Is Winter Arriving

[Cyker]

I'm with you on that!

Just get tyres with good wet condition ratings and drive sensibly and you should be okay.

Oh, and don't drive a RWD car if it snows

[Sagitar]

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).

You've got to be very creative (or deliberately obtuse) to distort the meaning of the sentence in that way . . . .

By any normal standard of comprehension, the sentence says "winter tyres can make driving safer, but they do not remove the need to use common sense".

It is a straightforward warning to those who believe that employing any kind of useful technology (including winter tyres, ABS, traction control, GPS etc) is a reason to switch off your brain.

[Mistermena]

Well I think that winter tyres should be the law in the UK like it is in Europe. You only have to read the reports from the motoring mags to see what a difference they make to the stopping distances and thus the safty on the roads. You have to remember that the order of an accident is... The driver, The vehicle, and the Road.

an all especially over the period...

[Jan&tone]

Well I think that winter tyres should be the law in the UK like it is in Europe. You only have to read the reports from the motoring mags to see what a difference they make to the stopping distances and thus the safty on the roads. You have to remember that the order of an accident is... The driver, The vehicle, and the Road.

an all especially over the period...

As I said in my post, it is not for me to either condemn or condone. But remember, you may be able to stop quicker, but the bus or coach or lorry behind you can't. Neither can the guy like me who didn't fit them, although I would be so far behind you I would have time and space to do something about it! and remember, here in South Essex, any snow or bad weather we may or may not get is usually gone in a few days anyway!

[Mistermena]

Well I think that winter tyres should be the law in the UK like it is in Europe. You only have to read the reports from the motoring mags to see what a difference they make to the stopping distances and thus the safty on the roads. You have to remember that the order of an accident is... The driver, The vehicle, and the Road.

an all especially over the period...

As I said in my post, it is not for me to either condemn or condone. But remember, you may be able to stop quicker, but the bus or coach or lorry behind you can't. Neither can the guy like me who didn't fit them, although I would be so far behind you I would have time and space to do something about it! and remember, here in South Essex, any snow or bad weather we may or may not get is usually gone in a few days anyway!

But thats the whole point mate. If it was law that "ALL" vehicles had to have winters on then this would cut down the stopping distance considerably so in essence less accidents (insurance claims) and all our daft premiums to the insurer would be lower. Every accident that happens has a Knock on affect to all of us at renewal.

[kithmo]

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!

+1, but I think tyres in the 60s/70s were of a softer compound that fared better in winter anyway and we used to deflate them slightly in really bad snow.

[Cyker]

I do that too :) But only if it snows...!

[dwilson]

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!

+1, but I think tyres in the 60s/70s were of a softer compound that fared better in winter anyway and we used to deflate them slightly in really bad snow.

I seem to remember cross ply tyres from that era and drum brakes and wipers that worked as long as you didn't accelerate hard. There again with no seatbelts, crumple zones or airbags we knew that if we hit something it would hurt...and there were a lot fewer cars etc on the roads.

Blimey I think I must have got old - how did that happen

David

[Uncle Buck]

I live in the north of Scotland, where we regularly have 2-3 wks at a time of snow on the roads. For the last 3 years I've fitted cold weather tyres to the driven axle (front) & been very impressed with them. In fact I wouldn't have got to half the destinations I set out for w/out them. I know that because other cars on normal tyres have been stuck at the side of the road or abandoned, while I was able to carry on. I hasten to add that most of the time my journeys started out on blacktop roads & ended up on snow at some point, so not a case of going out in any weather no matter what. If it's really bad, I stay at home whenever possible.

[Jan&tone]

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!

+1, but I think tyres in the 60s/70s were of a softer compound that fared better in winter anyway and we used to deflate them slightly in really bad snow.

I seem to remember cross ply tyres from that era and drum brakes and wipers that worked as long as you didn't accelerate hard. There again with no seatbelts, crumple zones or airbags we knew that if we hit something it would hurt...and there were a lot fewer cars etc on the roads.

Blimey I think I must have got old - how did that happen

David

Dunno how you got old, but it happened to me 'cos my Mum fed me :)

That old Zephyr of mine was built like a tank, went like a rocket and wouldn't stop for anything less than a brick wall!

Bumpers were 1/4 inch steel with big heavy over-riders so if someone parked too close you could edge up to them and use their steel bumpers to move them out of the way without causing any damage!

Try doing that with a modern car :ffs:

[Sagitar]

That old Zephyr of mine was built like a tank, went like a rocket and wouldn't stop for anything less than a brick wall!

Bumpers were 1/4 inch steel with big heavy over-riders so if someone parked too close you could edge up to them and use their steel bumpers to move them out of the way without causing any damage!

Try doing that with a modern car :ffs:

I drove both MkI and MkII Zephyrs and methinks that distance lends enchantment. I seem to remember that the MkI had a top speed of less than 80 m.p.h. and needed about 20 seconds to get to 60, so "rocket" would not be my description, though it would have been thought quite quick at the time. You have to remember that when Ernie Marples opened the M1 in 1959, many people were driving cars that would have difficulty reaching today's 70 m.p.h. limit.

My firmer recollections are of a spheroidal graphite cast iron crankshaft that broke; a rapidly rusting body; a really awful gearbox which had no synchromesh on 1st and where I had to maintain pressure on the change lever to keep it in 2nd; and worm and peg steering that demanded continuous correction to keep the car pointed straight ahead.

But I too became very skilful at driving it in snow. I think the narrow tyres (by today's standards); lack of power (was it about 70 b.h.p?); the wide ratio gearbox (it really only had two gears); the very gentle brakes (drums all round and no servo) and the relatively traffic free roads helped a lot.

I suspect that a driver of a modern car would find the mid-fifties Zephyr quite frightening . . . . . but I still think that the MkII was a very good looking car.

[johalareewi]

December has arrived and the daytime temperature is still 10C+ and the sun is shining :)

Surely this can't last for much longer?

[acetip]

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!

+1, but I think tyres in the 60s/70s were of a softer compound that fared better in winter anyway and we used to deflate them slightly in really bad snow.

I seem to remember cross ply tyres from that era and drum brakes and wipers that worked as long as you didn't accelerate hard. There again with no seatbelts, crumple zones or airbags we knew that if we hit something it would hurt...and there were a lot fewer cars etc on the roads.

Blimey I think I must have got old - how did that happen

David

Hi David, i remember all that,no power steering either,yes and i AM old.Radios and heaters were extra on some cars.

remember fitting a heater to my fathers vauxhhall 101,though the heater rad was already fitted.

[Uncle Buck]

December has arrived and the daytime temperature is still 10C+ and the sun is shining :)

Surely this can't last for much longer?

You're lucky then - we had 5 deg C during the day, now it's dropped to just 2 degrees. Forecast is for -4 deg C here tonight.

[Jan&tone]

December has arrived and the daytime temperature is still 10C+ and the sun is shining :)

Surely this can't last for much longer?

You're lucky then - we had 5 deg C during the day, now it's dropped to just 2 degrees. Forecast is for -4 deg C here tonight.

Lol.... That's what you get for living north of the border! We've not really had our heating on yet! And only the "possibility" of a light frost on Sunday apparently... Peeing with rain at the moment and not cold at all...

Long may it last too

[Jan&tone]

That old Zephyr of mine was built like a tank, went like a rocket and wouldn't stop for anything less than a brick wall!

Bumpers were 1/4 inch steel with big heavy over-riders so if someone parked too close you could edge up to them and use their steel bumpers to move them out of the way without causing any damage!

Try doing that with a modern car :ffs:

I drove both MkI and MkII Zephyrs and methinks that distance lends enchantment. I seem to remember that the MkI had a top speed of less than 80 m.p.h. and needed about 20 seconds to get to 60, so "rocket" would not be my description, though it would have been thought quite quick at the time. You have to remember that when Ernie Marples opened the M1 in 1959, many people were driving cars that would have difficulty reaching today's 70 m.p.h. limit.

My firmer recollections are of a spheroidal graphite cast iron crankshaft that broke; a rapidly rusting body; a really awful gearbox which had no synchromesh on 1st and where I had to maintain pressure on the change lever to keep it in 2nd; and worm and peg steering that demanded continuous correction to keep the car pointed straight ahead.

But I too became very skilful at driving it in snow. I think the narrow tyres (by today's standards); lack of power (was it about 70 b.h.p?); the wide ratio gearbox (it really only had two gears); the very gentle brakes (drums all round and no servo) and the relatively traffic free roads helped a lot.

I suspect that a driver of a modern car would find the mid-fifties Zephyr quite frightening . . . . . but I still think that the MkII was a very good looking car.

Yup, I had the mk2 as well, black with red leather interior... It had a radio and a heater, but still the vacuum driven wipers though

I swapped a triumph Herald for it, the Herald had a rusty chassis and the Zephyr needed a new layshaft in the gearbox... I got the better bargain I seem to remember...

Aaahhhh, those heady teenage days... Petrol at 4/6d a gallon... Yes 22.5p per GALLON, none of these new fangled litre thingys... Plenty of room on the roads, and a garage on every corner, run by guys that actually knew what they were talking about too...

[Ancient Nerd]

Petrol at 4/6d a gallon... Yes 22.5p per GALLON, none of these new fangled litre thingys... Plenty of room on the roads, and a garage on every corner, run by guys that actually knew what they were talking about too...

Whippersnapper! It was 1/5d (7p) a gallon when I was a student.

[Sagitar]

Whippersnapper! It was 1/5d (7p) a gallon when I was a student.

1939 perhaps? I recall my dad complaining when it went up to 1s 6d a gallon at the start of rationing.

[korat102]

Costs me as much now to fill the Prius's tank as it did to fill the Jeep's tank not so long ago. I miss that Jeep but it just cost far too much to run...it used to show an instantaneous mpg reading of 6 (yipe) accelerating gently with a cold engine.