You don't want tread designed to squeeze water out. On slush it will compact the ice into the treads and you will end up driving with ice on ice.

Blocky treads are best on mud and snow. The snow and ice just falls out.

Winter tyres are an entirely different animal to block treaded tyres.

They are made of a very soft compound that is designed to easily deform as the wheel rotates. This allows water to be squeezed from the sipes and spaces built into the tread, with improvements in grip and especially in much shorter stopping distances. I'd rather have a car with block treads in front of me when I'm on winters, for this very reason!

Winters are designed to keep snow in the tread. This gives better grip, not worse, because snow grips better when in contact with snow.

Block treaded tyres are made from much firmer compounds and do not readily deform. They are terrific in mud, but on tarmac roads where there is snow or slippery conditions they are inferior to winters.

A driver who refuses to try out winters because he thinks he doesn't need them due to his superior skill is a bit like the bloke who says,'I've never drunk beer because I don't like it.'

Check this out - it's convincing. A four wheel drive car with standard tyres up against a two wheel drive fitted with winters:

[ame]https://youtu.be/mfuE00qdhLA[/ame]

Deleted - duplicate.

My full snow are block and have been full tested around Buxton and Macclesfield.

Each block is cut like its been done with a razor blade and is designed to move around and release the ice

They are directional though if you look a the front they are arranged like an arrow head. Bit like a tractor tire. But not like a rain tire designed to squeeze out water.

Its about as much as you can go without studs.

The video was strange. Look at the tyre at the end. No snow picked up in the tread on the dry powder (after making such a big deal at the beginning) plus the two outer edges of the tyre are block and admitting half way through that the rear wheels are never driven.

But I would still trust my tires and car over the ones on the video on our normal sticky snow.

Horse for course I guess.

Still hitting 17°C for the next few day. Crazy for this time of year. Normally I would have had a trip to Snowdonia with ice axe and crampons by now.

Parabolica said:

Why not?

Click to expand...

I've had issues when having to reverse in heavy snow with directionnal (arrow shaped) winter tyres, they don't appear to work so well in reverse.

Would still have winters over anything else, but I prefer a pattern that works in both directions when available.

Top tip, take your shovel with you in the evening, that way you won't be staring at a vaguely car shaped blob of snow and wondering how you're going to get the shovel out of the boot in the morning

Have just put a set of alloys and winter tyres from my old 100HP up for sale if anyone is interested.

See classifieds or PM me.

So.....
Went to have the Avons fitted this morning. Only three had been delivered. Much ringing around by the lads at National Tyres Harrogate, no more Avons available, they're on back-order, could be weeks. Oh dear. More ringing around to customer services and area manager and they found a set of Goodyear Ultragrip8's at Pocklington, about 45miles away. The online price for these is £67.40 each compared with £41.01 for the Avons. The local lads fought my corner and it was agreed that, as it was National Tyres Online who had screwed up, I'd get the Goodyears for the same price as the Avons.
Left the new wheels there and the Goodyears were brought over, fitted and in my garage by 3:30.
Result.
Buying from a cheap online supplier is good but, in future, I'll use one that allows me to check stock before paying

Got my winter boots back on on Thursday as the weather was due to get cold. Alloys now cleaned and put away for the winter.

I've just had my winter alloys refurbished, they were becoming badly corroded & leaking. Falken winter tyres simply because I got them at very low bargain price. I now have to put them on to my daily hack, obviously straight forward but at my stage of life it's a bit demanding with all the war wounds of the past

Not so much for the main road driving, but as a care worker, I find myself in parts of the city early in the mornings, back streets & other less used roads ungritted & are just sheets of ice. They do make a difference there, I can vouch for that.

jimboy said:

I've just had my winter alloys refurbished, they were becoming badly corroded & leaking. Falken winter tyres simply because I got them at very low bargain price. I now have to put them on to my daily hack, obviously straight forward but at my stage of life it's a bit demanding with all the war wounds of the past

Not so much for the main road driving, but as a care worker, I find myself in parts of the city early in the mornings, back streets & other less used roads ungritted & are just sheets of ice. They do make a difference there, I can vouch for that.

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I take mine in my boot to my local tyre dealer who kindly tells me to give the young lad a few quid and they change them over for me.

But (to quote Donkey in the first Shrek movie) you're a girlDragon

gr J

A3jeroen said:

But (to quote Donkey in the first Shrek movie) you're a girlDragon

gr J

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And if you smile nicely...

I prefer Goodyear Vectors over full winters... they have evolved over the years and now come as these...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/TYRE-Good...629838&hash=item1ed447c68d:g:yF8AAOSw8FtZgJI7

Got some part worns for my '95 Tipo in 185/60 x 14, they definitely give more confidence in cold wet grotty conditions like we've got now.

Michelin have tried to get in on this all-season idea with their Cross-Climates, I believe they are slightly more summer-focussed and possibly not available in the sizes for smaller Fiats.

bluejohn125 said:

I prefer Goodyear Vectors over full winters... they have evolved over the years and now come as these...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/TYRE-Good...629838&hash=item1ed447c68d:g:yF8AAOSw8FtZgJI7

Got some part worns for my '95 Tipo in 185/60 x 14, they definitely give more confidence in cold wet grotty conditions like we've got now.

Michelin have tried to get in on this all-season idea with their Cross-Climates, I believe they are slightly more summer-focussed and possibly not available in the sizes for smaller Fiats.

Click to expand...

The Cross Climates only come in larger sizes starting with a 15 inch rim. My husband has them on the Honda and likes them. He hasn't bothered with full winters for the last couple of years. I run on 13 inch rims and the choice of tyres is definitely declining year on year as the tyre companies discontinue that size. I am unfortunately on my last ever season on Michelin Alpins as they have now also been discontinued from manufacture and I don't think the current set will last any longer than this seaon. Even their summer offering (MICHELIN Energy E3B1) has had no update in many years and the same would be true for many other manufacturers. It's just no longer the thing to have small wheels.

New 14" wheels and winter boots on this morning along with a set of cheap trims (£15 from Halfords and a set of 50mm centre stickers)
All we need now is some snow

Bellezza Nera is on her Snowboots too now.
Gave the guy that put my winterwheels on my best seductive smile... But as it turned out I was looking in a mirror

gr J

My 13s were restricted to ordinary road Firestones but TBH they grip well enough and its never seriously cold down here.

My last bad winter was 2010 in midlands and South Wales with the Punto HGT. It was fine with ordinary road tyres I even got it up a long & fairly steep road that other cars even with snow tyres refused to touch. But I did have traction control. .

Once up there it was parked for the duration as getting down again without snow chains was not an option. My neighbour's Shogun with all the winter bling tyres, facing uphill in low range at tickover, with wheels turning was sliding downhill. Even he had to wedge it against the kerb.

A3jeroen said:

Bellezza Nera is on her Snowboots too now.
Gave the guy that put my winterwheels on my best seductive smile... But as it turned out I was looking in a mirror

gr J

Click to expand...

Must try harder!

Finally got round to fitting my winter wheels. Window of opportunity weather wise. With the help of painkillers it took me over an hour... Feet up with Sunday papers....

jimboy said:

Feet up with Sunday papers....

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...with the weatherforecast
We had temperatures below zero, fog and some hail on this side of the channel soi was just in time.

gr J