Quote:
Originally Posted by HighlandPete
kaishang... have you driven on ice, and compared summer vs. winter tyres? It isn't just braking distances. I assure you it is control and direction, which is most noticeable.
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Yes, I've driven on ice on summer tyres. They are completely useless.
My position on these winter tyre threads has always been that winter tyres are beneficial in winter: not for rain or general low temperatures but because summer tyres are useless and dangerous if you drive on snow and ice. Winter tyres are an insurance policy against not being able to drive due to snow on the road. They have lesser usefullness on ice. In non-snow/ice conditions in the 0C to 10C range they may be a little bit better or a little bit worse than summer tyres - but very little difference. If there is no snow and no ice, then for typical UK winter temperatures winter tyres are not necessary.
There seems to be a theme that winter tyres will save you in all cases... along the lines of "I would have lost it if I didn't have winter tyres on". This is not the case, if you hit black ice on a bend at 50mph with your winter tyres on, you will be going into the ditch. Ice does not offer good traction for any tyres, it is just that winter tyres are not as bad as summer tyres.
Most of the time in England even in the depths of winter there is no snow and no ice. I accpet this may be different in northern Scotland, but most people on this forum do not live in Scotland. Also as I pointed out, motorcyclists are even more sensitive than car drivers to road surface conditions. There are no winter tyres for motorcycles yet all winter, you will still see plenty of people riding them.