Popped your cherry yet? - Winter tyre user's that is
Discussion
So hopefully with the latest flurries of the lovely white stuff you've popped your snow/winter tyre virginity & can report back 
As a long time user I bet there will be some funny comments & general OMG what have I been missing all this time. I've used em for the last 20 years on all ours cars, they've gotten better every year & I still think it's amusing going places that people think you should'nt be. Some of my best motoring moments & journeys have been in the snow, to some uttery silly places often purely for the fun of it.
Q1: Were you sceptical before?
Q2: What convinced you to try them?
Q3: On a factor of 1-10 how much difference has it made. 1 is not getting of the driveway a'la previous years, 10 is gettiing up & down the steepest hill you can find that previously was only good for tabogganing
Q4: Are you regretting it now? as you can get to work & won't have to sit at home in your pants all day?
As a long time user I bet there will be some funny comments & general OMG what have I been missing all this time. I've used em for the last 20 years on all ours cars, they've gotten better every year & I still think it's amusing going places that people think you should'nt be. Some of my best motoring moments & journeys have been in the snow, to some uttery silly places often purely for the fun of it.
Q1: Were you sceptical before?
Q2: What convinced you to try them?
Q3: On a factor of 1-10 how much difference has it made. 1 is not getting of the driveway a'la previous years, 10 is gettiing up & down the steepest hill you can find that previously was only good for tabogganing
Q4: Are you regretting it now? as you can get to work & won't have to sit at home in your pants all day?
Edited by cptsideways on Saturday 27th November 20:04
cptsideways said:
So hopefully with the latest flurries of the lovely white stuff you've popped your snow/winter tyre virginity & can report back
As a long time user I bet there will be some funny comments & general OMG what have I been missing all this time. I've used em for the last 20 years on all ours cars, they've gotten better every year & I still think it's amusing going places that people think you should'nt be. Some of my best motoring moments & journeys have been in the snow, to some uttery silly places often purely for the fun of it.
Q1: Were you sceptical before?
Q2: What convinced you to try them?
Q3: On a factor of 1-10 how much difference has it made. 1 is not getting of the driveway a'la previous years, 10 is gettiing up & down the steepest hill you can find that previously was only good for tabogganing
Q4: Are you regretting it now? as you can get to work & won't have to sit at home in your pants all day?
Q1 YesAs a long time user I bet there will be some funny comments & general OMG what have I been missing all this time. I've used em for the last 20 years on all ours cars, they've gotten better every year & I still think it's amusing going places that people think you should'nt be. Some of my best motoring moments & journeys have been in the snow, to some uttery silly places often purely for the fun of it.
Q1: Were you sceptical before?
Q2: What convinced you to try them?
Q3: On a factor of 1-10 how much difference has it made. 1 is not getting of the driveway a'la previous years, 10 is gettiing up & down the steepest hill you can find that previously was only good for tabogganing
Q4: Are you regretting it now? as you can get to work & won't have to sit at home in your pants all day?
Edited by cptsideways on Saturday 27th November 20:04
Q2 Couldn't get the wifes BMW out of the drive last year
Q3 Difference, 10. I took it out at 7am this morning and just laughed. The local steepest hill I cruised up without the traction control light blinking. I then tried it in my Golf on summer tyres and had to reverse off the slope. I'm a believer and now a "winter tyre bore" according to my wife!
Q4 Not regretting it at all. Am about to change the Golf for a Polo and am ordering some Continental Winter Contacts for them too
Had them on for two weeks now. First year on them bit found them very good. Feel a lot more sure footed when breaking and driving around the back roads. Traction control remains off when accelerating briskly (last year in the colder weather the diesel's torque always got the traction control working) and the winter Tyres inspire more confidence.
Why did I get them? Safety, ability to get further and fed up of wearing out my summer tyres in the cold weather due to excessive abrasion due to summer compound not working well in low temps.
Why did I get them? Safety, ability to get further and fed up of wearing out my summer tyres in the cold weather due to excessive abrasion due to summer compound not working well in low temps.
Hey guys, does anyone know if you get such a thing as low profile winter tires?
Just bought a FWD car on 245/45/18 rubber that are currently on Continental Sport Contact 3's all round. Is there a better winter or all weather alternative or are autosocks my best bet to get up the hill outside my house?
Just bought a FWD car on 245/45/18 rubber that are currently on Continental Sport Contact 3's all round. Is there a better winter or all weather alternative or are autosocks my best bet to get up the hill outside my house?
Got mine fitted a couple of weeks ago on a Lexus LS400. We live at the bottom of a very steep cul de sac and it has always been a nightmare getting out and around.
Have read loads about them and thought enough is enough - my wife getting rid of her 4wd Merc ML also was a factor.
Went out this morn - straight up the hill - no probs - felt very sure footed everywhere.
I will never be without them again!
Have read loads about them and thought enough is enough - my wife getting rid of her 4wd Merc ML also was a factor.
Went out this morn - straight up the hill - no probs - felt very sure footed everywhere.
I will never be without them again!
RandomTask said:
Hey guys, does anyone know if you get such a thing as low profile winter tires?
Just bought a FWD car on 245/45/18 rubber that are currently on Continental Sport Contact 3's all round. Is there a better winter or all weather alternative or are autosocks my best bet to get up the hill outside my house?
Yes you can get most sizes, Ive got 225/40-18 Falken FS439 Eurowinters on my 1 Series and there was plenty of choice of different brands. Have a search on somewhere like mytyres or Camskill for available options in the size you need.Just bought a FWD car on 245/45/18 rubber that are currently on Continental Sport Contact 3's all round. Is there a better winter or all weather alternative or are autosocks my best bet to get up the hill outside my house?
My summer tyres were shot anyway so I've used original rims. If you can't afford rims as well / at the moment and have somewhere to store them, you could always get winters put on your existing wheels and keep the summer tyres, then either swap back again in the spring or look for another set of rims at your leisure over the winter and fit the summer tyres to the new set.
As to cost, I dont know what size you're looking at but budget for £70-100 per corner for smaller sizes of decent brand tyres, going up to £150+ for wide low profile jobbies, all slightly inflated prices due to the time of the year unfortunately.
As to cost, I dont know what size you're looking at but budget for £70-100 per corner for smaller sizes of decent brand tyres, going up to £150+ for wide low profile jobbies, all slightly inflated prices due to the time of the year unfortunately.
I ordered some in the last week after sliding around Harlow's roundabouts like Bambi last weekend.
Due to be delivered on Tuesday to a local garage and then I shall be unstoppable. Not that I was stopped last year, but drifting along a high street at 10mph and 20 degrees to the direction of travel was not a recommended form of entertainment.
Due to be delivered on Tuesday to a local garage and then I shall be unstoppable. Not that I was stopped last year, but drifting along a high street at 10mph and 20 degrees to the direction of travel was not a recommended form of entertainment.
Laird Lugton said:
cptsideways said:
So hopefully with the latest flurries of the lovely white stuff you've popped your snow/winter tyre virginity & can report back
As a long time user I bet there will be some funny comments & general OMG what have I been missing all this time. I've used em for the last 20 years on all ours cars, they've gotten better every year & I still think it's amusing going places that people think you should'nt be. Some of my best motoring moments & journeys have been in the snow, to some uttery silly places often purely for the fun of it.
Q1: Were you sceptical before?
Q2: What convinced you to try them?
Q3: On a factor of 1-10 how much difference has it made. 1 is not getting of the driveway a'la previous years, 10 is gettiing up & down the steepest hill you can find that previously was only good for tabogganing
Q4: Are you regretting it now? as you can get to work & won't have to sit at home in your pants all day?
Q1 YesAs a long time user I bet there will be some funny comments & general OMG what have I been missing all this time. I've used em for the last 20 years on all ours cars, they've gotten better every year & I still think it's amusing going places that people think you should'nt be. Some of my best motoring moments & journeys have been in the snow, to some uttery silly places often purely for the fun of it.
Q1: Were you sceptical before?
Q2: What convinced you to try them?
Q3: On a factor of 1-10 how much difference has it made. 1 is not getting of the driveway a'la previous years, 10 is gettiing up & down the steepest hill you can find that previously was only good for tabogganing
Q4: Are you regretting it now? as you can get to work & won't have to sit at home in your pants all day?
Edited by cptsideways on Saturday 27th November 20:04
Q2 Couldn't get the wifes BMW out of the drive last year
Q3 Difference, 10. I took it out at 7am this morning and just laughed. The local steepest hill I cruised up without the traction control light blinking. I then tried it in my Golf on summer tyres and had to reverse off the slope. I'm a believer and now a "winter tyre bore" according to my wife!
Q4 Not regretting it at all. Am about to change the Golf for a Polo and am ordering some Continental Winter Contacts for them too
Amazed by the difference they made and the hills I can now get up in an MX5. Previously I wouldn't have even tried those hills, now I do them just because I can. Ice is ice and not a lot helps on that but on snow the difference is black and white, amazing things winter tyres and I'm now a full convert having never tried them previously.
Q1: A little.
Q2: Baby due in just over 2 weeks from now. Wanted to be as mobile as possible, no matter the weather (and short of buying a tractor/tank!) Having two BMWs meant I had to do something.
Q3: I think it's going to have to be a 8 or 9. The day we had about 5" of snow fall in a few hours (Saturday before Christmas) was the first chance I got to use them.
Wife works very rurally south west from Newbury, lots of hills etc. Drove very cautiously on the way to drop her off but "experimented" a bit more on my way home once solo. First big hill I came to and I ended up behind a guy in a new Octavia, he was wheel spinning like mad and weaving left to right to get traction. He barely got above walking pace!
I slowed right down as it wasn't safe to overtake, eventually coming to a stop. Wasn't really sure what to expect, but once the guy got to a bit with less snow and moved on, I just pulled away without even spinning a wheel!
Had a play in a car park near me which had the same 4-5" covering too. It took a surprising amount of effort to get the back to come round. Much more understeer shown than I expected. Also stopped sliding VERY quickly.
They are not miracle workers though. On packed frozen snow I've still noticed a bit of sliding if not driven with enough caution. Don't expect to be doing emergency stops for example.
Q4: I don't drive to work, so not really applicable. Glad I bought them (back in October!) as I am confident that I can still get around in all but the deepest of snow (and that's because the car is so low!)
Q2: Baby due in just over 2 weeks from now. Wanted to be as mobile as possible, no matter the weather (and short of buying a tractor/tank!) Having two BMWs meant I had to do something.
Q3: I think it's going to have to be a 8 or 9. The day we had about 5" of snow fall in a few hours (Saturday before Christmas) was the first chance I got to use them.
Wife works very rurally south west from Newbury, lots of hills etc. Drove very cautiously on the way to drop her off but "experimented" a bit more on my way home once solo. First big hill I came to and I ended up behind a guy in a new Octavia, he was wheel spinning like mad and weaving left to right to get traction. He barely got above walking pace!
I slowed right down as it wasn't safe to overtake, eventually coming to a stop. Wasn't really sure what to expect, but once the guy got to a bit with less snow and moved on, I just pulled away without even spinning a wheel!
Had a play in a car park near me which had the same 4-5" covering too. It took a surprising amount of effort to get the back to come round. Much more understeer shown than I expected. Also stopped sliding VERY quickly.
They are not miracle workers though. On packed frozen snow I've still noticed a bit of sliding if not driven with enough caution. Don't expect to be doing emergency stops for example.
Q4: I don't drive to work, so not really applicable. Glad I bought them (back in October!) as I am confident that I can still get around in all but the deepest of snow (and that's because the car is so low!)
I've generally been OK on summer tyres, slipping and sliding around but getting where I need to. It was the wife that was having problems with her FWD car and she was talking about getting a 4x4.
Whilst not a great objector to 4x4s, I've seen so many in ditches while I've driven past in my RWD, I felt that was not the ultimate solution.
In addition to haveing the extra running costs and stareage issues with a 4x4, the wife would have to get used to driving it so I thought winter tyres would be a reasonable compromise. I didn't expect them to be as good as they are though.
Last week, we had snowfall. Once again you saw the summer 4x4s slipping and sliding going up hills - I drove past in my winter shod FWD. Going downhill there was not a hint of lock up.
I wouldn't say you can drive at normal speeds in snow, ice, mud and cold rain but the tyres give you additional safety margin to keep you out of trouble.
I paid about £70 a corner for 175/50 15 Khumo KW23 tyres.
Whilst not a great objector to 4x4s, I've seen so many in ditches while I've driven past in my RWD, I felt that was not the ultimate solution.
In addition to haveing the extra running costs and stareage issues with a 4x4, the wife would have to get used to driving it so I thought winter tyres would be a reasonable compromise. I didn't expect them to be as good as they are though.
Last week, we had snowfall. Once again you saw the summer 4x4s slipping and sliding going up hills - I drove past in my winter shod FWD. Going downhill there was not a hint of lock up.
I wouldn't say you can drive at normal speeds in snow, ice, mud and cold rain but the tyres give you additional safety margin to keep you out of trouble.
I paid about £70 a corner for 175/50 15 Khumo KW23 tyres.
5678 said:
Eagerbeaver said:
I paid about £70 a corner for 175/50 15 Khumo KW23 tyres.
When did you buy them? I bought my KW23s in 185/60/15 for £35 a corner.Two years ago mind you back before they were even heard of, my tyre man then did'nt have a clue what I was on about.
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