Wow, winter tyres are phenomenal in the snow!

[Psilonaught]

I bought a used set of x4 Dunlop 3d winters on ebay after the snow we had a couple of weeks ago, as I have bad memories of my rear wheel drive 520d in the snow on summers in london years ago.

I had to go out today run some chores and had to travel on a wide range of untreated roads with 3cm of snow, slush, partially flooded areas, and generally appalling conditions. I was totally blown away but the levels of grip. At no point did the rear want to step out, which my previous experiences of RWD german cars told me always happens on summers in snow. I made sure the TC was on sport setting by the way.

With the whole family in the car, the security it gives you in brilliant. I live just south of Cambridge, so pretty far south, but i will always put winters on going forward, and you should too! AMG + winters are a must have in my view.

I also tried a few donuts in the village station car park, because i am very childish...you really need to stab the throttle to get the back kicking out!

 

[bluestreak]

We don't get this much snow in london, not recently anyway. I managed to get away with summer tyres so far without any issues so far.

One thing to consider is that whilst winter tyres are excellent in snow they brake poorly in dry, even when it is cold.

 

[st13phil]

One thing to consider is that whilst winter tyres are excellent in snow they brake poorly in dry, even when it is cold.

While I agree that the dry weather braking performance of winter tyres isn't as good as the best summer tyres, high performance winter tyres (like Michelin Pilot Alpin 4's and Conti TS-830P's) aren't that far behind. I certainly wouldn't describe their braking grip as poor.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

While I agree that the dry weather braking performance of winter tyres isn't as good as the best summer tyres, high performance winter tyres (like Michelin Pilot Alpin 4's and Conti TS-830P's) aren't that far behind. I certainly wouldn't describe their braking grip as poor.

I agree I've run Michelin and Continental winter tyres in sumner on both RWD and 4WD AMGs, and I honestly can't sense a difference, in braking performance. It can perhaps be measured, but my driving skills aren't sensitive enough to measure the difference.

 

[grober]

Two German dudes JP Kraemer und Matthias Malmedie have some AMG fun for Christmas mit snow tyres. No I have no idea what they are saying but you will "catch the drift"

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[Psilonaught]

Might have another go today, still lots of snow of the ground. I forgot to put the traction in sport last night and wondered why nothing was happening when pulling out of an iced roundabout. The car was just killing the power and not letting me move! Dangerous!

 

[anglaslt]

There has been so much written about winter tyres already that there is nothing new to say. It is nice though to hear of their benefits from a first time user and I recognise the OP's feeling from when I first used them some 20 years ago.

If I had to use my car in the UK every day during winter I'd fit them. If I could sit out the snow, I probably wouldn't bother. Here in LT I don't have a choice but traffic would come to a standstill without them.

On my daily run-about (LR Freelander 2) I have used winter tyres right through the year with little perceived difference in tyre performance, but then it's hardly a high performance machine. On the recommendation of friends in the tyre business here I use Vredestein because of their relatively hard compound. On a performance car I would always change wheels/tyres winter and summer even though it's a pain to do so. The plus side is it's a good opportunity to thoroughly clean the wheels, check condition and to have them regularly re-balanced.

 

[bluestreak]

I agree, winter tyres feel ok in dry, but it is hard to quantify braking distances unless you are this guy:

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[bazzabear]

One thing to consider is that whilst winter tyres are excellent in snow they brake poorly in dry, even when it is cold.

As I understood it, they tend to outperform a summer tyre for grip at anything below around 7 degrees. So below that level they won't be as good as a summer tyre when it's warmer, but they'll be better than a summer tyre in that situation.

Of course that's a generalisation, and will differ from tyre to tyre. I can certainly say the Michelin PS4's I have fitted at the moment are considerably less grippy in cold (not freezing) weather.

 

[markjay]

As I understood it, they tend to outperform a summer tyre for grip at anything below around 7 degrees. So below that level they won't be as good as a summer tyre when it's warmer, but they'll be better than a summer tyre in that situation.

Of course that's a generalisation, and will differ from tyre to tyre. I can certainly say the Michelin PS4's I have fitted at the moment are considerably less grippy in cold (not freezing) weather.

Some say 7 degrees, other say 2 degrees.... it depends on the specific tyres being compared.

But the point is that winter tyres are safe to use in summer and summer tyres are safe to use in winter, as long as the ambient temperature is within their performance envelop.

Not having optimal operating conditions is not the same as being unsafe.

The main issue with using summer tyres in winter is when they have to deal with road surface which isn't simply dry or wet, but covered in ice/snow/slush, which is where summer tyres become unsafe.

The attempt to rebrand winter tyres as 'cold weather tyres' is mostly a marketing exercise.

 

[bluestreak]

Totally agree. If need to drive in snow/slush/ice justifies the cost, snow tyres are awesome.

 

[markjay]

Where did the much-quoted "7°C" come from?

Read this... it's from 'Technical Databook 2017 · 2018 - Continental':

'The tread patterns and rubber compounds used in the above mentioned tyres are specifi-
cally designed and developed to offer optimum performance within the temperature range
for which they are intended.

Summer tyres – especially Ultra High Performance (UHP) tyres

The highly developed, specialized tread compounds used in such tyres are designed to provide the highest possible levels of grip at ambient temperatures above +7°C.

Such tread compounds are however very sensitive to temperature.

Permanent damage may occur to the tread compounds of such tyres if they are used at temperatures below –20°C.

At this temperature, the tread compounds of UHP summer tyres may lose their elasticity and become brittle (the so-called brittleness point).

When this occurs and the tyre is flexed, the tread compound may crack.

Therefore, UHP summer tyres should not be used at temperatures below –20°C.

Continental group tyres with an M+S marking on the sidewall are suitable for use down to –45°C.'

So winter tyres do out-perform summer tyres in cold weather... but summer tyres only become 'unsafe' at –20°C.

As for snow/ice/slush... I have a heavy RWD car with summer tyres, so on such days I leave it parked at home and use alternative means of transport.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Several tyre manufacturers say "7 degrees" is the switchover point, I suspect this is to make a consistent and simple message to consumers.

 

[grober]

Winter Tyres Real World Experiences - Tyre Reviews

 

[moonloops]

Rather than buying winter tyres I just wait 20 mins for al the snow to melt before driving

 

[whitenemesis]

Rather than buying winter tyres I just wait 20 mins for al the snow to melt before driving

And then make you get back before it re-freezes ..