Winter tyres

[redsturgeon]

So who is feeling good because they have winter tyres on their car?

Not me, but down here it was just one or two days that I would have really needed them and problem solved by not bothering to go out in the car for 24 hours!

John

[bungeejumper]

I'm thinking about Michelin Cross Climate Plus for when my Michelin Energys are finally due for renewal. They do seem to get some very good reviews for year-round use. Anybody here tried them?

BJ

[tsr2]

Anybody here tried them?
BJ

I'm sure I've posted about mine.

[ten0rman]

Same as tsr2 - see the other thread re Cross-Climates.

Somewhat fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, we live in one of the few places that haven't been affected to any great extent by the recent snow or ice, certainly not enough to be able to say if the front fitted Cross-Climates are better. In any case as someone who is classed as both elderly and with heart problems, it's been a good excuse to not go out - send "Erin" instead! In all seriousness though, herself has been out, not too far, and has made no comments.

Whilst writing this, I've just remembered that recently, like two or three weeks ago, herself had to go to the quacks, the other side of town - 8.50 appointment, and she chickened out because of the conditions, so I had to drive. Parked up at the surgery in a couple of inches of snow - had a row because herself couldn't see the road markings and thought I was going to get done for parking (she was wrong!) and had absolutely no trouble at all. Was it the Cross-climates? Was it the car (Avensis)? Was it me being a superb driver!? Absolutely no idea as this is the first time this car has seen snow, and it's almost five years old hence I've no idea at all of it's snow & ice capabilities. Make of that what you will.

I suppose this is one of those strange instances where one is attempting to prove a positive, or a benefit, by means of a negative, ie the car seems ok, so was the Cross-Climates or would it have been just as good on Energy Savers?

Regards,

ten0rman

[Clitheroekid]

So who is feeling good because they have winter tyres on their car?

Well I was, until I got my wrist slapped for being irresponsible!

[PinkDalek]

So who is feeling good because they have winter tyres on their car?

Well I was, until I got my wrist slapped for being irresponsible!

Only if you happened to live near the slapper.

[bungeejumper]

Many thanks for the reminder about Cross Climate Plus, Tsr2 and Tenorman. I know I'm getting absent-minded when I can post (four times) about tyre grip and then forget the thread.

Is it OK to put Cross Climates on the fronts but not on the rears? I know that Honest John says it'll confuse your ABS and traction control, and that it may result in your back wheels doing something different from your fronts in a skid. But he doesn't always get everything right. I presume that a car can pass its MOT with Cross Climates on one axle, and that they're not a separate class of tyre?

I shall have a very good look at Cross Climates when my present front tyres wear down. (Autumn, probably.) Have to say that, at £85 a corner, I'd rather be buying two rather than four at once. Perhaps I'll start saving up now?

BJ

[staffordian]

Many thanks for the reminder about Cross Climate Plus, Tsr2 and Tenorman. I know I'm getting absent-minded when I can post (four times) about tyre grip and then forget the thread.

Is it OK to put Cross Climates on the fronts but not on the rears? I know that Honest John says it'll confuse your ABS and traction control, and that it may result in your back wheels doing something different from your fronts in a skid. But he doesn't always get everything right. I presume that a car can pass its MOT with Cross Climates on one axle, and that they're not a separate class of tyre?

I shall have a very good look at Cross Climates when my present front tyres wear down. (Autumn, probably.) Have to say that, at £85 a corner, I'd rather be buying two rather than four at once. Perhaps I'll start saving up now?

BJ

I raised this very question in one of the other threads, and several people said putting them on only the front was fine.

I'd feel happier with all four corners the same, but based on feedback will do as you propose, adding them to the rear as they wear down.

[redsturgeon]

Reading a little more on all season and winter tyres I was somewhat surprised to see that while they both completely trounce summer tyres in the snow, they are both significantly worse in both dry and wet conditions at normal temperatures.

It seems to me that to compromise braking distances for 99% of my driving in order to be better in 1% of conditions is not a price worth paying.

John

[staffordian]

Reading a little more on all season and winter tyres I was somewhat surprised to see that while they both completely trounce summer tyres in the snow, they are both significantly worse in both dry and wet conditions at normal temperatures.

It seems to me that to compromise braking distances for 99% of my driving in order to be better in 1% of conditions is not a price worth paying.

John

This may be true of winter tyres and some all season ones but reviews of the Michelin Cross Climates suggest little or no compromise on wet or dry conditions, eg...

http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Article/20 ... e-Test.htm

[bungeejumper]

This may be true of winter tyres and some all season ones but reviews of the Michelin Cross Climates suggest little or no compromise on wet or dry conditions, eg...

http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Article/20 ... e-Test.htm

Interesting, thanks. And that was for the Cross Climates, not the "new and improved" Cross Climate Plus, which came in last year.

I wasn't aware of the Goodyear Vector 4 alternative, but will take a look at that one as well.

The overall message does seem to be that all-season tyres are coming on in leaps and bounds. As long as they're not stupidly short-life, I think that might be the way for me to go.

BJ

[tsr2]

Is it OK to put Cross Climates on the fronts but not on the rears? I know that Honest John says it'll confuse your ABS and traction control, and that it may result in your back wheels doing something different from your fronts in a skid. But he doesn't always get everything right. I presume that a car can pass its MOT with Cross Climates on one axle, and that they're not a separate class of tyre?

My limited understanding of ABS and traction control is that they respond to what the individual wheels are doing and, in principle, if you have significantly more grip on the front than the back, then they will apply more brakes/power to the wheels that have grip. How this would work out in practice is anyone's guess. As long as you continue to drive cautiously in the snow and don't put yourself in a position where you are exceeding the available grip on the unchanged rear wheels you should be OK.

I think the main risk is that you might get over confident and forget that the rears have less grip than the front.

[ten0rman]

re MOT.

I have, this morning, walked past the garage that does my servicing and MOT's. He adamantly confirms that having Cross Climates on one axle is NOT a MOT failure.

ten0rman

[redsturgeon]

Having significantly more grip on the front tyres is a recipe for some quite interesting oversteer situations. Controllable if you know what you are doing but potentially dangerous if it catches you unawares.

John

[mearnsfool]

We have used winter tyres on our cars since 1981.

Front wheel drive Golf and Polos 1981 to around 1998. Four wheel drive cars since then Subaru and Suzuki.

I have always had two sets of rims for both cars, winters on one set and summer tyres on the other set.

I have only put winter tyres on the front on one instance on the Polo, I think I had a phone call after putting the fronts on and did not go out again after the phone call. Therefore a front wheel drive car, the back end gave way a good few times with the front tyres behaving.
I put the winters on the back end the next evening.

I would suggest if you are not prepared to purchase four bad weather tyres that you save money on them and keep the summer tyres on and do not go out in bad weather. If finaces are a problem.

The back end did become unpredictable.

I would not only put two bad weather tyres on a car in the winter.

[Charlottesquare]

The ones I found great (used from circa 2005 until the Newcaste/Gothenburg ferry closed) were Gislaveds.

We had four for our Merc Estate 300 (on spare set of steels) which as a RWD automatic would not be my car of choice on snow, but back then we used to take the ferry to our house in Sweden (where winter tyres are compulsory, though usually studded which my Gislaveds were not) and the car was great, we have a 7 mile back road up to the house, with twists, turns, climbs, drops, they were really sure footed, they even got me up and down our steep driveway.