Winters - when are yours going on?

deandean

whomitconcerns wrote: »

yep..the last "crash" I was involved in was a 5mph slide into an old stone wall in wicklow..just couldnt stop...winter tyres would have saved that.

Yes they would.
the other place they can save you from small but very costly prangs, is in slow moving traffic on an icy road where you brake but the car won't stop (bloody ABS) and you end up nudging into the car in front.

whomitconcerns

deandean wrote: »

Yes they would.
the other place they can save you from small but very costly prangs, is in slow moving traffic on an icy road where you brake but the car won't stop (bloody ABS) and you end up nudging into the car in front.

thats exactly what I got them for..everyone says I am mad..but if I want to go up the sally gap in December I can :P

munchkin_utd

whomitconcerns wrote: »

yep..the last "crash" I was involved in was a 5mph slide into an old stone wall in wicklow..just couldnt stop...winter tyres would have saved that.

also to illustrate the point.

Thanks to bad planning of tyre change, I drove the same stretch of about a mile of road which was a little icy and had a light dusting of snow, with both summers and winters.
Funny enough, the spin there with the winters was grand. A little like driving on a wet road, i.e. not 100% as much grip as a dry road but fully in control and 50kph was perfectly ok.
A half hour later driving back with my Michelin Premacy summers, I was doing 10kph and even that was precarious enough. The car barely would stay in a straight line and was threatening to go in a spin or swerve at any moment (into oncoming traffic doing 50kph, obviously equiped with winter tyres).
I honestly didnt think the difference was or would be as much, otherwise I wouldnt have gone ahead with the swap.

The thread on a winter is indeed impressive on middling deep snow, but its the softer compond than summer tyres in icy conditions that is the real safety benefit.

And in Ireland, ice is the problem, not snow.
If anything theres more ice in Ireland than you'd encounter in colder countries, as once it gets to -5 and below you often have no snow, no dew, no dampness of any sort often for weeks - so no ice. And even if it snows, the snow stays as snow and doesnt melt, meaning again no ice.
Whereas in Ireland the temperature yo-yos above and below zero with rain or sleet to add to the mix to make icy roads .

mossy50

buy a horse / donkey

whomitconcerns

mossy50 wrote: »

buy a horse / donkey

very constructive post :P

Just to clear up a misconception about winter tyres. They are not "****e" in the wet. The reason for the poor EU ratings is that suprise suprise...summer and winter tyres are tested in near similar environments for EU regulations...ie the wet ratings are useless for winter tyres!

So yes winter tyres in a hot wet summers day are not as good as summer tyres. But in almost all other circumstances especially cold/frosty/snowy, they are better

BMJD

I'll have Jeeves pilot the snow plow/flamethrower if snowpocolypse happens.

YouTookMyName

Mycroft H wrote: »

Bridgestone Duallers AT. Mud and Snow. And flick into 4wd.

Come at me winter.


(Don't see the need for winters here. And I've used them. All terrains for the win.)

4x4 & snow theres only 1 tyre i'd want under me.

stimpson

YouTookMyName wrote: »

4x4 & snow theres only 1 tyre i'd want under me.

Surely you'd need more than one?

realdanbreen

cjmcork wrote: »

so I generally put mine on the Oct b/h w/e but the weather is so mild, just wondering when boardsies are putting theirs on this year?

Bet you forked out a load of money on YK2 Software as well?

kay 9

YouTookMyName wrote: »

4x4 & snow theres only 1 tyre i'd want under me.

Just after getting another set on the pajero. They last forever lol. 50k miles. However, they're not the greatest tyre in the wet if going hard without the 4WD on. Great off road though.

Zubeneschamali

realdanbreen wrote: »

Bet you forked out a load of money on YK2 Software as well?

I don't need seatbelts, you're better off being thrown clear! ABS is dangerous! Smoking never hurt my granny! A few pints makes me a better driver because I have to concentrate!

And there was no Y2K meltdown because companies paid people like me to trawl through millions of lines of code and fix the issues before they happened.

Cheensbo

Jesus. wrote: »

Its the daftest thing I've ever seen. Did you not see my post above?

Besides, I can clearly see a 7 foot long 1.5 tonne lump of metal moving at speed on a bright clear day thank you very much. And if someone can't, then I suggest its not lights, flashing lights or luminous paint we need...........its eye tests.

You didnt say why you think it's daft? why is it daft? extra strain on the alternator? less life out of the bulbs or something?

Besides, I said it was EASIER to see a moving vehicle when it has it's lights on, which it is. If it wasn't then why would drl's be all over the place these days? No need to be so righteous.. oh wait..

Jesus.

Cheensbo wrote: »

You didnt say why you think it's daft?

I did. I told you to look at my post above on that page but I don't think you did.

Its as daft as me wearing a fluorescent jacket walking down the road tomorrow morning when the Sun is bright clear in the sky. Again, if people can't see one and a half tonnes of metal moving at speed in broad daylight, the answer is not lights, its eye tests because those people are obviously seriously deficient in that area and are a danger to themselves and everyone else. Its sounds like you yourself might fall into that category so maybe its time you got yourself checked out

Cheensbo wrote: »

Besides, I said it was EASIER to see a moving vehicle when it has it's lights on, which it is. If it wasn't then why would drl's be all over the place these days? No need to be so righteous.. oh wait..

I've no idea what drl's are and I care even less.

Its interesting that you're claiming I'm the one being righteous when its you who's proposing illogical "safety" measures compared to the common sense approach of myself! You probably think its all in the name of "safety" that the Cops sit in three-lane carriageways catching people doing 53 kph in a 50 zone :rolleyes:

You're the one being righteous, Cheensbo, not me!

Cheensbo

Jesus. wrote: »

I did. I told you to look at my post above on that page but I don't think you did.

Its as daft as me wearing a fluorescent jacket walking down the road tomorrow morning when the Sun is bright clear in the sky. Again, if people can't see one and a half tonnes of metal moving at speed in broad daylight, the answer is not lights, its eye tests because those people are obviously seriously deficient in that area and are a danger to themselves and everyone else. Its sounds like you yourself might fall into that category so maybe its time you got yourself checked out



I've no idea what drl's are and I care even less.

Its interesting that you're claiming I'm the one being righteous when its you who's proposing illogical "safety" measures compared to the common sense approach of myself! You probably think its all in the name of "safety" that the Cops sit in three-lane carriageways catching people doing 53 kph in a 50 zone :rolleyes:

You're the one being righteous, Cheensbo, not me!

No it isn't, neither is wearing a hi-vis while walking on the road.. that's the idea of a hi-vis, for high visibility. when working on a building site, all workers wear a hi-vis, and not just at night time, its because they can be seen and noticed FAR easier than without.

I don't think the weight of an object necessarily equates to visibility either, most army tanks weigh 60 tonnes plus, and put one of those next to a hedge in broad daylight and you might not spot it as easy as you would say, a bright yellow statue of Jesus.

Nah, ive had my eyesight issue taken care of since an early age, i wear corrective lenses, but thanks for your concern on that issue.

The answer is indeed lights, because they make a vehicle blatantly more obvious, it allows for quicker & easier sight of something, say, out of the corner of the eye etc.

DRL's, are daytime running lights, usually a bright LED light, intended to be used during the day, and are now fitted on most new vehicles as an answer to a very important road safety issue, in fact they cannot be switched off in most cases, as it has been proven, that lights on in the day time drastically improves the visibility of a vehicle. Perhaps a read of this document will enlighten you: http://www.rsa.ie/Documents/Vehicle%20Std%20Leg/Consultations/Daytime%20Running%20Lights%20Consultation.pdf

It is common sense to have lights on during the day, not saying its daft to have em off, but its less daft to have them on.

Nah, don't give a fcuk about that, im pointing out that lights on during the day is not daft.

And I was having a laugh about your username, so steady on

Ardennes1944

Here in Switzerland by law they all have to get them on around now, although I imagine that most drivers here actually know how to drive in the snow regardless.

CiniO

Ardennes1944 wrote: »

Here in Switzerland by law they all have to get them on around now, although I imagine that most drivers here actually know how to drive in the snow regardless.

Well that's opposite to Ireland, where most people have no clue how to drive on the snow, and that can be seen straight away when there is a bit of snow on the road.
It's either lunatics, which don't acknowledge that surface is slippery and drive as usual and crash, or people who crawl at 5km/h without making any progress.
For most drivers in Ireland skid = accident. It definitely shouldn't be like that.

But what can you expect if here even driving tests are cancelled in there's snow on the road.

Ardennes1944

CiniO wrote: »

Well that's opposite to Ireland, where most people have no clue how to drive on the snow, and that can be seen straight away when there is a bit of snow on the road.
It's either lunatics, which don't acknowledge that surface is slippery and drive as usual and crash, or people who crawl at 5km/h without making any progress.
For most drivers in Ireland skid = accident. It definitely shouldn't be like that.

But what can you expect if here even driving tests are cancelled in there's snow on the road.

Exactly, thats what I was getting at.
In Krakow last winter, deep snow everywhere and not one even near incident did I see.
But I guess some people are saying theres no need for winter tyres we dont get the weather for them and then others say were not properly prepared.

CiniO

Ardennes1944 wrote: »

Exactly, thats what I was getting at.
In Krakow last winter, deep snow everywhere and not one even near incident did I see.
But I guess some people are saying theres no need for winter tyres we dont get the weather for them and then others say were not properly prepared.

Well I probably said both in this thread.

In general there's no need for winter tyres in Ireland, unless there's snow.
I've driven in Ireland on snow maybe twice or 3 times in my life, so I find it really too seldom to justify hassle of having winter tyres. It would be easier and cheaper, to avoid driving on those days really.

John_Rambo

Jesus. wrote: »

I've no idea what drl's are and I care even less

At least you admit your ignorant to the workings of your car! You should seriously look things up that you don't understand when it comes to driving if you drive a good bit.

Anyone I see with no lights on, fog lights on when there's no fog, back wiper on in no rain, etc... I consider either inexperienced or simply a bad driver. Lights on all the time is a no brainer, anyone that thinks otherwise or thinks they know more than the stats and facts is a fool.

CiniO

John_Rambo wrote: »

Lights on all the time is a no brainer, anyone that thinks otherwise or thinks they know more than the stats and facts is a fool.

So I'm a fool that I have my dipped lights on at all times, even on the most bright and sunny days?

Ardennes1944

CiniO wrote: »

So I'm a fool that I have my dipped lights on at all times, even on the most bright and sunny days?

No he means that people should have their lights on all the time. No-brainer, as in, it shouldnt even take a brain to realise that you should do it

CiniO

Ardennes1944 wrote: »

No he means that people should have their lights on all the time. No-brainer, as in, it shouldnt even take a brain to realise that you should do it

Well, looks like I never understood no-brainer phrase right before then

punisher5112

http://www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/safety/winter-tyres-in-the-uk.html

Bit of info above on winter tyres.

http://www.roadsafetymayo.ie/RoadsafetyCampaigns/DayTimeRunningLights/

Bit of info above on driving with your lights on during the day.


Years ago Dublin Bus done this set up but used the normal dipped beam on the front so when the bus was running the front lights would come on, the only problem was that a lot never turned the lights on so the rear lights would be off while they had the right lights on the front.

Any vehicle with DRL's should be fitted with auto lights as I see a lot at night including a lot of Garda cars with only their DRL's on and not the actual dipped beam and rear lights.

Jesus.

Fair enough Cheensbo, you give a good argument. We'll agree to disagree mate

Jesus.

John_Rambo wrote: »

At least you admit your ignorant to the workings of your car! You should seriously look things up that you don't understand when it comes to driving if you drive a good bit.

Where did I admit such a thing? I said I didn't know what dsl's were. How does that equate to ignorance of the workings of my car? And how on earth does knowing what an abbreviation means equate with being a better driver?

Are you having a laugh here?

John_Rambo wrote: »

AtAnyone I see with no lights on, fog lights on when there's no fog, back wiper on in no rain, etc... I consider either inexperienced or simply a bad driver. Lights on all the time is a no brainer, anyone that thinks otherwise or thinks they know more than the stats and facts is a fool.

Your point re fog lights when there's no fog etc I agree with. (How about lights when there's no darkness?) Back wiper on when there's no rain is a meaningless assumption. I'm certain that most of the self-proclaimed good drivers on here are nowhere near as good as they think they are. In my experience they're normally the dangerous ones.

Your second point is ridiculous. Saying that people who drive on a bright sunny day without their lights on is a "fool", "inexperienced or simply a bad driver" makes you sound rather like a fool I'm afraid.

Again, its overkill and daft. But if you want to do something like that go right ahead. Its no skin of anyone's nose.

Jesus.

CiniO wrote: »

So I'm a fool that I have my dipped lights on at all times, even on the most bright and sunny days?

I wouldn't say a fool but it is a bit silly.

CiniO

Jesus. wrote: »

I wouldn't say a fool but it is a bit silly.

OK, so what am I loosing by using my lights on bright day, and what am I gaining?

I assume according to you, I must be loosing more than gaining as otherwise it wouldn't be silly.
So please list at least few for me.

Jesus.

CiniO wrote: »

OK, so what am I loosing by using my lights on bright day, and what am I gaining?

You're losing nothing and gaining nothing. Go right on ahead if it makes you happy. I just think it looks a bit odd because its completely unnecessary.

H3llR4iser

punisher5112 wrote: »

...
Any vehicle with DRL's should be fitted with auto lights as I see a lot at night including a lot of Garda cars with only their DRL's on and not the actual dipped beam and rear lights.

Funny as I saw this tonight - was driving home on the South Link, came up a 5-series doing 90 in the overtaking lane...waited...waited...waited...didn't budge, very bright headlights come right up my arse in the mirror, I move to the left lane (as #1, I didn't want to be the same kind of an a@@ the driver in front was being and #2, thought the tailgating guy/gal might have better luck "convincing" the BMW to move over) and hold and behold, it was a Garda car...with no tail lights at all. For a moment I thought I'd try to signal them about it, then decided I couldn't be arsed and let them on their way in the dark.

As for the in-topic question, yes - winter tyres do make a lot of difference in the proper condition, nobody could argue that; However their requirement in Ireland is debatable - in many years here, I've seen snow/ice much less often than I did in Southern Italy.

On the other hand, I'm mostly talking about urban/suburban/industrial or otherwise built up areas, I can imagine that someone living in the middle of nowhere can easily find much harsher road conditions.

CiniO

Jesus. wrote: »

You're losing nothing and gaining nothing. Go right on ahead if it makes you happy. I just think it looks a bit odd because its completely unnecessary.

Well, so it looks like you just don't know.
So let me enlighten you.
I'm loosing something.
Having dipped lights on at all times, increases fuel consumption. It's not big amount, but always something.
Also bulbs need changing more often, as they just wear out quicker. Electrical wiring might go eventually at some stage (f.e. my 13 year old car already had a problem with wiring for the light which I had to sort out).
So there are costs. They are not big - probably less than tenner per year or even less, but there are costs. That's what I'm loosing.

Now - what am I gaining?
Well - safety.
I'm greatly increasing chances that people who would not see me without lights, will see me with them. Obviously vast majority of other drivers will see me no matter if I have lights or not. That's certain.
But even if one in million driver will actually notice me with lights while he wouldn't notice me without them, it's worth it. As this millionth driver, could cause accident by not seeing me, and it could cost me lost time, money or life.