Winter tyres are not just for the snow days. Any day that is below about 7 they are better.That's expensive though.
20 quid for a set of chains or £300+ for a set of winter wheels and tyres...
Considering there's only about 4 days per year on average when you really need the extra, I know which I'd be looking at
Exactly what we got them for. FWD cars as well and we just use one pair on the front. Quite incredible the extra grip (on a > 20% decline). I found it very dancy on the back end over 25 (lack of socks and weight) so just kept it 20 - 25 mph and it did the job absolutely spot on.We've used them on a few cars in the past; the first time was on my wife's B-class which is front wheel drive and so only needed one set on the front wheels. We lived at the bottom of a dirt track and I had a Series III Landy at the time which was a bit of a nail. It had a trailer tyre on the back wheel so didn't have a huge amount of traction and before we tried the snow socks I tried to tow my wife's car up the hill. We really struggled and so put the snow socks on to give them a go. Her car then turned into some kind of mountain goat and could easily get up and down a snow covered hill! Despite my reminding her that she couldn't go over 30mph on tarmac she exceeded this speed on the clear roads and the socks were a little damaged but survived to live for another couple of years. I'd definitely use them again!
What's wrong with just learning to drive instead? Like how I was told to drive to the conditions?
Of course, I'm always getting stuck. There was that time in 1994 when I was being a prat in my escort in snow and stuffed it into a telegraph pole - and again in 2006 I couldn't get someone else's (automatic) volvo 850 out of muddy grass...
Considering I've never had 'winter' tyres and only had abs since may last year (oh, and winter doesn't stop me riding my k75 - my fb profile pic is the bike in snow) I'm shocked I've survived so long.
That's expensive though.
20 quid for a set of chains or £300+ for a set of winter wheels and tyres...
Considering there's only about 4 days per year on average when you really need the extra, I know which I'd be looking at
I got rims from a breakers, £30. Remould winter tires, cheap and last more than one winter
The only safe driving you can do to conditions on a hill covered in snow in a modern car with wide tyres with circumferential grooves is to park up. They simply won't go anywhere. Or stop coming down. Older cars with narrower, more blocky tyres, like your dad had in the 70 and 80s were better. My Lancia integrale on its usual performance tyres was the most terrifying car I've driven on snow - if it got going, which was difficult, it didn't steer very well, and certainly didn't like stopping. As it's 4WD, you also lost the use of the 4 wheel steering stick between the seats that you would normally use to persuade a 2WD car to change direction. Stick winter tyres (20 quid colway remoulds back then) and it was transformed. Go, steer and stop. Safely.
Stick winter tyres on, and driving to the conditions means you can . . drive that is. and stop. Stopping being more important when that kid on the sledge belts out in front of you.
It's a personal choice - I use winter tyres on all my cars (caterham excluded) as I like to stop and steer - and it means I know I'm going to get home via the back roads if it snows. I will laugh at you driving to the conditions at 2mph or queuing on the main roads though ;-) Living somewhere where it snows once in a blue moon you obviously don't need them - for me, the saving time, effort and worry knowing I, or my family have other options than parking up when the white stuff does cause chaos. Some years it's one day, some it's a week. 2010 is was a couple of months.
If you've not used them, you just won't know how good they are.
What's wrong with just learning to drive instead? Like how I was told to drive to the conditions?
Of course, I'm always getting stuck. There was that time in 1994 when I was being a prat in my escort in snow and stuffed it into a telegraph pole - and again in 2006 I couldn't get someone else's (automatic) volvo 850 out of muddy grass...
Considering I've never had 'winter' tyres and only had abs since may last year (oh, and winter doesn't stop me riding my k75 - my fb profile pic is the bike in snow) I'm shocked I've survived so long.
Snow socks do seem to work, however they need to be on the right wheels.