Winter Tyre Poll

[christiaan]

So I have just swapped my XC60 over onto winter tyres.

I looked into just getting winter tyres for the 20inch R-design wheels but they were stupidly priced.
So instead I sourced some brand new, genuine Volvo 18 inch Cratus alloys with Pirelli Scorpion Snow and Ice tyres (235/60 R18 107 H) from a German Volvo dealership.

Cost including shipping from Germany for 4 complete wheels/tyres was about half what it would cost here in the UK, and they arrived within 5 days.

Conveniently the temperature has just dropped below 7 degrees today.... bring on the snow and ice!

[davidabz]

Originally Posted by Harvey1512

What make have you gone for? It is always interesting to hear what people put on.

I have fitted Dunlop 3D. Have used them before and found them to be great.
Snow started yesterday and we have about 3 inches in our drive no problem going to the shop this morning, 4 miles on a B Class road with frozen ice underneath. There is a hill near our home and it's easy to see last winter which of our neighbours has taken advice and put on winter tyres. An A4 quattro with extremely wide low profiles on 18" rims will be an interesting sight considering their last car was a Freelander and they live at the other side of the hill.


Volvo V60 D2 SE powershift

[155mph]

Winter tyres back on. Season 3 on this set.

[Crockers]

I went for the Volvo deal if 17" Balder Alloys and Nokia WRa tyres. Smoother ride than my 18" Steiper and Contis.

[Docs]

Winter Contis back on last week just in time I think,3rd winter and still plenty of
life in them,would probably do next year if my 2010 still around.
Let it snow,let it snow,let it snow...!!!

[Paul240480]

I fully follow the concept and have followed the thread with interest. I have never fitted winter tyres. I live now in south Brittany, we have cold below the ability for summer tyres to perform at 100% but rarely have snow. I have , so far not 'come a cropper' by driving to suit the conditions , old school , yes. Ex copper skid pan trained, pursuit and response trained - before winter tyres 'existed'. Not saying I am right as we all know all things progress..... And I have not driven with winter tyres so cannot comment on how good or otherwise in comparison to 'summer tyres' they are. I left the fuzz in 2004 and at that time non of our cars were fitted with winter tyres, that's panda, area car and traffic cars. Are they now? Dunno but with the cut backs......

One thing that springs to mind is insurance. A good set of winter tyres would cost more than double the value of my 240 and most probably my 850 too. If someone wrote either off in snowy conditions, I wonder if insurance would look into the issue of 'were winter tyres fitted to either vehicle' ?

Clearly winter tyres now are better at , what 7 degrees to less than summer tyres. But Back when I began driving in the early 80's one tyre suited all conditions....

Is it progress , or is it moving the goal posts........

[harveys]

Winter tyres will stop approx 20% faster so a car could run into the back of you on stanard tyres.
so guess who would be a fault for not leaveing a big enough gap.

[Harvey1512]

Paul240480 - It is an interesting point you make and I wonder if it is the change in style of tyre used that has caused the problem. I have been driving for 25 years now and for many years snow/ice did not register as a major issue when driving. Quite a few snow free years helped but 3-4 years ago we had a very bad winter up here. I went out in my new S40 expecting no problems but found the car to be useless. I had managed for the previous 20 odd years but could not control this car and had to be pushed on a number of occasions as the car became stuck on ice patches. After 2-3 days of being terrified I tried my wifes Fiat 500. A doddle, a piece of cake. I sailed through the next 2 weeks in that car, the Volvo was left on the drive. Next lease I went to a 4WD and now I am back in a Volvo but with winter tyres. Snow this week up here but so far so good.

What is the difference, and why the story? Is it tyre size? Car mfrs have moved to bigger, wider tyres that simply don't cut through snow. Previous cars were fine as they were on narrower tyres. The Fiat managed as it was on 14/15" tyres. The S40 failed on 17" tyres? Would winter tyres be needed if we were still driving on narrower tyres? Look in the winter weather, most of the cars managing are little Corsa's, Fiat 500's, Fiesta's etc. It is the medium and larger cars that struggle.

I have converted to winter tyres but I do wonder if tyre size increases have exaggerated the problem, hence why it never seemed to be a major issue in the past. Just a thought.

[macdive]

I did 'my tyres' last year, paid about 50 quid a tyre. Korean manufactured. I hear the scoffing and laughing already. However, bear this in mind, it snows like s**t in Korea, so just maybe they know how to do this I thought.

Fitted them for a 1500 mile r/t drive to Austria Skiing in February. They were superb - gripped like you wouldn't believe, tested in full on blizzards, (driving before the road had been ploughed) ice/snow compacted car parks which can be like ice rinks- no problem.

[Harvey1512]

Originally Posted by macdive

I did 'my tyres' last year, paid about 50 quid a tyre. Korean manufactured. I hear the scoffing and laughing already. However, bear this in mind, it snows like s**t in Korea, so just maybe they know how to do this I thought.

Love that answer. Incidentally I sell into the electronics industry and 10 years or so ago S.Korean products did not have a great reputation. Then bit by bit the quality improved and now they are seen as high quality, on a par with Japan. Look at the rise of Samsung. I would happily buy S.Korean products from a reliability point of view so stand firm on your S.Korean tyres. The winter Olympics are going to S.Korea in 2018 by the way so you are dead right about the snow. If they came for the North however then maybe not.............

My tyres are an Italian brand, Marangoni, still mfr in Italy, not farmed out elsewhere. I had a bit of a worry, visions of sun and beaches, and then engaged my brain and thought of the Alps and Italian ski resorts. Doh.