wurzel153 wrote:

Yes all seasons are not winters, but if they carry the snow flake symbol they meet the RMA standards for snow traction. And some all seasons do have sipes in the tread blocks. Like the ones on my car.
A jack of all trades is a tad harsh, you must be looking at cheap budget all seasons. Which all seasons have you tried?.

wurzel153 wrote:

I am talking about all seasons with the snowflake in the mountain symbol.

The symbol just means it meets the UNECE Regulation 117, e.g. It Performs in snow. Any tyre can have the symbol if it meets that standard.

The bridge between the true winter and an all season carrying the snowflake in a mountain symbol is now very small.

Quote

"UK winters are generally categorised by long periods of cold and wet weather, with occasional snow.

This means during the average UK winter, a tyre with snow performance as its best quality can only really shine for a few days a year. While a winter tyre will work better than a summer tyre in cold, wet conditions, an all season tyre will work better than the winter tyre in cold, wet conditions, and still retain excellent snow performance to and the ability to be run through the summer if you need."

shiggsy wrote:

Goodyear Vector4 is a winter tyre with snowflake (and mountain symbol) with sipes. What is confusing the issue is Goodyear branding it as an all season winter tyre. Any manufacturer can call their winter tyre an all season winter tyre but its ridiculous as it means nothing.

Click image to enlarge

wurzel153 wrote:

The vector is an all season tyre as it works in all the seasons. Good years branding is quite right. It is not a winter tyre, it just meets the standard to carry the snowflake in mountain symbol. So it is an all season tyre with severe snow performance.

It gets even more confusing if you consider all weather tyres.

shiggsy wrote:

All winter tyres work in all seasons. It is a winter tyre because it meets the standard to carry the snowflake mountain symbol. Seeing as you can't buy a Spring or Autumn tyre that leaves Summer and Winter, so in reality they are calling it a Winter Summer tyre, it means nothing.

Apart from the fact the entire make up of a winter tyre is different from a summer tyre, your talking absolute rubbish. Winter tyres used in hot conditions can overheat with prolonged use and wear significantly quicker.

Admin note: this post has had its images recovered from a money grabbing photo hosting site and reinstated  Freelander 2 HSE Lux 2013MY - Barolo Black with Ivory Leather. Alpine DVD - Privacy -Evoque 20" Dynamic Wheels and more to come.........

Mav, I presume your making reference to "All winter tyres work in all seasons. "

I was just making the point that there is nothing stopping anyone using a winter tyre all year round but that doesn't make it an all season tyre or a good idea, as it will be compromised in the summer. 
Hung like Einstein, smart as a horse.

Maybe drifting away from the OP topic but I also have just invested in winter tyres after picking up a second set of alloys. After some research (and working for a Finnish company took some advise from my expert colleagues) I went for Nokian WR SUV3 which seem to be excellent tyres for winter use (snowflake symbol etc) but interestingly are still marketed as "all weather" rather than "all season". I don't intend to use them all year and will switch back to summer tyres in the Spring.

I can vouch for that - I've driven on all sorts of tyres, including on winters in the summer, and I discovered that driving with full winters at high speeds (motorways / autobahn) gave you the sensation that the car was itching for an excuse to swap ends - horses for courses, and do whatever suits budget...unfortunately no budget for me to buy winters for this year, but still hoping for snow to see how good these all-season standard fit tyres are...but I know what I'd rather be on  2000 Xei 1.8 gone
2004 HSE Td4 Auto, MT's, sump guard, sliderz - gone
2014 GS Man - AT's, Mantec Sump guard and tank guard, split charger in boot, towbar, work in progress...

shiggsy wrote:

Mav, I presume your making reference to "All winter tyres work in all seasons. "

I was just making the point that there is nothing stopping anyone using a winter tyre all year round but that doesn't make it an all season tyre or a good idea, as it will be compromised in the summer.

sd5000 wrote:

Maybe drifting away from the OP topic but I also have just invested in winter tyres after picking up a second set of alloys. After some research (and working for a Finnish company took some advise from my expert colleagues) I went for Nokian WR SUV3 which seem to be excellent tyres for winter use (snowflake symbol etc) but interestingly are still marketed as "all weather" rather than "all season". I don't intend to use them all year and will switch back to summer tyres in the Spring.

MAV71 is spot on
til you've had them you can all debate til the cows come home
winter tyres do the job better, that's why they make them, its simple science and technology
anything else like all weather and All terrain are second best when the temperature drops - FL2 3.2 i6 - There is no Replacement for Displacement

If my wife ever sells my stuff for what I told her I paid for it, there will be some bargains out there!

Mav,

I agree that winters are best in winter and summers are best in summer. I was just quoting extracts from recent tests.

I am on my third set of the snow rated all seasons and they do work well all year round, if I had the cash and time I would get two sets as you do. If I am making a comprimise with my tyres then it is a cracking compromise that keeps me coming back to the same tyre. But as I live in kent it is quite warm, I have never found winters of any use, if I lived further north they may make more sense.

I am not having a pop at you Wurzel, I was putting the point across about the differences.

If AS tyres suit your requirements then you can't lose out. Freelander 2 HSE Lux 2013MY - Barolo Black with Ivory Leather. Alpine DVD - Privacy -Evoque 20" Dynamic Wheels and more to come.........

Out of interest, what PSI have people got their Grabber AT's at?? I have 2356517's set to 35 PSI. We did try at 37 PSI when traveling up to Scotland however there was a noticeable increase in road noise.


Andrew 2007 LR Freelander 2 GS - factory tints, LR mud flaps, 2013 facelift)
Problems/solutions include: rear diff pinion replaced, stearing rack and pump replaced, alternator earth cable replaced (plus new alternator as misdiagnosed), throttle body replaced, MAP sensor replaced, secondary earth cable...
2002 MG TF 160 1.8i VVC - Gone
1998 MGF 1.8i VVC - Gone

I use LR's recommended (for the size - 235/65/17) 32psi, which seems to work well both on and off road.

Is interesting to compare. We found at 32 psi the tyres pinched a bit too much. I may drop them down to 32 to compare again.

Thanks,



A 2007 LR Freelander 2 GS - factory tints, LR mud flaps, 2013 facelift)
Problems/solutions include: rear diff pinion replaced, stearing rack and pump replaced, alternator earth cable replaced (plus new alternator as misdiagnosed), throttle body replaced, MAP sensor replaced, secondary earth cable...
2002 MG TF 160 1.8i VVC - Gone
1998 MGF 1.8i VVC - Gone

I have been running at the standard 35psi all round for the 19's. Freelander 2 HSE Lux 2013MY - Barolo Black with Ivory Leather. Alpine DVD - Privacy -Evoque 20" Dynamic Wheels and more to come.........

Newby question alert: It seems easy enought to find the winters tyres you need, but where would seasoned forumites go for some rims to mount them on?

My current alloys need some refurbishment which I knew when I bought the FL2. Putting on a winter set of tyres and alloys/steels would give me plenty of time to get the current alloys/summer tyres refurbed.

Thanks in advance!
Colin

EBay, lots of 18" HSE wheels, get a set and then get them refurbed. Or get 17" and you will find winters are a bit cheaper.

Sets are often for sale on this forum or more frequently on e-bay. Be careful to get FR2 wheels - FR1 wheels don't fit! Prices vary hugely, often dependent on the state of the tyres. You can often find them with brand new tyres, conversely I bought a set on e-bay with only 2mm tread, and sold three of them for more than I paid for the set. Ex AA Series III LWB Safari - Gone
300TDi Disco (bought new - terrible car) sent back after 18 months
Freelander 1 Estate - leased, given back at end of lease
200TDi Disco (bought from a mate with 100,000 on the clock) - Gone
Disco 2 TD5 - sold and exported to France
FR2 TD4 GS - Gone
FR2 SD4 HSE - Now changed for a DS
New model ex-demo Evoque S 180 in white
Unable to order a new DS, so gave up. Now have a Volvo S90 Recharge.