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Will you fit winter tyres to your car this year?

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Just wondering how many of you will actually bother to fit winter tyres to your car this year?

 

In my experience, us Brits tend not to be big users of winter tyres. I never used to bother either, until I lived abroad and it was mandatory in the company I worked for, for all cars to be fitted with winter tyres from November through to April.

 

It made me realise what a huge difference they make to safe driving in ice and snow. Worth every penny if you ask me.

 

I had an old Ford Focus a few years ago. I put 4 winter tyres on it - cost me about £50 a tyre. But when the snow and ice came I felt safe as houses in that. I even drove it back from Loxley area, up over Stannington and Lodge Moor in snow. Some of them hills are difficult at the best of times but it just flew up them with the winter tyres on.

 

I know some folks will say fit chains or other devices, but these limit the handling of the car and are nowhere near as good as fitting winter tyres in my experience.

 

So, have a think about it. A good tyre depot will be happy to fit them for you and then put your old tyres back on again next summer. In the meantime it could be the difference between being able to get around in bad weather, or getting stuck. Or having an accident.

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I've started specifying all season tyres for the golf when it needs a tyre changed.

If the weather is bad (snow/ice) then the other car will just stay in the garage.

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Guest

Always do. Either proper All-Season like Cyclone or Winter tyres make all the difference. I never take my 23 yr old, RWD car off the road and they get me through everything....and I've lived in Coal Aston through a snowy winter, didn't stop me driving into town and back again at night in a blizzard to collect my other half from work.

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I've given it a real long thought this year and have decided not to. Mainly because when I have done in previous years the winter has been so mild that it was a waste, you need regular low temperatures for the tyres to come into their own, winter tyres also perform less well on water (rain). As we only seem to have wet and mild winters these days, I am declining the option.

 

That said, all-weathers are an option as all 4 are up for replacing this week.

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Guest sibon

I won't be bothering. I spent 30 years commuting in the Loxley/Stannington/Bradfield areas and only rarely worried that my car couldn't cope on normal tyres.

 

These days, if it snows, I'll either get a train and a tram, or light up the log burner and get a good book.

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This discussion comes up earlier every year. Must be global warming;)

 

I'll be getting them for the van, simply cannot afford to miss our busiest weeks of the year if the snow turns up. The cost of the tyres is far outweighed by what I'd lose. Not bothering with the car - never do.

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These discussions do make me think about the need for 4mm+ of tread, instead of 2mm

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Since I got rid of my Land Rover and got a front wheel drive car I always put a set of winter tyres on. It worked a treat, much better than I could have wished for.

I now have another car and it is all wheel drive, I went to purchase a new set of winter tyres after seeing a test where a two wheel drive car with winter tyres, beat an all wheel drive car on normal tyres.

 

However, the garage persuaded me to try it for a year first, apparently the system on my car (Haldex) is supposed to be very good, we will see !!

 

On a two wheel drive car that does mainly town driving I would say yes without hesitation.

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I left them stacked last year having fitted them for the few years before that. Not cold enough for them yet and not looking like it will get cold enough soon.

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New tyres, yes. Winter tyres, no.

 

I had all 4 new in teh last 2 months so there's plenty of tread, and that will have to do I'm afraid.

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Good points raised re temperature. Winter tyres are only more effective below 7 celcius, and in the last few years we've only managed a few days of snow each year, which didn't create any problems on the roads at all.

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