Winter tires on Brescia

[david.stark]

^ don’t forget winter tyres are not just for snow. They would be a waste of money in the UK if they were only good in snow.

I live on a main road which is a priority gritting route but still invest. Any conditions where the temperature drops below +7C and they give superior performance.

I even paid for a full set when I had a Freelander 2. Paid for themselves effectively when a buffoon in a hatchback tried to brake at a side turn and slid out into my path causing an emergency stop. Normal M+S tyres fitted to the Freelander as standard and I’d have smashed into them. Stopped safely with the winter tyres.

[Muldoon]

Yes agree David they give much better performance in wet and cold weather not just snow. I was considering risking it with the summer tyres this year but the fronts only have 4mm left and I thought better of it. Living up in the pennines in a very exposed location we are bound to get snow.

[Andy Beats]

I'm a big fan of winter tyres, but only if you encounter snow in your life.
I know of their alleged superior performance in low temperatures, but normal tyres in normal driving circumstances will do perfectly fine in the cold, it's not like people are slithering off the road when it gets cold because their tyres have turned to granite.
It's snow where winter tyres truly shine and that's the only reason I fit them.
If I lived in Devon, or somewhere else where snow is rare, I wouldn't bother.

[david.stark]

Big difference in stopping distances in the rain though. Could make you glad you invested if you pull up in an emergency stop whereas you would have failed on standard tyres.

[david.stark]

There’s a rain test towards the end of this video

https://youtu.be/elP_34ltdWI

[Andy Beats]

It's not exactly a detailed test.
Only comparing one brand/type of summer tyre with one brand/type of winter tyre.
Could be that brand of summer tyre isn't a good rain performer anyway.
Put another summer tyre on that's renowned for wet weather performance and the results might be closer.
If you can afford it, by all means fit winter tyres, but the extra expense is more debatable when snow isn't a consideration.

[RUM4MO]

I think that it was the combination of many factors that made me consider buying and fitting winter tyres, I seemed to have been very lucky while I ran 4WD cars with Pirelli P7 and Michelin Primacy HP, but felt that things were changing and I was using up too much of my motoring luck.
1) Premium tyres being fitted to cars sold in Europe were being improved so that they were optimised for warmer weather use and probably dry weather use, low rolling resistance, low noise and high mileage. My local Michelin tyre guy advised me never to run a car on Michelin Exaltos in winter, I told him that my wife had found that out already.
2) Weather patterns were changing a bit in winter so that instead of moderate predicable snow falls it turned out to be mainly low/no snow fall or intermittant heavy snow falls, so as local government were being squeezed for cash, they tended to prepare for the low/no snow fall winters - so road gritting and snow clearing effort was reduced dramatically.
3) Large employers had changed to operating flexi time, which sounded a good idea but meant that any lost time had to be made up for - and in a typical Central Scotland winter, that meant despite our best efforts, maybe 15>20 occasions of getting to work very late - also gone had been the "flippy floppy" idea that as the "buses were being withdrawn" all employees were allowed to leave ASAP while the roads were still beng cleared.
4) We were at the time of our lives when our parents, both sides, were getting on a bit, so needing a bit more support,especially in winter.

It is really up to the individual's needs and location, there is always someone trying to stuff it to anyone being stupid enough to want to run winter tyres, someone on the Skoda forum claims that most of the cars in ditches in winter are fitted with winter tyres - but that is just an old maid's tale to justify not fitting winter tyres. Quite a few people that I used to work with really really did object to me quietly getting on with life and work with using winter tyres, funny old world, they seemed to run out of annual leave quite early in the year though, booking days off in winter!

[Andy Beats]

One tip from me with regard to winter tyres, I've never bought them new.
Online sites are a great source of used winter tyres, some proper bargains to be had.
For example, the wife's Sportage uses 19" wheels and new Pirelli Sottozero are over £200 each new.
I got a pair with 7mm tread (so as good as new) for £120 off a tyre supplier on ebay.
Even with £30 fitting, quids in.
They're fully guaranteed and I always get the garage that fits them to give them a onceover anyway.
They had markings saying they were off a Tesla, interestingly.

[Dark_cze]

One tip from me with regard to winter tyres, I've never bought them new.
Online sites are a great source of used winter tyres, some proper bargains to be had.
For example, the wife's Sportage uses 19" wheels and new Pirelli Sottozero are over £200 each new.
I got a pair with 7mm tread (so as good as new) for £120 off a tyre supplier on ebay.
Even with £30 fitting, quids in.
They're fully guaranteed and I always get the garage that fits them to give them a onceover anyway.
They had markings saying they were off a Tesla, interestingly.

how old they are? might be cheaper because they are old and bit harder than brand new.

[Andy Beats]

how old they are? might be cheaper because they are old and bit harder than brand new.

Don't know, I don't look at the build dates.
I wouldn't on new ones either, TBH.
Not bothered, they do me proud and I'll continue to save money using this method.
My budget isn't limitless and if it's a choice between used Pirelli Sottozero and new 'Onetinlung', I'm going used every time.