Goldfish11
Active Member
- Joined
- Mar 22, 2004
- Messages
- 846
- Car
- C220 CDI (09/11 - Facelift) & SLK200
Michelin Pilot Alpin PA3 M+S 245/45 R 17 99V MO (MO = Mercedes Original)
Used for 1 winter (4 months) on Mercedes E Class (W211) have sold car hence selling. Still have nearly 8mm of tread, according to my tyre depth gauge . Purchased October 2010 Cost new over £200 each! Internet Sellers quoting £230 each.
£450 ono for the set of 4. Quick sale required as I need space in the garage. PM me for further details and/or more pictures. Have also advertised elsewhere, so PM me quickly if you are interested. Will need to collect I am based in Midlands near M1/M6 interchange but I do travel to Milton Keynes area regularly. Scroll down for pictures
(Cost to fit to existing rims about £20 for 4 at local tyre depots, CostCo quoted me £16 including new valves and balance) Mercedes recommend use when ambient temperature is below +7 Celsius.
These turned my E Class into a 4x4 :bannana:
Below is a post on Winter Tyre Myths I used to start a discussion on an other forum which gives some further info on Winter Tyres.
I run a rear wheel drive vehicle which is notorious for difficulties in snow and ice but with Winter tyres I have no problems what so ever and it has even outdone 4x4 in terms of getting up an icy hill! Winter tyres are designed for temperatures below +7 Celcius so from November until March I have these fitted.
The technology of Winter Tyres is simple, a softer rubber compound and a different design of tread. There are NO metal studs! Summer Tyres use a hard rubber compound and in low temperatures this just goes really hard the tread fills with snow and effectively they become slicks and your car becomes a great sledge, hence you are unable to drive anywhere.
Your breaking distance is greatly reduced by fitting winter tyres. With snow on the road, winter tires have a minimum 38 percent shorter stopping distance than normal tires. This is significant and could save lives. On wet roads above freezing and your breaking distance is reduced by 8 meters when stopping from 60 mph.
Before I fitted them I did some research around Europe also it is fun to see the videos on YouTube of cars with winter tyres driving through 30cm of snow without problems!
Myth 1 – You need a 4x4 in snow
A 4x4 with summer tyres is useless in the snow, most urban 4x4 are fitted with summer tires. When it comes to the winter you are better off with a 2 wheel drive vehicle with Winter tyres rather than a 4x4 on summer tires. Snow filled summer tires give no traction 4x4 become useless. I can assure you most people in Sweden don’t drive 4x4 in the winter they use their normal cars! Of course if you 4x4 has Winter Tyres or Mud and Snow Tyres you can go anywhere, but check what tyres are fitted to your 4x4 as most urban 4x4 have just standard summer tyres fitted.
Myth 2 – Winter tyres cost a lot of Money. This is wrong, they cost about the same as Summer tires and actually cost you NO MORE to have on the car. You use Winter tyres during the winter and summer tyres in the summer so your summer tyres last TWICE as long. So if you buy a set and keep your car a few years it won’t cost you anymore and it could save you money in not having to claim for skid related accidents!
Swapping the tyres over costs between £15 and £20 at the end of each season, but on some vehicles you can buy a set of “winter rims” (eg from Toyota) these are black metal rims and cost about £35 each which you can fit your winter tyres to. It then costs you nothing to change them over and you have a set of spare wheels.
Myth 3 – You only use winter tyres when there is snow and ice
This is completely wrong, winter tires should be used when the ambient temperature is below 7 Celcius (Yes Seven!) Look at the weather for the UK most of the winter our ambient temperature is below 7. The different rubber compound enables the car to stop more effectively reducing breaking distances significantly. The difference between stopping if a child comes into the road and hitting the child.
Myth 4 – Winter and Snow Tires have metal spikes
This is also wrong they have a different tread that allows cars to grip more effectively on snow ice that is designed to shift water and snow and increase friction. Metal studs on tyres are currently being phased out in places like Sweden because the new technology in winter tyres means they are not needed.
Myth 5 – Winter tyres increase fuel consumption
Modern winter tyres with new rubber and tread technology are just as economical as most other tires. I have experienced no increase in fuel consumption.
Myth 6 – Winter tyres are noisy
Modern winter tires have a negligible impact on noise levels in the cabin.
Tip – Look for the Mountain and Snow Flake emblem on the side of the tyre (or M+S) this means they are rated for snow and driving in hilly regions like the Alps!. So a bit of snow southern England is now problem!
The reason why the rest of Europe does not get stuck is because of this technology. Not grit. In fact in Sweden they only use grit in certain circumstances as it melts the snow which then refreezes at temperatures below minus 8 Celsius to form thick ice! (perhaps people in Scotland should have thought of this) they sprinkle fine gravel on the snow when temperatures are low and everyone uses winter tires.
It is law now to use winter tyres in Germany, most of Scandinavia and if you are in France and it snows and you do not have winter tires on your vehicle you will be fined. 80% of vehicles in the Netherlands fit winter tyres due to a government safety campaign which was held.
Now for the bad news – as you can imagine there is a shortage in the UK of Winter tyres! Some dealers are charging extremely high prices and cashing in so do ring around. Costco may be worth talking to and also your local tyre dealers.
Do hope this helps and perhaps some others may consider improving their safety by considering fitting them.
Used for 1 winter (4 months) on Mercedes E Class (W211) have sold car hence selling. Still have nearly 8mm of tread, according to my tyre depth gauge . Purchased October 2010 Cost new over £200 each! Internet Sellers quoting £230 each.
£450 ono for the set of 4. Quick sale required as I need space in the garage. PM me for further details and/or more pictures. Have also advertised elsewhere, so PM me quickly if you are interested. Will need to collect I am based in Midlands near M1/M6 interchange but I do travel to Milton Keynes area regularly. Scroll down for pictures
(Cost to fit to existing rims about £20 for 4 at local tyre depots, CostCo quoted me £16 including new valves and balance) Mercedes recommend use when ambient temperature is below +7 Celsius.
These turned my E Class into a 4x4 :bannana:
Below is a post on Winter Tyre Myths I used to start a discussion on an other forum which gives some further info on Winter Tyres.
I run a rear wheel drive vehicle which is notorious for difficulties in snow and ice but with Winter tyres I have no problems what so ever and it has even outdone 4x4 in terms of getting up an icy hill! Winter tyres are designed for temperatures below +7 Celcius so from November until March I have these fitted.
The technology of Winter Tyres is simple, a softer rubber compound and a different design of tread. There are NO metal studs! Summer Tyres use a hard rubber compound and in low temperatures this just goes really hard the tread fills with snow and effectively they become slicks and your car becomes a great sledge, hence you are unable to drive anywhere.
Your breaking distance is greatly reduced by fitting winter tyres. With snow on the road, winter tires have a minimum 38 percent shorter stopping distance than normal tires. This is significant and could save lives. On wet roads above freezing and your breaking distance is reduced by 8 meters when stopping from 60 mph.
Before I fitted them I did some research around Europe also it is fun to see the videos on YouTube of cars with winter tyres driving through 30cm of snow without problems!
Myth 1 – You need a 4x4 in snow
A 4x4 with summer tyres is useless in the snow, most urban 4x4 are fitted with summer tires. When it comes to the winter you are better off with a 2 wheel drive vehicle with Winter tyres rather than a 4x4 on summer tires. Snow filled summer tires give no traction 4x4 become useless. I can assure you most people in Sweden don’t drive 4x4 in the winter they use their normal cars! Of course if you 4x4 has Winter Tyres or Mud and Snow Tyres you can go anywhere, but check what tyres are fitted to your 4x4 as most urban 4x4 have just standard summer tyres fitted.
Myth 2 – Winter tyres cost a lot of Money. This is wrong, they cost about the same as Summer tires and actually cost you NO MORE to have on the car. You use Winter tyres during the winter and summer tyres in the summer so your summer tyres last TWICE as long. So if you buy a set and keep your car a few years it won’t cost you anymore and it could save you money in not having to claim for skid related accidents!
Swapping the tyres over costs between £15 and £20 at the end of each season, but on some vehicles you can buy a set of “winter rims” (eg from Toyota) these are black metal rims and cost about £35 each which you can fit your winter tyres to. It then costs you nothing to change them over and you have a set of spare wheels.
Myth 3 – You only use winter tyres when there is snow and ice
This is completely wrong, winter tires should be used when the ambient temperature is below 7 Celcius (Yes Seven!) Look at the weather for the UK most of the winter our ambient temperature is below 7. The different rubber compound enables the car to stop more effectively reducing breaking distances significantly. The difference between stopping if a child comes into the road and hitting the child.
Myth 4 – Winter and Snow Tires have metal spikes
This is also wrong they have a different tread that allows cars to grip more effectively on snow ice that is designed to shift water and snow and increase friction. Metal studs on tyres are currently being phased out in places like Sweden because the new technology in winter tyres means they are not needed.
Myth 5 – Winter tyres increase fuel consumption
Modern winter tyres with new rubber and tread technology are just as economical as most other tires. I have experienced no increase in fuel consumption.
Myth 6 – Winter tyres are noisy
Modern winter tires have a negligible impact on noise levels in the cabin.
Tip – Look for the Mountain and Snow Flake emblem on the side of the tyre (or M+S) this means they are rated for snow and driving in hilly regions like the Alps!. So a bit of snow southern England is now problem!
The reason why the rest of Europe does not get stuck is because of this technology. Not grit. In fact in Sweden they only use grit in certain circumstances as it melts the snow which then refreezes at temperatures below minus 8 Celsius to form thick ice! (perhaps people in Scotland should have thought of this) they sprinkle fine gravel on the snow when temperatures are low and everyone uses winter tires.
It is law now to use winter tyres in Germany, most of Scandinavia and if you are in France and it snows and you do not have winter tires on your vehicle you will be fined. 80% of vehicles in the Netherlands fit winter tyres due to a government safety campaign which was held.
Now for the bad news – as you can imagine there is a shortage in the UK of Winter tyres! Some dealers are charging extremely high prices and cashing in so do ring around. Costco may be worth talking to and also your local tyre dealers.
Do hope this helps and perhaps some others may consider improving their safety by considering fitting them.
- thanks to all who inquired.
