Winter Tyres

[Stanpartmanpartwolf]

Sure, the tyres can; the problem is the slavish & unthinking obsession of millions of UK motorists with owning German cars built for German roads.

 

They are of sod-all use in winter or summer on British cart-tracks. Except of course for tail-gating other cars of the same marque with a higher model number.

Get a Ka or a magic carpet Citroen- or stay home & get all worked up over yet another Audi advert then have a big crash on the way to Oddbins.

TRs on 165/15 tyres are great in grim conditions, didn't some old people once take them rallying abroad in winter?

[Andrew Blakeman]

Adding to the winter tyre converts, I've used winter tyres on both my normal cars (not the TR6) the last few winters. The difference in grip in snow and very cold weather is striking and I don't understand why anyone wouldn't want them. I switch the tyres when the clocks change. The winter tyres seem to last as well as summer tyres, and show no problems in weather up to 20C in case we have a freak spring warm spell. They ride slightly softer than summer tyres and I think have a slightly lower speed rating - but that isn't a practical problem. I have a theory that they wear slightly better than summer tyres because the rubber grips in a different way: the blocks of rubber flex, rather than on summer tyres where the rubber ablates. But that's probably nonsense.

 

One of my cars (a 2008 Volvo) has tyre pressure monitors that sit inside the wheel and I do worry that changing the tyres twice a year risks knocking them, which could be dangerous. The other (a 2006 Mini) has tyre pressure monitoring that is linked to the ABS system and so is not vulnerable. The idea of getting spare steel wheels for winter is a good one and I'll consider that next winter - too late this year, having just switched.

 

I'm really not sure that driving the TR6 in icy or snowy weather is that smart, so I'll stick with the summer tyres. If I was using it all year round, I wouldn't hesitate to get it winter tyres.

[Deggers]

The idea of getting spare steel wheels for winter is a good one and I'll consider that next winter ...

 

I keep the 3A on the road all year round, and tailor tyres to weather accordingly (pretty essential when venturing out for supplies across the frozen arctic tundra of north Cornwall!). Having a set of steels and winter tyres at the ready makes for an easy swap when the temperature decides to take a header.

 

Current shoes of choice are 165 SR 15 Snow+ tyres, from Vredestein.

 

 

Cheers, Deggers

Edited November 4, 2013 by Deggers

[D1070]

Deggers,

I was looking at having the vred snow tyres for a set of TR6 steel wheels this winter and wondered how you got on with them last winter,

cheers,

Laurence

[TorontoTim]

Laurence,

 

I have used these for a couple of years and find them excellent on snow, but they do tend to struggle a bit on pure ice - not a small patch of frost, that's no big deal, but say 20 or more yards of "polished" snow. I guess that studded tyres or more modern versions with multiple ice-grabbing sipes would be the thing for that.

 

I've rallied on them in full snow and also driven on them in fresh or compacted snow and have been fine. For sure you can't drive like you would on dry tarmac, but I haven't been stranded either (T-junctions tend to be the worst place for that ice/polished snow stuff, so do your braking EARLY!!).

 

Not sure how bad the conditions are that you'll see in the UK in terms of that type of ice, but that has been my experience.

 

BTW, I run the same 165/80 size that Deggers is, on 4.5" wires.

 

Cheers.

[Deggers]

Hi Laurence,

 

Looks like Tim beat me to it, but he's absolutely right - the Vred tyres are great for snow, slush, mud and gravel, and bite well on roads where summer treads might otherwise have you pirouetting through the scenery.

 

I ordered mine through Mytyres.co.uk, who currently have Vredestein 165/80 R15 Snow+ tyres available from £56.95, with free delivery.

 

Cheers, Deggers

[D1070]

Many thanks to Deggers and Tim, info and link much appreciated. The TR6 wheels are 5.5J so should be ok with165/80 tyres. I can't find any winter/snow tyres that are 185/70/15,

cheers,

Laurence

[PaulAA]

Trigbush

 

Reverting to your original post, I keep full wheel and tyre sets for the A5 and the wife's Volvo, both to reduce rim degradation and to make it an easier swap when the first flakes fall. As you doubtless recall, the A5 comes with its own snow plough and, with winter rubber, only the very worst conditions in the mountains inhibit forward progress.

 

I won't be doing the same for the TR6, though, on the basis that with snow comes salt.

 

Cheers

 

Paul

 

 

By the way, weren't you going to keep the A5 for ever..?

[Andy Brady]

All I do is drop the tyre pressures down when snow us expected.

[McMuttley]

.....by winter, mine have done that all by themselves

[Peter Cobbold]

Around here many remove the fuse from the ABS so that some braking remains on ice downhill.

Probably not legal, but saves having to switch off the ignition and lock the steering. Hobson's choice.

Do winter tyres grip a lot better on sheet ice? Snow is not a problem to our 4wds but the sheets of ice a few days later are.

[Guest ntc]

http://www.tyremonkey.co.uk/tyres/rally-tyres/colway-motorsport/index.html?id=9TkRczjL

[TorontoTim]

Hi Peter,

 

The descriptions of modern multi-siped winter tyres say that they do indeed grip sheet ice better. I've found that true here in Canada on my 4x4. For those of us mad enough to drive our TR's in the snow, as I said above the (very few) winters that you can get in standard TR sizes don't have the required level of sipes. I know that TR4Tony has used some other snows to good effect on the LeJog rally in (slightly?) bigger sizes. Worth a search in the Rally section for further information.

 

Neil, I think Colway has been out of business for some time.

 

Tim

[Guest ntc]

Tim

Since 2007 these guys are the replacement,INSA pick a tyre and you will see

Edited November 8, 2013 by ntc

[PaulAA]

Hi Peter

 

Yes, the difference with non-studded winter-compound tyres is significant, even on sheet ice, especially if the tyres are manufacturer-microsiped. Of course, incautious acceleration and braking will always break grip sooner than expected, but they are far better than the option of deflated summer tyres.

 

The drawback, of course, is that they are much noisier than summer or all-season tyres and - allegedly - wear faster in the dry.

 

Paul

[Andy Brady]

When it was under warranty, I had the oem M&s tyres on the 4x4. 24k, two years, and they were all in.

Switched to road tyres, now getting much better milages. Two years on, still got 6mm on the back and 4mm on the front.

[Peter Cobbold]

Hi Peter

 

Yes, the difference with non-studded winter-compound tyres is significant, even on sheet ice, especially if the tyres are manufacturer-microsiped. Of course, incautious acceleration and braking will always break grip sooner than expected, but they are far better than the option of deflated summer tyres.

 

The drawback, of course, is that they are much noisier than summer or all-season tyres and - allegedly - wear faster in the dry.

 

Paul

I have to go very timidly, less than walking pace, down our track once it has iced over. Ditch one side, stony bank the other. It is steep!! Once the abs kicks in its engine off time! Going up is a piece of cake.

Peter

[Deggers]

All I do is drop the tyre pressures down when snow us expected.

 

I hope you're not on my tail when I hit the brakes, Andy ... I've just had the bumpers re-chromed!

 

 

 

Cheers, Deggers

[TRseks]

Do winter tyres grip a lot better on sheet ice? Snow is not a problem to our 4wds but the sheets of ice a few days later are.

We'll as you say you will probably not get stuck on snow with summer tyres on your 4x4 but the braking distance will still be veeeery long with summer tyres on snow regardless 4x4. The accidents I have observed in the snow it is typically that people drive too fast, the car in front stop but they don't, usually not big damage but still expensive... And yes, it's a big difference on ice with snow tyres even if studded snow tyres is superior of course.

 

Snow tyres are also better in cold wet conditions, improving braking distance in the region of 20%.

Edited November 8, 2013 by TRseks

[TR Mitch]

My experience is that they are also much quieter. My Audi was always noisy, particularly on concrete roads with the original Continental Sport Contacts and as I replaced the with the same tyre, it was always that way. When I then triedcwinter tyres several years ago, I chose Continental Winter Contacts. They were extremely quiet but I put this down to the narrower tread and higher profile of the size I fitted to the steel rims I bought from Audi.

When it was time to replace all the summer tyres together, I sought out a quieter tyre and found the Goodyear F1 Assymetrics I bought to be very quiet compared to the old Contis.

In my case, winter tyres were quieter and drove my mission to keep the car like that all year. Winter Contis, summer Goodyears have done that for me.

Edited November 10, 2013 by TR Mitch

[Andy Brady]

I hope you're not on my tail when I hit the brakes, Andy ... I've just had the bumpers re-chromed!

 

 

 

Cheers, Deggers

Fear not, next time I'm plowing around in 9-12" of fresh snow ferrying the wife round to her old people, I'll be sure to keep my distance from any TR3's I see. Edited November 10, 2013 by Andy Brady

[Trigbush]

 

 

By the way, weren't you going to keep the A5 for ever..?

You're right. I was. I miss that car tremendously and the X6 is an entirely different proposition. But a number of factors made me ultimately decide with my head rather than my heart.

[RobL]

The only thing I missed on the video was what happens when the temp goes daft

and it is well above 7 degrees C and you still have your winter tyres on. Anyone

know what happens in this situation ?

 

I have a minibus and use winter tyres from December and they enable me to get

the bus up my lane, in snow this is not possible with summer tyres because the

bus is rear wheel drive and there is no weight in the back.

 

Rob

[PaulAA]

Rob

 

Nothing significant. Theoretically, M&S-grade tyres wear faster on dry surfaces and, above about 10deg C, grip and braking effectiveness begin to deteriorate, but I have to say that, in everyday driving, there is little detectable difference.

 

Through a combination of poor planning and laziness, mine stay on far longer into the spring than they ought. I'm just about to replace the set on the wife's car, but only because they are well past their shelf life...

 

Paul

[PaulAA]

You're right. I was. I miss that car tremendously and the X6 is an entirely different proposition. But a number of factors made me ultimately decide with my head rather than my heart.

 

I am facing into this dilemma manfully as well - I've told the offspring to stop growing.