Winter tyres in the summer

[Rory]

I may be wrong (it's a common occurence) but I believe it's a legal requirement that the correct speed rated tyre must be used.

You are wrong. A story went around a while ago (it was in all the papers) that an insurance company denied a claim due to wrong speed rating tyres and they had to publish retractions when the inusrance company said it wasn't true and they would never deny a claim on that basis.

I had lower speed rating tyres fitted on a company car by Kwik-Fit, acting for the lease company. Kwik-Fit had a letter from Ford saying it was OK, but I thought a quick call to our insurance company would soon stop that. I was wrong - they said in the UK is was fine as the car would never go over 70MPH. Of course it wouldn't.

Anyway, many winter tyres are available in higher speed ratings, especially bigger/wider sizes.

 

[Rory]

I use Vredestein Quatrac all season tyres all year round. All season tyres would be more suitable to use all year round than winter tyres. Goodyear, Kumho, Hankook plus other major brands all make all season tyres.

Kleber Quadraxer is new this year and was billed as a very good winter tyre but also good year round. I haven't seen any reviews for it though.

I did pick up the following very recent post on a BMW forum while Googling for the above;

Kleber Quadraxer All Season Tyre • BMW • General BMW Discussions • BMWLand: Where Power Meets Control

"There are 3 out now which are regarded as very good for both seasons, which are best
one Hankook Optimo 4S (which I have used on a E36 happily)
second best Goodyear Vector 4 season.
The Kleber Quadraxer got good notes in snow grip and dry handling, but slight negatives in dry braking distance side road holding in snow."

 

[Bellow]

Strange. For years the motoring press have said that speed rating isn't just about maximum speed, but signifies a tyre with a stronger more robust construction compatible with the forces inherent in a powerful performance car that might be capable of a high speed, but due to local laws never experience it.

 

[crockers]

Mercedes allow you to enter a speed limit so that you can limit your speed depending on your tyres.....well mine does

 

[grober]

I think its a "grey area" and that's why I said "you would be exposing yourself to challenge in the event of a claim" rather than a categorical statement that you would definitely at risk of the insurance company refusing to pay up? Perhaps a possibility best avoided by running an appropriately rated winter tyre or getting a ruling from the insurance company in writing?

 

[Rory]

Strange. For years the motoring press have said that speed rating isn't just about maximum speed, but signifies a tyre with a stronger more robust construction compatible with the forces inherent in a powerful performance car that might be capable of a high speed, but due to local laws never experience it.

I think there is *something* in that - you do have to use correct load index tyres, and in some of the more unusual (bigger/wider) sizes the required load index may only be available with higher speed ratings.

So you've got to be careful that dropping from a V to an H that you keep at least the same load index.

 

[Mcnasty]

I completely agree with you, however in the UK with its 70mph speed limit insurance companies appear to use the speed rating of a tyre as a measure of its overall performance rather than just its maximum speed. If you stuck an H rated tyre winter tyre on a high performance Mercedes which normally runs a W or Z rated summer tyre you would be exposing yourself to challenge in the event of a claim especially if it was demonstrated that a V or W rated winter tyre was commercially available?

The MB manual for my W211 E320 indicates that Winter tyres should be rated to H, and details how the vehicle speed limiter can be set lower to adjust to the speed rating of Winter tyres i.e. max speed of 130mph for 'H' rated tyres.

Although I certainly have no intention of driving at 130mph on any public road in the UK. So my Winter tyres are a 'H' rating as opposed to the 'W' rating for my Summer tyres.

 

[crockers]

This gives a brief guide to all 3 types of tyres

Tyre types, winter tyres, summer tyres, all season, all weather tyres

 

[Deutsch]

When I live in Germany the minimum legal tread depth for Winter tyres was 3mm - We still used Winter as opposed to all year tyres on our fleet as Winter tyres perform better in the snow than their all weather counterparts (According to ADAC tests). On tread depth 3mm is the recommended limit to change any tyre at due to the exponential increase in risk of aquaplaning.
I personally have 2 sets of wheels for my CLK the summer set having the wider rear rims and winter tyres being 205/55/16 H. all round.

 

[grober]

The MB manual for my W211 E320 indicates that Winter tyres should be rated to H, and details how the vehicle speed limiter can be set lower to adjust to the speed rating of Winter tyres i.e. max speed of 130mph for 'H' rated tyres.

Although I certainly have no intention of driving at 130mph on any public road in the UK. So my Winter tyres are a 'H' rating as opposed to the 'W' rating for my Summer tyres.

With that manufacturer's recommendation and the safety factor of a lower speed limiter setting would put in a pretty unassailable position to any challenge -------in the winter.

 

[Charles Morgan]

Well, I checked with my insurer that higher than manufacturer's spec winter tyres wouldn't be a problem and they weren't. It was obvious that the question of winter tyres wasn't one that came up often, but Adrian Flux were very helpful that fitting standard sized winter tyres with manufacturer or above manufacturer spec wasn't an issue for them.

 

[jimti]

Thanks to you all for your input, I have passed the info on to my boss and he is looking into getting them fitted to the fleet of cars, we won't need to worry to much about the speed ratings as I think the summer tyres are only likely to be H rated, the cars are Skoda Octavia 1.9D.

 

[Ronnie]

:-
. We do not recommend
winter tyres (M+S) to be used under summer conditions.

Maybe look at the Vredestein Quatrac, this is a genuine summer and winter tyre in one.....two distinctly different tread patterns.

 

[joyful]

My partner has Goodyear winter tyres and half way through the wear lumps of tread have started peeling off the centre of the tyre. Tyres then really noisy, thought it was the wheel bearings at first.

We are in the Southwest, so only occasional snow. Howevwer the autoxpress video on the subject in 2011 showed that stopping in ice and wet much improved with winter tyres, also many specialist websites say that if you have the option, then winter is best all year round and not much difference in wear, maybe slightly worse fuel consumption.

Anybody else had problems with winter tyres?

 

[Dieselman]

My partner has Goodyear winter tyres and half way through the wear lumps of tread have started peeling off the centre of the tyre.

That sounds like the tyre is overheating. Once Winter tyres are worn half way they are no longer good as winter tyres as it is the depth of tread makes them work.

I put new Summer tyres on in the snow and found traction to be excellent. People replace worn out summer tyres with new winter ones and proclaim they are great.

 

[Stratman]

My partner has Goodyear winter tyres and half way through the wear lumps of tread have started peeling off the centre of the tyre. Tyres then really noisy, thought it was the wheel bearings at first.

We are in the Southwest, so only occasional snow. Howevwer the autoxpress video on the subject in 2011 showed that stopping in ice and wet much improved with winter tyres, also many specialist websites say that if you have the option, then winter is best all year round and not much difference in wear, maybe slightly worse fuel consumption.

Anybody else had problems with winter tyres?

Try all season-tyres such as the Bridgestone A001. I have them on my car and they're absolutely fine. I'd certainly buy them again.

 

[Sp!ke]

I put new Summer tyres on in the snow and found traction to be excellent. People replace worn out summer tyres with new winter ones and proclaim they are great.

That sounds like a comment by someone that hasnt used winter tyres.

My experience showed that end of life , shagged out winter tyres will out perform brand new summer tyres in the snow.

 

[camerafodder]

here we go

 

[craig1912]

I put new Summer tyres on in the snow and found traction to be excellent. People replace worn out summer tyres with new winter ones and proclaim they are great.

Ummm not sure traction can ever be described as excellent from summer tyres in snow. Traction on summer tyres for me is virtually non existent when it snows. It's not the depth of tread anyway it's the rubber compound and tread pattern. Winter tyres will work better than new summer tyres even with tread as low as 2 mm.

 

[Sp!ke]

Oh come on, Anyone that says summer tyres have excellent traction in the snow has to be either;

1. Pulling ones leg

or

2. Deluded