Winter tyres?

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Cloggy Saint
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Sun Oct 21, 2012 11:11 pm

I've just bought a set of 14"steelies wrapped in winter tyres but am wondering if they really help much in snow on a rwd car. Anyone have experience?
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Sanchez
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Sun Oct 21, 2012 11:13 pm

Helped me when i had mine fitted last year.
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billgatese30
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Sun Oct 21, 2012 11:14 pm

Massive difference. Mine will be going on very soon! :D
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mark_i
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Sun Oct 21, 2012 11:16 pm

i had a set of winterreifen on a 190D when i lived in Germany... we lived on a hill and when it snowed they worked very well
maxfield
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Sun Oct 21, 2012 11:16 pm

Made a big difference last year.

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verde
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Sun Oct 21, 2012 11:36 pm

I need to go pick mine up off davisy. Hoping theyr helpful
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Sun Oct 21, 2012 11:37 pm

I'm after some for the E46, well, after another set of wheels for it with some on. Should have got them earlier in the year too :cry:
Grrrmachine
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Mon Oct 22, 2012 6:09 am

Don't confuse Winter tyres with Snow tyres. The important thing about winter tyres is their compound, which stays soft in cold weather, as well as their grooves to cope with slush. Snow tyres have rubber knobbles on them to bite into compacted snow.
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Mon Oct 22, 2012 6:44 am

I fitted a set of 175/70/14 Goodyear Ultragrip 8's to my E30 last winter and was very impressed. Didn't get to drive in any snow (the car was left parked at Gatwick during what little snow we got early this year!) but they were excellent in cold conditions, rain and ice. Very, very quiet tyre too.
George
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Mon Oct 22, 2012 8:30 am

I've decided to garage the E30 this winter. However the E36 is going to be put on winters:

I went for these Hankooks.

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Got them fitted to these (which I bought a couple of weeks back):
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DanThe
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Mon Oct 22, 2012 8:51 am

As said, they make a huge difference when driving on snow, I dont bother fitting mine unless there is snow on the ground. LSD makes itself noticed too :D
I have some cheeeepo 'Winter Steel' 195/65/15's on steelies provided by Dezzy and they are great, was flying past pretty much everything on a snow covered motorway last winter, 60mph was a bit twitchy but 50 was fine, everything else was doing 20mph on the inside lane 8)
jmc330i
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Mon Oct 22, 2012 9:43 am

Any recommendations for a budget to mid range tyre, in either 14" or 15"?
Can't justify spending a lot, as if the snow does fall this winter I'll use a works 4x4.
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DasChin
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Mon Oct 22, 2012 9:56 am

its not only snow but in the cold and rain

normal road tyres stop working properly below 7c so you have to think about that

winter tyres are just awesome for grip and far safer.

if you buy second hand then make sure you have more than 4mm tread and not over 5 years old.
Grrrmachine
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Mon Oct 22, 2012 9:58 am

Every garage in Poland is crammed full of cars having the tyres changed, because it's gone below 10 degrees. If you think Winter tyres are just for snowy weather, you're :mad:
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batleyrhino
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Mon Oct 22, 2012 10:15 am

Is it cold, or proper cold in Poland at the moment? I'm on my way to Lodz for a week and need to know if I need to bring my wooly hat and gloves.... :D
Grrrmachine
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Mon Oct 22, 2012 10:53 am

Nah, it's a bit chilly here (Lodz is only 100miles away) and there'll be frost in the morning, but it's not proper winter at all. It's February you have to worry about (minus 20!)
jmc330i
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Mon Oct 22, 2012 11:08 am

Not :mad: at all thanks, it was just an expression :P

Thanks for the advice, I'm aware of tyre limitations in cold weather etc, although I've never had issues with 'fair weather' tyres over the last 13yrs of winter driving, but our winters are getting worse...

So any recommendations for winter tyres?
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Mon Oct 22, 2012 11:30 am

Michelin Alpin and Continental are known to be the best here in Denmark.
I had Nokian tyres 2 winters ago and was very impressed with them.
But they were stolen (including my Hartges) ... so I have just bought a set of Falken HS-439 ... good write up but not as expensive.

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batleyrhino
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Mon Oct 22, 2012 11:39 am

I live in Yorkshire mate, and the only thing damp around here is my missus... :D
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batleyrhino
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Mon Oct 22, 2012 11:44 am

Grrrmachine wrote:Nah, it's a bit chilly here (Lodz is only 100miles away) and there'll be frost in the morning, but it's not proper winter at all. It's February you have to worry about (minus 20!)
Been to Lodz a few times now, at different times of the year, so I've seen the summers and winters. That's some temperature swing you have to deal with in Poland mate. Bloody cold in the winter, and really nice in the summer.

Shame I'm not going to get time to come to Warsaw, I can fly direct to Lodz from East Mids, and don't fancy the backroad taxis from Warsaw to Lodz for a couple of hours, they are proper scary... 8O
Cloggy Saint
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Mon Oct 22, 2012 12:16 pm

I managed to score a set of 175/70/14s with 7mm tread on steelies with original BMW plastic covers for about 80 quid :cool: . It'll be nice not to be sliding around everywhere but I'm not looking forward to how they look.
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Mon Oct 22, 2012 1:19 pm

Last year I used a website called oponeo didn't realise till after I order its based in Poland so I got worried but they turned up fine and where much cheaper than everyone else
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DanThe
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Mon Oct 22, 2012 2:06 pm

Grrrmachine wrote:Every garage in Poland is crammed full of cars having the tyres changed, because it's gone below 10 degrees. If you think Winter tyres are just for snowy weather, you're :mad:
I manage fine on second hand fragger tyres all year round, its only when the roads are snow/ice covered I find it worth fitting the winters. Ive found they just wear out faster when the roads are dry.
Sure, the peasant tyres give some sliding at times but its not a problem cuz I az a slipper innit :)
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Mon Oct 22, 2012 2:16 pm

DanThe wrote:
Grrrmachine wrote:Every garage in Poland is crammed full of cars having the tyres changed, because it's gone below 10 degrees. If you think Winter tyres are just for snowy weather, you're :mad:
I manage fine on second hand fragger tyres all year round, its only when the roads are snow/ice covered I find it worth fitting the winters. Ive found they just wear out faster when the roads are dry.
Sure, the peasant tyres give some sliding at times but its not a problem cuz I az a slipper innit :)
do u av ne more peasant tyres bruv or is der a watein liss 4 dem? :)
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DanThe
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Mon Oct 22, 2012 2:24 pm

Loads of peasant tyres mate, they are all for my chariot though :P
Grrrmachine
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Mon Oct 22, 2012 3:34 pm

There's no law about winter tyres here, or hi-viz or any of that shite. Just lights on all year round. But the motorway from Lodz to Warsaw has just opened, and I'll be whizzing along it on Friday on my way back to Blighty! But the car will still have its Toyos on to get the wear out of them; I'll switch to Vredestein Snowtracs the weekend I come back.

And yes, minus 30 to plus 30 every six months is a hell of a swing, and it all happens in one week in April and November. Minus 10 one day, plus 15 the next...
Sanchez
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Mon Oct 22, 2012 4:14 pm

French Austrian and Swiss areas of the Alps require only snow tyres as a legality. Understandably really.
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