[RobUK]

"Further south, although snow is relatively infrequent, the Met Office last year reported 147 days between the end of October and March when the temperature dropped to less than 7c."

Link to article

[HighlandPete]

Originally Posted by oop north

My understanding is that the overwhelming majority of cars have summer tyres - all season tyres and winter tyres are very specific descriptions that do not apply to most.

....

True all season original fit for the majority isn't likely to happen as the compromise in the summer months is quite noticeable (I happen not to mind that much) - it would need chunky (perhaps not the best word?) tyre treads to become more fashionable, I suspect

Most cars in the UK come with summer tyres, in their different performance grades. Obviously there are lots of tread options, but typically designed for best wet and dry use, using summer tyre compounds.

With so many cars now coming with low profile tyres, means even the smaller and lowered powered cars are having HP summer tyres fitted. Many are on UHP tyres, even on vehicles that are not sports cars but often have highish top speeds, therefore UHP tyres are normal fit. When we look at HP & UHP designs it is clear to see how the tyre won't work on snow or ice, besides the way the compounds harden as temperatures cool down.

All Season is a very broad term, as it can have little difference to some summer tyres, through to the more regular All Season with M+S rating, (which is a bit of a strange definition as it is a vague clasification due to how they are rated with a higher percentage of tread void), to some All Season/All Weather tyres with the additional mountain/snowflake rating. These tyres are often not far off the look, or performance, of a full winter/cold weather tyre we would use in the UK.

We just don't and can't get best 'all year' performance from one tyre.

Tyre performance is a set of compromises which ever one we look at. I've personally chosen to have a UHP performance summer tyre and a UHP winter tyre.

HighlandPete

[RobUK]

This is an absolutely tragic story....

School run river horror: Dad dies as two cars crash with four members of SAME family inside

From the photos it would appear that neither car was fitted with winter tyres. It begs the question - if they'd invested in winter tyres, might the outcome have been any different? The great shame is that for a good +90% of UK drivers, that question probably wouldn't even enter their heads.

[HighlandPete]

Originally Posted by RobUK

This is an absolutely tragic story....

From the photos it would appear that neither car was fitted with winter tyres. It begs the question - if they'd invested in winter tyres, might the outcome have been any different? The great shame is that for a good +90% of UK drivers, that question probably wouldn't even enter their heads.

What a terrible accident, tragic, whatever the situation.

It is so easy for things to go pear shaped, we really need all the safety advantages we can get, particularly in poor conditions.

My own situation a couple of years ago, focused my mind on how quickly it can all go wrong, so pleased I was on winter tyres.

Wrote HighlandPete
Yes the winter tyres paid for themselves today, saved me from a bad accident.

Was following a small van along my normal jaunt, at a sensible speed and distance, we are both locals and the temperature was just above freezing. We go round the worst bend between the villages and suddenly the van goes out of control on black ice. I’m still mid bend (worst place to be, for braking and I’m on black ice) and know I’ve got to brake hard, as the guy looks as if he’s about to go over, as he tries to correct it.

I obviously have to decide if I’m going to try and stay on the road, or go in the ditch and trees, the railway line is just below. I go into a skid, but the tyres are amazing, I’m able to save the back end from going out on me and although having to turn towards the ditch, to correct the car, I get it back in line, all the time watching the guy in front getting closer, very fast indeed.

I’m surprised the guy got the van back in line, I really expected him to roll over. Fortunately there was nothing coming the other way, as he used the whole road to get back on line. The brain certainly sees these events in slow motion.

I know for certain if I had been in the same situation on summer tyres, even at a slower speed, I’d have lost it and been off the road. So without any doubt in my mind, the tyres have saved me a big accident today. I’ve seen the wrecks that have been pulled out of the trees on the bend, so know what damage I could have expected.

Coming back later today, obviously someone had lost it on the same bend. There was sand all over the road and the verges all messed up, so an accident had happened and been cleared, while I was out.

The gritter trucks were out this morning, probably too late. We have this issue where in the mountains, as the sun comes up the temperature plunges, so we can have a warmer start and by 9:30am, a heavy frost. This is what happened this morning, as there was no frost when I got up.

HighlandPete

[RichardM]

Originally Posted by RobUK

"Further south, although snow is relatively infrequent, the Met Office last year reported 147 days between the end of October and March when the temperature dropped to less than 7c."

Link to article

Dipped below yes but that was in the middle of the night when I'm tucked up in bed!

[jakeb1]

Having driven a lot in Austria during the winter I am a big fan of winter tyres even with 4wd on the Audi I use out there.

I was leant a 4x4 mini countryman for a week before my F31 turned up yesterday and, whilst it would get going much better than my old FWD Audi A4 (fitted with winter tyres) and give amusing sideways action in car parks, you couldn't stop the thing. You just get a clatter of ABS as you shoot over a junction! Very scary and you can see why so many 4x4s are involved in accidents over the winter. I actually parked it up and carried on driving the Audi....

My view is that the government should give us notification that from say November 2015, Winter tyres or All Season tyres will be mandatory between 1st November and 1st March (or whatever date they think best).

It would be interesting to know how many lives and injuries they think it would save.

[kitster]

Originally Posted by jakeb1

My view is that the government should give us notification that from say November 2015, Winter tyres or All Season tyres will be mandatory between 1st November and 1st March (or whatever date they think best).

Be great if they did but I think the majority of the UK would just at the idea.

[NISFAN]

Seriously? Winter tyres mandatory for 2 weeks of the year?

[f1swk]

Originally Posted by NISFAN

Seriously? Winter tyres mandatory for 2 weeks of the year?

maybe in the south, in the north there is still tons of the stuff which will be about for a few months yet

[HighlandPete]

Originally Posted by f1swk

maybe in the south, in the north there is still tons of the stuff which will be about for a few months yet

Just this week the Scottish Government have muted the idea of making some changes to tyre use in winter. I understand there is already a working group looking at winter tyre use in Scotland.

HighlandPete

[Carjack]

Originally Posted by RobUK

This is an absolutely tragic story....

School run river horror: Dad dies as two cars crash with four members of SAME family inside

From the photos it would appear that neither car was fitted with winter tyres. It begs the question - if they'd invested in winter tyres, might the outcome have been any different? The great shame is that for a good +90% of UK drivers, that question probably wouldn't even enter their heads.

One of the two cars involved appear to have been a 4 x 4!
Winter tyres are not only good on snow & ice but also on wet roads.