Winter Tyres - 2 or 4?

T

turtle77

Registered User
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156
Hi,
I'm seriously thinking about getting winter tyres..it seems they are suitable for temps below 7 degrees celcius.
2 tyres would cost €193 from eiretyres.com ( a german company i believe).

Surely spending €193 on 2 tyres would be a better investment than 75euro for socks that can be ripped?

My primary question is do I need 4, or could I get away safely with 2?

Thanks folks
 
As well as winter tyres I believe you can also get all season tyres which are a compromise between the two.
My understanding is that in warmer weather winter tyres will wear twice as quick as regular tyres, and are less fuel efficient.
If you can easily have the wheels/tyres changed, then this is less of a problem.
 
Hi,
thanks for the replies.
A place in Enniscorthy changes the tyres for 10euro (probably per tyre)..so they are easily changed.
I knew they were less efficient. But I guess the trade off is in safety if you keep the summer tyres on.

As for the all-weather tyres.. I'd like to know how much of a compromise it is.
 
I worked in the tire business for many years. Just be careful buying cheap winter/ all season tyres. Some brands grip the road less in warmer weather, cause more fuel usage and wear out faster. Keep in mind that cold weather tyres have more natural rubber to keep the rubber supple/pliable. Do not buy the tyres if they are over 2 years old/after manufacturing date, as the rubber will have gone off/hard! They will just be like standard tyres, but walk off the car...

Standard / summer tyres have more silica/synthetic rubber to avoid tearing when griping road surfaces.

All season tyres are in "no mans land" when it comes to performance as they are not as good in the summer or winter. Fine for SUV's.

Get 4 winter tyres to ensure you avoid over-steer or under-steer.

Finally E10 is very cheap to have tyres professionally fitted. Make sure they fit a new European made valve and balance the tyre fully.

keep her lite...
 
Great info Bibendum.
I saw the tyres on the eiretyres..and that is where I also saw the cost of fitting. The fitting garage is quite reputable to be fair.

It's disappointing to know that you'd only get two winters out of them - you said don't buy them if they are over 2 years since manufacturing.

Keep 'er grit!
 
When I lived in snowy land people used to keep their winter tyres on ?hubs so that they could change them themselves.

So you could have 2 ready to go in the garden shed and just swap them when weather is like this.
 
I've wide alloys on mine, but the spare is a narrower 15" steel rim. My plan is to get another 15" rim and put tyres on that and the spare that will deal with the snow better than what I have.
 
2 much better than none, but be aware your rear tyres, will in comparision, have much less grip than your front, making your car prone to rear end sliding if you're not careful. I have 2, but if I had the funds I would buy 4, especially if you were going to be doing a lot of driving. If you shop around you should be able to get them for approx €75 ea. fitted. Socks are a great "get you home on the back roads" option, but for day to day driving, you can't beat the winter tyres.
 
Well its better to have all four but if you don't have enough money to buy all four then don't worry two would be safe for it.. :p
 
On the continent, where it's like this for months every year, most people would buy a set of cheapo steel wheels (sometimes narrower) and put their snow tyres on those. In Oct./Nov. you just swap all of the wheels over for the winter.

Many of the tyre places over there will keep the original wheels and tyres for you over the winter and do the swaps for you, assuming you get your tyres from them! Might be a business opportunity there for someone......

Might need to check the insurance implications of fitting winter tyres on one axle only, not sure I'd like to drive a car with such a difference in grip at the two ends myself TBH.

Incidentally I think it's the difference in rubber formulation which makes them effective at lower temps., which is why they don't last as long and have a short "shelf life".

SSE
 
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