Another Tyre Question, But Different...

[Davepax]

I don't understand all this stuff about winter tyres, IMHO I don't think they are necessary in this country, last winter I drove around with a set of bridgstone duellers with about 4mm on them in 3 foot of snow, no probs at all. I've now got a set of all terrain tyres which I didn't get for the snow but in all honesty I got them because they just look mint I do a little bit of the muddy stuff though and will probably notice a difference there. Winter tyres will ware down quicker if you're driving on bare tarmac and let's face it even in winter in the uk most of the time it is bare tarmac you will be driving on. in the far north of Scotland maybe but I still wouldn't waste my money.

I'm not trying to be a party pooper, if you want them then go get them They also look mint even if the the Xmas turkey does last longer :)

Firstly lets just get one thing straight.. Modern winter tyres simply do not wear like the ones of Years gone by !!! Most of the modern or late generation tyres can last just as long as normal tyres even if used all year round .......

Its all dependant on Your needs and influences like mileage Importance of making that journey or not... Confidence when jumping in the car at 5 in the morning with a 360 mile trip in front of You.....

Its a fact that all weather tyres WILL wear faster than winter ones on roads when the temperature drops below 7 degrees..

Winter tyres will out brake a normal tyre by up to 70% in poor conditions.

They Will go around a corner where a normal tyre will not !! Hedge anyone ??

Grip in just wet conditions is far greater than a normal tyre by a good margin...

Safety is way better and safety is paramount as far as I am concerned ..

If Your journeys are short.. And if the journey does not matter and if safety is a secondary issue then You do not need them.....

The tyre rules in country's like Germany are more stringent for many reasons .. Safety is one of the main things.. Their weather being worse of course is another !!

If You look at this tyre You will see lots of extra grooves or sipes.. the tread blocks them selves have extra sipes to disperse water and snow generate heat which will make the tyre work.. They also have extra silica's that help grip the surface .. It is the silicas that determine wear rates and its in this area that the tyre have advanced greatly in the past 3 years or so....

These tyres are completely different to all terrain tyres !!

Wee Charlie.

Hi Charlie

You do make winter tyres sound fabulous but I'm afraid you won't convince me. Winter tyres these days may not wear as much as the ones in the past but I still don't believe they are necessary in the uk. They are a complete waste of money and with respect this is only my opinion, if having winter tyres makes you feel more confident and safe then great.

Cheers

Dave

[Davepax]

I've gone for the General Grabber AT, they certainly look great and they've had some good reports. Tyres unless fitted with studs won't really get you much more traction on ice, winter,AT or normal and stopping just depends on how fast you're going. Like I said, last winter I was driving in 3 feet of snow in the most appalling conditions with 4mm of none aggressive tread. The Rav handled it without any problems at all.

Sorry but the above is completely an hopelessly wrong !! Speed of course determines the stopping distance but the right tyres will stop You so much faster or should I say in a far shorter distance !!

Wee Charlie.

I drive a 44 tonne truck, 6 axles (ABS), you would think with all that, there wouldn't be any chance of skidding, but the truth is a 44 tonne truck will skid on ice in a blink of an eye. Now I know you're driving a Rav with winter tyres on and they may give you a bit more traction when braking but If it was me there is no way I would put my faith in tyres of any sort on ice. Believe me, I've had to change my undies too many times. I bet there's someone out there who has lost it on ice with winter tyres, I'll eat my hat if there isn't.

Edge on the side of caution

[Davepax]

I've gone for the General Grabber AT, they certainly look great and they've had some good reports. Tyres unless fitted with studs won't really get you much more traction on ice, winter,AT or normal and stopping just depends on how fast you're going. Like I said, last winter I was driving in 3 feet of snow in the most appalling conditions with 4mm of none aggressive tread. The Rav handled it without any problems at all.

Hi Dave,

I have to say I agree with your previous post about winter tyres in UK; it does seem to me to be opportunistic clap-trap, especially when you consider the kind of severe winters we used to get back in the day and we had to rely on skill & anticipation to avoid mishaps. It seems these days you've got to buy something to make you a better driver rather than just rely on your own ability. Must be the smartphone app syndrome.

Re the Grabbers, I was planning to replace my Duellers with Conti CrossTracs as they have had good write-ups but I've read some interesting stuff about the Grabbers in past few days in 4x4 Mag & now I'm thinking about them as well. I do alot of M-way & A-road long-hauls in North & Midlands and therefore tyre noise can be a big issue.The ads say the Grabbers are good in that respect but on the old basis of good grip = more noise on tarmac, how are you finding them? I agree that they certainly look the biz.

Thanks,

Jim

Hi Jim

I have only just got them but they do look like a nice tyre, after a few runs out I'll let you know what I think about noise and grip but wear might take a little longer

Cheers

Dave

[Davepax]

it does seem to me to be opportunistic clap-trap, especially when you consider the kind of severe winters we used to get back in the day and we had to rely on skill & anticipation to avoid mishaps.

Aye - back in the day we never had stability control, traction control, AWD, etc. And there were never any accidents.

Aye - and today we have stability control, traction control, AWD, auto wipers, auto headlights, steerable headlights, winter tyres.........and we still have accidents!!!

ABS, ASR or TC are rubbish on slippery surfaces which may sound odd but it is true IMO. Here's a senario that I think most people will have experienced :- Driving along in your car you are approaching a give way,you apply the brakes only to find your self juddering towards the junction wondering if you're going to stop, Rubbish.

I also have a saab 93 and had a little bit of trouble getting traction in the snow, you wouldn't believe how much easier it was when I switched off the traction control. ASR/TC Rubbish in snow. I have no doubt in normal conditions these systems work a treat but I wouldn't rely on them in winter.

Cheers

Dave

[RedRoss]

So you are to blame for the traffic chaos then Dave! If it wasn't for hgv's jack knifing last year the roads wud have been clear! ;-)

[firemac]

I've gone for the General Grabber AT, they certainly look great and they've had some good reports. Tyres unless fitted with studs won't really get you much more traction on ice, winter,AT or normal and stopping just depends on how fast you're going. Like I said, last winter I was driving in 3 feet of snow in the most appalling conditions with 4mm of none aggressive tread. The Rav handled it without any problems at all.

Hi Dave,

I have to say I agree with your previous post about winter tyres in UK; it does seem to me to be opportunistic clap-trap, especially when you consider the kind of severe winters we used to get back in the day and we had to rely on skill & anticipation to avoid mishaps. It seems these days you've got to buy something to make you a better driver rather than just rely on your own ability. Must be the smartphone app syndrome.

Re the Grabbers, I was planning to replace my Duellers with Conti CrossTracs as they have had good write-ups but I've read some interesting stuff about the Grabbers in past few days in 4x4 Mag & now I'm thinking about them as well. I do alot of M-way & A-road long-hauls in North & Midlands and therefore tyre noise can be a big issue.The ads say the Grabbers are good in that respect but on the old basis of good grip = more noise on tarmac, how are you finding them? I agree that they certainly look the biz.

Thanks,

Jim

Hi Jim

I have only just got them but they do look like a nice tyre, after a few runs out I'll let you know what I think about noise and grip but wear might take a little longer

Cheers

Dave

Thanks, Dave, I'd appreciate that feedback when you have time, especially with respect to noise.

ATB,

Jim

[Davepax]

So you are to blame for the traffic chaos then Dave! If it wasn't for hgv's Jack knifing last year the roads wud have been clear! ;-)

I like your style. Apart from a few little nervous moments in crazy weather I think on the whole I did pretty well last winter, didn't get stuck once' I nearly got wiped off the planet by a jacknifing truck coming from the opposite direction, I won't tell you what my choice of words were but i will tell you they would've probably curdled milk, approximately 1 meter was the space between his back doors and me, it was in the dark too, I sort of didn't believe what I was seeing if you know what I mean.

I would say though, momentum is key when driving in snow especially with a truck and if something slows a truck down on a hill and it comes to a halt then I'm afraid that's that and traffic chaos is the most likely result.

By the way, have you seen some of the plums they allow to drive trucks these days, some of them i wouldn't let drive a super market trolley. It really is quite scary. I would never claim to be a great driver, I'll leave things like that to the likes of Michael Schumacher but driving is what I do for a living and I do it as good as I can with as much consideration for other road users as I can. When the roads are full of snow my boss doesn't say just take the day off. The job still has to be done and if you can't do it then someone else will. Sometimes there just isn't any choice.

I can't wait for retirement and that is the honest truth but sadly there are a few years to go yet.

I don't mind taking the blame though

Cheers

Dave

I will do Jim