The difference between summer & winter tyres

We recently heard of winter tyres, and how good they were in the snow, but some of us were doubtful if this was the case.

See http://www.quote-4.me.uk/insurance-blog/winter-tyres/ for more discussion.

After a quick straw poll of the office, several of us were of the opinion that winter tyres are just a con to sell more rubber, but with this year's weather looking like it's going to be far worse than last year, (and last year was bad), we thought now would be a good time to put them to the test.

As we don't have our own lab or proving ground, we decided the simplest and most balanced way to do this would be using the same car, with the same driver, on the same road, just the tyres would be different.

We chose this bit of road because it's on an incline and has caused lots of people problems getting up the hill in previous winters.

The 1st clip is the summer tyres, these are nearly new premium sports performance tyres which were bought about 4 weeks ago. At that point they had 8mm of tread and haven't worn much since.

The car was then whisked off to our local tyre centre 1/2 a mile away where these were changed for some 2nd hand winter tyres from ebay with 5.5mm tread left. The 2nd clip is about an hour later.

Subjectively, on the way back from the tyre centre, it was immediately obvious that there was much more grip available, and as you can see, the clip bears this out, so it looks like winter tyres are definitely worth the investment.

see www.quote-4.me.uk/insurance-blog for more winter weather and insurance related advice.

Category:

Autos & Vehicles

Tags:

• winter tyre
• summer tyre
• tyre test

[snowrocket]

Good show! You wisely used the "scientific method"; change only one variable and see what happens. One problem you may encounter is that if you use only snow tires at the front, the rear of the car may slide a bit more than you expect while cornering or braking. Four snow tires are safer and more fun to drive.

[oceancolours]

Winter tyres make a massive difference, really worth investing in a full set if you drive around in winter weather (below 7C). Surprised the Brit media never seem to mention them and are just obsessed with salt. A good compromise for UK weather would be 'all-season' tyres. These aren't as good as dedicated summer tyres in summer or winter tyres in winter, but they will give you a bit more grip in the winter and saves having to change and store two set of tyres. Drive safe.

[Bonstergirl]

@QuoteformeUK I think it depends on how hot it is. When I first started using winter tires in the winter, I was warned that they would wear out really fast at 85F and above. Sadly, I did not take this advice when spring came, and I left my winter tires on through a very hot summer. They lasted only 1 year. But those winter tires are awesome in the snow and ice!

[QuoteformeUK]

@danebrewer10 I didn't find them that bad in warmer weather. They weren't quite as good as full on sports tyres, but the wear wasn't that much different to previous summer tyres I've had. I'd say they're fine for your everyday car.

[QuoteformeUK]

@getaquoteinsurance Doh!

Can't comment on snow socks as not used them before now.

[BlackGoldEstates]

so all those who said it was a myth are the ones stuck in the snow haha idiots

[danebrewer10]

@klashenkoff methinks you are talking cross purposes here, snowsocks have to be taken off once on clear roads, as, TBH, they're only a thin bit of fabric, Winter tires do not, though it is a good idea to have a set of summer and weinter tires as the winter tires, being a softer compound, will wear quicker than summer tires in warmer weather.... to make it easier, just get a set of cheap steel rims to switch over once the weather sets in....

[getaquoteinsurance]

@QuoteformeUK The original commenter was talking about snow socks, not the tyres. Snow socks can (apparently) be damaged very quickly if used on roads when the snow is clear - the tarmac chews them up. You're supposed to take them off which could be quite an inconvenience if you have to do this repeatedly on the same journey.

[sparkygl0s]

@klashenkoff

I believe that comment, about removing them as soon as you get back on clear tarmac, was referring to snow socks.

[QuoteformeUK]

@klashenkoff I'm with you on that one. We didn't bother to change our tyres 'till August, and as we bought used, with 4-5mm tread left on them, this was comparable with summer tyres for wear. I am seriously considering just fitting winter tyres all year round to our non sporty car for this reason.