Safe Speed Forums

I have to admit I find much better grip on snowy, sleety , slushy roads when I switch over to winters ... and apparently they have now resolved the overheating problems with "winters" by making block patterns in the ...

Auto Express trialled and tested Michelin's Alpin and Pilot Alpin hight performance cold weatehr tyres - in the article I decided to scan . They found a Ford C MAX TDCI understeered on summer tyres at typical British winter temperatures of 2 degrees Celsius - and slid at 50 mph around a long right hand corner at 50 mph.... and lost traction on a tight left at the same speed. They found the car handled better at 53 moh when wearing winter tyres. For the test with a Merc E280 - they covered the track with 0.55 mm of water and teh Merc'c compouter controlled brakes trigged as it passed a sensor in the asphalt. Whne weeraing the winter tyres - the Merc came to a steady easy halt within 37 metres (best) and 40 metres (worst) at 50 mph. The same test in "summer shoes" - braking distance rose to 45 metres.

Perhaps it may be an idea to consider winter tyres - better road griip.

Reminder to browsers/lurkers in partiucular (as regulars do check their rubber anyway )

Please check all tyre treads on your cars - .,.... legal limit may be 1.6 mm tread ... but I would replace before this minimum. Less than 3 mm tread and it does affect handiing and braking on wet roads.


Oh - and keep a listen out for weather reports - especially reports of black ice..

Always carry in your emergency winter kit - a shovel, de-icer spray, blanket, flask of something warm, first aid kit and some chocolate in case you do get stuck somewhere.

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My sisters kids, who live there, tell me that Norway has a legal requirement of 3mm between October and March. (Studs are recommended in many places).
Whilst I appreciate we don't get the same degree of snow, etc., I think it would be a positive move here; especially for those of us lucky/unlucky enough to live in the remotest parts of Britain.

I know what a slavver it is to change tyres but it could save many lives.

if in a place where you have several months of snow it may be viable but round these parts where we may or may not get snow for a week a year it starts looking a little crazy spending £600+ for a 2nd set of tyres & whatever a set of rims costs.

I don't think I'd be paying out that sort of money for a second set of tyres just for winter, i'd settle for driving a bit more careful.

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Useless laws weaken necessary laws.

Also believe that inCanada/or parts of , that it is a requirement to keep set of chains in boot at certain parts of the year (but that's in snowy parts)- but in the uk ??. Likewise on the tyres - most cars these days have dash temperature display - or the old fashioned on - stick you hand out - but then remember that it is winter - it does get cold and ice forms.

chatting to a taxi driver in northern sweden i was surprised to find he didn't use full spiked tyres much. he reckoned modern winter tyres were better through most of their winter until it warmed up and the freeze/thaw started when he switched to studded.

given our winter is almost always freeze/thaw i'm not sure how much advantage winters would have over summer tyres.
i also doubt auto express's time & ability to carry out representative braking tests, most media braking & handling tests in my experience are a bit mickey mouse.

With Global Warming it seems a pointless expense.

Actually, the main difference with non-studded winter tyres is that the rubber compound grips at low temperatures while high performance "summer" tyres are pretty bad in the cold.

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Malcolm W.
The views expressed in this post are personal opinions and do not represent the views of Safespeed.

Be cheaper to adopt driving tactics between winter and summer - being doing that for almost 40 years - and not a problem. Means showing a bit of respect for bsad conditions