General How many do you buy ?

[werdna]

While I was driving today, a question came into my mind. We all have 4 wheels and tyres on the vehicle we own and either a spare in the boot or one of the alternatives...

For those who change to Winter Wheels / Tyres, what do you use if a spare is needed ? Do you have 5 wheels / Tyres or as I assume the majority do, only have 4 ?

Let the debate begin .....

 

[typecastboy]

Do people really have tyres for different seasons?

 

[werdna]

Yes. If they all replied, you would be amazed at the number who do.

 

[Mick F]

I've been driving and owning cars since 1970 as an eighteen year old.
That's 45years so far.

I have never ever bought winter tyres and I have no intention of buying them either.

Regards,
Mick.

 

[frupi]

I've been driving and owning cars since 1970 as an eighteen year old.
That's 45years so far.

I have never ever bought winter tyres and I have no intention of buying them either.

Regards,
Mick.

To be fair Mick, that could be slightly shortsighted. Where you live, you don't really need them anyway and if I still lived in the South West, I wouldn't bother either. However where I live now, they are a Godsend in the winter months and when we had very heavy snowfalls over the last couple of previous winters, me and the wife were getting into work when others could not.

The one thing that does get my back up, are the people who reckon they are such fantastic drivers in heavy snow, that they can drive perfectly normally on their summer season tyres because somehow they are excellent drivers and it's all to do with getting the right gears, keeping at a certain speed etc. What an absolute load of bull. I've driven up my local steep hill in heavy snowfall and the Winter Conti's have just cut through the snow and got me to the top with no issues whilst I've watched so called 'experts' just slide backwards and into the kerb.

At the end of the day, I've just put four brand new Toyo Snowprox on 'er indoors new i10 for £150, hardly a bank breaker and the car sticks to the road like glue.

To answer Werdna's original question, I bought a full size spare for the 500, cost me 30 quid. I then bought a £30 event tyre to go on it. I managed to fit it in the wheel well without any issues. I'd rather have a proper spare than a stupid skinny tyre any day of the week.

 

[Mick F]

To be fair Mick, that could be slightly shortsighted. Where you live, you don't really need them anyway and if I still lived in the South West, I wouldn't bother either.

I suppose you think we've lived here all our lives?
I suppose you think that I never leave Cornwall?
I suppose you think we don't have ice and snow down here?

We're originally from Lancashire. We lived up in Scotland both east and west for years, we've been all over Scotland in all weathers and all seasons. I've commuted up and down the M73/M74/M6/M5 for months on end, plus commuted from Lancashire up to Scotland and also down to Portsmouth for years.

In my 45years of owning and driving cars all over this fair country of ours, I've never needed winter tyres.

I'm not getting argumentative here, and I'm not getting upset about this, but honestly I've never needed them or even considered them.

There are different points of view out there, and I'm not saying anyone is right or anyone is or wrong.

Cheers!
Mick.

 

[frupi]

I'm not getting argumentative either, merely informing you that winter tyres do work and anyone driving a rear wheel drive car will testify that in very cold conditions or heavy snow, summer tyres are just bloody useless. We know this because we used to own an MX5 and during one particularly bad winter a few years back, we couldn't use it for days because we just couldn't get off our estate. Having spent a winter down the Falkland Islands too, I know first hand the benefit of winter tyres. If you've never driven on or experienced winter tyres for any decent period of time, then I'd say one couldn't really offer evidenced opinion on their use.

Plus, don't forget, if like some of us you occasionally drive over to Germany during the winter months, you have to have winter tyres fitted by law over there during their winter, and in Austria and a few other countries where you can be fined for not having the right rubber on your car.

http://www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/overseas/snow-chains-winter-tyres.html

 

[varesecrazy]

I suppose you think we've lived here all our lives?
I suppose you think that I never leave Cornwall?
I suppose you think we don't have ice and snow down here?

We're originally from Lancashire. We lived up in Scotland both east and west for years, we've been all over Scotland in all weathers and all seasons. I've commuted up and down the M73/M74/M6/M5 for months on end, plus commuted from Lancashire up to Scotland and also down to Portsmouth for years.

In my 45years of owning and driving cars all over this fair country of ours, I've never needed winter tyres.

Cheers!
Mick.

not too long ago a 165 width tyre was a big one, so most dug in a little come the soft stuff,
find yourself with something even wider on a lightweight panda or 500 , and you'll have SOME issues,
it's not the tread that makes the big difference for MOST use in winter though it's the fact that the softer rubber compounds actually WORK in the lower temps,

I always thought the brakes in my old 1.2 punto on 165's were poor,
I put my 1st ever set of winters on - "part used" and my next proper journey , Oxford to York + back on a bright December day was a revelation,
it felt so "right" that you could actually use the brakes/ handling to a great degree.

I've actually got some 135's on OLD panda wheels for when it gets REALLY bad ( 2 days every 3 years down here))

Charlie

 

[RussH]

A 2wd car on winter/snow tyres will out perform and more importantly be safer than a 4wd on summer or even worse chunky mud terrain tyres every time.

Maybe one of the most dangerous road user in snow is a poser in their 2.5 tonne SUV.

Ask me how I know

Me I either stay at home or use the G Wagen which does have snow tyres on it and as long as there's no ice anything less than 3 foot is OK

 

[Mick F]

I'm not getting argumentative either, merely informing you that winter tyres do work and anyone driving a rear wheel drive car will testify .................

Not had a rear wheel drive car since 1980.
Hillman Hunter and a couple of Hillman Imps.
Prior to those, I had a Triumph Herald and a Humber Sceptre.

Can't say I ever will have a RWD car again. Can't see the need or the desire. Neither can I see the need for winter tyres.

Regards,
Mick.

 

[RussH]

A 2wd car on winter/snow tyres will out perform and more importantly be safer than a 4wd on summer or even worse chunky mud terrain tyres every time.

Maybe one of the most dangerous road user in snow is a poser in their 2.5 tonne SUV.

Ask me how I know

Me I either stay at home or use the G Wagen which does have snow tyres on it and as long as there's no ice anything less than 3 foot is OK

Some proof:

https://m.youtube.com/?#/watch?v=wRjPykhLdP4
https://m.youtube.com/?#/watch?v=elP_34ltdWI

4x4 vs 2we
https://m.youtube.com/?#/watch?v=7l2cMlNRX_A

 

[deeyup]

A 2wd car on winter/snow tyres will out perform and more importantly be safer than a 4wd on summer or even worse chunky mud terrain tyres every time.

Maybe one of the most dangerous road user in snow is a poser in their 2.5 tonne SUV.

Ask me how I know

How do you know?

I'm in the correct tyres for conditions camp.
Watch one of the worlds best racing drivers on slicks when the the track gets wet and see how his buddies are with wets.
Try riding a super moto bike on slippy mud with summer sport tyres, then go again with off road tyres.
Not all tyres are the same

 

[deeyup]

A 4wd vehicle is rubbish on snow and ice if it doesn't have the right tyres. Mud terrain in particular are absolute cr*p on snow.

I was expecting a story about a Range Rover on 22's t-boning you

 

[RussH]

How do you know?

I'm in the correct tyres for conditions camp.
Watch one of the worlds best racing drivers on slicks when the the track gets wet and see how his buddies are with wets.
Try riding a super moto bike on slippy mud with summer sport tyres, then go again with off road tyres.
Not all tyres are the same

A 4wd is rubbish on snow if you have the wrong tyres Mud terrain in particular are cr#p

 

[RussH]

I was expecting a story about a Range Rover on 22's t-boning you

Yes they are the kn#bs I was referring to really

And yes it is wedged between the hedges. 3 diff locks and it went backwards faster than it went forwards

 

[Super Uwe]

While I was driving today, a question came into my mind. We all have 4 wheels and tyres on the vehicle we own and either a spare in the boot or one of the alternatives...

For those who change to Winter Wheels / Tyres, what do you use if a spare is needed ? Do you have 5 wheels / Tyres or as I assume the majority do, only have 4 ?

Let the debate begin .....

Haha, debate time it is!

I had a set of winter tyres and steel wheels when we had our old 59 plate and 12 plate Panda. I never had a fifth spare tyre though, just the space saver.

Winter tyres are great though, even down in the South West. It's not just snow and ice they excel in, it's also damp/wet conditions too. Loads of roads down here have plenty of standing water at this time of the year.

Funnily enough, I haven't got any winter tyres on the Punto, so I have kind of contradicted myself a bit lol! However, the Goodyear's on the Punto are much better than the Continental EcoContact3's which were standard on our old 500 and Panda, so it does make enough sense for now. And when it comes to replacing the tyres, I will probably opt for a winter set to use all year round (in an ideal world I'd have two sets, but no longer the space for them sadly).

 

[StevenRB45]

Haha, debate time it is!

I had a set of winter tyres and steel wheels when we had our old 59 plate and 12 plate Panda. I never had a fifth spare tyre though, just the space saver.

Winter tyres are great though, even down in the South West. It's not just snow and ice they excel in, it's also damp/wet conditions too. Loads of roads down here have plenty of standing water at this time of the year.

Funnily enough, I haven't got any winter tyres on the Punto, so I have kind of contradicted myself a bit lol! However, the Goodyear's on the Punto are much better than the Continental EcoContact3's which were standard on our old 500 and Panda, so it does make enough sense for now. And when it comes to replacing the tyres, I will probably opt for a winter set to use all year round (in an ideal world I'd have two sets, but no longer the space for them sadly).

My old Suzuki had continentals they are horrible the moment the temperature drops below 4 degrees. After 5 years and a couple of sets I switched to Goodyear EfficientGrip performance and winter handling was night a day difference despite being a swap from summer tyres to summer tyres.

 

[jrkitching]

AIUI this is a debate about what you do about the spare if you fit winter tyres, not about the merits of winter tyres in general - we've another thread for that!

My view would be that spacesaver users just carry on using the standard fitment - it's only there to get you from the scene of the puncture to a convenient place of repair at a reduced speed, and it'll do well enough for that. Those unfortunate enough only to have a can of goo and an inflator are at least no worse off than they were before, but that's not saying much.

Those who carry a 'full-fat' roadwheel and natching tyre as a spare have the ability to continue their journey as normal after a puncture; IMO if they want to retain that capability they should fit matching tyres to all five; if only fitting four, they should then treat the spare as a spacesaver and only use it at reduced speed for as short a distance as practicable.

The legal situation is also worth considering and will vary according to jurisdiction. Using the spacesaver may take you into a grey area whether running on summers or winters, but I'd expect you'd be OK in practice providing you are using it within the manufacturer's recommendations - in the final analysis, it was fitted by the manufacturer to a type-approved vehicle. Using a mismatched normal roadwheel & tyre combination may be viewed less leniently and could put you on the wrong side of both the letter and practice of the law, particularly if you are running in a situation where winter tyres are themselves a legal requirement.

Personally I'd either keep the normal summer spacesaver and leave the tyre alone, or use a full fat roadwheel and change all five.

 

[Super Uwe]

Well, this one died a death...

 

[portland_bill]

Let's resurrect it then. Not checked on her for a few days, some catching up to do.

I only bought four wheels for the winter tyres. Having hardly needed a spare over 40 years couldn't justify a wheel and winter tyre for the boot. The narrow space-saver will probably be ok.

I'd not had winters until a couple of years ago, amazed at the difference.
Popped out on an errand over about 1-2 inches of snow on the estates. As I left a Jag X-type (unusually a 4wd) was faffing about outside my house on the mild hill, couldn't get past. So I drove around him, and back in again half an hour later. Lovely example of 2wd on winters beating a 4wd on summers.

Last winter, I was in a home shopping delivery van, RWD Sprinter, on two inches of snow, driving gently but ok. That company uses winters all year, accepting higher wear rates in summer for convenience and safety in the winter. Saves changing wheels/tyres on several hundred vans. Other home delivery companies will fail to deliver.