Omega Owners Forum
Chat Area => General Car Chat => Topic started by: feeutfo on 12 September 2010, 17:54:22
-
Afaik know as a rule we all use summer tyres all year round in the uk. At least I don't know anyone down here in the sarf that swaps to winter or all season tyres anyway.
Thing is last winter was quite severe, snow blocking the m4 and other motorways etc, winter tyres won't stop that but they may keep me on the road and able to stop in snow/ice. I nearly stacked it a couple of times.
Any experience of winter or all season tyres on the forum....?
Ta
-
Your obviously thinking down the same lines as I am.
Problem I have is that if I'm only going to use them for at most two months of the year I don't really want to pay too much..... But as they are the only thing between the car and the road I know I should pay for quality ones.
-
Yours and Gaffers posts reminded me of last winter, and I do have a spare set of wheels.
....but then if all we get is rain it will be a waist of money anyway....won't it?
I was on a motorway slip road in the slush, using the left lane as the right lane was a mess. Car came round me like I was stood still, through the slush and everything. I remember thinking he must have full wets or winter tyres on, koz my sc3's set to to low psi where twitching around as it was.
-
Yours and Gaffers posts reminded me of last winter, and I do have a spare set of wheels.
....but then if all we get is rain it will be a waist of money anyway....won't it?
I was on a motorway slip road in the slush, using the left lane as the right lane was a mess. Car came round me like I was stood still, through the slush and everything. I remember thinking he must have full wets or winter tyres on, koz my sc3's set to to low psi where twitching around as it was.
Why did you have the tyres underinflated? That would give you an even wider, longer contact patch when what you really want is a narrower shorter contact patch to distribute the weight of the car over the smallest possible area?
-
Yours and Gaffers posts reminded me of last winter, and I do have a spare set of wheels.
....but then if all we get is rain it will be a waist of money anyway....won't it?
I was on a motorway slip road in the slush, using the left lane as the right lane was a mess. Car came round me like I was stood still, through the slush and everything. I remember thinking he must have full wets or winter tyres on, koz my sc3's set to to low psi where twitching around as it was.
Why did you have the tyres underinflated? That would give you an even wider, longer contact patch when what you really want is a narrower shorter contact patch to distribute the weight of the car over the smallest possible area?
What makes you think that a narrow & thus smaller tread contact on the road is better in slippery conditions?
-
Pretty sure Debs swaps summer and winter tyres - hardly suprising where she is, she needs em....
may be able to give you some pointers.
-
Afaik know as a rule we all use summer tyres all year round in the uk. At least I don't know anyone down here in the sarf that swaps to winter or all season tyres anyway.
Thing is last winter was quite severe, snow blocking the m4 and other motorways etc, winter tyres won't stop that but they may keep me on the road and able to stop in snow/ice. I nearly stacked it a couple of times.
Any experience of winter or all season tyres on the forum....?
Ta
yes.. definitely very different.. imo using summer tires in winter means risking your life ..
check the video
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/videoDisplay.jsp?ttid=116
-
I know in some EU contries, winter wheels are fitted. Normally 15'' steels, not sure what tyres though. I also saw around here when the snow was about last time, some vehicles I regularly see had steel wheels on place of the standard alloys. Whether that was to protect the original alloys I don't know.
-
Yours and Gaffers posts reminded me of last winter, and I do have a spare set of wheels.
....but then if all we get is rain it will be a waist of money anyway....won't it?
I was on a motorway slip road in the slush, using the left lane as the right lane was a mess. Car came round me like I was stood still, through the slush and everything. I remember thinking he must have full wets or winter tyres on, koz my sc3's set to to low psi where twitching around as it was.
Why did you have the tyres underinflated? That would give you an even wider, longer contact patch when what you really want is a narrower shorter contact patch to distribute the weight of the car over the smallest possible area?
What makes you think that a narrow & thus smaller tread contact on the road is better in slippery conditions?
Ever looked at the width of the tyres rally cars run in the snow or mud vs. tarmac?
You want a tyre that has a small enough contact patch to 'sink' through the slush to the road, not a large one that will float over the top.
Same concept as boats.. ice skates.. etc.
-
Yours and Gaffers posts reminded me of last winter, and I do have a spare set of wheels.
....but then if all we get is rain it will be a waist of money anyway....won't it?
I was on a motorway slip road in the slush, using the left lane as the right lane was a mess. Car came round me like I was stood still, through the slush and everything. I remember thinking he must have full wets or winter tyres on, koz my sc3's set to to low psi where twitching around as it was.
Why did you have the tyres underinflated? That would give you an even wider, longer contact patch when what you really want is a narrower shorter contact patch to distribute the weight of the car over the smallest possible area?
What makes you think that a narrow & thus smaller tread contact on the road is better in slippery conditions?
Ever looked at the width of the tyres rally cars run in the snow or mud vs. tarmac?
You want a tyre that has a small enough contact patch to 'sink' through the slush to the road, not a large one that will float over the top.
Same concept as boats.. ice skates.. etc.
yep.. all tire shops advice narrower profile tires for snow..
-
Why not get a set of these :-
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=200432205947&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT
probably much cheaper than a set of tyres, will keep you moving in the snow and you only fit them when there's snow on the ground. :y
-
Yours and Gaffers posts reminded me of last winter, and I do have a spare set of wheels.
....but then if all we get is rain it will be a waist of money anyway....won't it?
I was on a motorway slip road in the slush, using the left lane as the right lane was a mess. Car came round me like I was stood still, through the slush and everything. I remember thinking he must have full wets or winter tyres on, koz my sc3's set to to low psi where twitching around as it was.
Why did you have the tyres underinflated? That would give you an even wider, longer contact patch when what you really want is a narrower shorter contact patch to distribute the weight of the car over the smallest possible area?
What makes you think that a narrow & thus smaller tread contact on the road is better in slippery conditions?
Ever looked at the width of the tyres rally cars run in the snow or mud vs. tarmac?
You want a tyre that has a small enough contact patch to 'sink' through the slush to the road, not a large one that will float over the top.
Same concept as boats.. ice skates.. etc.
yep.. all tire shops advice narrower profile tires for snow..
They are 245 40 18. I can't see 4 psi making much odds to the contact patch size, but will get a bit more heat in the tyre when does touch Tarmac...for what it's worth in those temperatures. Some weight in the boot does help though...
-
just a second guys....YOU DON'T USE WINTER TYRES?
i was always under impression that there is a lot of snow in UK during the winter...
-
just a second guys....YOU DON'T USE WINTER TYRES?
i was always under impression that there is a lot of snow in UK during the winter...
Last winter was exceptional. Hence the question. Winter tyres rarely used I think it's fair to say.
Thing is I don't remember snow in the south of the uk for several years otherwise...?
Remote high ground would be different I guess, but we rely on grit spreaders for the rare occasions we get snow of any significance.
-
just a second guys....YOU DON'T USE WINTER TYRES?
i was always under impression that there is a lot of snow in UK during the winter...
A lot of rain yes, snow, not as much, it's quite rare to get heavy snow fall here.
-
I seriously considered getting another 3 "spares" to fit winter tyres to but never got around to it ::) ::)
I'll probably have a scout around the shops while I'm on the "mainland" next week as IIRCC snow chains are only about 20 Euro's or so in France ;) ;) :y :y
Chris... You may well get a text from me if I find them cheap :y
-
if temperature drops below 9-10 celcius and its rainy you can use winter tires without any problem (they are more grippy)..
I'll strongly recommend..
but when the temperature goes above 15-20 celcius and its dry they will loose their teeth quickly..
-
I seriously considered getting another 3 "spares" to fit winter tyres to but never got around to it ::) ::)
I'll probably have a scout around the shops while I'm on the "mainland" next week as IIRCC snow chains are only about 20 Euro's or so in France ;) ;) :y :y
Chris... You may well get a text from me if I find them cheap :y
50+ for miggy size :y
-
I seriously considered getting another 3 "spares" to fit winter tyres to but never got around to it ::) ::)
I'll probably have a scout around the shops while I'm on the "mainland" next week as IIRCC snow chains are only about 20 Euro's or so in France ;) ;) :y :y
Chris... You may well get a text from me if I find them cheap :y
50+ for miggy size :y
Sure when I looked last December they were sub 30 in France... I'll also be passing through Belgium, Switzerland, Luxembourg and staying in Italy so got a few places to look ;)
-
Buy a set of snow chains and use them if/ when you need them.
They only take a couple of minutes to fit afaik. ;)
-
Buy a set of snow chains and use them if/ when you need them.
They only take a couple of minutes to fit afaik. ;)
not with frozen hands :-/
-
tried all sorts of things nothing is practical.. except ready winter tires.. I start to use them on november and finish on march..
-
I'm also considering buying a set of winter tyres. This year if I don't get to work, I don't get paid. Granted last year was exceptional, but if it starts getting bad again I may buy a set to go on the spare wheels.
That being said, a full tank of LPG & petrol kept it nicely stuck on the road (bar the odd slide).
-
ok...so,winter tires are a kind of enigma to you guys, right?
here in croatia we have 20-50cm of snow every year. sometimes it last for couple of days, and sometimes it lasts for a month, with lots of ice. then i can do this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KH0o_mQMlYc :D :D :D :D
as for the tires...you can manage with good set of summer tires, unless it is icy, or you have to get up a steep hill. HOWEVER, it is sooooo much easier to drive on snow tires. while others struggle to accelerate on summer tires, you don't even feel the slippery.
tip: get a set of steel 15'', buy a set of 195/65 r15 M+S snow tires, and then wait for snow....you will have a time of your lives :y :y :y
nokian produces great snow tires.
here, we usually buy SAVA ESKIMO S3...with price around 40€ per tire (195/65 r15) it is a best buy.
one more thing: NEVER buy a all-season tire...they are crap all-year-around >:( >:(
ps: winter tires need to be NARROW...so they can drop through the snow to something solid (asphalt or harder layers of snow)...
-
ok...so,winter tires are a kind of enigma to you guys, right?
here in croatia we have 20-50cm of snow every year. sometimes it last for couple of days, and sometimes it lasts for a month, with lots of ice. then i can do this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KH0o_mQMlYc :D :D :D :D
as for the tires...you can manage with good set of summer tires, unless it is icy, or you have to get up a steep hill. HOWEVER, it is sooooo much easier to drive on snow tires. while others struggle to accelerate on summer tires, you don't even feel the slippery.
tip: get a set of steel 15'', buy a set of 195/65 r15 M+S snow tires, and then wait for snow....you will have a time of your lives :y :y :y
nokian produces great snow tires.
here, we usually buy SAVA ESKIMO S3...with price around 40€ per tire (195/65 r15) it is a best buy.
one more thing: NEVER buy a all-season tire...they are crap all-year-around>:( >:(
ps: winter tires need to be NARROW...so they can drop through the snow to something solid (asphalt or harder layers of snow)...
Now that's what we want to know... :y
ESP the bit about all season tyres
-
Buy a set of snow chains and use them if/ when you need them.
They only take a couple of minutes to fit afaik. ;)
I was thinking along these lines, last year was bad but I was driving the Citroen and had no problem :y Even in a sudden 'memorable' heavy fall while out with swmbo and had to take drastic action to pass some rwd cars on a slight incline, think I was about the last car up the hill for some hours... ::) ::)
Thinking back, with the exception of a couple of Series LR's when we used to have a lot of snow and I was driving rwd cars regularly they were much narrower tyres than nowadays.... :D :D
-
Last year in the worst of the snow I took the Disco to work,
I did think about a set of winter tyres for the car on a cheap set of rims, on the basis they will last probably 5-6 years if used november to say march? they will save wear on the expensive normal tyres.
-
3 years ago we had some snow which froze up over night. they didn't plow it.
at that time i had a carlton 2.0 with 205/60 r16 avons summer tires. that night was crazy: i could accelerate, and drive, although the rear end was swiveling all the time and constant correcting steering was needed.
Next morning i switched to winter tires: 175/70 r14 nokians. the car was going like on tracks. nothing could stop it! :y :y
therefore, narrow winter tires, and preferably set of cheap rims, which are needed because you will probably have an urge to drive on snow like a child in a luna-park. and sometimes you hit a kerb-stone, pots on a road and all other stuff you can't see because of the snow. if that happens, you will be happy because of the couple-of-quid rims you fitted.
-
What fitment are the Omega wheels, and where would I be able to find some cheap steelies to fit some winter rubber?
-
Omega's are 5x110.
-
What fitment are the Omega wheels, and where would I be able to find some cheap steelies to fit some winter rubber?
scrap yards...
-
I'm buying a pair of tyres tomorrow. I will have a look at what MandS tyres they might have. I suspect that the V or W rating will rule a lot out.
I got stuck in snow here (Spain) last winter and had to walk the last mile home. The biggest problem is MUD. After it rains it gets washed onto the roads and is just like black ice. Oh and using the car off road as a tractor doesn't help.
-
some years ago I bought Goodyear Eagle Ventura.. The pattern was good even for winter..
As my old ex was a fwd it pulls without problem..
But on a winter day, The lights suddenly turned to yellow then red and the car in front of me (was abit far though) decided to stop.. ;D
tried the brakes and oops no brakes ;D
the only option was to beep him and I tried , tried and he saw me from the mirror skating into his rear :o and moved even it was red ;D
so it was a iucky escape.. after that time, I never used summer tires again in winter..
-
TBH, I had very little problems last year in the bad weather. Biggest issue for me was actually ground clearance as the snow on our road was over the bottom of the bumper line!
-
Last year mine was absolutely lethal in the snow and I mangled the front wing against my garage wall.
I have seen part worn winter tyres going very cheap at times so may go down this route, or some chains
-
this is something ive thought about too as ive got some spare alloys and wondered about putting some 'winter' wheels on in those difficult months. being RWD we had no end of trouble up and down gradients last year, driving the cavalier as FWD was so much easier. maybe i should stick to a winter car instead of tyres hahaha!
-
Last year mine was absolutely lethal in the snow and I mangled the front wing against my garage wall.
I have seen part worn winter tyres going very cheap at times so may go down this route, or some chains
Cems earlier link re bridgestones winter tyres review talks about a wear limit mark about half way down the tread meaning they will not perform to the same level from that point on, plus given they operate at much lower temps I would be concerned part worn winter tires may have been cooked...?
-
You think it's bad driving a car as heavy (and long wheelbase) as the Omega - I was driving the MR2 home the night of the heavy snowfall in Feb (I moved house in the heavy snowfall of December ;D ) .. by the time I'd made it from Epsom to Bracknell you could no longer see the road - I got stuck 100yds from my house as I turned a corner from 'slightly driven on' snow to 'virgin snow' and the front end sank in to it like a snowplough ;D But by heck was it hard getting up the hilly bits to my road; short wheelbase RWD cars like to swap ends fast!
Fortunately two passers by came and dug me out of the drift and we managed to 'dig' the car to my driveway.. where it remained for nearly three weeks before I could get it out again ;D
-
You think it's bad driving a car as heavy (and long wheelbase) as the Omega - I was driving the MR2 home the night of the heavy snowfall in Feb (I moved house in the heavy snowfall of December ;D ) .. by the time I'd made it from Epsom to Bracknell you could no longer see the road - I got stuck 100yds from my house as I turned a corner from 'slightly driven on' snow to 'virgin snow' and the front end sank in to it like a snowplough ;D But by heck was it hard getting up the hilly bits to my road; short wheelbase RWD cars like to swap ends fast!
Fortunately two passers by came and dug me out of the drift and we managed to 'dig' the car to my driveway.. where it remained for nearly three weeks before I could get it out again ;D
That night was bad, day workers left at 5 and came back to work again by 7, slough was totally grid locked, my boss left slough at 4, early enough to gat half way up the m4 and sit for 5 hours in traffic turn round back to slough and get the train to Bracknell.
I thought stuff that and worked two shifts back to back and drove home at 6am in relatively calm conditions. Must have been 50 lorries parked on the m4 and three times that many cars along the back roads, bedlam.
Car was skipping around all over the place though, and the abs is shite in ice and snow.
But these conditions are exceptional in the uk in recent years, as said, if we only get rain this year we will be waisting our time and money surely? Or not?
-
short wheelbase RWD cars like to swap ends fast!
<whistles>
Move along.. Nothing to see here... :-[
Kevin
-
Yours and Gaffers posts reminded me of last winter, and I do have a spare set of wheels.
....but then if all we get is rain it will be a waist of money anyway....won't it?
I was on a motorway slip road in the slush, using the left lane as the right lane was a mess. Car came round me like I was stood still, through the slush and everything. I remember thinking he must have full wets or winter tyres on, koz my sc3's set to to low psi where twitching around as it was.
Why did you have the tyres underinflated? That would give you an even wider, longer contact patch when what you really want is a narrower shorter contact patch to distribute the weight of the car over the smallest possible area?
What makes you think that a narrow & thus smaller tread contact on the road is better in slippery conditions?
Ever looked at the width of the tyres rally cars run in the snow or mud vs. tarmac?
You want a tyre that has a small enough contact patch to 'sink' through the slush to the road, not a large one that will float over the top.
Same concept as boats.. ice skates.. etc.
All good stuff if you can plan aheadnd the weatherer forecasts are corect, this is the UK so planning doesnt allways work, Twice from what I can remember I have seen 6 to 8 inches of snow fall in a few hours and catch everyone out, so if dropping the tyre pressures is the best that can be done then so be it.
-
Yours and Gaffers posts reminded me of last winter, and I do have a spare set of wheels.
....but then if all we get is rain it will be a waist of money anyway....won't it?
I was on a motorway slip road in the slush, using the left lane as the right lane was a mess. Car came round me like I was stood still, through the slush and everything. I remember thinking he must have full wets or winter tyres on, koz my sc3's set to to low psi where twitching around as it was.
Why did you have the tyres underinflated? That would give you an even wider, longer contact patch when what you really want is a narrower shorter contact patch to distribute the weight of the car over the smallest possible area?
What makes you think that a narrow & thus smaller tread contact on the road is better in slippery conditions?
Ever looked at the width of the tyres rally cars run in the snow or mud vs. tarmac?
You want a tyre that has a small enough contact patch to 'sink' through the slush to the road, not a large one that will float over the top.
Same concept as boats.. ice skates.. etc.
All good stuff if you can plan aheadnd the weatherer forecasts are corect, this is the UK so planning doesnt allways work, Twice from what I can remember I have seen 6 to 8 inches of snow fall in a few hours and catch everyone out, so if dropping the tyre pressures is the best that can be done then so be it.
Remember Jeremey Clarkson in his Iceland trip crossing the glassiers in the fog, big automatic tranmission vans with 235+ width tyres being run at 4 psi, if i was to follow anyone's addvice it would be from them as we would be travelling at thier speeds in the UK to get home, not running WRX subaru's doing 80 mph broadside in the snow on skinny tyres.
-
Yours and Gaffers posts reminded me of last winter, and I do have a spare set of wheels.
....but then if all we get is rain it will be a waist of money anyway....won't it?
I was on a motorway slip road in the slush, using the left lane as the right lane was a mess. Car came round me like I was stood still, through the slush and everything. I remember thinking he must have full wets or winter tyres on, koz my sc3's set to to low psi where twitching around as it was.
Why did you have the tyres underinflated? That would give you an even wider, longer contact patch when what you really want is a narrower shorter contact patch to distribute the weight of the car over the smallest possible area?
What makes you think that a narrow & thus smaller tread contact on the road is better in slippery conditions?
Ever looked at the width of the tyres rally cars run in the snow or mud vs. tarmac?
You want a tyre that has a small enough contact patch to 'sink' through the slush to the road, not a large one that will float over the top.
Same concept as boats.. ice skates.. etc.
All good stuff if you can plan aheadnd the weatherer forecasts are corect, this is the UK so planning doesnt allways work, Twice from what I can remember I have seen 6 to 8 inches of snow fall in a few hours and catch everyone out, so if dropping the tyre pressures is the best that can be done then so be it.
Better idea is to have a set of snow chains in the boot, they take about 2 minutes to fit, you drive off the bad stuff onto the good stuff, then remove them, another 2 minutes. This protects your tyres. From November onwards my snowchains are there... not used often, but available when needed, and the only time they have been needed is to get on/off the estate, as the council never grit/clear side roads, but the main road 200 yards away is always done. Snow/ice tyres are fantastic .. in snow/ice... but poor on cleared surfaces .. and lets be honest.. the roads we generally drive on are clear more often than not.
-
I had no worries last year, the trick was to put some weight in the boot
-
Remember Jeremey Clarkson in his Iceland trip crossing the glassiers in the fog, big automatic tranmission vans with 235+ width tyres being run at 4 psi, if i was to follow anyone's addvice it would be from them as we would be travelling at thier speeds in the UK to get home, not running WRX subaru's doing 80 mph broadside in the snow on skinny tyres.
Yes, but I doubt you can fit tyres that wide to an Omega! They're not 235+ they're more like 335+ I think..
And the reason they don't want skinny narrow tyres to sink through the snow to the hard underneath is that there is no hard underneath - you'd sink a good few meters before stopping..
Which would somewhat nullify the effect of skinny tyres when the car is sat on it's floorpan ;)
Incidentally I was reading some newspaper in the kebab shop this lunchtime; they're saying we'll have snow before the end of September this year! ;D
-
Didn't have much luck with the Spanish tyre shop with respect to M and S tyres. I did however get a real shock as my car has been MOTd here 4 times and passed each time despite having the "wrong rated tyres fitted". I arrived with W from Britain and replaced them with V's as I believed that the 2.5 Elites could have either V or W. Maybe so in Britain but here your Spanish V5 created when the car is reregistered shows W so that is it.
Well not quite as the V5 Notes also show 15 inch rims with H rating are OK. The guy at the tyre shop said Absurdo I agree.
I think for Britain snow chains is your practical answer.
-
You think it's bad driving a car as heavy (and long wheelbase) as the Omega - I was driving the MR2 home the night of the heavy snowfall in Feb (I moved house in the heavy snowfall of December ;D ) .. by the time I'd made it from Epsom to Bracknell you could no longer see the road - I got stuck 100yds from my house as I turned a corner from 'slightly driven on' snow to 'virgin snow' and the front end sank in to it like a snowplough ;D But by heck was it hard getting up the hilly bits to my road; short wheelbase RWD cars like to swap ends fast!
Fortunately two passers by came and dug me out of the drift and we managed to 'dig' the car to my driveway.. where it remained for nearly three weeks before I could get it out again ;D
That night was bad, day workers left at 5 and came back to work again by 7, slough was totally grid locked, my boss left slough at 4, early enough to gat half way up the m4 and sit for 5 hours in traffic turn round back to slough and get the train to Bracknell.
I thought stuff that and worked two shifts back to back and drove home at 6am in relatively calm conditions. Must have been 50 lorries parked on the m4 and three times that many cars along the back roads, bedlam.
Car was skipping around all over the place though, and the abs is shite in ice and snow.
But these conditions are exceptional in the uk in recent years, as said, if we only get rain this year we will be waisting our time and money surely? Or not?
nope .. winter tires are more grippy and much much better on a rainy wet surface then the summer tires..
(remember their compound are designed to be soft on low temperatures..)
and I can say the same even on dry..
but the drawback is/are
1 - you will consume more fuel
2- your acceleration will get worse..
3- your tire life will shorten..
-
short wheelbase RWD cars like to swap ends fast!
<whistles>
Move along.. Nothing to see here... :-[
I said nothing.. [smiley=engel017.gif] :-X
-
Pretty sure Debs swaps summer and winter tyres - hardly suprising where she is, she needs em....
may be able to give you some pointers.
Indeed, I do have a set of M & S (or should that be S & M?) boots. [smiley=evil.gif]
I use Vredstein Snowtrac II (which I believe are of Dutch origin) and work well in soft or packed snow; but even on sheet ice they do help a little, mainly because they`re a relatively soft compound even at -18C.; whereas at such low temps., 'ordinary' tyres become very hard and non-tractive.
When things get REALLY tough on roads with hills and where the ice is 'polished'; then snow chains are really required (even with M & S tyres).
IMPE: a quality-set of 'easy to fit' snow chains for the rear wheels (and fitted BEFORE you get stuck) will get an Omega pretty much anywhere without any fuss or bother (going forwards or backwards) on any kind of snow or ice and for only the cost of one winter tyre. :y
The pup-mobile sporting it`s Winter gear, with just a light dusting on the ground; last Winter the snow was 3ft. deep where the car is parked in the picture!
(http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj241/CleverCollies/InthedeepMigWinter.jpg)
-
You think it's bad driving a car as heavy (and long wheelbase) as the Omega - I was driving the MR2 home the night of the heavy snowfall in Feb (I moved house in the heavy snowfall of December ;D ) .. by the time I'd made it from Epsom to Bracknell you could no longer see the road - I got stuck 100yds from my house as I turned a corner from 'slightly driven on' snow to 'virgin snow' and the front end sank in to it like a snowplough ;D But by heck was it hard getting up the hilly bits to my road; short wheelbase RWD cars like to swap ends fast!
Fortunately two passers by came and dug me out of the drift and we managed to 'dig' the car to my driveway.. where it remained for nearly three weeks before I could get it out again ;D
That night was bad, day workers left at 5 and came back to work again by 7, slough was totally grid locked, my boss left slough at 4, early enough to gat half way up the m4 and sit for 5 hours in traffic turn round back to slough and get the train to Bracknell.
I thought stuff that and worked two shifts back to back and drove home at 6am in relatively calm conditions. Must have been 50 lorries parked on the m4 and three times that many cars along the back roads, bedlam.
Car was skipping around all over the place though, and the abs is shite in ice and snow.
But these conditions are exceptional in the uk in recent years, as said, if we only get rain this year we will be waisting our time and money surely? Or not?
nope .. winter tires are more grippy and much much better on a rainy wet surface then the summer tires..
(remember their compound are designed to be soft on low temperatures..)
and I can say the same even on dry..
but the drawback is/are
1 - you will consume more fuel
2- your acceleration will get worse..
3- your tire life will shorten..
Thanks Cem, much like racing wets then? i have a pair on spare wheels for the bike, maybe i should just fit them and take the bike to work instead......NOT. ;)
-
Can't decide if I should be looking for a set of 235/45/17's and fit them to my spare alloys or get some smaller steel wheels and appropriate sized tyres....
Money Money Money ::)
-
Pretty sure Debs swaps summer and winter tyres - hardly suprising where she is, she needs em....
may be able to give you some pointers.
Indeed, I do have a set of M & S (or should that be S & M?) boots. [smiley=evil.gif]
I use Vredstein Snowtrac II (which I believe are of Dutch origin) and work well in soft or packed snow; but even on sheet ice they do help a little, mainly because they`re a relatively soft compound even at -18C.; whereas at such low temps., 'ordinary' tyres become very hard and non-tractive.
When things get REALLY tough on roads with hills and where the ice is 'polished'; then snow chains are really required (even with M & S tyres).
IMPE: a quality-set of 'easy to fit' snow chains for the rear wheels (and fitted BEFORE you get stuck) will get an Omega pretty much anywhere without any fuss or bother (going forwards or backwards) on any kind of snow or ice and for only the cost of one winter tyre. :y
The pup-mobile sporting it`s Winter gear, with just a light dusting on the ground; last Winter the snow was 3ft. deep where the car is parked in the picture!
(http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj241/CleverCollies/InthedeepMigWinter.jpg)
yep.. if you are trying to climb a long "polished" hill you will need chains or some other type..
however in cities mostly normal winter tires are adequate unless your daily path includes some steep hills..
but I must say I would prefer either a studded tire or new plastic type chains.. real chains are awful on asphalt and damage the joints quickly unless covered with thick snow.. :-/
-
here are the tires I use;
this one, for miggy without studs (ice type)
(http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x80/mecdv6/ug500.jpg)
this one for clit
(http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x80/mecdv6/ug7.jpg)
and this for passing snowy mountains..
(http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x80/mecdv6/kaucukzincir.jpg)
but the last one I never find chance to use.. :-/
even when passing the mountains (last year)
-
I had some chunky M + S tyres, thet were colway remoulds on 3 series BMW steel rims chucked on a 3 Viva that was bought as a run arround.
These tyres were bloody fantastic and would easily get me out of 6/8" snow from standstill. Downside was onece the roads were clear the wore fairly rapidly, and were very noisy due to the tread pattern. I would love a similar pattern tyre again if the severe snow was likely to return.
-
I had some chunky M + S tyres, thet were colway remoulds on 3 series BMW steel rims chucked on a 3 Viva that was bought as a run arround.
These tyres were bloody fantastic and would easily get me out of 6/8" snow from standstill. Downside was onece the roads were clear the wore fairly rapidly, and were very noisy due to the tread pattern. I would love a similar pattern tyre again if the severe snow was likely to return.
if the temperature is above 15 celcius (approx depending on the tire )
-
You think it's bad driving a car as heavy (and long wheelbase) as the Omega - I was driving the MR2 home the night of the heavy snowfall in Feb (I moved house in the heavy snowfall of December ;D ) .. by the time I'd made it from Epsom to Bracknell you could no longer see the road - I got stuck 100yds from my house as I turned a corner from 'slightly driven on' snow to 'virgin snow' and the front end sank in to it like a snowplough ;D But by heck was it hard getting up the hilly bits to my road; short wheelbase RWD cars like to swap ends fast!
Fortunately two passers by came and dug me out of the drift and we managed to 'dig' the car to my driveway.. where it remained for nearly three weeks before I could get it out again ;D
That night was bad, day workers left at 5 and came back to work again by 7, slough was totally grid locked, my boss left slough at 4, early enough to gat half way up the m4 and sit for 5 hours in traffic turn round back to slough and get the train to Bracknell.
I thought stuff that and worked two shifts back to back and drove home at 6am in relatively calm conditions. Must have been 50 lorries parked on the m4 and three times that many cars along the back roads, bedlam.
Car was skipping around all over the place though, and the abs is shite in ice and snow.
But these conditions are exceptional in the uk in recent years, as said, if we only get rain this year we will be waisting our time and money surely? Or not?
nope .. winter tires are more grippy and much much better on a rainy wet surface then the summer tires..
(remember their compound are designed to be soft on low temperatures..)
and I can say the same even on dry..
but the drawback is/are
1 - you will consume more fuel
2- your acceleration will get worse..
3- your tire life will shorten..
1 - Potentially, yes. But my experience is you spend more time sitting around going no where in winter conditions so fuel consumption always hurts :)
2 - How / Why? Assuming the rolling radius is the same, the tyre weights are the same and there's no slip, I can't see why that would be the case.
3 - It's nice to look at the tread life a different way. Unless you're doing epic miles winter tyres will last a good 2-3 seaons, and that's 2 or 3 winters you're not eating your expensive summer tyres or corroding your favourite alloys :)
This winter tyre buying guide (http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Article/2010-Winter-Tyres-Buying-Guide.htm) has led me to really want to try those Contis, I hope we get some snow this year so I can really test them out :D
-
2 - How / Why? Assuming the rolling radius is the same, the tyre weights are the same and there's no slip, I can't see why that would be the case.
Physics, I believe.. Tyres with a higher coefficient of friction (i.e. more grip) require more energy to move the rubber over the road surface.
That's why 'energy saver' tyres have about the same grip as the plastic wheels on a tonka toy - the opposite effect to snow tyres.
AFAIK.
-
there is an old saying:
ANY WINTER TIRE IS BETTER THAN BEST SUMMER TIRE.
(on snow, of course).
-
Hmmm, saving summer tyres is at the back of my mind, sport stars with sc3's add up to pretty penny.
Also re snow chains, I don't know about where you live, but round here when it snows there is nowhere, and I mean nowhere to stop and fit or remove them without causing a tale back. Clear roads are in constant use, and uncleared roads risk trapping the car without chains. On the face of it they don't seem practical in urban areas....?
-
and it is not recommended to drive on clear roads with chains fitted.
-
here are the tires I use;
this one, for miggy without studs (ice type)
(http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x80/mecdv6/ug500.jpg)
this one for clit
(http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x80/mecdv6/ug7.jpg)
and this for passing snowy mountains..
(http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x80/mecdv6/kaucukzincir.jpg)
but the last one I never find chance to use.. :-/
even when passing the mountains (last year)
What size do you fit to the omega Cem? As Andy says, do we need steels to accept a smaller sizes or do winter tires come in sizes approaching 235 45 17? Or is that size too big for that application?
-
there are winter tires in 235/45 r17 dimension, but they are quite expensive (around 200€ a piece).
also, you have to pay a fitment of tires on rims every time you go from winter set to summer one and vice-versa...
-
Camskill do a large range of winter tyres, but yes.. 235/45R17 are expensive at Ł130 a pop: http://www.camskill.co.uk/products.php?plid=m11b0s639p5853
(All sizes available: http://www.camskill.co.uk/products.php?plid=m11b0s0p0 )
-
Now this is the part where it all gets stupid.
I would be tempted to get 4 spare wheels and run the spare wheel size of 195/65/15 I believe they are (I stand corrected if I am wrong)
But what happens regards insurance if you have a bump with standard tyres on versus having a set of snow tyres or even chains fitted. As neither of these are factory standard supply.
-
I do have a set of steels in the garage for really bad weather with 15" chunky tread on them, but didn't have to use them much here last year. Did use them in the snow once, and it did make a shed load of difference.
trouble was.......looked crap, and made a load of road noise when it was dry, but compromises have to be made, and i do live near a large forest..................
-
You think it's bad driving a car as heavy (and long wheelbase) as the Omega - I was driving the MR2 home the night of the heavy snowfall in Feb (I moved house in the heavy snowfall of December ;D ) .. by the time I'd made it from Epsom to Bracknell you could no longer see the road - I got stuck 100yds from my house as I turned a corner from 'slightly driven on' snow to 'virgin snow' and the front end sank in to it like a snowplough ;D But by heck was it hard getting up the hilly bits to my road; short wheelbase RWD cars like to swap ends fast!
Fortunately two passers by came and dug me out of the drift and we managed to 'dig' the car to my driveway.. where it remained for nearly three weeks before I could get it out again ;D
That night was bad, day workers left at 5 and came back to work again by 7, slough was totally grid locked, my boss left slough at 4, early enough to gat half way up the m4 and sit for 5 hours in traffic turn round back to slough and get the train to Bracknell.
I thought stuff that and worked two shifts back to back and drove home at 6am in relatively calm conditions. Must have been 50 lorries parked on the m4 and three times that many cars along the back roads, bedlam.
Car was skipping around all over the place though, and the abs is shite in ice and snow.
But these conditions are exceptional in the uk in recent years, as said, if we only get rain this year we will be waisting our time and money surely? Or not?
nope .. winter tires are more grippy and much much better on a rainy wet surface then the summer tires..
(remember their compound are designed to be soft on low temperatures..)
and I can say the same even on dry..
but the drawback is/are
1 - you will consume more fuel
2- your acceleration will get worse..
3- your tire life will shorten..
1 - Potentially, yes. But my experience is you spend more time sitting around going no where in winter conditions so fuel consumption always hurts :)
2 - How / Why? Assuming the rolling radius is the same, the tyre weights are the same and there's no slip, I can't see why that would be the case.
reason is rolling resistance of winter tires are higher..
3 - It's nice to look at the tread life a different way. Unless you're doing epic miles winter tyres will last a good 2-3 seaons, and that's 2 or 3 winters you're not eating your expensive summer tyres or corroding your favourite alloys :)
I generally use them minimum 4 seasons..
This winter tyre buying guide (http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Article/2010-Winter-Tyres-Buying-Guide.htm) has led me to really want to try those Contis, I hope we get some snow this year so I can really test them out :D
-
Hmmm, saving summer tyres is at the back of my mind, sport stars with sc3's add up to pretty penny.
Also re snow chains, I don't know about where you live, but round here when it snows there is nowhere, and I mean nowhere to stop and fit or remove them without causing a tale back. Clear roads are in constant use, and uncleared roads risk trapping the car without chains. On the face of it they don't seem practical in urban areas....?
changing to chains back and forth is tedious .. if you dont change when on clear surfaces they damage the suspension system and joints..
so I always prefer winter tires or if its critical, use studded tires (even thats much better for vibration and shaking even with new studs I had them before and tested )
and I hate changing to chains when its -10 outside..
-
here are the tires I use;
this one, for miggy without studs (ice type)
(http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x80/mecdv6/ug500.jpg)
this one for clit
(http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x80/mecdv6/ug7.jpg)
and this for passing snowy mountains..
(http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x80/mecdv6/kaucukzincir.jpg)
but the last one I never find chance to use.. :-/
even when passing the mountains (last year)
What size do you fit to the omega Cem? As Andy says, do we need steels to accept a smaller sizes or do winter tires come in sizes approaching 235 45 17? Or is that size too big for that application?
I'm using 195/65/15 on different alloys (originals -meaning I use 2 different sets ready on alloys because changing tires in every season damages the alloys) ready to use and well pleased with them..
of course you can use 235 size and you can find them but they are a fortune here (approx 180-190Ł each for that size-here).. And imo not necessary when cheapo 195 or 205 can do the job.. :y
ps: tire shops do advice 195-205 mostly for winter..
-
I do have a set of steels in the garage for really bad weather with 15" chunky tread on them, but didn't have to use them much here last year. Did use them in the snow once, and it did make a shed load of difference.
trouble was.......looked crap, and made a load of road noise when it was dry, but compromises have to be made, and i do live near a large forest..................
yes winter tires are winter tires they do make difference..
not an ad but honestly goodyear and bridgestone doesnt make any road noise when you are on dry..
(if you are not using them at 35-40 celcius of course ;D )
and definitely stay away from micheline alpines.. they do skate.. :(
In my job generally I buy tires for friends .. we have all sorts..
but I only hear from friends thay didint like the performance of micheline alpines but that was not my advice ;D
-
Now this is the part where it all gets stupid.
I would be tempted to get 4 spare wheels and run the spare wheel size of 195/65/15 I believe they are (I stand corrected if I am wrong)
But what happens regards insurance if you have a bump with standard tyres on versus having a set of snow tyres or even chains fitted. As neither of these are factory standard supply.
as far as I know insurances (also here) cant have any claims as winter tires or chains are accepted as extra safety for cars :-/
-
Now this is the part where it all gets stupid.
I would be tempted to get 4 spare wheels and run the spare wheel size of 195/65/15 I believe they are (I stand corrected if I am wrong)
But what happens regards insurance if you have a bump with standard tyres on versus having a set of snow tyres or even chains fitted. As neither of these are factory standard supply.
don't know about the uk, but over here, when we have winter tires in dimension different from those that is written in registration papers, we go to the MOT station, where they write it in as an additional dimension...
ps. 195/65 r15 m+s was available as an option tire for opel omega.