Petition for legislation for winter and all season tyres

[Woodworks]

 Encouragement to use them sounds good but written in law?

 

In spite of being on the lower slopes of Dartmoor we have had no snow on the roads this winter and three or four days were there as been ice in the morning and that was only on the un-gritted lanes.

[Stubby]

Just now, matelot said:

What is the price difference for winter tyres?

Think there is no difference .

[htb]

Run winter tyres all year round (yokohamas), last longer than the same make summer tyres. Price the same so a no brainer

[Big J]

I'd say that if you are in an area which sees a lot of cold weather, ice and snow, get a set of summer tyres and a set of winter tyres. Swap when appropriate and away you go. 

 

Everywhere else, just buy all season and whilst you might not get quite the same traction in snow compared to dedicated winter tyres, the difference compared to summer tyres has to be experienced to be believed. I did a delivery of 2 tonnes of logs on an extremely icy Saturday morning a couple of weeks ago. Van (2.5t, with all season tyres) and trailer (2.6t, normal tyres). I was able to safely descend some very icy roads with virtually no loss of traction. I was also able to climb some pretty modest slopes too, and I'm front wheel drive. 

 

No extra cost, no disadvantage for the rest of the year, much better safety in winter. It's a no brainer!

[Woodworks]

1 minute ago, Big J said:

no disadvantage for the rest of the year

Is that really true? I suspect not or all tyres would be all seasons if there was no compromise.

 

[WesD]

28 minutes ago, Big J said:

With all season I cannot see that there is any disadvantage. I think I'll get 45-50k out of mine on my van, and whereas my van was driving around on 2 inches of snow this morning like it wasn't there, the car (with the tyres that it came with, that are imminently due to be replaced and my all season are winging their way from Germany) couldn't really move. It took me 10 minutes of wiggling and sliding to get it up the (150m) drive to our house. The van just went straight up. 

 

Given that they seem to wear the same, they grip well under normal conditions and don't cost any more, why wouldn't you want tyres that mean you can safely stop and change direction if there is snow or ice on the road? Even in the south of the UK there are times when that is the case, and they grip better at lower temperatures even if there isn't snow or ice.

Usually there is a trade off. To be good in winter the rubber is softer and to be effective they work in a temp range usually lower than 7c if memory serves. The softer rubber helps dissipate water/snow/debris but in the summer they will wear more as they are outside temp range. If they are less effective in heat than m+s then when we have showers in the summer likelihood is they will brake less efficient creating accidents. 

 

I think what you are aiming at is brilliant but to get there you’d have to have 2 sets of wheels per vehicle 1 for summer 1 for winter. 

 

So so far where I live winter tyres would have come into their own for 2 days (like I say thus far) so is that worth me the extra £1000 for wheels and tyres? I’d say not. 

 

Where you live however it may be that you can’t do without. 

[Big J]

This is what it says on the Halfords website:

 

"All-season, or all-weather tyres as they are sometimes known, have been developed for specific European regions with moderate climates characterised by wet, light winters, making them ideal for use in the UK. All-season tyres are designed to give drivers a confident, safe driving experience all year round without the need to change tyres twice a year.

There is always a trade-off in performance between winter tyres and summer tyres in the different seasons with regard to tyre handling, braking & traction in dry, wet and snow conditions. This means the all weather tyres are unlikely to be as good as the best specialist tyre in the respective seasons but can be expected to work better on wintry roads than a summer tyre, and better on a summer road than a winter tyre. The main benefit is that you will avoid the hassle and cost of swapping tyres twice a year. In areas where the winters are harsh and snow and ice is a regular occurrence (or you will be travelling to parts of Europe where this is the case) a proper winter tyre is necessary.

All-season tyres are easy to drive thanks to stable cornering and strong traction in both wet and dry conditions. On wet roads, the specially designed blocks ensure smooth water evacuation, reducing the risk of hydroplaning. Drivers should not worry if winter does strike, as their high-density siping (grooves) are effective at helping the tread bite the surface of the road to give grip in freezing conditions for confident handling and braking on cold, frozen and snowy roads.

All-season tyres take motorists safely into cold and more challenging winter conditions. Some manufacturers have also tuned the tread pattern for low noise and optimum road contact in all surface conditions."

[WesD]

Sooooo after a quick 5 mins on google allweather are m+s and they cover most bases but they are not a winter tyre nor are they a summer tyre they just tick the box as an all rounder and shouldn’t be thought of as a winter tyre. 

 

They are better than a summer tyre in winter. 

 

They are better than a winter tyre in the summer. 

 

Trade off is they arent as good as summer in summer or winter in winter and it’s reccomended if you drive high mileage then you should use respective tyres summer for summer winter for winter. 

 

That said I happen to know I have m+s pirelli zeros on the wife’s and firestone m+s in mine. Who’d of thought

[josharb87]

Good initiate big J, here’s the negatives:

 

All year winter tyres are noisier than summer tyres

 

they wear quick on hot roads

 

they are weaker (I’ve punctured one driving up a kerb-weak soft thin sidewalls)

 

cornering is worse (weak construction) 

 

they use more fuel

 

 

the countries that have winter and summer sets of wheels also have extra driving tests - on skid pans for example, so this might be adding to the UK driving tests (that’ll be popular!)

 

[matelot]

seemingly winter tyres need 4mm of tread. So they don't last long...