Winter tyres

westwicklow

Will winter tyres become compulsary in Ireland? They are great to use in the bad weather and are already compulsary in other Eurozone areas.

HashSlinging

No too many people think its not worth it.. ---> :D and whats the point of having them on when we only get a couple of days of "real" winter.... ---> :D

I have a set on, I'll stop this stupid grinning now.

CrowdedHouse

What's different about winter tyres ?

HashSlinging

This has been discussed to death here.. do a search on the forum for the answers.

copacetic

CrowdedHouse wrote: »

What's different about winter tyres ?

the grip more at lower temps, usually < 7C. all season/summer tyres grip less and less as it gets colder.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGfvyPtYR0Y

techie

Can studded Winter tyres be bought in Ireland?

I would like a set for my two cars, both 205/66 16's ???

langdang

On one hand, I couldn't see it as a massive earner for the government so probably won't become compulsory....

But if it will reduce the need to remove sand from beaches to prevent some accidents/deaths on the road, then you can be sure Na Glasrai will be ramming em down our throats.

The beaches, won't somebody think of the beaches...

copacetic

techie wrote: »

Can studded Winter tyres be bought in Ireland?

I would like a set for my two cars, both 205/66 16's ???

they would be pretty full on snow tyres, not std winter tyres and pretty sure you won't find them in Ireland.

CrowdedHouse

HashSlinging wrote: »

This has been discussed to death here.. do a search on the forum for the answers.

I did and I didn't find it

Thanks for nothing

Cul a cnoic

After sliding my way in and out of work yesterday and today, had a look for them on the net. Eiretyres.com have them and they are not as expensive as I would have thought. Must get a set next year.

CJhaughey

langdang wrote: »

On one hand, I couldn't see it as a massive earner for the government so probably won't become compulsory....

But if it will reduce the need to remove sand from beaches to prevent some accidents/deaths on the road, then you can be sure Na Glasrai will be ramming em down our throats.

The beaches, won't somebody think of the beaches...

They don't use sand they use rock salt, from NI or Spain.

maidhc

techie wrote: »

Can studded Winter tyres be bought in Ireland?

I would like a set for my two cars, both 205/66 16's ???

You would be better off getting a set of steel 14" wheels and putting them on those.

thebiglad

Do a google search for Snow Socks - cheaper alternative than full set of winter tyres (besides without a garage where you gonna store them between winters?) just carry then round in the boot until they are needed.

peasant

CrowdedHouse wrote: »

What's different about winter tyres ?

- softer compound, grips better in colder temperatures (regardless of surface) wears quicker in hot temperatures

- different thread pattern, designed to disperse water, slush and snow. Can be noisier and and slightly less grippy in the dry than summer tyres.

- lots of little lamellas in the thread for better grip in snow. These can/may make the tyre somewhat spongier in corners in the dry


There are massive differences between snow tyres, some are better in the wet, some a best in snow only, some are just plain useless. I'd strongly recommend reading up on some test results before deciding for one particular tyre. For Ireland you'd want a tyre that is good enough on snow and ice but really good in the wet

langdang

CJhaughey wrote: »

They don't use sand they use rock salt, from NI or Spain.

Correct, hence the recent shortage of anything resembling gritting material... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Matt Simis

copacetic wrote: »

the grip more at lower temps, usually < 7C. all season/summer tyres grip less and less as it gets colder.

Look at the All Season Car crash and burn on the corner at 1:55!
didnt actually burn

Would have loved to see them compare to Summers, but IMO All Seasons are completely crap in Winter anyhow and almost on par with Summers for crapiness.

copacetic

Matt Simis wrote: »

Look at the All Season Car crash and burn on the corner at 1:55!
didnt actually burn

Would have loved to see them compare to Summers, but IMO All Seasons are completely crap in Winter anyhow and almost on par with Summers for crapiness.

thats probably the key one for how people would drive here, they may expect to be slow off the blocks and have trouble stopping but posibly not the total loss of traction halfway round a corner.

HashSlinging

CrowdedHouse wrote: »

I did and I didn't find it

Thanks for nothing

Jezz the search is full of loads of threads about this.. and I thought you were being pedantic!

Winter tyres work great under 7 degrees where summer tyres lose their pliability at 7. Depending on which make and model they can be very good in our environment not just snow, I have found them amazing where I live, but that could also be down to the fact I've dropped a couple of inches in wheel size..

I've been talking about getting them for years now and after the snow in FEB last year and being unable to get out of my estate decided they are essential for me.. So now I've a set of 18 inch BBS with a set of eagle F1's ( worn ) and a set of winter 16 inch. I'm considering leaving the 16s on and just changing the tyres in April/March..

HashSlinging

Just to add to this, I've over 15 cm of snow in my area and they just plough through the snow..slush.. and the hill into my estate is suitable for bobsledging.. no one else in a FWD car can get into or out of my estate, so they do work.

gillen

Been looking at those snow socks, they slip over the driving wheels of the car, €70 or so for a pair, has anyone got these? If so what are they like? What distances could you use them for?

GTE

I think that when you have conditions like we had last Winter and if you have a crash and are found with Summer rated tyres your insurance company should slate you.

Anyone who drives on a Summer rated tyre in the conditions we are having this weekend and stand by those tyres are, in my opinion ignorant of what could happen when they need to stop.

aror82

Have you seen what is outside just right now, white everywhere, i wouldn't drive out now on my summer tyres,
I need to get winter tyres, great prices on camskill.co.uk

CiniO

westwicklow wrote: »

They are great to use in the bad weather and are already compulsary in other Eurozone areas.

Which ones would they be?

AxlF

CiniO wrote: »

Which ones would they be?

Although it's in response to a 10 month old statement...
Sweden (for Swedish nationals), Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Norway (for Norwegian registered cars), Slovakia, Sloenia and also Bavaria in Germany.

Edit*
Here's a link or 2.
The second one also states that Austria and Switzerland now have a window of mandatory use of winter tyres.

http://www.rhinocarhire.com/Drive-Smart-Blog/Winter-Tyres-When-to-use-them.aspx
http://www.etyres.co.uk/winter-tyres-law

bittihuduga

is snow sock any good compared to winter tyres?

MarkoC

bittihuduga wrote: »

is snow sock any good compared to winter tyres?

Short answer is NO !

Mena

I'm ordering a set for each of my cars as soon as I get home.

I picked up a rental in Germany yesterday, they didn't give me the option for winter tyres, it being a legal requirement here I assumed ( ) this was taken care off. It was not.

Flying down the A7 was no problem, but then I had to get off the motorway... That's when the problems started. Suffice it to say, the car has been sitting on the side of some crappy little road in the arse end of Germany since 9pm last night. It was unmovable up even the slightest gradient.

All the while, every other car flew past me as if they were on a dry road. All using the mandatory winter tyres.

Now I accept snow in Germany is different to snow in Ireland, but some of the roads I left on Monday morning back home were pretty much the same as here.

TLDR - Get winter tyres, you can't go wrong. The difference is like night and day.

robtri

got a fecking puncture this morning, had to drive 5 miles before i could get off the main road to a safe spot on my tyre... fecked it up completely...

Dropped down to a friend of mine who has a local tyre shop, got a pair of part worn winter tyres (he imports them in from germany winter and summer tyres).... (€50 for a pair)

jesus the difference they mak is unreal.... the grip is so much better....

its the way to go lads....

Matt Simis

bittihuduga wrote: »

is snow sock any good compared to winter tyres?

If you are stuck at the bottom of a hill then they have a use. Unlike what people here are trying to use them for, they are meant as an Emergency Tool. The fact they cannot drive on treated roads or over 50kph makes this kinda obvious.

Winter Tyres are like normal tyres, you can drive anywhere with them.

robtri wrote: »

got a fecking puncture this morning, had to drive 5 miles before i could get off the main road to a safe spot on my tyre... fecked it up completely...
Dropped down to a friend of mine who has a local tyre shop, got a pair of part worn winter tyres (he imports them in from germany winter and summer tyres).... (€50 for a pair)
jesus the difference they mak is unreal.... the grip is so much better....
its the way to go lads....

Yeah I paid about the same a tyre in Autodepot, they dont charge extra for Winters and at the price the complete tyre fitted then and there is competitive with Snow Socks. I just cannot understand why people are spending EUR60-70 on socks when Part Worn Winters are in the same ballpark.

--Kaiser--

Matt Simis wrote: »

Would have loved to see them compare to Summers, but IMO All Seasons are completely crap in Winter anyhow and almost on par with Summers for crapiness.

I don't agree, I have All-seasons on my car and encountered no difficulties last winter until I came across a patch of sheet ice (which I couldn't walk on let alone drive).

Obviously they're not going to be as good as winter tyres, but they are an OK compromise (seeing as we don't get proper winters anyway)

Matt Simis

--Kaiser-- wrote: »

Obviously they're not going to be as good as winter tyres, but they are an OK compromise (seeing as we don't get proper winters anyway)

Yeah but why do an "ok compromise" when you can do it 100%? All Seasons are closer to Summers in every test than Winters, dont be under the illusion they are like 50% as good or halfway to Winters. I have had All Seasons, they were my first attempt last year. I would pick them over Summers obviously but compared to Winters, they are rubbish in Winter. Compared to Summer Tyres in Summer they dont really offer anything. So their sweet spot appears to be entirely situated in late August.

For the sake of tyre grip, Winter is any temps under +7 or Snow and Ice. Its November and its been down to -11 and the ground is covered in Snow today, Ice yesterday, who knows what tomorrow. This will go on temp wise at least till February. I would call those temps and a 3month duration a "proper" Winter as would the Tyre manufacturers.

PS: I noted temps of 3-5c a month ago in my morning commute, so there was some benefit to Winters for a very long time in Ireland.

MarkoC

robtri wrote: »

got a fecking puncture this morning, had to drive 5 miles before i could get off the main road to a safe spot on my tyre... fecked it up completely...

Dropped down to a friend of mine who has a local tyre shop, got a pair of part worn winter tyres (he imports them in from germany winter and summer tyres).... (€50 for a pair)

jesus the difference they mak is unreal.... the grip is so much better....

its the way to go lads....

Wheres that guy ?

Cheers

--Kaiser--

Matt Simis wrote: »

I would pick them over Summers obviously but compared to Winters, they are rubbish in Winter. Compared to Summer Tyres in Summer they dont really offer anything. So their sweet spot appears to be entirely situated in late August.
.

Well, that's where I disagree, I drove all over Ireland on my All Seasons (Toyo Proxes 4) last winter and had very little difficulty when cars around me were sliding and careening all over the place. Also, All-Seasons are much better than Summers in the wet.

Of course, if the weather gets much worse I will certainly buy a set of winters.

Matt Simis

--Kaiser-- wrote: »

Well, that's where I disagree, I drove all over Ireland on my All Seasons (Toyo Proxes 4) last winter and had very little difficulty when cars around me were sliding and careening all over the place. Also, All-Seasons are much better than Summers in the wet.

Of course, if the weather gets much worse I will certainly buy a set of winters.

Well fair enough, by comparison they do seem a noticeably better than Summers (and perhaps the ones I had were crap, they were the Allroad OEM tyres), but I found Winters to be a leap above them again.

MarkoC

--Kaiser-- wrote: »

Well, that's where I disagree, I drove all over Ireland on my All Seasons (Toyo Proxes 4) last winter and had very little difficulty when cars around me were sliding and careening all over the place. Also, All-Seasons are much better than Summers in the wet.

Of course, if the weather gets much worse I will certainly buy a set of winters.

I agree with Matt Smiths, i have all season tyres and tell me know what you think about them ?
If that is OK in winter ... I dunno what to say ... Hope you didnt make a joke here ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhq_r4OkHLk

--Kaiser--

MarkoC wrote: »

If that is OK in winter ... I dunno what to say ... Hope you didnt make a joke here ...

Maybe you see 2 feet of snow everywhere you go, most I see is a bit of frost and maybe some slush. Ireland doesn't normally get proper winters.

Anan1

Matt Simis wrote: »

Well fair enough, by comparison they do seem a noticeably better than Summers (and perhaps the ones I had were crap, they were the Allroad OEM tyres), but I found Winters to be a leap above them again.

Me too. I've just replaced the OEM Yokahama Geolandar all weather tyres on my Forester with Michelan Alpin A4 winters, and the difference on snow & ice is night and day. They're maybe a little bit squidgier above 140km/h in the dry, but that's probably down to their being 16" instead of 17".

Matt Simis

--Kaiser-- wrote: »

Maybe you see 2 feet of snow everywhere you go, most I see is a bit of frost and maybe some slush. Ireland doesn't normally get proper winters.

They point we are trying to make is Winter is a temperature, not a depth of snow.

freestyla

Winter = snow, low temperatures, ice, slush, ice, snow, cold... get winter tyres because the difference is REALLY like night and day compared to both summer and all-season. Not need for studded ones ofcourse. Not to talk about technical and gripping stuff now because its obvious but You feel more confident and more relaxed also - motoring is not supposed to be agonizing right?

Here in Ireland.. you buy winter tires.. what.. some 400eur for a good set (DO NOT BUY CHINESE STUFF!) and you mount them for 1-2 months a year.. I think they will last 10yrs!

well I m driving on good summer tires now, with RWD car, its not that relaxed belive me.. and I m a bit poor to buy them winter tires now.. but hey I m from scandinavia so few centimetres of snow and -5 C is not scary but actually its fun

P.s. remember to clean all your windows before going on the road and let the car run for 10mins so engine gets hot but not clod and jumpy on the first icy braking junction- prepare your car for a battle, makes life easier

keithclancy

You guys are losers ...

http://www.mattracks.com/html/products.htm

Get them .. perfect for the M50

tossy

Fitted 4 winter tyres to the car a few weeks ago long before the current really cold spell we are experiencing,when i fitted them we only had relatively mild temps of 0 - 2 degrees,lots of rain and wet roads even then the difference was noticeable.I reckon i'll keep them on the car till mid/late march depending on how the weather is,at this rate i should get 4/5 years out of them,which in turn means i'll get 4 years or so out of my 'summer' tyres' Goodyear F1s (of course )

Over the weekend i did a lot of driving and i ignored the AA's advice and opted to travel back roads in favor of the main routes,i have to say i was blown away by how sure footed a good winter tyre is on compacted snow and ice. Acceleration and braking performance is also very good.

I have to say that having done it for this winter it is something i will continue to do for the rest of my motoring life,and my family's motoring life.

Its a no brainer.

TestTransmission

tossy wrote: »

Fitted 4 winter tyres to the car a few weeks ago long before the current really cold spell we are experiencing,when i fitted them we only had relatively mild temps of 0 - 2 degrees,lots of rain and wet roads even then the difference was noticeable.I reckon i'll keep them on the car till mid/late march depending on how the weather is,at this rate i should get 4/5 years out of them,which in turn means i'll get 4 years or so out of my 'summer' tyres' Goodyear F1s (of course )

Over the weekend i did a lot of driving and i ignored the AA's advice and opted to travel back roads in favor of the main routes,i have to say i was blown away by how sure footed a good winter tyre is on compacted snow and ice. Acceleration and braking performance is also very good.

I have to say that having done it for this winter it is something i will continue to do for the rest of my motoring life,and my family's motoring life.

Its a no brainer.

I'd say the quattro helps though

Manic Moran

TestTransmission wrote: »

I'd say the quattro helps though

It has its uses... Came over Donner Pass last month, chains were mandatory for all vehicles except AWD/4x4 with snow tyres. There's a CalTrans inspection checkpoint where they verify. The Audi convertible that drove right on through without stopping raised an eyebrow or two. I can't wait to see a Lambo Gallardo try it...

I wonder if there isn't a different definition of 'all-season' to 'snow', however, between nations. CalTrans' definition of 'snow tyres' is one which is marked on the sidewall with a snowflake, or 'S' or 'M&S/M+S' (Mud and snow). I replaced the 'issue' Pilotsport PS2s on my car with Pilot Sport A/S (All Season) Plus which have the M+S marking. Granted, these things aren't cheap, at $250 a tyre, but they provide plenty of grip in the California summer. Not as much as the PS2s, but enough that you still need to throw the car around enough to make the passenger uncomfortable in order to get squealing and, of course, they proved quite capable of getting me through the Tahoe area in winter. I see no reason to change between tyre types between winter and summer at this time, and it is very nice not to have to get out of the car in the snow to put chains on.

NTM

TouchingVirus

Has anybody got the name of a tyre dealer I could ring? Everybody I've tried have told me they don't do Winters and I'm looking for a set of Goodyear Ultragrip 7+

Anan1

TouchingVirus wrote: »

Has anybody got the name of a tyre dealer I could ring? Everybody I've tried have told me they don't do Winters and I'm looking for a set of Goodyear Ultragrip 7+

I'm pretty sure you'll need to order them online. You may also have to be a little flexible WRT the exact tyre - I wanted either Continental 830Ps or the Ultragrip 7+ but ended up taking Michelin Alpin A4s.

TouchingVirus

Cheers Anan1, I wasn't insistent on the tyre model but the basic response was "We stock all-weather tyres, not winter tyres". I even asked FastFit if they would order some in on special for me and they said their supplier doesn't stock winters either.

TheBazman

Fitted winter tyres to the wife's 5 series a few weeks ago and am delighted with how they perform - have been travelling fine with them (obviously you have to be conscious of the conditions). Sat into my own and the car wouldn't move in the drive on regular tyres.

BostonB

Where did you get the winter tyres from?

slimjimmc

Interesting article on the snow flake symbol and M+S marking.
http://www.snowtyres.com.au/severe-service-emblem

TheBazman

Healys in Naas. They had some Dunlops left from last year and got them at a very good price.

Manic Moran

slimjimmc wrote: »

Interesting article on the snow flake symbol and M+S marking.
http://www.snowtyres.com.au/severe-service-emblem

I have one or two concerns on that...

Firstly, it's a sales pitch. The website only seems to sell one kind of tyre, the 'peak snowflakes' by the one Finnish company. Of course they're going to say everything else is rubbish.

Secondly, CalTrans doesn't seem convinced by the argument anyway. The website doesn't say anything about the grip requirement, they purely are concerned by the tread, which is the one thing that the site acknowledges.

The California vehicle code section 558 defines a snow-tread tire as follows, " A 'Snow-tread tire' is a tire which has a relatively deep and aggressive tread pattern compared with conventional passenger tread pattern".

It's good enough for government work, as it were.

http://www.caltrans.ca.gov/hq/roadinfo/chcontrl.htm

It is worth noting, however, that there are three levels of chain control in California, as per the site. For levels 1 and 2, snow tread tyres alone are sufficient. Level 3 requires something better like chains or studs, even with the snow tread. I don't recall ever seeing anything like California Level 3 snow in Ireland, more often than not even California just closes the road instead of allowing traffic at those levels. From this, I would surmise that I wouldn't be too worried about only having the M/S marking vs the peak snowflake in Ireland: M/S is going to likely do the job: It certainly got me over the mountain at 7,200 feet with the ski slopes open about 500 yards away. I doubt Irish snow is ever going to be much worse.

NTM