General F*ing weather

[Rustbucket]

Dunno about this global warming thing..we've had the wettest winter in Ireland since 1840 and this winter is shaping up to be the coldest on record.

I'm driving a Passat diesel into work everyday in the wet/cold. No fun but it does the business at 70mpg AND you can get 4 into it with luggage.

Took the B out for a spin last week and spun it off..yes indeed. Too fast round a bend with ice and spilt diesel oil, luckily the verge was wide and no trees so no damage. Took a while though to clean the leather seats.

Anybody got any tips for driving on slippery roads..My B handles like a tesco trolley on ice...and the roof leaks in the wet.

Still life...

 

[topher]

How old are your tyres? Summer cars etc do lower mileage so the tread lasts for years but the tyres do go off and get hard after 5 years so. My MG has old tyres on it which will be replaced this year, even though they have about 4.5mm of tread left on them, the code on them shows they are 6 years old.

 

[Robot]

Have you ever considered studded tyres?

 

[HP]

What brand of tyres are they, too? Sometimes cheap ones can be ok/good in the dry and pant-wettingly bad in the wet.

 

[Tarique]

I'm in the Czech Republic and it's illegal to drive here without winter tyres, so i got a set of Dunlop SP Wintersports and they're brilliant for driving in wet and ice/snow conditions. I was amazed how much difference they make so at £50 a tyre, a worthwhile investment for however long the weather is wet and icy. Actually, i think the car runs smoother with these tyres than my Pirelli P6000s. I've also been considering a strut brace, which should help the turning into corners (at speed) according to a lot of the experts on the barchetta forum.

 

[bludvl_x19]

Global warming exists, its just that Oz is getting it atm. 5 days in a row over 40*C and three of them 43+

Its cooler today though

 

[F4usT]

43°?? auch... you can bake eggs on the road

 

[Shelxs]

"handles like a tesco trolley on ice and lets in water"
part of the b experience!
Ive got the P6000s and will be trying different tyres when it comes to change them - very slippery. I think there is a tyre thread on here somewhere that recommends other less slippery ones.
xs

 

[Robot]

Aren't P6000s for summer use? Don't you change tyres in the fall?

 

[simonmac]

In the UK we use the same tyres all year round. that's why everyone crashes when we have snow!

 

[Robot]

Sounds clever...

(Although it's fully possible to crash with winter tyres too...)

 

[HP]

I thought that was because, loosely speaking, most of the UK drivers are rubbish

 

[F4usT]

i have M+S (mud+snow) tires and are good for all season.

 

[Robot]

Except they don't have enough grip on ice, and are slippery when it's wet? All year tyres are usually a compromise, so you don't get optimum grip in any conditions. The best is to have two sets of rims and tyres

 

[F4usT]

:yeahthat:
agree with robot. well, they are OK when is wet, but on ice and snow are bad... also, on winter my tire pressure is about 2.0 for better grip.