Avalon

As a matter of fact I distroyed my wheel bearings and alloy wheel sliding in the snow a few weeks ago. I keep a safe distance from the car in front depending on the road conditions, and drive to the speed limit. If there is snow and ice on the road, i will slow down. My argument is simply against the "winter tyres cure all ills. Go and buy them now" attitude that some people on here have, and like i have siad several times already, i do not have money to burn, and do not have the mechanical knowledge to change an alloy wheel for a steel wheel with snow tyres on. Also, the forcast is for milder, wetter winters so if i do invest in some lively snow tyres, will i actually get to use them??

This is your source? I would have thought you;d have linked to a more official site TBH.

Evidence please? Logically they are compuslary in Germany becuase they usually have harsher winters than us? Surely if they were such a life saver they would be compuslary in the UK?

You should be aware of people and things around you. In 5 years driving ive never had to slam my brakes on becuase someone steps out in front of me. Usually when its icy people are more considerate as they dont want to slide either. Going around a corner and hitting ice? You should be taking it carefully enough in the first place to ensure you dont slide about.

Yes i agree, but then if you are driving to the conditions you should have plenty of space in front of you in order to stop without ramming the backside of the car in front. Regardless of what tyres you have on your car, or how much money you have.

Yeah. Ive seen a lot of really bad driving. I was doing 30mph in icy/snow covered conditions on a 40mph limit road a few days ago when some Astra or similar came racing up behind me and then proceeded to tailgate me, just inches off my bumper. He soon backed off when he saw me skid a little - fortunatley i managed to save the skid - more by luck than judgement. However a couple of seconds later he overtook me beeping and flashing, at about 50mph. Morons.

Haha! I agree with that. I suspect its the "ive passed my test, therefore i am a good driver" mentality!

But where do you draw the line at this "should have" knowledge. The DSA dont seem to feel it is something worth teaching in their driving lessons (whereas checking/filling oil, water is).

Not to be epedantic, but going by your previous post you shouldnt be driving either! I know HOW to change a tyre (just undo the nuts, pull the wheel off, put the new one on and tighten the nuts), however I wouldnt feel confident in doing so. Especially not twice a year on all 4 tyres. Would it not be possible to keep winter tyres on all year round? Would they still have good grip in the Summer months?

Why is it not the point? I can change the lightbulbs on my car, i can put oil in, i can fill the water up, i can check the tyre pressures etc. What i cant do it change a tyre. Why does that make me a bad driver?

No, its a proven fact. If you drive properly in snowy/icy weather you can still be safe. Yes winter tyres may well give better grip etc at low temperatures, however for those of us not well off enough to afford them, safe driving is the way forward.

They're right: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/3453039.stm Clearing snow from pavements outside your home could make you liable to legal action if somebody slips on ice, the government has said.

I disagree. Putting oil and water in the car is totally different to jacking up your car, working out how to get the locking wheel-nut off, taking the alloy off and then doing it all in reverse to put the snow tyres on. Plus oild and water is taught now as part of driving lessons' "show me tell me". Would you say that if people cant change a light bulb on their car, or fit a new exhaust they shouldn't be driving? My dad slipped a disc in his back trying to change a tyre once and spent months in hospital. Also, as i said earlier, how often do we get heavy snow like this, and does it justify the investment, when "normal" tyres do just as well if you drive properly?

Myself and a neighbour spend 3 hours clearing the snow & ice on our road. There are 5 houses on our "bit" and not one other of them offered to help.

In Barnsley this morning there was a light covering of snow and the temperature on the car at 6:45am said it was -2C, so slightly warmer than it has been. Yesterday a lot melted, but then this froze once the sun went down. Travelling to work in Leeds this AM, most of the roads were fine, and hadn't had much snow overnight, however coming over the top of Leeds it was snowing heavy and settling fast, but then it was rain/sleet when you dropped down the hill into lower ground.

Here in Barnsley, our neighbours have been discussing the purchase of a lockable grit bin for our use only. We have about 20m of private road, before it joins with the councils highway, however they never grit past the "main" part of the road. There was a new extension to the road built about 2 years ago, which is council owned but never gets any attention. The problem with this solution is many fold: 1) How to get people to pay 2) Who collects the money? 3) Who is responsible for gritting the road?? The list goes on. I think by far the best solution is for people to buy rock salt in the summer months and then when it snows clear your drive, but do the bit by your house, and sprinkle a bit of grit down. If everyone did this the pavements and roads would largely be clear.

I gave a chap a lift to work in the 4x4 I was driving. He was walking down a dark country lane in a blizzard and was most grateful for the lift!

I was out with a volunatry aid organisation on Tuesday night/Wednesday morning, and then again on Wednesday afternoon. We have 3 4x4 vehicles. One of them is a Nissan Pathfinder, and even though it has 4 wheel drive its no good in this weather. We have a Nissan Patrol with large wide tread snow/mud tyres. This is the best vehicle in the current conditions. I agree with other posters, a combination of how to drive properly, 4 wheel drive, and decent tyres is the best combination.

I've seen this batted about the forum several times. However for people like me who have limited mechanical knowledge, this option is not so simple. I cannnot afford to pay a garage every time I want to change my tyres, and i certainly do not have the means to do it myself. The other problem is that we dont know how often we are going to be in the current predicament. I remember last year when I was driving a Clio i had no problems getting to work, and this year in February when it last snowed I was fine in my Fiesta. Now however the snow comes half way up the wheels of my Fiesta and i have to drive at about 20mph on snow covered raods otherwise my drive wheels just spin, as they cant push the snow away fast enough to get grip. Winter tyres are good for those who are confident in changing wheels, and who can afford a set of steel wheels and a set of snow tyres.

Ive been back to the garage today, and they took it for another drive. Their diagnosis is that the bearing has collapsed. Its going back in tomorrow to have a new one fitted, so hopefully that's sorted now!

You can choose to "ignore" the other person, so you dont see any of their posts.

Hmm..spooky!! I'd love to see the footage of this one!

I cant understand why I cant now find it on the B&Q website. I cant even phone up to reserve it as their ordering hotline is closed. I have a B&Q just up the road from me, so I may have to take a trip out tomorrow and hope for the best!

I looked at Wickes, but cant reserve online!

I need more than a couple of buckets, and a trip into Sheffield is a bit of a trek, as I live closer to Barnsley than Sheffield. Any other ideas?