Experiences with winter tyres?

J

jamesgarbett

Active member
 South Manchester
How do they cope with unseasonally warm weather? I'd like to fit them now until say, April.

What's the wear rate like on roads that aren't frozen or snowy?
 
Winter tyres are generally better than Summer tyres when used under about 10deg C. I have heard that Pirelli are now saying that their winter tyres are usable al year round and that wear rates are good above 10deg C.

In my experience there is a huge difference between summer and winter tyres at lower temperatures, however if your normal tyres are not specifically summer rated I suspect the benefit is much less.

Winters tyres are not only designed for snow and ice but also wet weather.

Andi.
 
From a performance perspective, if it gets very warm for the season - so 13/14 degrees - then the ones I have on (Avon Ice Touring) and other I have read about on here get a bit squirmy. You certainly know when it is time to change them when spring really kicks in. However at this time of year you need to remember that the ground temperature starts to drop (and stay) lower than the air temperature.

In terms of wear mine are now on for their third winter, had them on each year from mid to late November until End March / early April. Tread is down to about 5.5mm on the rears, slightly less on the fronts, which is close to the usefulness limit for winters. I'm led to believe that below 4mm they begin to lose their effectiveness rapidly, I guess because the stippling (?) between the treads that grips snow/ice and aids with warming the rubber is mostly gone. So I think I'll need a new set for next year.

The fronts are less worn than the rears because I have 17" 8J rims on all round, with 225/45/17 tyres on - they are non directional so I've been able to swap the wheels between axles to get the longest life possible.
 
I commented about this the other day.

I am on my winters (falkens) at the moment... It was 12degrees the other day (according to my OBC) and managed to kick the rear out accidentally.

I could even trip the traction control at 50mph with an enthusiastic throttle.

So in my experience with falkens... while they are massively better in cold weather (and in snow i can go places even an X1 on summers cant) once its in double digits they do seem a bit iffy.


Sent from my iPhone 5s using Tapatalk
 
Got 225/45/17 on all the way road and above about 10oC it's hilarious. Like having my old old MX-5 back, when you turn the tc off.

In the cold though, and approuching freezing they are very good, looking forward to trying them out in the snow.

Blizzarks for reference.
 
Not driven on them yet, but the report from the OH - in the warm blip we had (>10degC) - that the steering angle needed to be higher for the same bends.
I guess this is the smaller tread blocks meaning more slip angle.
 
The general transition point is considered to be 7c. Above that the blocks on Winters move too much, they overheat, stop gripping and wear rapidly.
Converse for Summers below 7c, remaining too cold, not gripping and ironically also wearing faster.

Non of it's exact though as temperatures rise and fall each and every hour of every day.
 
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