SLK n SNOW :-(

[Kiran]

I love my baby slk but SLK n SNOW WTF?!?!?!

Had a nightmare travelling last night, My rear tyres are new but my front are still quite legal but not as good as the rear. Ive got Pirelli P6000s 205/55 on my front tyres.

I had a wonderful time brickin it while aquaplanin for the first time EVER! (I passed my test 2 months ago) THEN!!! it started snowing!! I swear I skated all the way to milton keynes from cov!! eventually arrived safely but petrified. (Apologies to peeps on the m1)

If I was going to get a winter set - what do I buy? or shall I just get new set of front tyres?

Ill spend as much as I have to to be safe on the roads BUT my friends have said WAIT until it gets ICY!! LORD HELP ME!!

Kiran

 

[robert.saunders]

Ditch the P6000 for a start, useless tyre IMO

As for replacement, I love Eagle F1 altho' have no idea of their snow ability

 

[glojo]

This is where wide, low profile tyres really come into play.
Is Milton Keynes prone to lots of snow? Another point to remember is your gearbox settings. If it is very slippery then you might want to consider using the winter of comfort setting.

Narrower tyres

Regards
John the narrow minded

 

[Kiran]

Ive got pirellis whatever size on the rear though - shall I replace the whole lot or just the fronts?

and what do I buy??

Ive always driven on Winter setting as Im a new driver.

Think I should get mingy front tyres? are they good on wet?

Snow? Who knows.. Im between cov/mk/bham every week.


HELP HELP HELP!!!!!

 

[pammy]

Foot of the Gas mate. SLKs are terrible in the snow. Rear wheel drive and big tyres - not a good combination when you throw snow into the mix.

Which SLK do you have? Do you have anything on it liek Sprint Booster? If so you may wish to take it off.

I can drive mine and has been noted on here - many would have given up when I've managed it. Some people cannot drive in bad weather. It is a learned skill.

I use Michelin Premacy Pilots. Not cheap but brilliant tyres.

You can never tell what the weather will be and where, as our weather is so unpredictable.

 

[television]

http://www.euroshina.com.ua/en/tyres/Gislaved


Drive over to Sweden and they will fire some dubs (spikes) into your existing ones, but never park with the wheels not straight.

 

[Rory]

Winter tyres should make a big difference, and there's no everyday penalty for using them, as they last just as long as summer tyres.

We just don't (usually) get many cold days (summer tyres are meant to be used at +7C or above) in most of the UK to justify changing from summer to winter tyres, as they do in other countries.

 

[Satch]

Kiran,

every time a snowflake falls in the UK MB, BMW etc forums fill with posts along the lines of "My car is useless in snow". Allow me to make a small statement of fact:

There is nothing wrong with your car.

It is your TYRES!!!

Every year I drive to go skiing and have easily negotiated vile winter conditions without trouble. I have seen SLK's and even 911's quite happily going about their business without spikes or chains in the kind of snow conditions that would cause a complete national disaster in the UK because they have the proper tyres on.

Loads of threads on the joys of winter tyres. In the UK they are barely known because tyre marketing people do not want to cause "consumer confusion" although that is starting to change now.

 

[MBManInKen]

Winter tyres should make a big difference, and there's no everyday penalty for using them, as they last just as long as summer tyres.

There is no such thing as a free lunch. When not driven on snow, winter tyres will not last as long as summer tyres. Using rubber that stays more flexible at colder temperatures also means higher wear rate.

 

[A210AMG]

Hello

Agree the cars I have had with big wide low profile tyres being rear wheel drive are useless in the snow. A little original mini would be better with skinny tyres that cut through the snow.

Look at winter tyres, autoexpress may have a test if you do a google. They DO make a huge difference.

Best bet maybe to get some cheap SLK alloys off flea bay (maybe those awful steel looking things that come with the 200's? and stick some winter tyres on them) It will look cr@p but at least you will get some grip....


cheers

 

[Rory]

There is no such thing as a free lunch. When not driven on snow, winter tyres will not last as long as summer tyres. Using rubber that stays more flexible at colder temperatures also means higher wear rate.

Well that's exactly what I would have thought, but Shude has posted several times that he did 45K miles over 2 years year round use of Pirelli Winter 240 SnowSports (on a W202 C240, I think).

There's no way I'll get anywhere near 45K on my Michelin Primacy HP's and I really only use the car for steady motorway cruising.

I did have UniRoyal Rallye 180 M&S tyres on a company Cavalier years ago, and I think they only lasted about 6000 miles (although in my hands that car ate tyres anyway) but the wet grip was amazing.

 

[MBManInKen]

Well that's exactly what I would have thought, but Shude has posted several times that he did 45K miles over 2 years year round use of Pirelli Winter 240 SnowSports (on a W202 C240, I think).

Sorry, you can't deduce facts from anecdotal data. Unless you can show me factual information as to how the physics of all of this have changed recently, I'll stand by my earlier observation.

 

[television]

Winter tires are softer compound, like the MB MO tires, in Sweden we took them off as soon as possible to try and get 2 winters or more out of them, much longer than that the rubber got harder and they were not so effective

 

[bolide]

Sorry, you can't deduce facts from anecdotal data. Unless you can show me factual information as to how the physics of all of this have changed recently, I'll stand by my earlier observation.

I think the physics have changed with the introduction of high-silica winter tyres. Whether they'll outlast summer tyres I don't know but winter tyres are certainly different to those sold a few years ago

Nick Froome
www.w124.co.uk

 

[kjay]

Kiran,

every time a snowflake falls in the UK MB, BMW etc forums fill with posts along the lines of "My car is useless in snow". Allow me to make a small statement of fact:

There is nothing wrong with your car.

It is your TYRES!!!

And hopefuly nothing wrong with his eyes.

No suprise that the SLK's Cr@p in the snow - front engined RWD sports car. My RX-7 (350bhp and large wheels) was always marooned at the slightest wiff of snow!!

Take A210AMG's advice and get a spare set of steels with winter tyres.
That way, you'll should still have an SKK come spring, when you can put your alloys back on.


Jay

 

[Rory]

Sorry, you can't deduce facts from anecdotal data. Unless you can show me factual information as to how the physics of all of this have changed recently, I'll stand by my earlier observation.

Of course it's factual information - I got it off the internet.

Tyre wear is very unscientific anyway, but assuming that Shude isn't lying, then it shows the potential mileage possible.

 

[MBManInKen]

I think the physics have changed with the introduction of high-silica winter tyres. Whether they'll outlast summer tyres I don't know but winter tyres are certainly different to those sold a few years ago

As I understand it, silica is added to improve flexibility and elasticity, similar to the older technique of softer rubber. But both would imply faster wear compared to harder tyres. I think silica is also used on non-winter tyres, because of its properties in terms of rolling resistance and better performance on wet roads etc.

 

[MBManInKen]

Of course it's factual information - I got it off the internet.

 

[television]

The other factor has called for bans on some winter soft tires in Sweden

Where HA oil has been used in the production it make a good winter tire, sadly HA oil is dangerous to both Nature and humans. This has been going on for some years, there was a ban on Nokian tires in Sweden

 

[willy]

If you are planning to invest in some winter tyres I can recommend Nokian WR's as they are suitable to UK winter as it rarely snows but the tyres cope well with snow and grip better in the cold.