You don't want a mud and snow tyre on deep snow its fine when moving but try and get up a snow covered hill and you will be heading back the other way. I found this out today whilst heading back from a work van breakdown during the Devon red warning snow storm dont try to drive up steep hills with pirelli M&S tyres there crap.

To quote Startrek , “ Ye Can nae beat the laws of physics Jim “ the current cycle of snow, grit , melt , freeze , snow , makes for lethal conditions , and anything , on any tyres , will lose traction at some point. All you can do is know when brains are better than balls . The Freelander is in the yard at home in case Mrs B wants to go out , and I’ve been on duty in Emley ferrying family who can’t get there cars to the roads that have been gritted . I’ve been quite cautious in the Outback as it’s on Bridgestone Dueller Sport tyres , but with a bit of forward planning of the route and judicious use of the xmode and locking the box in manual it’s been tremendous . I reckon by next winter I’ll have 32k on the Outback and I’ll certainly put it onto proper all season tyres then . 2009 GS Auto Zermatt Silver - Sold June 21 after 10 years of ownership

2016 Subaru Outback SE 2.0 diesel SE Premium Lineartronic Sold 2024 after 8 years and 80k miles . Best Car I ever owned !

2023 Toyota Hilux invincible X 2.8 Auto .

Have just driven uphill through deep drifting snow covering the wheels, in Freelander 2 HSE (2013 model) using Pirelli Scorpion Verde All Season 18" M&S tyres; muds & ruts on the Terrain Response engaged too. No problems at all, although I am glad I went on the Land Rover Experience Winter Driving course - big help in knowing how to use momentum, braking, the correct Terrain Response settings etc.

I've got Grabber AT3's on, been awesome on the snow. And I do believe they have the mountain and snowflake symbol so are classed as a winter tyre

General Tyre class the AT3 as a summer tyre - website is here ... https://www.generaltire-tyres.com/car/tyres/grabber-at3

Despite that, they will perform quite well I think.

They do, but they still have the mountain snowflake on the side! I think I saw somewhere they also called them all season

I have a spare set of 17” wheels with Avon Ranger Ice tyres fitted. This week I had to drive to Seaton in Devon to attend a funeral. Easy drive down there (220 miles) as I went a day early to avoid the worst of the forecast bad weather. Once there, the next day it snowed heavily. In the evening we went out for an evening meal with all roads covered in virgin snow about 6” deep. In GGS, the car (and tyres) behaved impeccably, negotiating all roads including steep hills without any issues. Next day, the car was covered in ice from freezing rain. Once made driveable, I set off to refuel, roads still uncleared but no longer virgin. Yet again, no problem. Only cars seen out were 4x4s, mostly LRs.
Ironically, the funeral was then cancelled as the Cortège was unable to get to the Crematorium due to weather!
Yesterday I drove the 220 miles back in less than 5 1/2 hours, the first 20 in GGS before I got to the M5. Saw many abandoned cars. The rest of the journey went without incident but for poor visibility in blown snow.
A great endorsement for the FL2 and my winter tyres!

Bob 10MY (Sept 09) TD4 HSE Auto in Stornoway Grey (Now Gone)

08 FL2 TD4 SE Manual in Rimini Red (Now Gone)

Steven.T wrote:

They do, but they still have the mountain snowflake on the side! I think I saw somewhere they also called them all season

Got well and truly stuck in the dark Friday evening on a Wolds lane. Crossclimate tyres worked perfectly, in fact too well as the problem was I ended up floating on the car belly. The snow under the car belly had set like concrete. Was never going to get out the road end anyway as a local Hilux or similar was stuck in front of me and that is why I eased off in my 2 tonne sledge and finally ground to a halt!

Started digging but fortunately the local lad had mates with off roading discos and in an hour or so they turned up and dragged us both out

So I have this to say, the Achilles Heel is ground clearance. Tyres fine and grip was fine but when you are in deep tractor ruts you are never going to get through unless its fresh powder snow running beneath you. So listen to Yorky, throw another log on the fire, top up the whiskey glass and put on some good music and stay at home. These are not in standard form up to off off roading in deep Yorkshire snow.

This is just about where we bottomed out. We walked up the next day.

 FL2 MY10 TD4 GS traded in at 2 years
FL2 MY13 TD4 GS Current

Yorky Bob wrote:

not using due diligence

 p****d off with a Digital Keyboard Warrior

A Yorkshire-man is never short of a balanced and of course courteous reply.

Due diligence abounded as I had 4 other roads to go in and out of the local village of departure where we had already arrived an hour earlier for the weekend and this fun excursion to a pub was only a 10 minute walk back to a warm fire.
It was a failed excursion but all done in a controlled manner and certainly not a life and death journey as it is just a short cut through to the main A road and this short track does not get plowed and at worst the car could stay there all night as I had a couple of local farmers to call upon to help out.

Saturday we saw a number of 4X4's go over this short route and by then most had no problems. I am making the point the FL2 is too low for serious snow travel no matter what boots it has on. The latest larger pickup trucks etc have far higher ground clearance and as such are more able in this situation to get from A to B.

Limits now known and I am wiser for the experience and hopefully you are as well now and my wife has a good tale to tell at the Monday morning huddle far more exciting than what happened in Corrie. FL2 MY10 TD4 GS traded in at 2 years
FL2 MY13 TD4 GS Current

IanMetro wrote:

I'm glad someone has asked this question as I have 2 extra wheels. I have never had any grip issues with my FL2s but I did wonder that if things got bad then getting 2 chunky tyres fitted to rear might solve traction problems.
This, and a couple of bags of sand in the boot used to be my preferred method of keeping going in days gone by in cruder 2 wheel rear drive cars long ago.
The main trouble is that these days there are so many cars on the roads that the main problem is the idiot in front with no tread at all on his tyres, so it probably still would not work.

Interesting thread.

I'm seriously considering replacing the current Continental Cross Contacts with Michelin CrossClimates when the time comes but (theres always a but) at £ 180+ a corner is it worth staying with summers on my 19" rims and buying a set of 17" steels and sticking a set of outright winters on them?

It's not that I'm even slightly disappointed with the cars current performance in the snow, living in the North East I've had plenty of opportunity to test its stickyness recently and I've just just spent a weekend in the Lake District where it performed pretty well even on ice.

The picture is top of Wrynose Pass near the 5 counties post. The aforementioned ice was on the way up but I was a touch busy to be taking photos at that point.






I forgot to mention what size tyres for 17" rims? MY2014 SD4 Freelander II Metropolis
MY2000 XK8 Convertible "The Mistress"
MY1977 XJC 4.2 "Baby Poo" Yellow

Keepin' it British...

I spent the weekend in Wales on a MacMillan fundraiser 4x4 challenge,

Click image to enlarge

Yorky Bob wrote:

A Yorkshire-man is never short of a balanced and of course courteous reply.

Due diligence abounded as I had 4 other roads to go in and out of the local village of departure where we had already arrived an hour earlier for the weekend and this fun excursion to a pub was only a 10 minute walk back to a warm fire.
It was a failed excursion but all done in a controlled manner and certainly not a life and death journey as it is just a short cut through to the main A road and this short track does not get plowed and at worst the car could stay there all night as I had a couple of local farmers to call upon to help out.

Saturday we saw a number of 4X4's go over this short route and by then most had no problems. I am making the point the FL2 is too low for serious snow travel no matter what boots it has on. The latest larger pickup trucks etc have far higher ground clearance and as such are more able in this situation to get from A to B.

Limits now known and I am wiser for the experience and hopefully you are as well now and my wife has a good tale to tell at the Monday morning huddle far more exciting than what happened in Corrie.

You took it how it was meant  p****d off with a Digital Keyboard Warrior