Winter tyres in the UK, is it worth it?
Discussion
I've never bought winter tyres, ever.
The manufactures of course write their promotional material in such a way as to sound as if everybody should have them and they're absolutely vital.
Has anyone had an experience whereby they would put something such as avoiding an accident completely / mostly on the fact they had winter tyres and not just luck or other factors.
The manufactures of course write their promotional material in such a way as to sound as if everybody should have them and they're absolutely vital.
Has anyone had an experience whereby they would put something such as avoiding an accident completely / mostly on the fact they had winter tyres and not just luck or other factors.
Wife’s Velar came with all seasons, they’re great. It’s never felt like it’s struggled for grip even when we’ve had a fair bit of snow.
I’m sure it would stop quicker in the snow on a set of proper winters but they’re more than adequate for the amount of snow we usually get
Added bonus which may only relate to the brand of tyre rather than the fact they’re all seasons, it’s done nearly 60,000 miles on one set of boots and they were still fine in the snow a couple of months ago.
I’m sure it would stop quicker in the snow on a set of proper winters but they’re more than adequate for the amount of snow we usually get
Added bonus which may only relate to the brand of tyre rather than the fact they’re all seasons, it’s done nearly 60,000 miles on one set of boots and they were still fine in the snow a couple of months ago.
Had them when I lived in Munich as they are mandatory. Like most people there, dreaded the time to put them on and couldn't wait to take them off. Useful in the snow obviously, but I generally wouldn't drive in the snow anyway, or would use a hire car.
Live in the South East of the UK now, and anyone buying them here is doing it just so they can put it in their forum sig.
Live in the South East of the UK now, and anyone buying them here is doing it just so they can put it in their forum sig.
IF it snows, yes, otherwise, even my cheap summer tyres on my Yeti are fine and have pulled a van out of a wet muddy field. I have AT (winter rated) tyres for the Yeti on seperate rims, which I've not fitted for three years now.
I've never felt my regular tyres lacking in the cold. Yeti, R8. My Transit has AT tyres on all year round which are supposed to be "terrible in the wet". Never locked up a wheel once.
Highlands? Perhaps, rest of the UK? I don't think so.
I've never felt my regular tyres lacking in the cold. Yeti, R8. My Transit has AT tyres on all year round which are supposed to be "terrible in the wet". Never locked up a wheel once.
Highlands? Perhaps, rest of the UK? I don't think so.
As others have said it depends on where you are, what your driving profile is and your own attitude to risk.
I have just taken off the winter tyres from my GT4 and gone back to Cup2’s, they are the same set of tyres that I ran last winter on my 718 Spyder. It makes perfect sense to have winters on these cars as the Cup2’s are highly unsuited to winter use. My daily is a Merc Sprinter van, for this I have 2 sets of wheels with winters and summers. This is because I need to use the van in all weathers regardless and for what I do I need the van, I certainly cannot WFH. My Merc ML runs on the Pirelli All Season Tyres that it originally came with and they are excellent in all weathers. It’s Mrs BigM’s go to car in bad winter weather.
The rest of the fleet run on normal summer tyres as there is no need for winters.
I live in the Isle of Man FYI but I do a lot of driving in the UK, mainly in the Northern half.
I have just taken off the winter tyres from my GT4 and gone back to Cup2’s, they are the same set of tyres that I ran last winter on my 718 Spyder. It makes perfect sense to have winters on these cars as the Cup2’s are highly unsuited to winter use. My daily is a Merc Sprinter van, for this I have 2 sets of wheels with winters and summers. This is because I need to use the van in all weathers regardless and for what I do I need the van, I certainly cannot WFH. My Merc ML runs on the Pirelli All Season Tyres that it originally came with and they are excellent in all weathers. It’s Mrs BigM’s go to car in bad winter weather.
The rest of the fleet run on normal summer tyres as there is no need for winters.
I live in the Isle of Man FYI but I do a lot of driving in the UK, mainly in the Northern half.
MidnightXR6 said:
I usually stick all seasons on the front around October time.
Has helped me well where i lve during any icy or snow period tbh.
Entirely up to you. However in the rare occurrence we have had snow i kept goin where others were stuck. Depends if you want the expense.
This can be dangerous if the rears aren’t all seasons and conditions turn bad. You will have an oversteering balance, and can spin your car at higher speeds.Has helped me well where i lve during any icy or snow period tbh.
Entirely up to you. However in the rare occurrence we have had snow i kept goin where others were stuck. Depends if you want the expense.
OP, depending on where you live, Jon from tyrereviews recommends all seasons tyres during winter and summer tyres the rest of the time for the best performance, esp in moderate southern English climates.
Personally, because I don’t need to rely on my car I am happy running summer tyres like Continental Premium Contacts that have been optimised for cooler temps all year round. If it snows or is frosty, I just leave the car at home. If its just cold, 3 degrees say, the car is grippy enough.
My most recent tyre was a Goodyear Efficient Grip Performance 2, I was not happy with that tyre when it was colder and considered getting a set of all seasons. The car they were attached to died however, so didn’t in the end.
So even with summer tyres, it depends.
Edited by wyson on Monday 1st May 10:22
ingenieur said:
Has anyone had an experience whereby they would put something such as avoiding an accident completely / mostly on the fact they had winter tyres and not just luck or other factors.
I guess that’d be pretty hard to know. And could well be balanced by people who’ve had accidents with Winters on where they wouldn’t have been able to move on summers or may not have even gone out.VW dealers were selling winter wheel & tyre sets cheap when we got wife’s Tiguan and I’ve faithfully swapped them over every 6 mths ish. In 8 years it’s been driven in proper ungritted snow once. It took off awesomely - as if on dry tarmac - braking and cornering were a different matter though, very hard to brake without ABS coming on (maybe that’s deliberate?) and cornering needed to be done slowly or the car just drifted sideways. I drove it only a few weeks ago on a very cold morning, icy back roads with sort of dry snow flurries in strong wind - other traffic was going literally at walking pace - I passed a couple of cars then had a right moment on a bend so slowed right down.
Not sure what the conclusion is - I’m confident winter’s would get you going where you could be stuck on summer’s. But getting going is only part of it.
No issues with wear by the way - with the 6 mth swaps both sets are wearing evenly. On Tiguan can’t tell any difference in how the car drives, noise is same as is MPG.
Edited by Sheepshanks on Monday 1st May 10:13
I’ve had probably three winters in the past 15 years where I simply wouldn’t have been able to get back up our hill without them. Prior to this I’ve used snow socks which work but are a fiddle and don’t last long. They allowed me to get to work safely in snow when otherwise I would not have been able to.
That said the last few years haven’t had to use them.
The thing is when you need them you really need them, they make a massive difference to grip. If you can store them in your garage I’m the dark, they will last quite a few years so don’t work out that expensive.
(BTW store tyres on wheels flat, but store tyres alone upright apparently)
That said the last few years haven’t had to use them.
The thing is when you need them you really need them, they make a massive difference to grip. If you can store them in your garage I’m the dark, they will last quite a few years so don’t work out that expensive.
(BTW store tyres on wheels flat, but store tyres alone upright apparently)
Had to have a set when I lived in Luxembourg a few years ago and have kept them going since.
We had snow for longer periods there than the uk and I remember travelling back to the uk across the Ardenne one snowy winter in a 3 series with no drama.
I normally stick them on in October and off in March as they work better than summer tyres below 7 deg.
They are a bit of an extravagance for the uk in the south and I would suggest all seasons would be a good compromise if you live somewhere that doesn’t get terribly bad. But there is a certain smugness when it does snow of pootling around.
We had snow for longer periods there than the uk and I remember travelling back to the uk across the Ardenne one snowy winter in a 3 series with no drama.
I normally stick them on in October and off in March as they work better than summer tyres below 7 deg.
They are a bit of an extravagance for the uk in the south and I would suggest all seasons would be a good compromise if you live somewhere that doesn’t get terribly bad. But there is a certain smugness when it does snow of pootling around.
100% worth it. And not just if it snows.
You will see a massive handling difference in temperatures below 7 degrees.
The downside is that if you have a warmer spell of weather and the temps go over 7 degrees winter tyres can feel vague.
By the way this relates to comparisons between high performance winter and summer tyres on sportier cars.
You will see a massive handling difference in temperatures below 7 degrees.
The downside is that if you have a warmer spell of weather and the temps go over 7 degrees winter tyres can feel vague.
By the way this relates to comparisons between high performance winter and summer tyres on sportier cars.
Elysium said:
100% worth it. And not just if it snows.
You will see a massive handling difference in temperatures below 7 degrees.
The downside is that if you have a warmer spell of weather and the temps go over 7 degrees winter tyres can feel vague.
By the way this relates to comparisons between high performance winter and summer tyres on sportier cars.
Any sports car will feel soggier on winters both above and below 7c. Why buy a car designed for finely balanced handling then blunt it with excess movement from the tyres? On higher powered cars they can also set off the TC with the unnecessary squirming - which is extremely tiresome and another way they compromise handling.You will see a massive handling difference in temperatures below 7 degrees.
The downside is that if you have a warmer spell of weather and the temps go over 7 degrees winter tyres can feel vague.
By the way this relates to comparisons between high performance winter and summer tyres on sportier cars.
popeyewhite said:
Elysium said:
100% worth it. And not just if it snows.
You will see a massive handling difference in temperatures below 7 degrees.
The downside is that if you have a warmer spell of weather and the temps go over 7 degrees winter tyres can feel vague.
By the way this relates to comparisons between high performance winter and summer tyres on sportier cars.
Any sports car will feel soggier on winters both above and below 7c. Why buy a car designed for finely balanced handling then blunt it with excess movement from the tyres? On higher powered cars they can also set off the TC with the unnecessary squirming - which is extremely tiresome and another way they compromise handling.You will see a massive handling difference in temperatures below 7 degrees.
The downside is that if you have a warmer spell of weather and the temps go over 7 degrees winter tyres can feel vague.
By the way this relates to comparisons between high performance winter and summer tyres on sportier cars.
The benefits fade as you approach ambient temps of 7 degrees and above that I would agree with your description .
For winter commutes when temps are around freezing they are absolutely great. It’s like driving in summer on summer tyres.
Elysium said:
Perhaps it depends on the car
I've tried winters on these because I live in The Peak District: Porsche 911, BMW M3, MB E63s AMG. The winter tyres all affected handling negatively in all temps when driving to the conditions. On 4WD performance cars, ie RS6 and S8 I thought they were of benefit so kept them on. In fact the S8 I kept the Sottozeros on the whole year round.In the end I bought a proper off-road vehicle.
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