Snow Tyres

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Ryder

Ryder

Having a senior moment
Posts
6,616
Location
West Bedforshire
OK I know that snow tyres work... but I just can't figure out HOW they work.

Look at a mud terrain tyre and it's bloody obvioius... and I can see how my self cleaning muds do their thing too. Reading about the brilliant performance of some of the snow tyres though, I took a look at some ads for them in the landy mag, and simplu can't make out how their tread pattern improves their performance in snow so much more than the muds would.

Maybe I am being thick... but I am a little curious
 
They're beneficial not just in snow, but throughout the colder months in general. I think they're suitable for temperatures at 7°C and below. Any warmer and I believe they will wear much quicker but I'm not 100% sure on that. Maybe someone can clarify?

Though personally for a 4x4 in the UK, I'd say ATs + snow chains should be more than adequate overall? (In terms of long term practicality and performance)
 
RichM said:
I'd say ATs + snow chains should be more than adequate overall? (In terms of long term practicality and performance)
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Ignore the above statement, Snow chains are practically useless in the 2 inch slush we get in "most" of England. If you live in the middle of nowhere or your estate doesnt gets gritted then maybe, but by the time you get to the main roads (which are probably clear) you'd have to take them off as they'd cause more trouble than benefit.

I also believe that most chains are also rated at about 15 MPH, so you'd be driving rather slowly with them on and would have quite a queue behind you.

You are also not permitted to use them on snow/ice free surfaces due to the risk of damaging the road surface. More importantly though, the chains are more likely to cause significant damage to your tyres and if you have an accident/incident, you may well invalidate your insurance if using chains!!

Hence if you live in an area that is regularly snow bound, winter tyres are the better option by far.
 
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DTd5 said:
Ignore the above statement, Snow chains are practically useless in the 2 inch slush we get in "most" of England. If you live in the middle of nowhere or your estate doesnt gets gritted then maybe, but by the time you get to the main roads (which are probably clear) you'd have to take them off as they'd cause more trouble than benefit.

I also believe that most chains are also rated at about 15 MPH, so you'd be driving rather slowly with them on and would have quite a queue behind you.

You are also not permitted to use them on snow/ice free surfaces due to the risk of damaging the road surface. More importantly though, the chains are more likely to cause significant damage to your tyres and if you have an accident/incident, you may well invalidate your insurance if using chains!!

Hence in you like in an area that is regularly snow bound, winter tyres are the better option by far.
Click to expand...

I would have to agree with you, for the amount of time we have any amount of snow and how qucilky it tends to go you would be putting them on and off all the time.

Just get a set of AT's and learn to drive, comming to think about it seeing how some drivers, that includes some 4x4 driver drive stay at home.
 
DTd5 said:
Ignore the above statement, Snow chains are practically useless in the 2 inch slush we get in "most" of England. If you live in the middle of nowhere or your estate doesnt gets gritted then maybe, but by the time you get to the main roads (which are probably clear) you'd have to take them off as they'd cause more trouble than benefit.

I also believe that most chains are also rated at about 15 MPH, so you'd be driving rather slowly with them on and would have quite a queue behind you.

You are also not permitted to use them on snow/ice free surfaces due to the risk of damaging the road surface. More importantly though, the chains are more likely to cause significant damage to your tyres and if you have an accident/incident, you may well invalidate your insurance if using chains!!

Hence if you live in an area that is regularly snow bound, winter tyres are the better option by far.
Click to expand...

It wasn't a comment, it was a question and I never implied that they should be used in shallow snow!

Big Stu 12 said:
I would have to agree with you, for the amount of time we have any amount of snow and how qucilky it tends to go you would be putting them on and off all the time.

Just get a set of AT's and learn to drive, comming to think about it seeing how some drivers, that includes some 4x4 driver drive stay at home.
Click to expand...

They're winter tyres and can be beneficial throughout the winter if the temps are at or below 7°C (afaik) So there shouldn't be a need to take them on and off all the time.
 
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RichM said:
They're winter tyres and can be beneficial throughout the winter if the temps are at or below 7°C (afaik) So there shouldn't be a need to take them on and off all the time.
Click to expand...

Big Stu is not talking about the tyres - he is referring to your stupid statement regarding snow chains :doh::doh::doh: as you would have to be constantly putting them on and taking them off according to the road conditions!!!
 
They work well because of the softer compound that stays soft in cold temperature and they also have groves going across the tread blocks.
The rubber melts the snow slightly and the groves displace the water allowing good grip and traction.
 
DTd5 said:
Big Stu is not talking about the tyres - he is referring to your stupid statement regarding snow chains :doh::doh::doh: as you would have to be constantly putting them on and taking them off according to the road conditions!!!
Click to expand...

Exactly, thank you for confirming that DTd5, I would of thought that most would of understood, but I spose we cant allow for some..... but hey it takes all sorts, and I dont mean Bassett's.

Just to Clarify I am taking about Snow Chains in the thread and not the tyres, wheels or Landy.....

But reading from this tread, it seems that snow tyres are soft, and would wear at quite a rate, what sort of milage are we talking about getting form a snow tyre?.

I still would of thought AT's would be the best all round tyre for winter conditons.
 
Forget snow chains unless you are heading abroad when they are a legal requirement. Bloody good at P&P tho when I had all 4 on!
 
DTd5 said:
Big Stu is not talking about the tyres - he is referring to your stupid statement regarding snow chains :doh::doh::doh: as you would have to be constantly putting them on and taking them off according to the road conditions!!!
Click to expand...

Again, it was a question not a statement.
 
OK well the original question was more about WHY they are effective rather than a more general one about whether they are better than chains.

I think I get the idea now... a combination of soft compound, snow meltiness, and a tread pattern designed to dispel water.

Excellent!
 
I have Winter Tyres on my Landy fitted for the colder months, Pirelli Ice & Snow.
I also have winter tyres on my road car.

Under 7C normal summer tyres rubber compound hardens substantially reducing grip, winter tyres avoid this by the use of silica in the compound to keep the rubber pliable at lower temperatures.
They also have "Sipes" or cuts in the tread blocks to allow the tread blocks to move and generate heat. The Sipes also considerably aid in the tyre's grip on the surface.
The tread design has larger rain gulleys to disapate water/snow and the blocks themselves aren't in line, being slightly offset each block as the tyre rotates sees a slightly different piece of snow.

The difference is staggering between them and mud/AT, you name it in winter conditions.

Having said that there are still times when it's still necessary to fit chains, I carry them in the car, but since I've used winter tyres I've never had to fit them.

Wear rates in the UK are only marginally worse than summer tyres when used all year around.
Grip in summer isn't as good as a summer tyre on dry tarmac, but better in the wet.

If you had to fit just one set of tyres to a car for all year use, fit Winter ones, the advantages in winter far outweight the disadvantages in summer
 
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Ryder said:
OK I know that snow tyres work... but I just can't figure out HOW they work.

Look at a mud terrain tyre and it's bloody obvioius... and I can see how my self cleaning muds do their thing too. Reading about the brilliant performance of some of the snow tyres though, I took a look at some ads for them in the landy mag, and simplu can't make out how their tread pattern improves their performance in snow so much more than the muds would.

Maybe I am being thick... but I am a little curious
Click to expand...


Muds are shockingly bad! Ok in loose deep snow, but anything compacted and they can be lethal.

I would never pay those huge costs they want for a snow tyre but instead get some rally snow tyres as they are about half the price.

Oh and flipping snow chains are a nightmare to fit on most vehicles, in fact when I used to use them alot (not in the UK) we would jack the car up to fit them. But just dont bother.

BF Goodrich All Terrain are ace tyres and I have yet to get stuck in snow with them on.
 
Ryder just to mention, Snow Tyres are exactly that Snow Tyres, they're for use exclusively on snow, are quite often studded also, so only really for inside the Arctic Circle or ski resort vehicles. They wear exceptionally quickly if used on tarmac.

What people refer to as Snow tyres in the UK are in fact Winter Tyres.
 
ForestofDoom said:
Muds are shockingly bad! Ok in loose deep snow, but anything compacted and they can be lethal.

I would never pay those huge costs they want for a snow tyre but instead get some rally snow tyres as they are about half the price.

Oh and flipping snow chains are a nightmare to fit on most vehicles, in fact when I used to use them alot (not in the UK) we would jack the car up to fit them. But just dont bother.

BF Goodrich All Terrain are ace tyres and I have yet to get stuck in snow with them on.
Click to expand...
Agreed on the Muds, I take mine off at the first sign of an icy road. Good in fresh snow though like you say.
Best time to buy Winter Tyres is May-Sept. Rally snow tyres are not designed for highway use, if indeed legal.
I can fit my chains to my Espace in about 2 minutes per chain, they're self tensioning, so no stopping to re-adjust them after 100m. Taking them off about 30 seconds per chain.

BFG A/T are about as good as it gets for normal tyres in winter conditions, but I had a direct comparison with BFG A/Ts against my Ice & Snow just before Christmas when I was called out to rescue a Police Astra, Insignia and Transit Tipper that was stuck/crashed on an snow/ice covered hill. A police Misubishi 4x4 with BFG A/Ts fitted turned up, he could move but didn't have the traction to rescue anything. It was so icy it was hard just to keep standing. He went and left it to me to drag them, which I did no problem. That's the difference.
 
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Living in a high mountain area Winter Tyres are a must have and in in Germany and Austria illegal to drive on snowy roads without them.

I think nearly everything is said about the differences to summer tyres, the only thing is the melting effekt thing, makes me wonder how that should work.
Fakt is that the Blocks have cuts that open slightly and generate a larger surface.

The times when winter Tyres are not suitable for summer are over.

I did some research for the things I wrote but couldn`t find the Texts in english.

best regards Markus
 
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