Is Winter Arriving

[Sagitar]

The longer range forecasts show temperatures going down below zero in the next week to ten days, so having some spare time this morning, I put on my winter tyres. That will probably guarantee an unseasonal heat-wave . . . . .

I have noticed my consumption getting worse over the last few weeks and I can only think that it is the reducing temperatures that are causing it. I did a top up this morning and the in-car indication was 51.8 mpg for the tank. The real figure was 50.9. Neither are brilliant.

[Mistermena]

The longer range forecasts show temperatures going down below zero in the next week to ten days, so having some spare time this morning, I put on my winter tyres. That will probably guarantee an unseasonal heat-wave . . . . .

I have noticed my consumption getting worse over the last few weeks and I can only think that it is the reducing temperatures that are causing it. I did a top up this morning and the in-car indication was 51.8 mpg for the tank. The real figure was 50.9. Neither are brilliant.

Its gonna be a cold winter this year and I have for the 1st year bought some winter tyres (Goodyear Ultra Grip 8) in a hope that I stay on the move. Think I'll have to get my set on either this week or begining of next. What brand of winter shoes have you gone for?

[Sagitar]

What brand of winter shoes have you gone for?

They are Continental Winter Contact TS830 195/65 R15 91T.

This will be their third winter and they still have more than 7mm of tread all over.

In the snow of last winter and the one before they never put a foot wrong.

You could say I have been pleased with them . . . . .

[Cyker]

Probably is the cold. Winter generally lowers mpg in almost all types of cars.

Winter tyres have higher drag than normal tyres so that will cost mpg.

Air is denser in the winter so cars that use fixed mix ratios (Basically all petrol cars) use more fuel per stroke which lowers mpg (Although you get an increase in power too!).

The engine takes longer to get to proper operating temperature which also lowers mpg.

[Chris Dance]

I was pleased when I checked the fuel consumption on our Prius today. It was 58.7 MPG. I do not have to have Winter tyres as being retired I can hibernate on the icy snowy days. I have done my time skidding and sliding on icy snowy roads I have no wish to repeat the experiences.

[korat102]

I tried to fit my new winter tyres today and discovered that I'd forgotten all about the OEM wheel nuts not being suitable for the steel wheels the tyres have been attached to. I know, should have checked...hindsight is a wonderful thing! Now have a bunch of acorn type nuts on order :censor:

[Mistermena]

What brand of winter shoes have you gone for?

They are Continental Winter Contact TS830 195/65 R15 91T.

This will be their third winter and they still have more than 7mm of tread all over.

In the snow of last winter and the one before they never put a foot wrong.

You could say I have been pleased with them . . . . .

Conti are the winter boots that I've got on my Avensis and I hope that they are as good as some of the reports I've read. The Ultragrips are for my Polo TDi so they should do a good job when the white stuff starts to come down

[johalareewi]

Temps down here are still not quite low enough for the winter tyres. We are still around 10C and the mpg on the daily commute is around 60. But we did have a cold morning yesterday (3C and a frost) but the sun was out and it soon warmed up. Was expecting to have the winter tyres on by now. It has been a warm November (so far).

[korat102]

Will fit mine as soon as the nuts arrive. All of my driving is in the early hours of the morning, usually long before the sun bothers to show its face at this time of the year and it's pretty chilly then.

[Sagitar]

After all the kerfuffle last year about winter tyres and insurance premiums, I found this recent announcement very helpful:

Winter tyres & insurance

[Mistermena]

After all the kerfuffle last year about winter tyres and insurance premiums, I found this recent announcement very helpful:

Winter tyres & insurance

Great heads up there mate.

[johalareewi]

SO if I fit winter tyres to be safer in the snow and ice i have to notify my insurers and they might charge extra (or reduce my cover), but if I keep the summer tyres on and skid all over the place and smash lots of stuff up, that is OK?

[Parts-King]

After all the kerfuffle last year about winter tyres and insurance premiums, I found this recent announcement very helpful:

Winter tyres & insurance

As with anything insurance related, I would ALWAYS advise them if fitting winter tyres, however the majority of companies do not need informing and their is no financial penalty, subject of course to the rest of the vehicle being in a roadworthy condition, which forms part of your contract anyway

Kingo

[Sagitar]

SO if I fit winter tyres to be safer in the snow and ice i have to notify my insurers and they might charge extra (or reduce my cover), but if I keep the summer tyres on and skid all over the place and smash lots of stuff up, that is OK?

I despair! Did you actually read the link that I posted? And if you did, how on earth did you leap to that conclusion?

There is not a single company on the list that says it will charge extra or reduce your cover simply on the basis that you have fitted winter tyres.

The majority of the companies on the list do not even require you to inform them if you fit winter tyres.

The key sentence is in the commitment set out immediately before the table. It says:

"The insurers named below do not require the payment of any additional premium if customers decide to fit winter tyres to their cars, provided that the tyres meet, and are fitted in accordance with, the relevant vehicle manufacturers' specifications and are in roadworthy condition whilst in use".

[korat102]

I asked my insurance company (Aviva) before doing anything. They said I didn't need to inform them as long as the wheel size remained the same. They then said they'd put a note on my account saying that I was fitting winter tyres so you can read into that what you will...

[Opifex]

SO if I fit winter tyres to be safer in the snow and ice i have to notify my insurers and they might charge extra (or reduce my cover), but if I keep the summer tyres on and skid all over the place and smash lots of stuff up, that is OK?

I noticed the list doesn't include AA or Saga - wonder why? Maybe johalareewi's post applies to them.

[wass]

SO if I fit winter tyres to be safer in the snow and ice i have to notify my insurers and they might charge extra (or reduce my cover), but if I keep the summer tyres on and skid all over the place and smash lots of stuff up, that is OK?

Looking at it from a cynical point of view, the insurers have become accustomed to shysting money from the punter for any deviation from standard at all. I guess that giving a proven and worthwhile modification the thumbs up goes a bit against the grain with them! :D Perhaps in some way they are akin to bankers?

[Sagitar]

SO if I fit winter tyres to be safer in the snow and ice i have to notify my insurers and they might charge extra (or reduce my cover), but if I keep the summer tyres on and skid all over the place and smash lots of stuff up, that is OK?

I noticed the list doesn't include AA or Saga - wonder why? Maybe johalareewi's post applies to them.

I don't know Saga's arrangements, but the AA is a broker rather than an insurance company; they arrange insurance through a panel of underwriters and I would expect those underwriters to be covered by the ABI. I have used them in the past and their quotes are always subject to acceptance by the underwriter. I suspect that similar arrangements may apply to SAGA and of course there are hundreds of brokers who would not appear on the ABI list. In the middle of the ABI statement they say "It is important to remember that sometimes your motor insurer may be different from the company that sold you your insurance policy".

I guess there is no way of guaranteeing that every motor insurance underwriter is a member of ABI. I believe it is a trade body and therefore voluntary.

My first action when I saw the list was to look down it for all the companies that I have used in recent years and they are all on the list.

If johalareewi, or anyone else, is insured by an underwriter that is not on the ABI list and that behaves differently from those covered by the ABI statement, then it would be useful to say so clearly and to name the underwriters so that we are aware that there are exceptions.

[johalareewi]

SO if I fit winter tyres to be safer in the snow and ice i have to notify my insurers and they might charge extra (or reduce my cover), but if I keep the summer tyres on and skid all over the place and smash lots of stuff up, that is OK?

I despair! Did you actually read the link that I posted? And if you did, how on earth did you leap to that conclusion?

Certainly did read the link and my comment was directed at the insurance companies not on the list who might charge extra if you told them. Apologies for the confusion.

FWIW my insurance company are on the list but I have to notify them via their website if I fit winter tyres. However, if I go on their website, there isn't an option to say winter tyres have been fitted.

Edit:

Also, the article in the link is for personal insurance only. I do a few business miles. Does that mean I would have to switch back to summer tyres to do the business miles? ;) Insurance companies make some strange decisions. :(

[kithmo]

SO if I fit winter tyres to be safer in the snow and ice i have to notify my insurers and they might charge extra (or reduce my cover), but if I keep the summer tyres on and skid all over the place and smash lots of stuff up, that is OK?

The majority of the companies on the list do not even require you to inform them if you fit winter tyres.

The key sentence is in the commitment set out immediately before the table. It says:

"The insurers named below do not require the payment of any additional premium if customers decide to fit winter tyres to their cars, provided that the tyres meet, and are fitted in accordance with, the relevant vehicle manufacturers' specifications and are in roadworthy condition whilst in use".

The key words in the key sentence are "additional premium".

Although they won't charge any additional premium, they will no doubt charge a £25 or so admin fee for changing the policy, then charge it again when you take the tyres off.

If they were not going to do this, then why should we have to contact them.

[Sagitar]

Certainly did read the link and my comment was directed at the insurance companies not on the list who might charge extra if you told them. Apologies for the confusion.

Thanks for the clarification. I think it might be significant that no-one has actually given us a real, recent example of this actually happening.

Also, the article in the link is for personal insurance only. I do a few business miles. Does that mean I would have to switch back to summer tyres to do the business miles? ;)

If you have a personal motor insurance policy (i.e. one taken out by you personally as opposed to, say, your employer) that covers you for business mileage, then I can see no reason why fitting appropriate winter tyres should make any difference. If your personal motor insurance policy does not cover you for business mileage, then it will be invalid for business mileage whatever tyres you have on the car.

Insurance companies make some strange decisions. :(

I am sure that they do and I think it would be very helpful if we could have chapter and verse on actual cases so that we can avoid the bad boys.

This will be my third year of fitting winter tyres. I have used a different insurance company in each of those years and none of them has given me any kind of hassle, nor asked for any extra premium, nor made any kind of charge whatsoever. So I have no reason to doubt the ABI statement.

[Sagitar]

The key words in the key sentence are "additional premium".

Although they won't charge any additional premium, they will no doubt charge a £25 or so admin fee for changing the policy, then charge it again when you take the tyres off.

If they were not going to do this, then why should we have to contact them.

If that happened, it would indeed be bad, but it is not consistent with my experience. Please tell us which insurance company you know that has done this so that we can avoid them.

[kithmo]

The key words in the key sentence are "additional premium".

Although they won't charge any additional premium, they will no doubt charge a £25 or so admin fee for changing the policy, then charge it again when you take the tyres off.

If they were not going to do this, then why should we have to contact them.

If that happened, it would indeed be bad, but it is not consistent with my experience. Please tell us which insurance company you know that has done this so that we can avoid them.

I have no experiences of this, as I don't do enough miles to warrant the fitting of winter tyres, it was just my view. Maybe I'm a bit too suspicious of Insurance companies, but if it doesn't affect the policy or incur admin charges why should you have to contact them ?

If I was to fit winter tyres, I personally would consider avoiding all the ones on the list that say contact them.

[johalareewi]

I liked this bit from the ABI article...

whilst no substitute for common sense driving, winter tyres can have a positive impact on improving road safety

Are they trying to say that if you keep your summer tyres on and use 'common sense driving' on the snow and ice, your car will magically stick to the road?

Common sense would tell you don't try to drive (or fit some winter tyres).

[Jan&tone]

Erm - Winter? what is that?

Is the general opinion that winter is where it's cold, snowy, wet, windy, dark, bleak, etc.... if so then I'll leave my normal tyres on thankyou very much - so far we've had the windy and the dark, the rest will wait till January :)

I'm not a lucky sort of geezer, but I have driven in all sorts of conditions - including snow and ice, and have never skidded or felt the need to line the pockets of tyre manufacturers by buying winter tyres - even in a mark 1 Ford Zephyr in the early 60's when winters were winters and not the few days of cold weather we get now here in the south of the UK...

If you feel you need to spend loadsamoney on special tyres that is your choice and not for me to condemn or condone, but until and unless they are made compulsory in the UK I'll save my money thankyou and if the weather gets really bad then I'll simply stay at home!