Would I be crazy to get new tyres today?

craiginireland

Tyres on my car are a little old, They've done bout 17000 miles.

With these conditions would I be crazy getting them changed now? should I wait till the cold snap ends?

Thanks Boardsies!

Seth Brundle

Are the current ones bald or what?
If you needs new tyres then get new tyres! The only reason that I would avoid getting them now is if it would be dangerous to drive on your existing tyres.

HashSlinging

No get them changed now, better to be safe than sorry.

Tipsy Mac

Change them now but if it's unsafe because of the road conditions to drive in your area then don't.

sean1141

if you are only changing them because they are old but have loads of thread left on them dont bother. if they are well worn change them but be very carefull driving on icy roads with them. if you dont need the car dont chance driving it just to get them changed. if you do need to drive it get them changed because if they are bald and you do have a tip with someone first thing insurance will check is tyre thread dept!
safe motoring!

meathstevie

If you only get 17000 miles out of a set of tyres I'd worry about wheel alignment first.

alo1587

meathstevie wrote: »

If you only get 17000 miles out of a set of tyres I'd worry about wheel alignment first.

Its ok,Its probably a volkswagen...:D

Anan1

craiginireland wrote: »

Tyres on my car are a little old, They've done bout 17000 miles.

With these conditions would I be crazy getting them changed now? should I wait till the cold snap ends?

Thanks Boardsies!

I may have misundersood this, but I think the OP is worried about driving on ice in brand new tyres? I'd be a bit worried too, as it takes a bit of driving on dry roads to wear off the preservative coating on the new tyres - before this happens, grip will be a lot poorer. Whether it will be poorer than the OP's current tyres I can't say.

AugustusMaximus

Simple logic would lead me to believe that bald tyres would give you better grip on ice than new tyres as you'd have a larger contact patch.

The grooves in the tyres are only useful to carry water away and stop the car from aquaplaning.

hi_im_fil

On ice you actually want a smaller contact patch to try to break through the ice onto the road. Take a look at the tyres rally cars use on snow/ice

faceman

Anan1 wrote: »

I may have misundersood this, but I think the OP is worried about driving on ice in brand new tyres? I'd be a bit worried too, as it takes a bit of driving on dry roads to wear off the preservative coating on the new tyres - before this happens, grip will be a lot poorer. Whether it will be poorer than the OP's current tyres I can't say.

Driving on gravel helps wear off the preservative. You're spot on though. It's pretty dangerous

245

AugustusMaximus wrote: »

Simple logic would lead me to believe that bald tyres would give you better grip on ice than new tyres as you'd have a larger contact patch.

The grooves in the tyres are only useful to carry water away and stop the car from aquaplaning.

Its not that simple - tyres designed for driving in snow and ice have much deeper tread than summer/all season tyres - the grooves are designed to bite into the snow and also to be self-clearing - that's one reason why narrower tyres perform better in snow despite their smaller contact patch. The texture of the tyre at lower temperatures is also important :

http://www.vredestein.com/Banden_Bandtypes.asp?UsersessionID=19268000&BandgroepID=2&BandtypeID=68

Vredestein is renowned for the priority it gives to safety, which is illustrated in the new Snowtrac 3. The intelligent tread with its innovative, stepped circumferential groove enhances the diagonal grip on wet and snowy surfaces. Tapered diagonal grooves optimise the self-cleaning performance of the tyre. With the introduction of a new tread compound, the performance in wet, dry and wintry conditions, has further improved, compared to the earlier, highly successful Snowtracs.

245

craiginireland wrote: »

Tyres on my car are a little old, They've done bout 17000 miles.

With these conditions would I be crazy getting them changed now? should I wait till the cold snap ends?

Thanks Boardsies!

Its recommended to replace tyres that are over six years old and/or have less that 3mm of tread remaining. While 1.6mm is the legal limit, many test have proven that 3mm is a more realistic (safer) limit.

You can tell the age of the tyre from markings on the sidewall:

http://www.tyres-online.co.uk/techinfo/sidewall.asp

Anan1 has hit the nail on the head though - it'd be most likely safer to wait until conditions improve - unless your tyres are currently below legal limits or have sustained damage.

craiginireland

Anan1 wrote: »

I may have misundersood this, but I think the OP is worried about driving on ice in brand new tyres? I'd be a bit worried too, as it takes a bit of driving on dry roads to wear off the preservative coating on the new tyres - before this happens, grip will be a lot poorer. Whether it will be poorer than the OP's current tyres I can't say.

Exactly what I was thinking - Thanks