When to put on your winter tyres?

[Wee Smurf]

I usually change over in November

 

[Troubles with 500c]

November is sensible, but I tend to find myself doing it in October when it’s a bit warmer and drier.

 

[StevenRB45]

Looking at current temps it's not really dropping below 7 degrees (the changeover is meant to be when temps hit 7 degrees average) at night nevermind during the day so bit warm currently.

However there is the "do you want to change the tyres when it's actually dark and cold?" factor to consider.

 

[vexorg]

Just curious, do people keep spare full sets of wheels at home? or just the tyres?
Then in the house or in a garage as 4 wheels must get in the way with a single garage.

£1-2k on alloys and tyres, per car, is a bit costly.
Doesn't help that two of our every day cars have 19" wheels.

 

[Troubles with 500c]

Looking at current temps it's not really dropping below 7 degrees (the changeover is meant to be when temps hit 7 degrees average) at night nevermind during the day so bit warm currently.

However there is the "do you want to change the tyres when it's actually dark and cold?

Just curious, do people keep spare full sets of wheels at home? or just the tyres?
Then in the house or in a garage as 4 wheels must get in the way with a single garage.

£1-2k on alloys and tyres, per car, is a bit costly.
Doesn't help that two of our every day cars have 19" wheels.

I keep a spare set of steel wheels with winter tyres fitted in the garage.

This means it takes me about 40 minutes to swap all the wheels. Hence choosing to do it when weather is warmer, rather than waiting until it gets really cold.

Steel wheels are tougher than alloys and cheaper to buy, especially if they are secondhand and 14”. The smaller wheels also mean the tyres are cheaper as well.

Other advantages beyond the obvious ones are;

Alloys aren’t exposed to salt in winter and last much longer.

14” tyres give a smoother ride over all those potholes and are less prone to damage.

Winter tyres prolong the life of your summer tyres.

 

[vexorg]

14” tyres give a smoother ride over all those potholes and are less prone to damage.

The brake discs on one of mine are 14" alone

 

[Troubles with 500c]

16” is a popular steel wheel size and maybe they will clear the callipers.

 

[Troubles with 500c]

16” is a popular steel wheel size and maybe they will clear the callipers.

 

[varesecrazy]

14inch discs.

Just grind a diamond pattern on the circumference.. just the job on packed snow

 

[portland_bill]

I had a spare set of steel wheels with the winters on. Car runs on steels anyway.
End of last winter, caught a puncture in one of the winters. It ran a hundred yards or so flat, to a nearby lay-by, so that's scrap. Due to their age, no point in adding a new one to the set, they were getting a little hard anyway. With two sets of tyres, neither gets enough wear, and the summers are getting old too. It hurts to have to scrap tyres with so much tread on them.
So this year, I will run the summers as long as possible, get as much wear out of them as possible, then get a set of all-seasons. That'll save the bi-annual changeover, and ensure I get all the use from them.

 

[Yolanda]

The price of tyres has risen quite dramatically over the last 12 months (as has most things) I can remember the days when there wasn't winter tyres, all we did then and as I do still is drive accordingly to the road conditions.
I suspect that some drivers with winter tyres think they can carry on driving like the are on a race track in the middle of summer.

 

[Troubles with 500c]

Definitely agree that all season tyres are the future given the cost of tyres and the mild winters that seem to be the norm now.

I shall put the winter tyres on the 500c again this winter because I want to put new All Season tyres on in the spring.

 

[StevenRB45]

The price of tyres has risen quite dramatically over the last 12 months (as has most things) I can remember the days when there wasn't winter tyres, all we did then and as I do still is drive accordingly to the road conditions.
I suspect that some drivers with winter tyres think they can carry on driving like the are on a race track in the middle of summer.

You do have to remember that in the old days cars usually weighed less than a tonne and had 135 section tyres. A two tonne SUV on 255 wide tyres might as well be on bare rims on snow. Although they are also generally the people who drive like they are on a race track and are on summers...

Not sure prices have risen..3 days before Christmas last year I destroyed an all season..the replacement cost me 87 quid, the same tyre today..83 quid. Although the tyres for our car are generally very reasonable due to being the most common tyre size on the planet (same tyre for my old Mazda would be 125)

However the tyres themselves had lasting 40k miles as a requirement as part of the brief when the being designed and so far it would seem they will, shaved off 2mm in 15k on the front, barely dented the rears which are now on the front, will swap again in a few years.

They are also designed to evolve as they wear, if you look at our rears they have zig zag sipes (not straight) and wider rain grooves than the fronts. It looks like 2 different versions of the same tyre, but they are actually the same it's just as they lose rubber depth additional features in the tyre to maintain performance appear that were previously under the surface. They also cut on such a way the sipes lock together under horizontal load so they aren't horrifically floppy for summer cornering. Clever things really.

 

[koalar]

Month High / Low(°C)

---

January 9° / 5°

---

February 8° / 5°

---

March 10° / 6°

---

April 12° / 7°

---

May 15° / 10°

---

June 17° / 13°

---

July 20° / 15°

---

August 20° / 16°

---

September 18° / 14°

---

October 16° / 12°

---

November 12° / 8°

---

December 10° / 6°

It’s going to depend where you live

Average temp for the isle of white above will not be the same as the highlands of scotland

Also depends what time of day your diving

Snow round here use to be waist deep and last for weeks. Some years now we no don’t get more than a couple of days of frost and rarely below 5C

 

[portland_bill]

For several years I've had two sets of wheels, with summer and winter tyres. End of last winter, I got a puncture in one of the winters, and had to drive it a hundred yards to a safe place to change the wheel. So that one is scrap. They are dated 2013, so past their best anyway, no point in adding a new one to the others. Neither the winters, or summers have had enough wear, so are getting old with lots of tread.
All-seasons are the way to go next, but now a dilemma. I could put a set of all-seasons on the now empty wheels, at 155/80 13, or I'm toying with the idea of bigger tyres. The Pandas with alloys had 5Jx14 wheels with 165/65 tyres, being 1.4% smaller rolling radius than the 155/80 13. So those would make the speedo read even higher, and it is rather optimistic now. 500 Pop wheels are 5½Jx14, with 175/65 tyres, 0.8% larger radius so the speedo would be more accurate. Downside is the larger tyres might reduce the performance on the already gentle 60hp. The scarcity of used 500 Pop wheels might kill this idea anyway. All three tyre sizes seem similarly priced.
Meanwhile, heading into winter with the summers. The Fabia is on summers too, waiting until they wear enough to justify binning them, but they've done 3 winters with me so far without trauma.

 

[koalar]

I had three pandas

2x 155/80 R13 give the best ride, especially from the passengers seat.

If you go down farm tracks, have a bad back or have a lot of speed bumps it’s a bit of a no brainer. Plus they are really good in the snow.

The

1x 165/65 R14

Do feel more stable. Do preform better. Turn in is also nicer.

If you mainly drive on dual carriages and motorways these would be a no brainer


Here with poorly maintained roads I would consider going from 165 to 155 but not the other way but then I do have a bad back and the seat padding is well pasted it’s best.

 

[Yolanda]

You do have to remember that in the old days cars usually weighed less than a tonne and had 135 section tyres. A two tonne SUV on 255 wide tyres might as well be on bare rims on snow. Although they are also generally the people who drive like they are on a race track and are on summers...

Not sure prices have risen..3 days before Christmas last year I destroyed an all season..the replacement cost me 87 quid, the same tyre today..83 quid. Although the tyres for our car are generally very reasonable due to being the most common tyre size on the planet (same tyre for my old Mazda would be 125)

However the tyres themselves had lasting 40k miles as a requirement as part of the brief when the being designed and so far it would seem they will, shaved off 2mm in 15k on the front, barely dented the rears which are now on the front, will swap again in a few years.

They are also designed to evolve as they wear, if you look at our rears they have zig zag sipes (not straight) and wider rain grooves than the fronts. It looks like 2 different versions of the same tyre, but they are actually the same it's just as they lose rubber depth additional features in the tyre to maintain performance appear that were previously under the surface. They also cut on such a way the sipes lock together under horizontal load so they aren't horrifically floppy for summer cornering. Clever things really.

Just bought 2 budget 185 55 13's £44.00 each. Last year £28.00 each. I only buy budget tyres for this car as it is only a runabout 1.400 mls in the last 12 months.

 

[Yolanda]

Sorry I got the size wrong they're 155 80 13

 

[vexorg]

Just bought 2 budget 185 55 13's £44.00 each. Last year £28.00 each. I only buy budget tyres for this car as it is only a runabout 1.400 mls in the last 12 months.

Runabout or not, I'd still put the best tyres on I can afford. Only a few weeks ago I had to get two for the juke at £196 each!!

 

[koalar]

Figured it was a typo

The only quiet, reasonable grippy and cheapish tyre I could find in this size were the toyo nano energy

They are 2 decibel quieter than most which adds up if you change 4x and the original were a noisy brand