[JD6]

Originally Posted by 1 AKY

I'm sure this has been asked previously, but....

If you only had 2 winter tyres instead of 4, which axle would you fit them on on a RWD car?

I would put them on two opposite corners, say near side front and offside rear.

[HighlandPete]

Originally Posted by 1 AKY

I'm sure this has been asked previously, but....

If you only had 2 winter tyres instead of 4, which axle would you fit them on on a RWD car?

Depends on which end you prefer entering the hedge/ditch first.

[R0B]

This has prompted me to complete my order for winter tyres on the X5. We live at the bottom of a sloped close, and the neighbours all spend days shovelling snow. I refuse to help as that would mean talking to them, and we can't have that.

At least this way I should be able just to drive on by...

[troggy1969]

I got a set of new Dunlop Wintersport 4D's and used rims 18" for 400 quid from ebay. Tyre size was 235/45/18, much easier to get and I've run them the last 2 years
Be careful with part worn winters, winters should be changed at 3mm.

[1 AKY]

Some of you may jest....but that was a genuine question. None of you have explained why.

What if it was a FWD vehicle?

I like JD6's answer which is more intuitive to me.

[JNW1]

Originally Posted by 1 AKY

If you only had 2 winter tyres instead of 4, which axle would you fit them on on a RWD car?

Personally I wouldn't, I'd either buy another 2 winter tyres so I had a full set or just stick with summer tyres! However, if you insist on mixing I'd have thought the most logical place for the winters would be on the driven wheels?

[teaston]

Originally Posted by JNW1

Personally I wouldn't, I'd either buy another 2 winter tyres so I had a full set or just stick with summer tyres! However, if you insist on mixing I'd have thought the most logical place for the winters would be on the driven wheels?

Not the wheels that do the steering and majority of the braking!?

[teaston]

Originally Posted by 1 AKY

I like JD6's answer which is more intuitive to me.

That obviously is a joke though!?

[cfm56d7b]

The debate of all season tires vs winter tires is literally the most perplexing debate with an admirable sense of resilience. As winters arrive, this debate undergoes another cycle of reincarnation.

It's a function of a purpose and technology built to satisfy this specific purpose.

Very few of us ask ...

- Why does my sedan bare no resemblance to a station wagon when visiting a supermarket? It wasn't built to be a station wagon. The driver chose a sedan which will never become a station wagon.
- Why do 20" wheels and tires offer a more jarring ride than 18" wheels and tires? Smaller side wall will always transmit more road harshness. These are the wheels the driver selected. Different wheels will serve a different purpose better.

It's the same very issue with any tire vs winter tire. Winter tires were designed for a specific purpose to excel in winter driving conditions. Anything less is just dual compromise: your own and other drivers on the road.

[Mrklaw]

I think it’s a reasonable question - many (most) of us don’t regularly need to travel on icy or snow covered roads unlike eg Northern Europe where it is more consistent and predictable. We generally have gritters out, our temperatures are milder and cold snaps shorter. For very bad weather you may end up not being able omuse the car for a few days, but that is a lot of faff and expense and you’re potentially driving around on wintermtyres on dry/wet/mild roads which may mean they aren’t working efficiently

So I think there may be an argument for all season tyres for our climate.

Obviously if you live somewhere hilly/rural/more regularly snowy that’s a different matter.

[teaston]

Originally Posted by cfm56d7b

The debate of all season tires vs winter tires is literally the most perplexing debate with an admirable sense of resilience. As winters arrive, this debate undergoes another cycle of reincarnation.

It's a function of a purpose and technology built to satisfy this specific purpose.

Very few of us ask ...

- Why does my sedan bare no resemblance to a station wagon when visiting a supermarket? It wasn't built to be a station wagon. The driver chose a sedan which will never become a station wagon.
- Why do 20" wheels and tires offer a more jarring ride than 18" wheels and tires? Smaller side wall will always transmit more road harshness. These are the wheels the driver selected. Different wheels will serve a different purpose better.

It's the same very issue with any tire vs winter tire. Winter tires were designed for a specific purpose to excel in winter driving conditions. Anything less is just dual compromise: your own and other drivers on the road.

It's not all seasons vs winter tyres, it's summer tyres vs winter tyres!

[1 AKY]

Originally Posted by teaston

That obviously is a joke though!?

Is it? No idea.

However, this way you get some momentum/braking and directional control rather than just one or the other.

[Oceanic]

Originally Posted by 1 AKY

Is it? No idea.

However, this way you get some momentum/braking and directional control rather than just one or the other.

Do you want to drive a car where the front and back have massively different levels of grip, no you don't! Tyre manufacturers state under no circumstances ever mix winter and summer tyres on a Car

[JD6]

Originally Posted by 1 AKY

Is it? No idea.

However, this way you get some momentum/braking and directional control rather than just one or the other.

I was joking. I think it would be pretty unstable with grip on two opposite corners. I once slightly overshot a corner in a single seater RWD Formula Ford and took the two left hand wheels through a puddle. I managed to straighten up and without thinking too hard, put my foot down and found myself spinning hard into a tyre wall with traction on just one side. I ripped the front of the car off just beyond my feet. I still have part of the nose cone as a souvenir! I wouldn't recommend traction on just one side...

I have certainly heard of front wheel drive cars just using two winters at the front, but for me RWD is a bit trickier. With snow chains they advocate putting them on the driven wheels, which suggests rear would be better for RWD, but I don't think that having a car which can propel itself in slippery conditions, but not reliably turn would be particularly safe!

[1 AKY]

Ta. This has got me thinking though...

[HighlandPete]

Originally Posted by 1 AKY

Ta. This has got me thinking though...

It is all about tyre grip and chassis balance. The two tyre characteristics are very different, so my tongue in cheek comment on "which way you prefer to enter the hedge or ditch", is really relevant when we may lose grip. Which end is going to lose control first?

Mixing summer/winter tyre types on the same vehicle is definitely not recommended by anyone in the motor, tyre or related safety organisations.

[Herr Dreier]

Originally Posted by JD6

I was joking.

Phew. I appreciated it on the basis it was funny. I would have looked a complete tit if you hadn't have been joking

[teaston]

Originally Posted by 1 AKY

Is it? No idea.

However, this way you get some momentum/braking and directional control rather than just one or the other.

He was saying one tyre on the front left and one on the rear right! Get it?

[cfm56d7b]

Originally Posted by teaston

It's not all seasons vs winter tyres, it's summer tyres vs winter tyres!

Good point! Thanks.

The effectiveness of all season tires in winter conditions is another healthy discussion. It isn't necessarily the tire itself but the over confidence the all season tire may falsely provide to the driver. I lived on US East Coast and witnessed quite a few accidents during the winter ranging from fender benders to the most unfortunate outcomes. Traffic was stopped. Some drivers left their cars to help (the best of humanity on display). I did the same and in the process checked the tires. Most tires were all season and summer tires. Some had no tread left. This is of course not a statistically valid poll but nevertheless a reminder.

[pmgreenwood]

Originally Posted by teaston

It's not all seasons vs winter tyres, it's summer tyres vs winter tyres!

Do remember Michelin, Goodyear, Continental and Bridgestone at least are now producing all season tyres that have passed the "Snowflake" test and hence qualify as winter where laws require.

I do believe such are best for England and Wales but few yet in BMW sizes or as runflats.

[cfm56d7b]

Originally Posted by pmgreenwood

Do remember Michelin, Goodyear, Continental and Bridgestone at least are now producing all season tyres that have passed the "Snowflake" test and hence qualify as winter where laws require.

I do believe such are best for England and Wales but few yet in BMW sizes or as runflats.

This is the most encouraging development for all season tire design.

[teaston]

Originally Posted by pmgreenwood

Do remember Michelin, Goodyear, Continental and Bridgestone at least are now producing all season tyres that have passed the "Snowflake" test and hence qualify as winter where laws require.

I do believe such are best for England and Wales but few yet in BMW sizes or as runflats.

Originally Posted by cfm56d7b

This is the most encouraging development for all season tire design.

But if you do encounter a fair bit of ice in winter it is still definitely worth getting winters over all seasons: