Alloys. Not in UK?

[frodes]

Hello.

Where I live (Norway), it is very common with nice looking alloy wheels on the cars. Most family cars have 16" or 17" light alloys. Almost noone drive around on original wheels.

Looking around on ebay, most of the old mercs I see have 8-holes or steel rims.

Is it not common with cool looking alloys in the UK?




Right now, I am looking forward to spring, so I can mount the 17" Lorinser RS90 summer wheels
My winter tires have original 210 avantgarde rims in 16".

When buying after market, absolutely noone buy steel rims.

 

[jaymanek]

One of the reasons that the UK doesnt change wheels is that in most of Europe you have to have different Winter tyres to Summer... That is not a requirement here so many just settle for one wheel all year round.

I guess if i were forced to change wheels twice a year i would have some shiny polished rims for summer and some not so shiny for winter..

 

[frodes]

One of the reasons that the UK doesnt change wheels is that in most of Europe you have to have different Winter tyres to Summer... That is not a requirement here so many just settle for one wheel all year round.

I guess if i were forced to change wheels twice a year i would have some shiny polished rims for summer and some not so shiny for winter..

What do people do if it snows? I was in the UK in November, and we saw temperatures below 0C several times.

As you describe, it is very common here to have a set of shiny wheels for summer use, and not so shiny ones for winter use.

I take the opportunity to attach pictures of summer- and winter tires.

I am SO looking forward to chaning to summer wheels. Those soft winter tires totally destroy the cars handling.

 

[BTB 500]

What do people do if it snows?

Drive more carefully! In most of the UK snow is very rare nowadays, and although winter tyres are generally 'better' at low temperatures even on dry roads the difference isn't significant enough for most people to invest in them.

I drove my SL about 100 miles home at -5C a few weeks ago, no problems at all.

My wife is from the South of Germany so the idea of having 2 sets of wheels is quite familiar - everyone over there does it. But conditions in winter are much more extreme with snow on the roads being quite normal.

 

[seymansey]

If it snows in the UK, the whole country comes to a standstill as useless drivers career, slide and smash into everything or leave their cars in the middle of the road as the 'blizzard' of two inches of snow is too much for them to navigate. Insurance companies cry out at the record number of claims that are being made and everyone's premiums suuffer as a result.

Come the afternoon, when the snow has melted, everything returns to normal

 

[peppernick]

If it snows in the UK, the whole country comes to a standstill as useless drivers career, slide and smash into everything or leave their cars in the middle of the road as the 'blizzard' of two inches of snow is too much for them to navigate.

......... not just snow, rain, wind etc ...... anything out of the 'norm', people just go on strike.

 

[MBManInKen]

Is it not common with cool looking alloys in the UK?

In my experience, "cool alloys" are usually a euphemism for ridiculously oversized barried up wheels .

And a painfully uncomfortable ride .

 

[MBManInKen]

......... not just snow, rain, wind etc ...... anything out of the 'norm', people just go on strike.

How unfair, it's only the wrong kind of snow/leaves/rain that causes problems .

 

[frodes]

In my experience, "cool alloys" are usually a euphemism for ridiculously oversized barried up wheels .

And a painfully uncomfortable ride .

Therefore, I don't go over 17" on my car. I know a lot of people with 19" and even 20" on 124s.

How come the weather is so different in the UK and Germany? Germany is further south, so it shuld be warmer there


Driving in cold weather is usually no problem on any tires, but on snow, there is a different story

 

[crockers]

How unfair, it's only the wrong kind of snow/leaves/rain that causes problems .

Yes the type that comes out of the sky.............all others no problems

 

[Shude]

How come the weather is so different in the UK and Germany? Germany is further south, so it shuld be warmer there


Driving in cold weather is usually no problem on any tires, but on snow, there is a different story

The climate isn't that different, the problem is the duration and predictability of weather in the UK!

 

[LastMinute]

How come the weather is so different in the UK and Germany?

We're a lot nearer the sea than most of Germany. I think that makes a big difference.

 

[glojo]

How come the weather is so different in the UK and Germany? Germany is further south, so it shuld be warmer there

Some folks say it is all the golf we play, others say the Gulf Stream, others say we are surrounded by the sea.

Down here we never experience snow, unless you live on Dartmoor and frost is a rarity. (Not had a sharp frost for a few years)

Regards
John

 

[shilzo]

......... not just snow, rain, wind etc ......
anything out of the 'norm', people just go on strike.

what about leafs dont forget those damn leafs

 

[television]

Having lived in both Sweden and the UK I can say that the snow is very different in Sweden where it is dry and powdery. On my first visit to Sweden I had a CX Safari on standard UK tyres, it drove perfectly over the snow with temp down to -30c. Getting off the boat at Harwich there was 1" of snow and the car slid all over the road.

My 124 TE300 that I had in Sweden would not go one meter in the snow with the Summer tyres, and I had the Winter wheels with Dub Däck (spikes)

I could never wait to get the things off the car because of the whine and harsh ride.

On a visit to the UK with the spiked tyres I parked the car once with the wheels pointing to the kerb and I had an queue when I returned waiting to stroke the spikes

 

[TonyVianoAmbiente]

Some folks say it is all the golf we play, others say the Gulf Stream, others say we are surrounded by the sea.

It is actually the combination of the Gulf Stream *and* being surrounded by the sea.

The Gulf Stream means that the seas around the UK are approximately 5 C warmer than they would be without it. Also, the North Sea is about 2 C colder than the Irish Sea, which is why the west coast is so much milder than the east coast.

Obviously, the effect is strongest in the south west, diminishing as you go north. That explains the wonderful climate of the English Riviera, where John (Glojo) lives. But the effect is strong even in Morecambe Bay, where sub-tropical plants grow well in places like Grange-over-Sands.

Alas, all this may be coming to an end.

The Gulf Stream splits into two as it approaches Europe. The northern "half" feeds the British Isles and the southern "half" feeds the Mediterranean Sea. I typed "half" because the balance between the two flows has been lost over the last 15 years or so and it is now split more like two thirds to one third. Alas, the one third is the flow towards the British Isles.

This helps to explain why Spain and Portugal (especially) and the Mediterranean countries in general are experiencing much faster warming than the global average. But the danger is that, if the changes continue, the Gulf Stream may stop warming the British Isles altogether.

To some extent, losing the effect of the Gulf Stream might be compensated by general warming of the climate. But climatologists are not certain whether the recent fairly rapid changes will continue, so a major research project has been started which involves much more detailed measurements of flows and temperatures across the Atlantic and towards Western Europe than have been taken before. This should give a more accurate picture of what is happening.

So don't panic, and watch this space!

 

[Rory]

Alas, all this may be coming to an end.

Does that mean we're likely to have the same sort of weather as Southern Canada, as we're on the same latitude?

 

[television]

There are 2 warm air streams coming to the UK,one is the gulf stream that comes to the SW and to oban in scotland.


The other is the North Atlantic drift, that feeds into the UK and to Strömstad in Sweden, and also getting weaker

Both are reported to have weakened over this last few years.

 

[glojo]

To some extent, losing the effect of the Gulf Stream might be compensated by general warming of the climate. But climatologists are not certain whether the recent fairly rapid changes will continue, so a major research project has been started which involves much more detailed measurements of flows and temperatures across the Atlantic and towards Western Europe than have been taken before. This should give a more accurate picture of what is happening.

So don't panic, and watch this space!

From what I have read, if we loose the gulf stream (as an effect of rising sea temperatures) then this will effect our winters which will become much colder.

Whether we agree with global warming or not the facts are that the fish that prefer cooler water are slowly leaving the shores of Devon and Cornwall and migrating northward.

Colder winters might get us back on topic and we may start seeing folks down here having nice alloy wheels in summer and then having a winter set-up to deal with this unknown phenomenon called S-N-O-W

regards
John

 

[Spinal]

Does that mean we're likely to have the same sort of weather as Southern Canada, as we're on the same latitude?

I have a pair of skiis in the garage and a hill near my house... If you want, you're welcome to borrow my sled

Michele