Winter tyres vs All season

In part prompted by my recent puncture (subject to a separate thread), I've been considering making a switch to either winter or all season tyres for the winter period. I currently have the supplied Michelin Latitude Sports which are rated as summer tyres so I've been thinking some more suitable tyres for the approaching Scottish winter could be a good idea. Rather than seeking out 20" tyres and putting them on the existing wheels I've been looking at 18" and 19" wheel+tyre offerings on ebay. There seem to be plenty of wheel + all season tyres available (e.g. Pirelli Scorpion Verde), though winter tyres seem to be a little more scarce, and hence dearer (only ones I spotted were Conti Cross Contact Winters).

Anyone have a view on whether it would be worth swapping 20" summers for 19" all seasons for the winter period, or should I just go whole hog and get winters if I'm going to bother switching?

Also if anyone has any particular recommendations for such tyres (either all season or winter) feel free to chip in too!

I got a set of 19" diamond turned wheels with Pirelli Scorpian Verdes off ebay for £900. Delivery mileage only, still had the moulding pips on the tyres.

Whilst these are M&S, not pure snow tyres they are similar to the type fitted to my old FL2 which managed very well with the last three winters here on Skye.

My 20" set are now all cleaned and stored ready for next summer.

Hope this helps, good luck wth ebay.

Tony

I have never put a set of winter tyres on a LR, my Disco 3, 2 Fl2s and the Evoque all coped brilliantly with the standard all season tyres. However this winter my Evoque now has 20" wheels on with summer tyres so I'm considering putting the 19s back on should the winter turn nasty.

Although Snow and Ice tyres are not needed on a modern Land Rover they are reassuring to have and can only help to keep you moving when the temperature plummets or the snow falls. I have a set of 19" Pirelli Ice and Snow tyres but my experience with M&S tyres in deep snow was good in combination with the right setting on the Terrain Response system. Unlike a lot of European countries where they will, by law, now be running on winter tyres it isn't a legal or insurance company requirement in the UK. Like J77 I only ever ran winter tyres on my last RRS on 20" wheels/tyres the previous Land Rovers coped very well on their standard fit tyres. I did read in one magazine article that you should sound out your insurer, some of them have a negative attitude to running tyres not specifically recommended by the car maker - I know that makes no sense but since when has any insurance company thought logically that you may be protecting their interests as well as your safety.

I wouldn't compromise with M&S, which is what you'd be doing when temperatures fall below 7 degrees. If you're buying tyres for winter it seems a no brainer to go for proper winter tyres. That said, and in line with Tim's comments, insurance companies in the UK are pretty dim witted when it comes to understanding this.

I also would think that M+S tyres are a compromise and would not use them during the winter altough I have them as OEM tyres. Land Rover or Dacia, good traction is needed for good braking...

Cannot imagine why would you not need a winter tyre on a LR.

I've just changed my 20" summer tyres for 18" rims and Pirelli ice and snow winter tyres. 20" are now clean and stored away. Firm believer that winter tyres are the way forward.

(11-11-2012 07:43pm)Gorjan Wrote:  Cannot imagine why would you not need a winter tyre on a LR.

No one is saying not to buy winter tyres, but from my experience and where I live the standard all season tyre has coped well.

Thanks for the comments so far - plenty to think about! As far as winter tyres and insurance companies go, I found a webpage here which has a list of what the various insurance companies' requirements are when it comes to winter tyres, so it looks like I only need to inform Direct Line by telephone prior to switching.

I was just wondering about speed ratings though. The standard Evoque tyres are 'V' rated (149mph), but as far as I can tell winter tyres only go up to 'H' rated (130mph) - are these the correct ones to be using, or is the change in speed rating the reason that insurance companies can be a bit weird about it? Not that I'd ever be driving my car anywhere near to 'H' speeds anyway!

In my view Winter Tyre are a no brainier decision, especially if you are buying a second set of wheels. And 18" are the size to go for as the tyres available are far more comprehensive.

I may be biased as the Winter tyres I put on my 530d BMW were a transformation, even living in warmer South West England. They performed so well on cold wet roads as well as ice etc. just like driving on summer tyres one warm day. I do a lot of mile though in Europe and for many years my colleagues have thought I was bonkers driving with summer tyres. The law change last year making Winter Tyres compulsory in Germany forced me to buy them and I am so glad I did.

The Evoque has loads of electronics that make it better than any other vehicle in its class, and beyond, at getting traction and keeping you in control. But the tyre grip with the road is pretty fundamental to being in control. The terrain response system can only help so far if the tyre is not gripping with the road. Take a look at YouTube and search for Winter Tyre Reviews. There are a number of comparative tests that show how superior winter tyres are over summer and all season.

If you are looking for a source of winter tyre look at http://www.reifen.com and get them imported from Germany, loads less expensive that UK suppliers. I did for the BMW and very happy with the fast delivery and service.

I have a set of 18" Evoque Wheels, delivery mileage with Dunlop Wintersports fitted thanks to my local Stratstone's. They were brilliant on my BMW and I expect no less on the Evoque. Check out the tyre review site for comparisons of winter tyres, yes from Germany but they are so much ahead of us in UK on this, I trust the reviews.

www. (and then) tyrereview.co.uk/Article/2011-Auto-Bild-4x4-Winter-Tyres-Test.htm. (Had to do it this way as the full web site address kept changing on save any other way)

Just waiting for the temperature to drop another couple of degrees and the 20" with Michelins will be off, cleaned and stored ready for next year.

Yes you must inform your insurers and if you get push back from the person on the phone ask them to consult with the underwriters. I have not had a premium but have asked for a note to be added to my file for future reference. They were more concerned if the wheels were bigger than original fitment.