7 Reasons to Consider Winter Tires
After a week of snow and ice on UK roads people are finally starting to take winter tires seriously. A legal requirement in most of northern Europe winter tires are very misunderstood in the UK. Here are 7 reasons you might want to consider swapping to winter tires.
1) Winter tires are NOT SNOW TYRES
One of the most common reasons we hear as to why winter tires aren't needed in the UK is because we don't get enough snow. Winter tires are designed to be more effective than regular tires in any temperature under 7c (44f) on any type of road. Cold weather tires are designed with a larger percentage of natural rubber and silica in the compound which doesn't harden up as much as synthetic rubber in cold conditions.
2) Winter tires really work
Tirerack tested the Bridgestone Blizzak WS60 winter tire against the Bridgestone RE050A ultra high performance summer tire in icy conditions. From just 10mph the winter tire stopped in 6.4 metres, while the summer tire needed more than twice the distance to stop at over 14 metres. Imagine the difference from 30 mph.
3) Winter tires could save you money
Modern cars have big alloys and expensive wide low profile tires. Once the small outlay of a set of steel rims has been made, winter tires are often cheaper because of their smaller size. While you're driving on winter tires, your not wearing out your expensive summer tires, thus saving you money.
4) ABS doesn't stop your car any quicker
Another false-truth we hear a lot is winter tires aren't needed thanks to ABS. ABS was designed to allow steering control to be retained while in an emergency situation and will not stop you any quicker in low grip situations.
5) Winter tires are as comfortable as summer tiresYet another myth is a loss of ride comfort, or extra noise thanks to winter tires. The truth is modern winter tires are as every bit as comfortable as summer tires, sometimes more so thanks to an increased profile.
6) Avoiding other people on the road
The number of accidents caused by wet conditions increases in winter by 267%. Give yourself a chance of avoiding someone else's incident by fitting winter tires.
7) Cars have changed
It's no secret modern cars have gained a little weight, in fact a MK5 Golf is almost twice the weight of a MK1 Golf. With all that extra weight comes added inertia when trying to change directions or slow down, which gives the tires much more work to do. To compound the problem many more cars are coming with overly wide sports tires which have even less chance of slowing the big heavy car.
To see our full range of winter tire reviews please visit our winter tire section, or if you have any other reasons to make the change, or would simply like to share your experience of winter tires please comment below.
Further Winter Tire Reading
- 2011 Winter tire buying guide- All winter tire tests
What you call "Mishmash" is LAW in the United Kingdom. Don't see how someone who claims to have emigrated 43 YEARS AGO should still have to right to call for a change of the law (or indeed any law) here in Britain.
Your post highlight some very useful information on winter tires and how specially design winter tires can be beneficial for your car. Thanks for sharing useful information.
This year (2014) happens to be one of the warmest Winters in England, but don't let that fact stop your trolling from Japan, eh?!
Why so cross? Can't you get snow tires for your wheelchair?
Japanese Troll with autism looking for his daily Troll fix. Best ignored.
Still of the same mind, Jock?
Who cares what you think?! I live in England, and you live in Japan!
At last, you got something right. Now for the next moment of truth: "You're British. You're not Japanese."
For over ten years and literally hundreds of times you've told me I'm Japanese. Change the record, looney.
Jack, the Japan Alps Brit
You are about as British as Diane Abbott!
You're about as sane as Jack the Ripper.
I really don't know why we're having this debate.
Of course snow tires are better than summer tires.
Of course snow tires on all four wheels are better than two.
Of course 4WD gives better traction than 2WD.
Obviously a good-to-go set of snow tires on wheels is a good idea assuming you have the storage.
What we should be discussing is the notion that narrower/possibly smaller diameter wheels fitted with full profile snow tires give more grip than those all-fashion, no-function, low profile wide tires. Think it through, more pressure per square measurement unit. Check clips of the tires fitted to snow rally cars.
Jack, Japan Alps
what is the difference between winter tires, and cold weather tires,
About five quid a corner.
any advice please. I have a small older car, suzuki wagon R, 53 reg. about 9 years old. I have never tried winter tires and can't afford much, but I equally cant be trapped in my home if it snows. the roads are not adequately gritted around where I live and it is hilly and bendy,,
i am weighing up the expense of winter tires against hotel bills for when I can't stay indoors due to being trapped there. would winter tires really allow me to drive in snowy and icy conditions, even over sloping and winding roads? I never drive long distance, only locally but a a disabled person I need use of my car in all conditions
lucy, of course no tire is going to be infallible and really extreme weather is going to stop anything, but that said the 1-6" of snow we typically see in britain is not extreme and winter tires will help you immensely, even on sloping roads. My experience is somewhat biased as I also have AWD on my car, but even without that winter tires make the most difference. The last 2 winters I was in the alps and mountain regions in tuscany and in both regions you see all sorts of cars, including small hatchbacks and bigger vans, all with winter tires and driving around the mountain roads without a problem.
So yes, winter tires will definitely help even on windy country hills. Just be vigilant and drive with care.
Snow and ice will still be a hazard and you will still have to drive with extra care and attention (being particularly wary of other road users!). Drive slower than normal, always look ahead and stop well in advance of busy junctions to give other traffic a chance to skid to a stop without hitting you (always be aware of what's behind you also as they might not be able to stop as quickly as you if you have winter tires and they don't!).
Any driving input should be smooth and steady: steering should be gentle and slow, not jerky or you will lose grip. The same goes for accelerating and braking, and even changing gear (be especially careful when changing DOWN a gear in snow as it can momentarily lock the wheels).
If the wheels lock up, take your foot OFF the brake, dip the clutch if necessary and steer gently towards the direction you want to go. Locked wheels, weather by the brakes or down-shifting too early, will cause you to skid out of control, and the worst thing you can do in a skid is keep the brakes on (I've learnt that the hard way, but I'm a better driver for it).
With all that in mind, your main difficulty driving in snowy conditions in the UK will be negotiating and avoiding other, less savvy road users - and traffic jams due to such.
I'd avoid the cheaper brands such as nankang, star performer, yokahoma etc when it comes to winter tires. Assuming your tire size is 155/65 R14 I would go for either of these:
http://www.mytires.co.uk/cg...
http://lovetires.com/tire/G...
I've had 2 sets of nokains now and they are astonishingly good, but the goodyears are also good.
You should be able to pick up a spare set of wheels from a scrapyard for well under £100 (tell them you don't care about the tires). or on ebay. Your wheel specs are as follows: PCD 4x100, centre bore: 54.1, offset 38.
I would think you can get tires and wheels all fitted for around £300. That will last you at least 4 winters if they don't get damaged by curbs, potholes etc along the way (my aggressive driving style means yours will probably last much longer ).
good luck!
Winter tires are very reliable!
It had saved my life countless of times.
They have ... countless times.
Seriously poor batting average.
do you have to fit winter tires on all 4 wheels or only on the driving wheels
It's always best to - after all you want all four tires to grip the road!
This should answer the question:
http://www.tirereviews.co.u...
Sensible questions only, please.
My only concern with more people getting winter tires (this is my first year buying them, hence doing some homework), is that people will inherently become more confident and cocky on the roads.
Of course, many people are already ill-equipped with common sense to deal with the worst weather we have in the UK. I've seen people slip and slide on their FEET trying to get in their car, then trying to drive off with high revs and sliding sideways towards the kerb, or in more exciting cases the nearest lamppost/pillar/wall.
I've only driven about 10 miles on my cold weather tires since they were fitted this afternoon, but in 8 degrees I found they felt a lot more sure-footed, and I'm convinced they are a great investment - obviously an opinion buoyed by the reviews and comments I've been reading.
Time will tell - it's only gonna get colder and wetter for the next few weeks. For once I'm looking forward to waking up at 4.30am for an early shift and seeing a white road outside.
I've driven with winter tires plenty of times in the past and am well aware of the benefits but I wasn't responsible for the tires as I was driving company cars. I now want to put them on my own vehicle. Do I need to buy a set of steel wheels or can I just buy the tires to fit my alloys. I drive a Mazda 5 with 205/50/R17 alloys.
Assuming you can find winter tires in the correct size, there's no need to go to steel wheels.
You might find a set of steel wheels in a smaller tire size might work out cheaper, and protect your nice alloys from winter salts.
If I use a smaller size will that not affect my speedo reading?
And when you refer to a set, I assume you mean 5 as I wouldn't be able to use my normal spare if the others were a different size.
5 would be the ideal, however many people only change 4 (and cross their fingers they don't get a puncture during snow driving!)
you can used different wheel sizes but you need to adjust the tire size to end up with the same overall rolling radius (or very close). see this handy calculator:
http://www.miata.net/garage...
The manufacturer will have a recommended winter tire size which closely matches the rolling radius of your summer tires so as not to affect the speedo too much.
Oh, gimme a break.
Or, you should get a life?!
Don't worry unless you drive a taxi.
Can't you increase the profile to say 70%, assuming you can get them in the wheel arch? Those ultra low profiles are so phone to sidewall damage.
How well do winter tires cope with deep fresh snow? I'm seriously considering them this year as I had a lot of problems last year, was ok on most roads but a lot of the streets round my way are untreated and the snow tends to lie quite thick and it was these roads that caused me most problems.
Providing you have ground clearance, fresh snow is where a winter tire can really excel!
if people wernt dicks in the uk and tried to drive as if it were dry through the wet, ice and snow there wouldnt be a problem.. the winter in the uk recently has been cold enough for winter tires but about 5 years ago it was not cold enough for them, which is probably why the government has not mentioned them yet. I am from the uk and am astonished at the speed people drive at in the most appauling weather conditions.
I live and work in Russia [I am English]
I use studed winter tires on my Freelander during the fall they are excellent but conditions ae far different here then the UK we ge 5 months of frost and snow. It is a well known fact that these tires damage roads during time of little or no frost by law we have to remove them in April. I do not think winter tires are needed in the Uk just more careful driving even the russians take more care in winter.
Tas
I think you're referring to snow and ice tires that have metal spikes or similar. Normal winter tires aren't any different to normal tires in the amount of damage they would cause to a road.
Check "Crazy Russian Drivers" YouTube.
Good thing there are winter tires.
I hate driving a winterly roads because of hard maneuvering.
I live in a very hilly rural area and had desperate problems in the snow and ice with my rear wheel drive car. Are winter tires beneficial on hills in snow with a rear wheel drive vehicle.
Extremely! http://www.tirereviews.co.u...
yes, winter tires will benefit any car on any roads in cold conditions - snow, ice, or dry. Obviously 4x4/AWD vehicles will make the most of the benefit, but front/rear wheel drive cars will also benefit massively. You will be astounded at the difference. It's something you can't quite believe until you try it but once you do you wonder why you ever doubted it. check the two BMW reviews at the bottom of this page: http://www.tirereviews.co.u...
Nice article, but for all we know we may never see any snow for years (well i hope so)
did you even read the article? see point 1. then read point 1 again, and again until it sinks in.
I have been using Pirelli winter tires over the past month on my BMW 2006 525d and they have proved to be absolutely outstanding. I have driven through the Highlands of Scotland in deep snow and ice - over 1500 miles - and have been stunned by their outstanding performance. I cannot recommend them highly enough.
Common sense should tell us if it is difficult to get our car moving through poor traction, then it is also going to be equally difficult to steer or stop! I have fitted winter tires and the difference is amazing and the look on some the 4x4 drivers i have seen struggling is worth the money alone. £50k+ cars wearing the equivellant of sandals tells me some people have more money than sense! Get some wellies! 1 small accident could cost you a lot more than a set of tires, if you dont want 2 sets of wheels it might cost £50 to swap tires every November/April. My tires are actually quieter than the summer ones i had and it might be because i am driving more carefully but my fuel consumtion has improved! Take care.
Do winter tires affect fuel consumption?
Softer compound and more treadblocks can have a negative effect on fuel consumption, however Auto Bild found that modern winter tires are now as good as summer tires.
See here for more information: http://www.tirereviews.co.u...
Can winter tire be used all year round or does it have to be changed in summer?
While some people do use winter tires year round we would always recommend switching back to the summer tire in the spring.
Some winter tires can wear quickly in warmer conditions, and won't grip as well as the summer tires in the warm dry / wet conditions.
Actually, at temperatures of 12c and higher, your stopping distance from 65mph on winter tires is 4 to 5 car lengths more than on normal tires. Using your winter tires all year round is sheer madness.
And on the general subject of winter tires: tests have shown that summer tires still match and sometimes even outperform winter tires all the way down to zero degrees C on both dry and wet roads. Summer tires also still match or outperform winter tires when it comes to aquaplaning. On ice both are useless. The only circumstance where winter tires clearly outperform summer tires is snow.
So if you are driving through snow for more then 50% of your winter, winter tires are probably a good choice. My winters (in the Netherlands) usually consist of about 10% driving in the snow....or less.
"your stopping distance from 65mph on winter tires is 4 to 5 car lengths more than on normal tires"
Please can you cite your source for this information, as no data we've seen show's this kind of difference between a premium summer and winter tire, even in temperatures up to +25c.
rubbish, your comments are too general. high performance summer tires will not perform as well as dedicated winter tires below about 8°c. my nokian WRg2s have been on since november, and stopping distance in summer roads weather wet or dry is not as bad as you suggest. It's true they don't stop as well on wet roads in the summer as my Goodyear eagle F1s did the summer before last, but the nokains perform about as well as the vredesteins that followed them.
Once the temperature got colder, both the goodyears and the vredesteins got pretty sloppy even on dry roads. Switching to the nokians at that point made a massive difference, and later when the snow and ice came they were already there ready to assist.
Of course, hardcore winter tires should not be left on in the summer, but other than that your comments are too general
I could not agree more with the above article.
The difference in using Winter Tires, on snow, let alone in cold conditions is remarkable.
My car now runs like a four wheeel drive on snow, compared to trying last year to travel on brand new, full profile, standard tires.
In Germany it is now Law to have Winter Tires with fines, points and loss of Insurance, so worth the outlay of at least Tires, even if you don't want to buy new wheels - and you save on your normal tires.
The cost of returning to standard tires once the cold weather has gone in Spring is nominal when regularly using a quality tire supplier.
I heard recently that some Insurance Companies do not endorse the use of these tires - This I cannot comprehend.
Regarding speed I have tires where you can travel at 210kph - not that I would wish to on Snow and Ice.
Reading some comments I was advised that even tho I had brand new Standard tires its necessary to have all four wheels with Winter Tires to max out the function.
Hope this helps.
Roger12, I had a pair of winter tires fitted to my front wheel drive vectra, found them to be excellent in snow, but car was very prone to skidding out on bends even at low speeds, so I'm going for another pair on the back.
The correct abbreviation is "km/h", or km/hr if you see yourself as a technician. Check your car speedometer, then ask yourself, "Where's the metre, Muppet?"
Do I need to change the winter tire back to summer tire in the summer
Hi Jason. Yes you need to convert back to get the best value out of the Winter tires and to be able to travel at normal speeds.
If you buy Basic Wheels and Winter Tires, once balanced they are easy enough to swop yourself.
In Northern Europe the 1st frost is the indicator to swop to the winter version but I guess in the Uk it will be 1st Ice or Snowfall.
Come Spring swop them over to "Summer" version.
I havew seen in the UK itrs diff to get Wintertires couse most garage dosnt have them u can order them online delivery direct to ur home adress from http://mytires.co.uk
when u have questions wish tires would fit on ur car u can contact me i will answer u.
I'm a professionel Car Mechanics and Electrics with Master certification.
And have a list with omost all cars inside for winter/sommertires.
For the wheels u can use the most of time wheels from the scrapyard.
"From just 10mph the winter tire stopped in 6.4 metres, while the summer tire needed more than twice the distance to stop at over 14 metres. Imagine the difference from 30 mph."
Imagine the improvement in communication if you Liberal Arts Muppets didn't keep mixing metric with imperial.
What is so hard about that sentence? If you can't understand how far 6.4 metres is and what 10mph is you shouldn't be driving.
Face it Roy, you're a liberal arts Muppet.
Stop trolling from Japan! Did you see that the site is .co.uk?!
Winter tires, yet another subject on which you know less than half of FA.
Why should I?! Because I am a Briton and not a Japanese, am I?! Plonker! And who talks about winter tires dead in the middle of Summer?! Not enough articles in August for you to troll on now, eh?!
Because he is a Japanese basket case who thinks that he is British instead, as well as being a bit of an Internet troll!
We have cold damp and icy weather every winter and now snow more often. I dont know how people can drive around without them. I have used them for years both in continental Europe and now here in the UK. I agree with Holland and Germany that if you have an accident your pay out is reduced. Winter tires are a common sense purchase that will keep you going when the weather turns bad and will save your life. Please DO NOT do what I have heard some people doing and that is only fitting them to the driving wheels it is highly dangerous. Take good advice for your car.
redlegships; my question is regarding the speed rating off winter tires.on cars with high speed tires, is it possible to get winter tires with the same high speed rating? if not would the insurance companies be unhappy if i fitted a winter set of tires with better grip but a lower speed rating?
Hi redlegships,
As winter tires use softer compounds by design, they inevitably run hotter which means a super high speed rating like we're used to seeing in summer tires is harder to manufacturer.
Providing you use the winter tire specification in your cars handbook (which should have a lower speed rating) the ABI have clarified you will have no insurance issues. See here:
http://www.tirereviews.co.u...
Another false truth is that summer tires grip better than winter tires from seven degrees and below. Only in the case of snow do they grip better.
Did you read the Auto Express Winter Tire test results? For the wet braking test two of the winter tires out-performed the summer tire, (although the spread between all the tires tested was quite small).
I think you mistyped that. did you mean to say "...that winter tires grup better than summer tires from seven degrees and below"? and if so do you mean to suggest that it's not true? I can assure you it IS true, winter tires grip better from below approx 7°c even on slightly damp roads, and approaching 0°c they grip better even on dry roads. This is my experience. If you have none, then you can only make a guess. If you must guess, make it an educated guess.
i live in a rural area. the roads are steep, twisty and untreated- a permanent sheet of ice and impacted snow in winter. I drive a renault megane coupet cabriolet and in bad weather, cannot get any traction to go up hills or to drive down them without skidding. a friend told me about winter tires, are they definitely worth considering or are they just a gimmick? any guidance welcomed.
In Feb I drove a manual BMW with a 2L engine and had no problems when it snowed.
I now have a BMW 3 series with a 2.8L engine and an auto gearbox. I got stuck in the snow 6 times in one mile with normal tires, and had to go back down a hill as I couldn't get traction. It would spin the tires in second gear without touching the throttle.
My sister lives in toronto where they gey very heavy snow and she uses snow tires and recomended them to me.
I got a set of 4 snow tires for £300, as I do a 60 mile round trip to work (I diddn't know about winter or all weather tires). I cannot believe the difference. I drove on the steepest hills I could find (on ice) and even did a hill start on one, at no point did the traction control light flash! The traction is amazing, plus the car can accelerate up to speed very quickly and easily, to aviod getting stuck.
If anyone tells you they are rubbish, they simply don't know how to drive in bad conditions
marcel.
I have ordered new snow tires for my car on friday and get them fitted tomorrow. I want to know do I need to fit 4 as a well known brand of quick tire fitter has told me, or do I only need them on the traction wheels, so the front 2???
I have a vauxhall astra 53 plate and it took me over 2 hours to travel 2 miles on friday and have now lost over a weeks wages, so I think the price of winter tires is a better idea then having no job and no wages.
For safety reasons we can only recommend changing all 4 tires. The difference in grip between a summer and winter tire on snow and ice is huge, and can cause extremely unpredictable handling.
Particularly on a FWD car, the rear tires are in many ways more important than the fronts. If you have winter tires on the front, you will have better traction in terms of pulling off, but you will have much reduced control over the back end, so once the back starts slipping out, you're much more likely to lose it.
No thats very dangerous because you will lose grip on the 2 wheels in the back. This will cause you to spin around. The only place you want to fit 2 front winter tires is on an big empty car park.
Always fit 4 same tire types winter/summer/all season and also the same brand/size on the same axle.
Switch on time to reduce wear on the traction wheels and have the same wear on all the 4 wheels.
I lived in Poland 11 years and drove a lot all year round. At least 2 trips a week over 300km, whether the roads were clear, with deep fresh snow, frozen snow or just ice. Always fitted winter tires end October just before the first snow normally due and changed back in March. No different now we are back here. Truly amazing to see people here in the UK this week still slithering around on summer tires.
People would be thought of as stupid, irresponsible and dangerous if they drove on slicks in the rain, so why are they tolerated using wholly unsuitable tires in the winter, especially in snow?
Should be a requirement of insurance to use tires appropriate to the conditions. End of.
PS. Most worryingly, the official government advice leaflets on driving in winter doesn't even mention the single most blindingly obvious thing that people should do.
Here's a rather fundamental question regarding using two sets of tires. Do you have two sets of wheel rims? i.e. Are both sets of tires fitted to rims all the time so the change over can be done at home using a car jack, or do you get a tire depot to change the rubber on your one and only set of rims when the seasons change?
Steel wheels are only about £15 each so swap wheels as well as tires. They will also allow you to run narrower tires. QuikFit will store your winter wheels for you, but in my experience they are remarkably expensive.
Executive thinking, John. But take it a step further and get to know your local scrapyard owner. A tire changing machine would be a plus.
Jack, the Japan Alps Brit
I've always just changed the tires, with the same size/spec as the summer ones (currently using Contis and they work well). However, a lot of people keep the winter ones on steel rims. Slightly easier to change over I suppose. Also, easier to miss kerbs, potholes, etc in the snow, which can mess up nice alloys.
i do at the moment, but I am going to search for some cheap wheels to mount the snow tires on, as £50 to swap each time is a bit much if you have to keep swapping
marcel
just fitted 2 winter tires to the front of my 2010 plate focus and i an actually amazed at the difference..... usually unable to get up my street in snow or ice i did this with ease..... 7 inches of snow with a layer of ice packed underneath.... drove up no problems..... massive difference..... usually go backwards with new summer tires on..... not even a wheel spin..... i have since driven on motorway at up to 100 mph ish..... no difference at all..... the best buy ever for me...... verdstein wintrec extream..... 205 50 17 v xl......... hope this helps you all.... ps experienced mechanic of 19 yrs.......
Winter Tires are brilliant and would save us all a lot of time on the roads in these conditions. I am sure I speak to the converted here. I have been using them on my cars for over 10 years as I drive to my ski holiday and live 800ft above sea level in the UK where we can get snow when the valley is green.
I tend to put them on at the begining of December (but this year for some reason I did this a month earlier) and take them off by late March.
My experience is;
- They are OK to drive on up to 15C
- They wear less than summer tires
- They are great on damp roads in the UK when it is that 4C grotty weather we get
- Pirelli's seem to give the best wear and good performance (used on a Jag XK8, Mercedes SL and Lexus RX400).
- Continental have been good on my Merc S class and Audi A8
- Vredestein were OK but poor wear compared to the other makes.
We should take the German and Dutch approach - not compulsary but if you have an accident from November to March your payout is reduced by 20%.
My advice to those thinking about it - STOP - DO IT - you will never regret it.
Winter tires should only be used in the winter (Oct-Mar) and then replaced by the summer ones the rest of the year. In winter, below 5oC they are better in rain than summer ones. To answer a question above. They are not a replacement for summer ones as they do not work well above 7oC and will be dangerous in hot weather. A set of each (winter and summer) needs to be bought for a car to be safe throughout the year.
Interestingly, some tire manufacturers suggest if you can only run one set of tires year round, you should consider a winter tire.
Thanks to advantages in technology, modern winter tires do not degrade as much as they used to in warmer conditions.
That said, we totally agree that the best and safety way is to have 2 sets of tires, one for summer, one for winter.
I have at least two sets of wheels. All fitted with winter tires.
I run on winter tires year round. So when you go off-road, you're good to go. City boys, what would you do with um!