Winter tyres for xc60

[XC60CRAZY]

Wondering if any of you have had the need for winter tyres on your xc60? I'm due to move to Germany a of November and have been told you have to have them by law in winter, just wondering whether I'd be better of buying over there and also do I get another set of alloys for these tyres to makerhe chNge over easier? Thoughts appreciated.
Wheels will be standard 17" on xc60 d3 se premium.

[wimorrison]

Originally Posted by XC60CRAZY

Wondering if any of you have had the need for winter tyres on your xc60? I'm due to move to Germany a of November and have been told you have to have them by law in winter, just wondering whether I'd be better of buying over there and also do I get another set of alloys for these tyres to makerhe chNge over easier? Thoughts appreciated.
Wheels will be standard 17" on xc60 d3 se premium.

My reply earlier this week on this question

Originally Posted by wimorrison

I bought my extra set from Lee at www.lbvolvospares.com - he is in the trade, breaks Volvo cars and gets his hands on parts for disposal from the trade.

My wheels were brand new, still in the box and were being sold as they were excess to an order by someone - I paid £350 delivered for them and then put on Cooper (£98.00 fitted) winter tyres from www.mytyres.co.uk. (I notice that the price is higher now that 3 months ago)

I would give him a ring, he is always very helpful and he has second hand rims available

[polsesnabb]

I live in Norway, we use winter tires from November 1st to middle of April. I don´t know everything about how the do it in Germany, but I have some thoughts on the subject.

You can expect winter conditions with snow and ice everywhere in Germany for at least a couple of weeks during the winter. You newer know in advance; you could find yourself driving on bare roads throughout the whole winter, or just for a few days. In some areas you will experience proper winters, with snow and ice for months. Therefore, it is highly recommended to use winter tires during winter, but not mandatory.

Winter tires have a very soft rubber quality, that is what makes them so much better on snow and ice. The problem with softer rubber, is that the handling performance decreases VERY much, when driving on roads without snow and ice. In Germany they also have high speed limits, and many roads with unlimited speed. This of course demands harder tires, that are more stable in high speed. Therefore, the winter tires sold in continental Europe are a compromise between preferences that are impossible to match. Since most of the driving is on dry or wet roads, they are much harder than the winter tires sold in the Nordic countries. We have a lot of German tourists in Norway during winter, as in summer. Most of the time you can find them in the bottom of the hill, digging their cars out if the ditch, or trying to apply their snowchains.

There is also something called "all year tires". Those are dangerous, as they are useless in winter conditions, and very poor during summer.

Since you have an XC60, there is also the 4x4 to take into consideration. In Norway the 4x4 SUVs are significantly overrepresented in accidents during winter. One would think that is should be the other way around, and 2x cars should be worse off on icy and snowy surface. The reason is that a 4x4 car always manages to get going, and pick up speed. Most of the time you don't´t even notice it´s slippery. That's´s until you apply the brakes, or try to turn. A lot of drivers get an expensive surprise like this every year, and a bigger SUV need a longer braking distance than a smaller car. In SUVs like the XC60 you simply don´t get the feedback from the surface, that an ordinary car would give you, and once you have scr**ed up, there is no electronic gizmo in the world-, but probably just Harry Potter that could save you!

To conclude:
German winter tires are poor when it comes to proper winter conditions, but better than summer- and all year tires. Anyways, you do NOT want to find yourself on summer tires when the snowy day comes! When driving on winter tires, you should always keep a longer distance to the car in front than you normally do, and never go as fast on the German freeways as you would in summer. Last; you must remember to swap back to summer tires when the risk of snow and ice is over, as their soft rubber becomes "jelly" in temperatures above 10C / 50F. Imagine what happens to handling and braking then...

And yes, you should get extra rims for your winter tires as it´s a hassle to swap the tires on the rims. Sometimes it also damages the tires when they are swapped back and forth. Second, you can change from summer to winter in a jiffy, rather than stand in line with the other hundreds to swap tires when winter comes out of nowhere next year!

[Mikefos]

Thanks for that comprehensive reply, I drive back and forth from London to Italy and had a torrid time last year [twice] in the Aosta valley in my V40, just changed to a XC70 and do not want to experience the same this winter. Only mad dogs and Englishman go out in the mid day sun and only [it seems] Englishmen drive in winter on the wrong tyres; does any one know which are the best winter tyres for an XC 70 and where to buy them, also has anyone used snow socks and what are they like.

[tem]

Originally Posted by polsesnabb

There is also something called "all year tires". Those are dangerous, as they are useless in winter conditions, and very poor during summer.

I feel that I have to make a comment about "All season tyres".

After a lot of research and numerous visits to Sweden (Umea area), I decided on the Nokian WR, all season, MS & I Tyres.
These tyres have been fitted to two Merc ML's, two Volvo XC90's and are currently fitted to my XC60.

I live in the North of Scotland and travel regularly to Austria, Northern Italy and the South of France.
Over the years, I have never had any problems, with these tyres.

These tyres are fitted 24/7, 365 days and have given excellent mileage.
Last set, on XC90, gave just over 68000 miles and the current set, fitted to the XC60, have just covered over 35000 miles, with 6.6 mm, on the front and 8.8 mm, on the rear.
Last week, I changed the front, with the rear, to even out the wear.

To sum up, I do not think it is fair to state, that "All year tyres", are "dangerous", as the Nokians, have proved themselves, fit for purpose, time and time, again.

tem.

[polsesnabb]

Glad to hear that there are exceptions regarding all year tyres!

However, the NAF (Norwegian AA equivalent) strongly discourages the use of all year tyres, especially on SUVs and larger (heavier) cars. This because the need for grip increases with weight. We also have the opportunity to use studded winter tyres up here, and for SUVs those are strongly recommended for the same reason. The NAF also explains that all year tyres may work better for people on the continent, where they might just get a few days of snow per year. Still, they are regarded as more of a security measure for one´s mind than one´s motoring. Proper winter conditions (opposite of slush) require proper tyres!

As for the guy in Germany, he would probably be well of with all year tyres, but there might be a reason for sole winter tyres being sold in multiple numbers compared to all year tyres in Germany too. If it was so easy to match the preferences of a summer- and a winter tyre, we wouldn´t have this thread. Good luck to you all, whatever you use!

[tem]

Originally Posted by polsesnabb

Glad to hear that there are exceptions regarding all year tyres!

However, the NAF (Norwegian AA equivalent) strongly discourages the use of all year tyres, especially on SUVs and larger (heavier) cars. This because the need for grip increases with weight. We also have the opportunity to use studded winter tyres up here, and for SUVs those are strongly recommended for the same reason. The NAF also explains that all year tyres may work better for people on the continent, where they might just get a few days of snow per year. Still, they are regarded as more of a security measure for one´s mind than one´s motoring. Proper winter conditions (opposite of slush) require proper tyres!

As for the guy in Germany, he would probably be well of with all year tyres, but there might be a reason for sole winter tyres being sold in multiple numbers compared to all year tyres in Germany too. If it was so easy to match the preferences of a summer- and a winter tyre, we wouldn´t have this thread. Good luck to you all, whatever you use!

I agree with what you say, but you might want to look at the link below:-

http://www.nokiantyres.com/tyre?id=1...kian+WR+G2+SUV

Norway seems to have a different viewpoint to Sweden, regarding studs.
Certainly, in the Northern part of Sweden, studs are classed, as not, environmentally friendly.

tem.

[Dellsonic]

Does anyone know where to get Nokian Tyres in Scotland?

thanks,

Dell

[XC60CRAZY]

Originally Posted by Dellsonic

Does anyone know where to get Nokian Tyres in Scotland?

thanks,

Dell

I searched for some earlier today and there was o ly one retailer in the uk, I think they were in Eastbourne and they deliver. I'll see if I can find the details again for you

[wimorrison]

Originally Posted by XC60CRAZY

I searched for some earlier today and there was o ly one retailer in the uk, I think they were in Eastbourne and they deliver. I'll see if I can find the details again for you

Might need to try harder

www.Mytyres.co.uk has these Nokian's in stock, and I know they are a good company, used them for years.

http://ssl.delti.com/cgi-bin/rshop.p...110&sowigan=Wi

they are £170 a throw though I bought my winter tyres from the same company, 2 days delivery, but I went for Cooper
http://ssl.delti.com/cgi-bin/rshop.p...110&sowigan=Wi

though these are now £35 per tyre more than I paid from them