Why don't people use winter tyres in the UK?

[Hibrandenburg]

I just don't get it. Every year it's the same chaos, lorries jackknifed on the roads, cars toiling to get up the slightest gradient and countless accidents blocking the roads.

A few snowflakes should not be causing this sort of chaos that we see every year in the UK. The rest of Europe change to winter tyres and sit back and laugh at us. In Germany, if you are involved in an accident and don't have winter tyres, then your insurance probably won't pay up, even if you were not at fault. Get it sorted Petrie!

[Gatecrasher]

I don't know about the rest of the UK but I dont think its worth spending hundreds of pounds on tyres for snow that might not even arrive, even if it does arrive its only for about a week in the year. I drive around just fine without them. I got out the snow this morning ok.

[lyonhibs]

It cracks me up as well. There's been snow to some extent for a decent stretch of time each of the last 3 winters, and yet just a few centimetres sends the transport network into turmoil.

We've probably had as much snow in the past 2 days in Zurich than the UK has had all winter (parts of Wales excepted), yet you'd never know. Everything still works perfectly, everyone has winter tyres on, Bob's your Uncle.

[Just_Jimmy]

Because the snow we get in most urban areas of the uk is nothing to panic about. The problem is not tyres its the fact people cant drive in weather forst sign of snow or rain and people **** themselves.

[Hibrandenburg]

I would surmise that the folks in the UK are no better or worse at driving than their European counterparts. Snow as opposed to ice should not cause the problems that it does in the UK. Most people manage to change their footwear in the winter, so why not their tyres?

[Just_Jimmy]

Because as mention previously, they cost a fortune and personally i manage just fine without them.

11 months of the year we dont get snow. What we do get in that 1 month or so doesn't warrent - imo - changing tyres

[(((Fergus)))]

The "only" cost of winter tyres is an additional set of wheels to put them on. You also need somewhere to store the set of wheels/tyres you're not using.

Here's a video showing the difference they make in the wet, never mind on snow and at low temperatures:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/motoringvideo/9715518/Winter-tyres-put-to-the-test.html

[Wilson]

I would surmise that the folks in the UK are no better or worse at driving than their European counterparts. Snow as opposed to ice should not cause the problems that it does in the UK. Most people manage to change their footwear in the winter, so why not their tyres?

The truth is any kind of adverse weather causes undue problems here. Unfortunately you don't get fog or mild rainfall tyres. At some point we might have to realise that driving standards just aren't good enough.

I've worked (and driven to work) six nights a week for the past six years and perhaps the one winter in those six might have justified a change in tyres. That said I managed perfectly well without. Well enough that I would do without the initial expense of purchasing winter tyres and the hassel and expense of putting (or having them put) on and taking them off.

[(((Fergus)))]

I would surmise that the folks in the UK are no better or worse at driving than their European counterparts. Snow as opposed to ice should not cause the problems that it does in the UK. Most people manage to change their footwear in the winter, so why not their tyres?

Another thing they do all over Germany is get up at four in the morning to shovel away snow from the pavement - property owners are liable for injuries if people slip on "their" pavement, I believe. In the UK we don't really bother about that either.

[jonty]

We looked at getting some fitted from the dealer (Watern BMW). £1000 for 4 - including storage and they would change them over.

I'm waiting to find out if Radge gets them cheaper elsewhere and how they are :greengrin

[snooky]

.. and if I can resurrect my annual pet peeve at this juncture.

Why do people drive with FOUR bleeding headlights?

The top two lights are for normal driving in the dark.

The bottom 'foglights' are for driving in FOG or SNOW.
In these conditions the top lights are turned OFF as they reflect back at the driver off the fog/snow.
The fact that the lower lights are called "fog lights" should be a kinda hint.

Simples - please pass it on.

[Just_Jimmy]

.. and if I can resurrect my annual pet peeve at this juncture.

Why do people drive with FOUR bleeding headlights?

The top two lights are for normal driving in the dark.

The bottom 'foglights' are for driving in FOG or SNOW.
In these conditions the top lights are turned OFF as they reflect back at the driver off the fog/snow.
The fact that the lower lights are called "fog lights" should be a kinda hint.

Simples - please pass it on.

My pet hate. Scared of the bloody dark these people.

[heretoday]

If we all had snow tyres the TV hacks would have to work harder at their journalism instead of putting a highly paid "reporter" in the middle of a blizzard and getting him to talk for hours on end about the weather.

[VickMackie]

Unless everyone used them it would be pretty pointless. You'd still be stuck behind people going 5mph or getting stuck on hills etc. Add to the fact that 400-2,000 for a space set of tyres for a few days per years is completely unrealistic.

I did watch the video and they're really impressive.

[Peevemor]

.. and if I can resurrect my annual pet peeve at this juncture.

Why do people drive with FOUR bleeding headlights?

The top two lights are for normal driving in the dark.

The bottom 'foglights' are for driving in FOG or SNOW.
In these conditions the top lights are turned OFF as they reflect back at the driver off the fog/snow.
The fact that the lower lights are called "fog lights" should be a kinda hint.

Simples - please pass it on.

You have no option with a lot of cars - the foglights won't work without the headlights. This is the case for both our cars as well as the two we replaced last year.

What gets on my tits is people who drive with their foglights on when it's not foggy.

[derekHFC]

Couple of things on this thread. In Denmark (and probably other countries), the headlights come on when the car is started. There are tyres out there (Bridgestone) which are able to be used in the Summer and also give more grip in the winter than your bog-standard tyre, thus cancelling out the need to have both.

[Hibrandenburg]

Couple of things on this thread. In Denmark (and probably other countries), the headlights come on when the car is started. There are tyres out there (Bridgestone) which are able to be used in the Summer and also give more grip in the winter than your bog-standard tyre, thus cancelling out the need to have both.

You mean all year tyres. They're more expensive than normal tyres, not as safe and wear down much quicker in summer due to a much softer rubber mix.

There need to be rules in place that give advantages to those who use winter tyres. Here the insurance won't pay out if you're involved in an accident and didn't have the "appropriate" tyres on.

Surprised that the insurance companies in the UK haven't already introduced this.

[snooky]

You have no option with a lot of cars - the foglights won't work without the headlights. This is the case for both our cars as well as the two we replaced last year.

What gets on my tits is people who drive with their foglights on when it's not foggy.

I never knew that. Should be a law forcing car manufacturers to have an either/or swich re. the heads/fogs.

Dumb designers IMO - but then again, maybe I'm 'Dumber' in the double act. :dunno: :greengrin

[derekHFC]

You mean all year tyres. They're more expensive than normal tyres, not as safe and wear down much quicker in summer due to a much softer rubber mix.The guy banging on about them, said that the don't wear down any worse than your normal tyre, but allow more grip in the winter.

[(((Fergus)))]

You mean all year tyres. They're more expensive than normal tyres, not as safe and wear down much quicker in summer due to a much softer rubber mix.

There need to be rules in place that give advantages to those who use winter tyres. Here the insurance won't pay out if you're involved in an accident and didn't have the "appropriate" tyres on.

Surprised that the insurance companies in the UK haven't already introduced this.

Possibly cultural. Germany is generally a more "regulated" place to live and people are more used to being told what to do. Their would be uproar in the UK if people were asked to pay this extra cost, especially as "we've been driving on one type of tyre for years - what's the big deal now?"

Also an issue of climate, perhaps. I remember German winters been more consistently severe than they are in the UK, therefore the need for a dedicated tyre is more pressing.

[Peevemor]

I never knew that. Should be a law forcing car manufacturers to have an either/or swich re. the heads/fogs.

Dumb designers IMO - but then again, maybe I'm 'Dumber' in the double act. :dunno: :greengrin

I agree. I only use my foglights to be seen (the front ones have to be on for the rear one to work), because with the headlights on, the front foglights make no difference to how I see the road.

[Hibrandenburg]

Possibly cultural. Germany is generally a more "regulated" place to live and people are more used to being told what to do. Their would be uproar in the UK if people were asked to pay this extra cost, especially as "we've been driving on one type of tyre for years - what's the big deal now?"

Also an issue of climate, perhaps. I remember German winters been more consistently severe than they are in the UK, therefore the need for a dedicated tyre is more pressing.

A legend that is quite far from the truth IMO. Civil disobedience is a way of life for many Germans.

If folks in the UK would take more responsibility for the road worthiness of their vehicles in winter, then there'd be less chaos on the roads come winter. Car owners share a responsibility with the government to ensure that driving is as safe as possible and that the road networks are not brought to a standstill caused by vehicles that are not fit for the weather conditions at any particular time.

Much of the UK's winter misery is self inflicted.

[calumhibee1]

I can safely say that I've never seen 'chaos' caused by the weather on Edinburgh roads since I started driving.

[Hibrandenburg]

I can safely say that I've never seen 'chaos' caused by the weather on Edinburgh roads since I started driving.

Switch on yer telly after the first two snowflakes have landed and you'll see countless channels blaming the "bad" weather for road chaos in the UK.

[calumhibee1]

Switch on yer telly after the first two snowflakes have landed and you'll see countless channels blaming the "bad" weather for road chaos in the UK.

I've seen that but it's never in Edinburgh. I've also never had any problem driving in the snow in Edinburgh on the rare occasions we get any. Might be different elsewhere in the UK, but Edinburgh doesn't get anywhere near enough snow to justify the outlay on winter tyres and storage. If it ever gets that bad then I'll just not drive for they 3 days of the year instead.

[HibsMax]

Here's my guess, and I might be waaaay off base.

Are most cars in the UK front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive? Rear-wheel drive cars, from my experience, are much more tricky to drive in the snow. I have only owned one RWD car and it was a nightmare until I put mud and snow tyres on as well as load 240lbs of concrete mix in the boot over the rear axle. Never had any serious issues with FWD though. My current car has AWD but I haven't really had much opportunity to test it yet.

[Dinkydoo]

Had to abandon my car today due to gridlock resulting in me not moving for 45 minutes 100 yards from my parking space at work. Combination of a really bad transport network and (humour me, my prejudices are about to shine through) the inability of people being able to drive in anything other than ****ing dry daylight.

I'll pickup my car in the morning - only took me 30 mins to walk home yesterday.

People driving with full beam on in the middle of town pisses me off too - just because its dark; doesn't mean it's necessary!

[(((Fergus)))]

A legend that is quite far from the truth IMO. Civil disobedience is a way of life for many Germans.

If folks in the UK would take more responsibility for the road worthiness of their vehicles in winter, then there'd be less chaos on the roads come winter. Car owners share a responsibility with the government to ensure that driving is as safe as possible and that the road networks are not brought to a standstill caused by vehicles that are not fit for the weather conditions at any particular time.

Much of the UK's winter misery is self inflicted.

You really think it's a legend to say that Germany is "more regulated"? I certainly noticed the difference moving there and moving back, e.g. ID cards, more regulation of professions, need to register with a government office when you move house - you even have to park in the direction of traffic when you park on the street. General idea seems to be things that most people would deem "sensible" tend to be compulsory in Germany whereas Brits have more slack to be daft. Even the German language is closely regulated, whereas in UK English there is much greater latitude about what is "correct". Don't you think so?

PS: Was denkt man in Ihrem sozialen Umkreis zum Thema "Stehen beim Pinkeln"? :wink:

[PeeJay]

You really think it's a legend to say that Germany is "more regulated"? I certainly noticed the difference moving there and moving back, e.g. ID cards, more regulation of professions, need to register with a government office when you move house - you even have to park in the direction of traffic when you park on the street. General idea seems to be things that most people would deem "sensible" tend to be compulsory in Germany whereas Brits have more slack to be daft. Even the German language is closely regulated, whereas in UK English there is much greater latitude about what is "correct". Don't you think so?

PS: Was denkt man in Ihrem sozialen Umkreis zum Thema "Stehen beim Pinkeln"? :wink:

It's too much of a generalisation to say Germans do what they are told, I think. The matter of ID cards etc is all true of course, however, if you recall driving on the autobahn then you know how much some regulations really mean... :rolleyes:

...zum Thema Pinkeln: hier in Wilmersdorf ist das strengestens verboten :greengrin

[Phil D. Rolls]

I thought about it, but realised I would have nowhere to store the tyres that had come off the car.

[Hibernia Na Eir]

cause they are very expensive?

[Scouse Hibee]

Too costly, inconvenience of having two sets of wheels/tyres. If the authorities deal more efficiently with the roads there is really no need due to the relevant mildness (compared to parts of europe) of our winters and the short timescale they would actually be required.

[Hibernia Na Eir]

imo its the retired ex police types (with lots of free time and cash) that indulge in such an activity. How many days this winter would they have been extremely useful.....2 or 3? hardly worth it.

[marinello59]

imo its the retired ex police types (with lots of free time and cash) that indulge in such an activity. How many days this winter would they have been extremely useful.....2 or 3? hardly worth it.

A good few more than that. They are much better at lower temps than ordinary tyres, not just in the snow. If you like to keep driving hard in winter it's nice to still be confident you can stop the car safely.

[calumhibee1]

Still not had any problems this winter with my normal tyres. My cars even a RWD and I still haven't had an issue.