Poll: Full winter tyres vs. all-season tyres

[Chris_D]

I couldn’t help notice a recent proliferation of posts from members asking for advice on which tyres to choose for winter driving.
Some, like myself, advocate for full winters, while others advocate for all-season. So I thought it may be interesting to canvas opinion and poll which is the most popular choice.

I can understand why some would make the choice for an all-season tyre as it’s clearly very convenient to have a one-tyre-does-all option and let’s be honest; if you’re the type of owner who elects to swap your own summer/winter wheels you know how much of a faff it can be, plus needing storage space for 2 sets of tyres, a low profile jack, a strong back and the inclination to swap them around in the first place. So the convenience factor alone would mandate this choice perhaps.
However, I can’t help draw the same conclusion that all-season tyres are just too compromised in wintery conditions as they are during the rest of the year. They don’t perform as well as full winters on ice/snow and they don’t perform as well as summer tyres outside the winter season, so apart from convenience factor where’s the benefit/advantage?

I found an interesting vid while I was looking around the interwebs for similar discussions. One all-season tyre, the Michelin Crossclimate 2 (?) seemed to do well in the tests but it seems like an exception rather than the rule.

[youtube]8K8ThRGNaoM[/youtube]

Unfortunately, his talking style had the ‘Michael Fish effect’ on me where, due to his monotone delivery my eyes just glazed over and I lost track of what he was saying, but somewhat interesting nonetheless.

Full winter Kumho Izen 225x50R16 utilised on a set of titchy 16” rims from a previous BMW. Not the best-handling in dry winter conditions but effective on snow/ice and supremely comfortable due to the tall profile.

 

[Pondy]

I live in the middle of England where we have about 10 days of frost a year (not nights), 150 days of rain and around 2 days of snow.

I have been driving cars pretty much every day for the last 38 years. I calculate I have driven around 450,000 miles in all parts of the UK in every weather. I have never bought, or had bought for me, any winter or all season tyres in all that time. I have never (touch wood) had an accident, or been stuck anywhere due to bad weather. I can also honestly say that I had never heard of winter or all season tyres until I started frequenting car forums. Make of that what you will.

I have read a few tyre reviews lately (an internet phenomenon) and can honestly say they are utter rubbish.

Guess what I voted!

 

[brillomaster]

As Pondrew says - living in the mild midlands, i've never had winter tyres on. have got stuck a couple of times, once on my own driveway. but worst i can remember was when the beast from the east came, and left my bmw 3 series parked alone, in the middle of a field that had 4 inches of snow - somehow still managed to get out even on summer tyres.

if i was going to switch tyres for winter, id switch onto all seasons. i only need snow performance for a handful of days a year, the rest of the time its just cold. but, if it ever got really bad, i'd just work from home.

 

[TheDan]

Pre-COVID when I was driving into work every day I switched to winter tyres from about the beginning of December to the end of Feb. Made a massive difference when there was snow/ice in the winter and everyone else was stranded and I was able to easy glide past in my Z4 (and Fiesta before that).

However, now I mostly work from home, I am not bothering with winter tyres. If its really snowy/icy one day and I have to get somewhere I will take my partner's car which has all seasons.

As far as using all seasons for the whole year goes, I wouldn't do this on my Z4. Its not because of the lack of snow/ice performance when it gets really bad, but mainly the lack of performance when the weather is warm compared to a summer tyre or road legal semi slick.

 

[enuff_zed]

Much the same for me as Pondrew. Never swapped tyres, but lived all my driving life in Norfolk so not only less snow, but no hills to worry about.

In have voted None, but the rest of the wording doesn't really apply. I would say 'None - never had the need to bother.'

 

[Nick W]

Down here on the edge of Dartmoor, winter driving problems are usually caused by the lack of brain cells rather than tyre choice.

 

[MikeyH]

As already said only recently heard about winter tyres and all my driving life used just the 'normal' ones all year. Not had any real problems and only got stuck twice in very heavy snow. Living in the south of Devon we don't get much ice and hardly any snow, we did get a little last night but the roads okay. If I lived in Scotland I probably would use them however. I'm voting all season.

 

[NS66]

Down here on the edge of Dartmoor, winter driving problems are usually caused by the lack of brain cells rather than tyre choice.

absolutely spot on - at 56 yrs I remember winters that were much harder and much longer. The only difference is the volume of traffic and the incompetence of some drivers.

I remember not long after passing my test being encourage to go a drive in the snow by parents to understand how the car reacts or doesnt!!

 

[PAC_Z4_F31_110Puma]

Voted for winter tyres, but it really depends upon what situation you may encounter.

If I were to just spend my time in Suffolk then a set of all seasons fitted on the Z4 for winter would probably be just the ticket IF it was your only car and you can't afford the luxury of staying at home should the weather be exceptionally bad. The last week has certainly proved that if a journey is unavoidable and you encounter snow and hills you can be a bit screwed in the type of tyre we'll likely be fitting to our Z4's, MPS4S etc, and I think that makes all the difference rather than put finite labels on tyres, I doubt anyone would argue that an MPS4S is better or comparable to something like the Pirelli P7 Cinturato's fitted to my partners X3 in the snow, and yet they're certainly also not an 'all season'. Although I would question anyone that were to fit such an all-round type tyre on a Z4..

For me, winter tyres on one of my cars has now been the norm, often heading to the highlands, alps, or just needing to travel for work regardless of the conditions. Yes, you sacrifice the dry handling, but the estate has never been about back lane blasts and in that 1 in 99 times when having grip in bad conditions makes all the difference between destination and ditch, they're worth their weight in gold, far cheaper to have a second set than have a bump.
Horses for courses and if not your main car, I'd probably not bother. Long-winded way of saying up to the individual.

 

[plenty]

^^ what he said

If it's your only car, you like to drive hard and you have space to store and swap wheels then having a summer and winter set makes sense.

In my case I'm lucky enough to be able to have another car which I will use in lower-grip conditions in preference to the Z4. On that car I don't require high performance, so I'd might well fit all-seasons which are adequate year round, because for that car adequate is all I need.

 

[sars]

I've ran summer tyres in winter, winter tyres in winter and all season tyres in winter, if your rear wheel drive BMW is your only car and you live in a rural area that only main roads get gritted, you soon learn that summer tyres in winter are not ideal in England. And in a different way, winter tyres in England are also not ideal, take this week, it will be -5C in Bristol tomorrow, Saturday temperatures are expected to be +12C and at that point your winter tyres are getting a bit soft. This is why I run all season tyres with M+S and three peaks instead of winter tyres in winter and then switch over to summer tyres in March, they are just a much better solution here.

Two things, first of all, as they say in motor racing, have the right tyre on at the right time and the second, you'll only wish you had winter/all season tyres on in winter when you can't stop in time to avoid hitting something. Just look at all the traffic accidents that occurred on Monday morning after the weekend rain and then a hard frost.

 

[Pondy]

This is why I run all season tyres with M+S

"These are not just all season tyres, these are Marks and Spencer's all season tyres."
Save a few more pennies, you can get Waitrose tyres next time!

 

[enuff_zed]

This is why I run all season tyres with M+S

"These are not just all season tyres, these are Marks and Spencer's all season tyres."
Save a few more pennies, you can get Waitrose tyres next time!

I put cheap tyres on wifey's but she came home and said she'd had a Lidl accident!

 

[Pondy]

I put cheap tyres on wifey's but she came home and said she'd had a Lidl accident!

Happens Aldi time in our household. Last time luckily Morri-sons helped her out of the ditch.

 

[Nanu]

I save money by keeping the Z in the garage when it snows.

It's my only car so the few days a year I can't drive, like this week, things just don't get done.

 

[Mr Tidy]

I never used anything other than regular tyres, but older cars tended to have much narrower tyres than 2000 onwards cars.

In 2010 we had some significant snow for the first time in years and my 1 Series could barely get moving on any sort of incline even on 205/50x17s.

So when my Mum was getting on and I assumed some caring and taxi duties I had to run a daily alongside my Z4s. Because not turning up wasn't an option (and she lived 35 miles away) my Z4s stayed at home and I fitted winters to my 3 Series every winter.

I still do, but since Mum passed away in 2020 if I ever wear a set of summers out on the 3 Series I'd just buy all seasons now. I

 

[buzyg]

I all ways had summer tyres on the MR. The daily shed has boggo all season tyres on it and gets me through the snow on those rare occasions by attaching snow wraps. I also carry a shovel behind the seat to shift drifts. I don't get why anyone would fit winters, in the southern UK.

 

[sars]

This is why I run all season tyres with M+S

"These are not just all season tyres, these are Marks and Spencer's all season tyres."

Oh that’s quite good

 

[Chris_D]

Interesting...interesting. *strokes chin*

Seems there is a fair spread of opinion/experience/outlook when it comes to winter-time tyre choice.
Thanks for all who voted and shared opinions and hopefully this may help to determine the right choice for any individuals who are thinking about what to choose.

For those who didn't vote then you may not be able to see the poll results (not sure).
@15-12-22 the poll looks like this:


The poll is open indefinitely so please feel free to cast your vote!

Would be interesting to see the results once this winter is over and I will update the results with a screenshot for those who didn't or don't want to cast a vote as I don't think it's visible to non-voters. The only other way I could see to make the results visible including showing the names of voters, but for privacy I didn't enable this option.
(Can someone verify if the poll results are/are not visible to non-voters?)

 

[9designs]

For me this question is all about context. Where you live has a huge impact on choice, what type and size tyres you currently have on, then finally do you have to go out !!! In days gone by when we had 135 tyres, 155 was considered "wide" was less of an issue, now, with 255+ on the back of a RWD car, no chance in the snow.

For example in parts of Europe winter tyres are mandatory, having driven over there (hire car) on them they make a huge diffidence.

I have this week for the first time ever ordered a set of All season, Continental, to use in the winter only. Not for Z4, that can stay on the drive, decided to put them on the wife's 120D XDrive. So 4WD + All season should see her safe and us have a car we can use anytime if we need. It has S001 Bridgestone, 18 inch normally so not to extreme, compared to the P4S I have on the rear of Zed and my GR Yaris, which even in the cold starts to get a bit slippy as they are become useless.
Being in the Midlands we are likely to get a wide mix of conditions, hence All season as Winter wouldn't be suitable.

Biggest issue I've found is getting the correct size, as typical BMW stagger makes the rears hard to find or limited choice. I'm only swapping the tyres haven't bought extra wheels as yet.

Will see how they go, plus if we can manage between us with one car on All season, otherwise I'll get some for the GR Yaris as well (Or I just need an excuse to buy some different wheels for it).