Winter tyres? (cars)

[legrandefromage]

drove normally in this 2 way road (although you wouldnt believe it until you saw it) yesterday, didnt use the brakes to slow down, just the engine and to pull away just the clutch until the car was moving.

 

[tintin40]

A report on radio 5 said that some insurance companies weren't covering drivers if they fitted these tyres as it was 'customising' the car so not covered :roll:
Just love insurace companies

 

[s_zigmond]

Mytyres had the nokian tyres for the 4x4 at £68 last week, now £109.

Ordered Nokians for my Impreza last Friday - £64 a corner.
On Monday they were £154

Smug? Oh yes

Which Nokians did you go for? I was after some but could only find W2's and WRs in this country which are all weather tyres.

 

[Easy_Rider]

A report on radio 5 said that some insurance companies weren't covering drivers if they fitted these tyres as it was 'customising' the car so not covered :roll:
Just love insurace companies

Its to do with the speed rating of the tyre. Generally winter tyres have a lower speed rating and so the insurance companies are thinking they are unsafe... nevermind the oodles more grip you get in the winter for safer driving.

It's the black ice that dangerous not so much soft snow. When I was on holiday in Tromso (north Norway) only about 50% of people used studded tyres the rest just had plain old winter tyres and they were driving on mainly ice quite normally! I'm sure I saw road teams spraying water on the roads where the ice had worn away to make more ice.

 

[Supernaut]

Mytyres had the nokian tyres for the 4x4 at £68 last week, now £109.

Ordered Nokians for my Impreza last Friday - £64 a corner.
On Monday they were £154

Smug? Oh yes

Which Nokians did you go for? I was after some but could only find W2's and WRs in this country which are all weather tyres.

WR G2 - http://www.nokiantyres.com/tyre?id=1036 ... kian+WR+G2

 

[highlandsflyer]

AWD certainly does assist in cornering, and braking on loose surfaces, if you have ABS. Think about it.

Most of us don't go from a non AWD to AWD at the drop of a hat so you forget the differences, but I used to drive a Legacy and frequently stuffed it into AWD when I was carrying too much speed into a snow covered bend exactly because it got much more adhesion, or indeed when I was 'losing it' on a diesel covered roundabout. When you have a vehicle with permanent AWD it is working away for you with little fuss, but it is working for you. (Of course a lot of cars have an indicator to tell you the torque spread, etc. so you can see when it is working, but shouldn't your eyes be on the road on a slippery bend?)

In AWD all four corners are pushing and pulling. Helps in corners as the non driven wheels don't wash out and in braking on loose surfaces the ABS can operate in conjunction with drive to all four contact points, traction control, etc. to allow much more efficient engine braking/braking combined to safely steer and stop.

Think about how AWD cars came to dominate rallying.

Anyway, I just came home from the hill and for some miles was in convoy with a chap with a car full of people, some of whom I ended up carrying to help him get over the hilly bits. There is no way he should have been out with a Golf 2wd on normal rubber.

I don't know if it should be mandatory to change to winter tyres, but perhaps the police should be prosecuting a lot more people who venture out in conditions that are dangerous.

Yesterday I was coming off the hill and there was a young guy in a beemer with full body kit half an inch off the ground, trying to come down the hill on sheet ice.

He was pulled in along side a wifie in an Audi, both waiting for a gritter to come.

I was not having it, I told them to get in and three hours later when I took them back the gritter still had not been so I dropped them home.

Idiots.

Lot of them about right now.

Thing about getting a set of steels with winter rubber is, you will have them for years before they are worn out, so although it is initially a lot, you won't need to buy more for a long time.

 

[REKIBorter]

Winter tyres CAN have a lower speed rating compared to the speed rating of the tyres originally fitted to the vehicle. As long as the driver sticks to the lower speed rating it is not a problem and is totally within the law. However, the Load Index must be the same as the original tyres fitted.

 

[suburbanreuben]

Winter tyres CAN have a lower speed rating compared to the speed rating of the tyres originally fitted to the vehicle. As long as the driver sticks to the lower speed rating it is not a problem and is totally within the law. However, the Load Index must be the same as the original tyres fitted.

That's good to know; my Pirelli winters are H rated to 130mph.
Vredestein do some V and maybe even W rated winter tyres.
Proper SNOW tyres, though, are usually Q rated, to something like 80mph. I can't imagine needing them though. Even last winter, with 18" on the roads, I had absolutely no trouble getting around.

 

[Dr S]

Think about how AWD cars came to dominate rallying.

Although the benefits of 4WD are only used for acceleration out of slower corners. Only the Quattro was a pure AWD system and it was pretty poor until Torsen diffs were developed. Transmission systems on rallycars contain complex electronics now and are only active when needed. They also revert to 2wd under braking in most instances. Rallycars also never, ever have ABS as getting wheels to lock is essential to get the cars to turn in.


On the subject of speed ratings, Maxsport now do a snow tyre called Alaska that is speed rated up to 167mph. I have just ordered a pair of 175/15 Alaskas and have change from £120.

 

[REKIBorter]

There are restrictions when it comes to studded tyres. Not sure of the facts but pretty sure tyres with a speed rating of V or higher cannot be studded.