Volvo Xc90 Vanquished By My Little Rav4

[NMaria]

Turned into our drive the other night - found it was blocked by the neighbour's Volvo XC90 sitting on frozen compacted snow with wheels spinning, gently moving to and fro - but not forwards.

Pottered past in my trusty RAV4, onto our own house about half a mile along, back with a tow rope but also real doubt as to whether I would be able to drag that tank several hundred yards uphill in those conditions.

You know what's coming next - no wheel spin, no diff lock needed, no fanfare - it just did it.

When the going gets tough, etc.

[webleymk3]

Yes! That is sweet.

What tyres you using?

[NMaria]

Yes! That is sweet.

What tyres you using?

The same sort that it came with when new: Yokohama Geolandar G91. There is only 4mm tread left on them, but they still perform very well. I used to live quite remotely in the north of Scotland and am now in rural Cumbria so have encountered plenty of snow, ice and water but never felt the need for more knobbly tyres - these give very good grip in all conditions, I find.

[igormus]

Yes! That is sweet.

What tyres you using?

The same sort that it came with when new: Yokohama Geolandar G91. There is only 4mm tread left on them, but they still perform very well. I used to live quite remotely in the north of Scotland and am now in rural Cumbria so have encountered plenty of snow, ice and water but never felt the need for more knobbly tyres - these give very good grip in all conditions, I find.

Maria hi

these tyres are good in fact -- mine have gone 53k (kms) and the 6 mm tread is still on them. I hope they will serve more 30k. But i can not use them in our winter for safety reasons. CHeers/Igor

[webleymk3]

Hit 1.5 ft of untouched snow going up a hill today and she didn't make it. Bit disappointed. Although the g91s at the rear only have 2mm left on them so that wouldn't have helped.

Hopefully get some AT/Ss soon.

[mick1020]

Hit 1.5 ft of untouched snow going up a hill today and she didn't make it. Bit disappointed. Although the g91s at the rear only have 2mm left on them so that wouldn't have helped.

Hopefully get some AT/Ss soon.

Did you try the LOCK button :D :D

[Davrav]

Hit 1.5 ft of untouched snow going up a hill today and she didn't make it. Bit disappointed. Although the g91s at the rear only have 2mm left on them so that wouldn't have helped.

Hopefully get some AT/Ss soon.

2mm tread in 18" of snow..............you're not playing fair

Changed my rears last week having had a buttock clenching moment on 1/2 inch powder snow over black ice

[webleymk3]

Hit 1.5 ft of untouched snow going up a hill today and she didn't make it. Bit disappointed. Although the g91s at the rear only have 2mm left on them so that wouldn't have helped.

Hopefully get some AT/Ss soon.

Did you try the LOCK button :D :D

Yes I did and to no avail. Very disappointed!

[bluevortex]

Turned into our drive the other night - found it was blocked by the neighbour's Volvo XC90 sitting on frozen compacted snow with wheels spinning, gently moving to and fro - but not forwards.

Pottered past in my trusty RAV4, onto our own house about half a mile along, back with a tow rope but also real doubt as to whether I would be able to drag that tank several hundred yards uphill in those conditions.

You know what's coming next - no wheel spin, no diff lock needed, no fanfare - it just did it.

When the going gets tough, etc.

I'm not surprised. My brother in law has a XC90 D5 and reports are that its crap in snow. Apparenly, all over the place, nearly caused a collision on more than one occasion. My sister say she prefers to drive the 1998 freelander GS instead of the Volvo. My brother in law is trying to source snow tyres to improve performance in snow, not sure how he's managing with that. The XC90 is a big lump of gas guzzling car. Now where as nimble as the Rav4. Simple case of physics against tyres

Blue

[bitman]

swmbo was called as she is a contracting nurse to come in a hospital as no staff could come in. needless to say she drives a rav 4

[NMaria]

Our neighbour has a tyre and exhaust emporium, and says that winter tyres have just about doubled in price in the last couple of weeks and are now rarer than hen's teeth, not only because of demand in this country, but also because they are now a legal requirement in some European mainland countries. He reckons that a lot of people from eastern Europe who live in the UK and are travelling back to their own countries (for Christmas?) are having to buy wintertyres in the UK before they set off, in order to avoid being penalised in Western Europe for driving with summer tyres. And now there's none left (winter tyres, that is).

My husband drives a Mercedes C class which is not really the best in these conditions (that's a deliberate understatement in order to spare his feelings). Poor thing (the car, that is) has not moved since the bad weather started. He now fancies an ML, thinking he will get the same sort of performance out of it on snow and ice as I do out of the RAV. Any views, folks...??? Is it me, or are the actually fewer MLs, BMW X5s, XC90s and Cayennes out there than in summer?

[MarsKy]

They have brought in tougher laws in Germany recently - a fine if you don't use them, and a fine and points if you are involved in an accident.

Also, places like MyTyres advertise across Europe, so we are competing with everyone else. The Conti snow tyres I ordered a week ago have jumped £200 a set by today. And there are Nokian ones which look like they have jumped £75 each.

There is very heavy snow in the central belt of Scotland as I type, and my Contis should be delivered today. But I can't see the courier getting through. There's irony for you... :)

[MarsKy]

Out of curiousity, I phoned Mr T to ask how much to fit a new set of tyre pressure sensors to my new snow tyres and wheels for my T180: £775.50.

£125 for the valve sensor. £40 per wheel to fit sensor and tyre, and register sensor. Plus VAT.

I politely declined.

[ZX Raziel]

Out of curiousity, I phoned Mr T to ask how much to fit a new set of tyre pressure sensors to my new snow tyres and wheels for my T180: £775.50.

£125 for the valve sensor. £40 per wheel to fit sensor and tyre, and register sensor. Plus VAT.

I politely declined.

My bosses wife and her daughter they both own Audi Q7 , with 19 inch alloys and summer tyres and they are struggling too , on the other hand i am getting very fitt from pushing them all the time , but after i explained the advantages of winter tyres boss ordered two sets for them ( i think the tyre shops should pay me commision )

[Guest]

All tyres seem to have jumped in price, even the Geolandars G91A have gone up in price, might need a pair in a couple of months so I will hold off and see what the prices do, as for winter tyres, snow what snow? None here in Berkshire just a frost oh and fog.

Gus

[MarsKy]

All tyres seem to have jumped in price, even the Geolandars G91A have gone up in price, might need a pair in a couple of months so I will hold off and see what the prices do, as for winter tyres, snow what snow? None here in Berkshire just a frost oh and fog.

Gus

Come on up and play in the central belt - if you can.

A good foot of snow fell this morning at rush hour. Total gridlock, including motorways. I've never seen it this bad.

[Guest]

Come on up and play in the central belt - if you can.

A good foot of snow fell this morning at rush hour. Total gridlock, including motorways. I've never seen it this bad.

Just had a phone call, I will be in Edinburgh next week!!! I bet you I will get up and find you guys have only had a heavy frost

[Davrav]

All tyres seem to have jumped in price, even the Geolandars G91A have gone up in price, might need a pair in a couple of months so I will hold off and see what the prices do, as for winter tyres, snow what snow? None here in Berkshire just a frost oh and fog.

Gus

Hi Gus,

Have you tried Blackcircles?

Had two fitted last week and they were £16.61p cheaper than the ones I had fitted in March this year [£123.22 each this time]

[NMaria]

Out of curiousity, I phoned Mr T to ask how much to fit a new set of tyre pressure sensors to my new snow tyres and wheels for my T180: £775.50.

£125 for the valve sensor. £40 per wheel to fit sensor and tyre, and register sensor. Plus VAT.

I politely declined.

My word, that's a lot of money! I hope these things are a luxury rather than a necessity. For £775 you don't mind periodically applying a tyre pressure gauge to the valves, I imagine.

I shall need new tyres on my RAV in the next 5k miles or so but I'm going to try to hold off until spring is here and prices for tyres have gone back to normal. If they do - you know what it's like sometimes, once prices have gone up.

Also heard that the demand for 4WDs has soared in the last week or so. Strange how suddenly we 4WDrivers aren't social pariahs and enemy No. 1 of the environment any more.

[MarsKy]

My word, that's a lot of money! I hope these things are a luxury rather than a necessity. For £775 you don't mind periodically applying a tyre pressure gauge to the valves, I imagine.

Bit of a useless luxury. Come 2012, all new cars in the EU will be required to have a TPMS though. Primarily for fuel efficiency reasons.

3mm minimum is recommended for driving in winter (1.6mm is legal minimum). If your tyres can last that long, then spring would be the better buying time.

It's absolute chaos now - folk are getting ready to stay overnight in their cars.

[bitman]

just buy your winter tires in the summer :!Removed!: