Winter Tyres

[EdN]

I had a pair of Cooper WM SA2 winter tyres fitted last week and WOW what a difference
it has made!!
No more wheelspin setting off on the icy roads, so much more grip throughout, and the
car seems quieter and a smoother ride.
The downside, they were not cheap, £70 each, but so far wellworth it.
Not sure how many miles I will get out of them compared to normal tyres.
Anybody else had any experience of these tyres?

[GeordieBoy]

Every winter I think about buying some but never do. Only really need them for the front.

[teamster1975]

Every winter I think about buying some but never do. Only really need them for the front.

Same here, I got fed up with sliding about last week. Just need to source a couple of spare rims!

[Gary406]

i didnt even know there was winter tyres

[teamster1975]

i didnt even know there was winter tyres

They have to fit them by law over on the continent in the winter.

[Doggy]

Same here, I got fed up with sliding about last week. Just need to source a couple of spare rims!

Round here, steel rims c/w tyres £5 ea. at the scrappy, or £10 for alloys, (for those who like pumping them up daily).

[steve_earwig]

I've just been talking about this with my dad, he's a bit concerned though as his C5 has those tyre pressure sensors and every time he changes the wheels over it's a trip to the dealer and 50 quid down the pan

[DiscoPol]

Just changed mine today from summer tyres to some All Terrain jobbies, not strictly winter tyres but over here the roads are either gritted and clear(main routes only) compacted snow and ice (all other roads) or on the mornings it has fallen during the night up to 12" deep in fresh stuff, and as i set off at 5.30am some mornings im one of the first through so went for something chunky and with a soft compound so they work well at low temps (avg -15)

it was pointless going for the winter tyres for me as a 2.5 tonnes Disco is never going to stop no matter what i put on so its all about getting traction and my new A/Ts do it really well

plus point they are a good 2 inches bigger in height to the old worn down 235s so make the tractor stand a tad higher too went up to 245/70/16 this time, by next summer im going up again to 285/85/16s but i need a little lift before that.

I think if i had the 406 still, i would have definitely splashed out some winters all round as the cars that have em here handle really well on the slippy stuff and they aren't that dear if you have standard size wheels as everybody is supposed to have em by law for the winter months over here in the land of Po.

[FarmerPug]

i seen winter tyres on a car which look no different from the pirellis on the front of my car, what difference am i missing?

[EdN]

When I bought mine I was told that its the way they are made, using a softer compound.
I dont know if that means they will wear out quicker, I guess only time will tell on that!
Sometimes you can also get a more aggresive tread pattern.

[FarmerPug]

On the car i just put the pressure down for driving on snow, just for the front wheels seems to be working ok.
Discopol, any pics of your A/T tyres.

[Welly]

Seeing as these last two winters have been so bad then winter tyres may well become very common. The tread pattern is normally more aggressive looking with chunky blocks/less circumferential channels to help bite into the surface.

The ideal set up is a set of steelies for the winter and your nice clean ally's with decent tyres for the summer......of course if any one would like to give me approx £400.00 I will gladly give it a go

[FarmerPug]

in die another day the spikes that stuck out of the astons tyres are they real or another one of the options only james bond can acess through the bsi of his car.

[steve_earwig]

It's not like they only last one winter, the winter tyres* I have on my car now I bought in 2004. Also, you need to go for a narrower tyre - big wide tyres only make things worse by spreading the weight more. Down a size and up a profile gives roughly the same diameter (remember this? http://www.tyresave.co.uk/tyresize.html) and they're cheaper My summer tyres are 205/60 15, winter tyres 195/65 15 (ooh, a gain of 7mm )

* Sava Eskimo

Edit: OOooh!
http://www.ityre.com/en/tyres/catalog/sava/model/5383/

[DiscoPol]

Discopol, any pics of your A/T tyres.

I will snap a couple of pics tomorrow in the daylight