Winter tyres. Discuss.

[BigD]

I think it depends on the weight distribution too and the driven wheels rather than just the weight. I've found in a FWD car I get stuck driving up the hill but can reverse up it much more easily. Quite tricky to get a run up a hill in reverse mind you with everyone else thinking you're going the other way and not expecting you to be speeding up a hill backwards.

FWD with passengers will struggle but RWD with passengers may see an improvement. Hence the bag of cement in the boot of an old escort mentioned above.

I have no idea why this is the case but it is my real word experience.

[Doc883]

I think it depends on the weight distribution too and the driven wheels rather than just the weight. I've found in a FWD car I get stuck driving up the hill but can reverse up it much more easily. Quite tricky to get a run up a hill in reverse mind you with everyone else thinking you're going the other way and not expecting you to be speeding up a hill backwards.
FWD with passengers will struggle but RWD with passengers may see an improvement. Hence the bag of cement in the boot of an old escort mentioned above.
I have no idea why this is the case but it is my real word experience.

Likely to be as simple as weight over the driven wheels. Fwd going uphill means front suspension lightens as rear of car squats down.
Either way stick on a set of 4 winters on your fwd, rwd or awd car and you'll be amazed at the difference

[BigD]

I think it depends on the weight distribution too and the driven wheels rather than just the weight. I've found in a FWD car I get stuck driving up the hill but can reverse up it much more easily. Quite tricky to get a run up a hill in reverse mind you with everyone else thinking you're going the other way and not expecting you to be speeding up a hill backwards.
FWD with passengers will struggle but RWD with passengers may see an improvement. Hence the bag of cement in the boot of an old escort mentioned above.
I have no idea why this is the case but it is my real word experience.

Likely to be as simple as weight over the driven wheels. Fwd going uphill means front suspension lightens as rear of car squats down.
Either way stick on a set of 4 winters on your fwd, rwd or awd car and you'll be amazed at the difference

That's my point. There's a lot more to it than just tyre size and weight. I've had a set for a few years but not needed them since the last bad year.

[Dark]

...also apparently a Toyota Auris isn't a good choice...

http://www.thecourier.co.uk/news/local/ ... s-1.784823

The wife's Auris is on winter tyres and was fine getting up & down the snow & ice covered lane to our house last night & this morning!

Not as much fun as her old Impreza on winter tyres mind! Although at 40mpg compared to 20mpg I'm past caring!

[martins]

This is getting awful complicated.

If you have a car that is usually fitted with large section, low profile tyres, that seem to slip and slide on anything other than a dry road in the winter (all modern cars that are or even think they are sporty - led by the Germans) - and you can afford an extra set of wheels and tyres - then do it. You life may one day literally depend on 4 pieces of rubber the size of your palm...

M

[thinfourth]

I think it depends on the weight distribution too and the driven wheels rather than just the weight. I've found in a FWD car I get stuck driving up the hill but can reverse up it much more easily. Quite tricky to get a run up a hill in reverse mind you with everyone else thinking you're going the other way and not expecting you to be speeding up a hill backwards.

FWD with passengers will struggle but RWD with passengers may see an improvement. Hence the bag of cement in the boot of an old escort mentioned above.

I have no idea why this is the case but it is my real word experience.

Ahhh there be an extra wrinkle here

Your tyres wear in a very shallow saw tooth pattern with the saw tooth profile going backwards when you are going forwards

When you go backwards the tooth profile is going forwards



If you ever do a production car trial you drive around on the tyres you intend to use and then just before the event swap sides so the saw tooth is in the correct direction

[campbell]

I drove to Dumfries tonight. A submarine would have been more help than winter tyres I think :shock

I haven't driven in rain and wind like it. Ever. Car was slowing down uphill into the wind.

Yet with 5 miles to go to the hotel, you'd never think there had been a storm here. Hamilton to Beattock was indescribable.

Little Clubman put on a heroic performance. <pats front wing while heading to hotel reception>

[Dominic]

Winter tyres deployed in anger tonight. Amazing! Some difference. Do they always make you feel so smug as you pass peeps stuck on hills etc? Most amusing was passing a chaved up M Class Merc, maxing the revs and spinning his blinged phat alloys.

[BiggestNizzy]

Amazingly we have snow in Ayrshire. Powered up a few hills with ease while others were sliding back.

[SAJ]

Winter tyres deployed in anger tonight. Amazing! Some difference. Do they always make you feel so smug as you pass peeps stuck on hills etc? Most amusing was passing a chaved up M Class Merc, maxing the revs and spinning his blinged phat alloys.

Yeh it does

[j2 lot]

However I guess there is a mathematical formula to measure the diminishing level of smugness as a ratio to the increasing depth of snow.
Still well in comfortable smug mode just now

[C7Steve]

Amazingly we have snow in Ayrshire. Powered up a few hills with ease while others were sliding back.

No snow at all here in Aberdeen.

Steve.

[rossybee]

Zero in the 'Dee, rather hard frost though...

[Dominic]

Do they always make you feel so smug as you pass peeps stuck on hills etc?

Yeh it does

However I guess there is a mathematical formula to measure the diminishing level of smugness as a ratio to the increasing depth of snow.
Still well in comfortable smug mode just now

Think I will re-name them "Smug Tyres"

[BiggestNizzy]

Think I will re-name them "Smug Tyres"

I have gone with WIN-ter tyres