It's the middle of November and the temperatures in the UK are still hovering around 14c, but with colder temperatures due next week, and even snow forecast in the northern parts of the country, now is a good time to look at the winter tire market in 2015.
All Season or Winter?
We all now understand that winter tires aren't just for snow, but are effective at any temperatures below 7c, with the real benefits coming in wet, snow and ice performance at near, and past freezing point.
While this works for northern European countries, which have very distinct seasons, the last four winters in the UK have been characterised by mild temperatures, no snowfall, and even long spells of dry roads, where winter tires don't have the opportunity to really show their performance qualities.
This has lead to a resurgence of the all season tire market, which means using an all season tire as a winter tire in the UK is now a real possibility for the majority of the country. Modern all season tires still offer vastly improved winter capabilities when compared to the equivalent summer tire, but offer less of the drawbacks in warmer dry and wet conditions, where even the best winter tire can't get within 15% of a summer tire under dry braking.
The All Seasons
There have been six new all season tires launched this year, with two outstanding options for the UK. Michelin have launched the new CrossClimate, which moves the all season tire balance away from snow and ice performance, and instead towards dry and wet performance at colder temperatures, and Goodyear have updated the multiple award winning Vector 4Season, again pushing the balance more towards dry and wet performance, but keeping a more snow and ice bias than the Michelin.
In our own testing, we found the Michelin CrossClimate to be as good as a summer tire in the dry and wet, and the only all season or winter tire which offered comparable dry braking to a summer tire. Even with this dry braking and traction advantage over the winter tires, it still offered enough traction and braking performance in the snow to avoid getting stuck when the snowfall comes down.
For this reason, if you live in the south of the UK and don't have any plans to drive into Europe to more extreme weather, this is the tire we would recommend for the smaller vehicle, with the added bonus of it being safely usable year round.
If you live in more Northern parts of the UK, or plan driving to a ski resort, the Goodyear Vector 4Season Gen-2 is the smarter choice due to a better snow and ice profile than the Michelin. The drawbacks of a strong snow and ice performance are found in dry braking, where like with a winter, you still lose nearly 15% dry braking performance when compared to a summer tire.
The Winters
The good news is if you're set on a winter tire, or you drive a car with a larger wheel size where there isn't an all season option, there's a couple of new options for you this year.
For the larger sizes and sports cars, Goodyear have released the excellent UltraGrip Performance Gen-1. We had the opportunity to test this tire at the start of the year against the best premium competition on the market in the dry, wet and snow performance, and it outperformed all of them. Auto Express have since agreed as it won their 2015 winter tire test, and a number of German tire tests have put this tire on the highly recommended list!
In the smaller sizes, snow specialist Nokian have updated the hugely successful WR D range to the WR D4. This builds on the success of the WR D3, and promises excellent snow and ice performance.
Dunlop have launched the new WinterSport 5, which replaced the well reviewed WinterSport 4D, and the Continental WinterContact TS850 is still an incredible all round winter tire and an excellent option, even with the TS860 due next year.
When to fit?
While it feels late in the season, judging by the forecasts we recommend fitting your winter (or all season!) rubber in the last few weeks of November.
If you have any questions or comments please feel free to ask below, and don't forget to leave winter tire reviews once you've some miles on them!
As always, safe motoring in the 2015 winter season to all our readers
Further Reading
Winter Tire Information
- Summer VS All Season VS Winter Tires
- Winter Tire Infographic
- Winter Tire VS Summer Tire (video)
- 2015 Winter Forecast (off site)
All Season Tire Tests
Winter Tire Tests
Best UUHP Tires
Best All Season Tires
Best Winter Tires
