Sod that winter tyre malarky .............
This is what you need .
I'm the cool dude in the shades driving
This is what you need .
I'm the cool dude in the shades driving
Winter Tyres
- Thread starter Redboots
- Start date
I think that what most people seem to ignore or forget is that winter or all season tyres work far better below 7c than normal summer tyres, due to their compound. So a cool damp 4 c morning and you have to stop suddenly...you may find that it takes a metre or two longer on summers than all seasons....That may be the difference between wiping out a myopic pedestrian or rear ending the car in front (who does have winters on and stops more quickly)
When I 'worked', it was in a Pennines area where we often had snow. We regularly attended to damaged cars that the owner had had to abandon at the roadside that had been hit by something overnight...often the snowplough...winter/all season tyres would likely have meant that they could have driven their car to a safer place to park and avoided days/weeks of hassle and loss of NCD etc.
When I 'worked', it was in a Pennines area where we often had snow. We regularly attended to damaged cars that the owner had had to abandon at the roadside that had been hit by something overnight...often the snowplough...winter/all season tyres would likely have meant that they could have driven their car to a safer place to park and avoided days/weeks of hassle and loss of NCD etc.
My Landy always had remould mud tyres on it so snow wasn't a problem and I used to relish going for a white lane run on a weekend. No amount of snow building up was going to lift that monstrosity off the road, but the occasional big drift would stop it dead. Once, approaching the Snake Pass coming home after Uni, it was snowing so much that I was the only vehicle on the road and following the bank to the left hand side... I completely forgot about the fork in the road, and I had a few seconds of where's the bank gone... before I drove up the banking towards the signpost
I also know the kick from a spark plug lead, what gets me is I'd waggled two before I got the jolt, however, the Landy was so tall, I wasn't bent over into the engine bay but I remember it seemed to pass right through me as I had my other hand on the wing.
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That was good.. I had vredstein Quatrac 4 or 5s on the Fiat Panda 4x4 and I once ended up coming home from work when the main road was legged up with people struggling for traction, but wasn't declared shut. I decided to use a narrower tarmac bypass for the farms and it followed the other proper 4x4s very well. Until I got to a dogleg where the bigger boys were taking turns to get through. I got out and checked if it was worse ahead but spoke to a lady in a corsa who had decided to follow me. She thought she'd be alright as I was in a little hatchback like hers, until I pointed out it was a 4x4 on M+S rated tyres. What I had forgot was the other end was steeper down hill but I waited till the flatter bit at the bottom was clear before gingerly heading down.
The Suzuki Swift 4x4 is fitted with Michelin Cross Climate tyres but I have no desire to test them getting to work... They're so I have a better chance of getting home if it snows whilst I'm over the Pennines.
I learned that 4x4's don't always get you where you want the hard way. On a closed (before Snow gates were a thing) Snake Pass, the go anywhere 4x4 went anywhere it wanted, when I hit a patch of icy snow, closely followed by a drystone wall.. and a telegraph pole.. I only bent the drivers wing, and the drivers door which was creased so badly it wouldn't shut. The rear wing was a bit scratched. It was only after I drove home with the door held in place by a few bungees that I noticed I'd also bent the steering with the steering rods and the drop arm on the steering box being somewhat misshaped and the wheels pointing in different directions. It took a little longer to notice that the chassis rail had kinked as well, where the front axle had been pulled backwards against the leaf spring.
The following years I had much better tyres and took it much more steadily, and I once made a few bob towing a couple of stuck vehicles up to the summit so they could continue their journeys. I was doing a car when a minibus with some workers in it got a bit stuck so I said I'd get the car up to the top and come back for them as I was going on to Sheffield. When I returned, they'd started to attach what I would describe as a builders guy rope to their towing eye.. I said you're alright, I've got plenty of recovery ropes onboard.
For years I have had a full set of snow tyres on spare wheels for my cars (usually 1 " smaller ones if the car runs on low profiles) ,they are on the cars from November to April .
Only car that is different is the Tiguan which was bought in the winter and I needed rid of the sh#te Chinese tyres so put on Goodyear multi climate tyres.
Almost as good as full on snow tyres in snow and icy conditions, but there is one caveat and that is in the Summer at higher temps over say 25 degrees they are terrible if it rains lacking the grip of summer tyres.
Will be looking for a spare set of 19" alloys for the Tiguan to take summer tyres and the 18" ones and multiclimate tyres will become its winter wheels
Only car that is different is the Tiguan which was bought in the winter and I needed rid of the sh#te Chinese tyres so put on Goodyear multi climate tyres.
Almost as good as full on snow tyres in snow and icy conditions, but there is one caveat and that is in the Summer at higher temps over say 25 degrees they are terrible if it rains lacking the grip of summer tyres.
Will be looking for a spare set of 19" alloys for the Tiguan to take summer tyres and the 18" ones and multiclimate tyres will become its winter wheels
All season tyres being fitted tomorrow ahead of our first ever winter trip to the Alps on the 27th. I have a set of chains as well which I will definitely be using if there is snow going up Alpe D'Huez. Can't wait.
Small note: keep in mind that if all seasons tyres are not marked with the three peaks mark (not all are), in France (Italy is the same) you still have to produce snow chains or socks if stopped for a check by the police.
Only 3PMSF (three peaks) marked tyres can replace the need for having chains/socks with you.
Note ends.
Only 3PMSF (three peaks) marked tyres can replace the need for having chains/socks with you.
Note ends.
My winter tyres are going on in the next week or so ahead of our trip to Chamonix in January. I’ll then keep them on until spring. I don’t have chains but apparently 4x4 is an acceptable alternative.
We have Goodyear 4 season tyres on Mrs FatAls Yaris. They are M+S rated and three peak mountain for winter use. These have proven to work well over the winter months and cope well with the limited snow we get here. I may fit some to my Mazda CX5 when tyre replacement time arrives.
Now yer talkingSod that winter tyre malarky .............
This is what you need .
I'm the cool dude in the shades driving
View attachment 464922
Found this funky ambulance parked at the bottom of the Hardangervidda 20 years ago.
Everyone knows that an (original) Panda 4x4 is all you need in the snow
I had two. They were really very good in the snow.Everyone knows that an (original) Panda 4x4 is all you need in the snow
I am putting dibs on one owned by someone I know. Low-ish mileage, kept decently.
And when your finished with them you can jump up and down on them and put them in the recyclingEveryone knows that an (original) Panda 4x4 is all you need in the snow
Crazy little cars that punched well above their weight in the snow. Great fun to drive. I should have kept at least one of them.
The only problem is me: I am shit driving on snow.
I am not a mountain/sky person, so never really learnt properly.
I am not a mountain/sky person, so never really learnt properly.
Back in 2010 we had a rare dump of snow as far down south as Portsmouth and everything ground to a stop once the drifts had frozen.Everyone knows that an (original) Panda 4x4 is all you need in the snow
My Vectra estate company car on low profiles did absolutely nothing, just span its wheels on summer tyres it was going nowhere.
My late father’s unloved old diesel Citroen Picasso was sat on the drive on some or other cheap tyre brand and we were out of food so I gave it a go to try and reach the local supermarket on local uncleared frozen roads. The bloody thing merrily cruised along finding grip everywhere, it was unstoppable. I was genuinely amazed by it.
I have no doubt that's true. My ex-wife's Citroen C2 (?), FWD only, with tiny skinny tyres was really good in the snow on normal tyres. Got through snow a few times when 4x4s were getting stuck. So I can imagine that a 4x4 with similar size wheels and winter tyres would be very handy.Everyone knows that an (original) Panda 4x4 is all you need in the snow
I worked in a Fiat dealer for a few months in 1986, after being made redundant and before starting at Xerox. Panda 4x4 was our biggest seller in Hereford. To meet demand, we had to try to get dealers in other areas to swap for something we had in stock they wanted. Usually a 2WD Panda or Uno as nobody wanted our rusting Regatas and Cromas.
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