap winter rubber actually saves me money in the long run on my premium summer tyres. Nankang sv-2's cost me Â£65 a corner 2 yrs ago.
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10-30-2012, 02:59 PM	#25
CarAbuser Lieutenant Colonel 468 Rep 1,535 Posts Drives: Z4 35i DCT / E92 335i DCT Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: United Kingdom iTrader: (0)	I do remember seeing a comparison linked in one of the other winter tyre arguments that compared cheap winters to good summers and the cheap winters came out worse. Nankangs will do you no favors if it's a mild winter.
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10-31-2012, 03:28 AM	#27
jimpom23 First Lieutenant 7 Rep 313 Posts Drives: 335i Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Leeds iTrader: (0)	So when do you put your winters on then? In recent tests winter tyres have proven to be sub-standard to summer ones stopping distance wise in the dry around a temp of 5 degrees? I'd say you're more likely to encounter a cold dry day than a snowy one so whilst you'll be fine and dandy when it snows, what about the other 3/4 months the tyres are on for? Do a search OP, there are loads of posts including many from people who have bought them and found them to be substandard http://www.whatcar.com/car-news/wint...ditions/259257
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10-31-2012, 10:21 AM	#28
parapaul Colonel 118 Rep 2,216 Posts Drives: E91 330d M Sport Join Date: May 2010 Location: Stoke on Trent iTrader: (1) Garage List 2007 E91 330D MSport [0.00]	As I posted earlier in the week, my winters won't be going on until there's a firm forecast of either snow or freezing weather. __________________ Just how many Yorkshire sheep can you fit inside one exhaust?
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10-31-2012, 10:27 AM	#29
alzieboy First Lieutenant 15 Rep 360 Posts Drives: E350 CDi Coupe Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Norfolk moved from East London iTrader: (1)	Are RUN FLAT Winters a softer tyre , I bought a SH set of Alloys with run flat Winters on a couple of months back, Goodyear Eagle GW3, they were a good price
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10-31-2012, 10:38 AM	#30
ALF_E90 Second Lieutenant 16 Rep 280 Posts Drives: E91 330i - see classifieds... Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Winchester iTrader: (0)	Neither will mine be going on until is is regularly frosty - but when they do, I won't be worrying that the dry stopping distance has gone up by a tiny fraction, when the wet weather performance (where grip is much more marginal) at all temps is as good as summers, and the grip in cold conditions is much better - even before you get to ice and snow. If you live in the countryside, for months of the year the road seems to have either frost, water, or mud on it for much of the time - true dry roads are pretty rare. In that sort of winter road slime, at low temps, I have always felt winters a better bet. I did my first journey in these conditions at the weekend, when temps in the south dropped, and would have been far happier on my winters. In the massive amounts of mud that some sites and tractors leave on country lanes in the winter, especially lately it seems, I am far happier on winters, they bite much better on mud. Hence the "M" bit of "M+S". You can really feel it. I get the arguments on both sides and there are a lot of good points made - but the fact remains that for many of us, as soon as it snows at all, we can't get out at all on summer tyres. My close has a slight incline and none of my 2WD cars, FWD or RWD, have been able to get up it at all in snow. So it is a case of make no money for however many snowy days we have (weeks in some recent winters), or have winter tyres. Semantics about being worse in the dry (which is hardly when grip tends to be a major safety issue) and so on are pretty irrelevent for those of us who may need to drive up any sort of slope in snow, as that won't happen with summer tyres, full stop, ever. For me, being able to keep working and earning (I drive a lot) and not having to poop myself when it starts to snow hard when I am 150 miles from home are well worth the cost. The wear thing seems to be true too - winters used only in winter, and summers used only in summer, wear very slowly. Even with me driving. Common sense applies - always read the reviews, and buy good quality winter tyres for the UK with an eye more on wet and dry road performance than on snow/ice (which will always be many times better than any summer). And don't expect to be able to drive in winter conditions on summer or winter tyres in the same way you do in the summer - grip is lower, live with it! I love it personally - modern road cars are too grippy to enjoy much of the time...
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10-31-2012, 12:11 PM	#31
HighlandPete Lieutenant General 6659 Rep 15,858 Posts Drives: BMW F11 535i Touring Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Scotland, Highland Region iTrader: (0)	^^^^ Well said, a balanced post. Dry roads are rare things in winter up here, even when it's typical temperatures. Lots of shaded areas that don't see the sun or dry during short winter days. Dry road grip is the least of our worries in winter driving. As said, it is the wet and damp conditions where we start losing the grip levels and where our safety factor starts falling off. Winter driving does need a different approach, performance driving is for the warmer months, IMO. In winter we really do need to ease off a bit, even here in the UK. Risks are much higher in winter months, even without mud and snow around us. HighlandPete
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11-01-2012, 03:28 PM	#33
nealer74 Private 4 Rep 75 Posts Drives: E93 M3 Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Northern Ireland, United Kingdom iTrader: (0)	i took a slightly different approach and as a few people said before its the driving first, then the tyres.. i was nearly wiped out due to others seriously bad driving for the conditions on too many occasions and decided to invest in a 2001 4L Jeep Cherokee for the same price as the winter wheels only problem was after I had tinkered with it a bit, I got bored and upgraded to a grand cherokee that had all the toys that the BMW had.
	Appreciate 0 Quote