Hi guys,

I have been getting around fine in the snow on the goodyear wranglers (apart from the odd bit of scrabbling for grip when pulling away in deep snow or very hard compacted snow) but if the winters continue to be like a 'mini ice-age' as the press claim then I wonder about the snow traction systems price when compared to a set of wintrac tyres. The wranglers could be used for all but the most extreme snow then simply attach the snow traction system in theory but I believe you can't exceed 30mph?

Has anyone experienced these traction systems? http://www.landrover.com/gb/en/lr/freelander-2/accessories/
And does anyone know what price they are compared to a set of wintrac tyres? LL.B (Hons) - University of Derby
LOT (Lord of Time) - University of Gallifrey

Look here

http://www.freel2.com/forum/topic7549-30.html

And remember, however good the winter tyres are, the chains really come into there own when biting into ice. You are correct though, 30mph max and best to remove when back to normal road service, although with these that takes about 10 seconds.

The Doctor
Personally i wouldn't bother - 30mph - you'd take all day long getting anywhere. I'd rather invest the money in a good set of winter tyres and a Land Rover Snow/Ice Driving Experience - then you'll get safely out of anything winter throws at you.

It might be different where you live, but over here, when it snows you are lucky to get over 15mph with some of the people you have to follow!!

wizking wrote:

It might be different where you live, but over here, when it snows you are lucky to get over 15mph with some of the people you have to follow!!

With the snow we have had I can see no reason to get the Snow System it is just not versatile enough, I have been running Wintracs and have not had a problem with traction around here, even on compacted frozen snow on the hills around The Chilterns. The Wintracs can be used throughout the winter in all conditions, heavy surface water, snow etc where as you have to fit the snow system on when you need it then take it off again if the road becomes clear, nah can't see SWMBO willing to do that but the sure footedness of the Wintracs have been brilliant.

Ok I have driven in a foot of snow towing other vehicles up hills with part worn Pirelli scorpions and Goodyear Wranglers this year and have had no issues. Both were on sheet ice.

Currently running Wrangler MTR which I suspect are just as bad on ice.

My question is what advantage do Winter tyres have over the standard Wranglers and why?
They both seem to have a fairly open tread pattern, and the Wranglers seem to have a soft rubber compound.

If it's down to open tread then surely the MTR should win hands down - if you can cope with the noise  Tangiers Orange - gone, missing her
Replaced by Ewok what a mistake - now a happy Disco Sport owner

Andy131
Basically winter tyres are produced from a different material compound that does not harden under extreme cold conditions. In practice this gives winter tyres a far superior grip on snow and ice which can reduce stopping distances by up to 46% (brand dependent). This improved traction also has the benefit of delaying the point at which any given wheel "breaks away" and begins to slide thereby improving stability. If you wish to see the advantages of winter vis a vis ordinary tyres just Google the web sites of the German/Austrian or Swiss independent motoring organizations who regularly do such tyre tests: e.g. ADAC, OAC, or the TCS.

When you combine these safety features to the FL2's already clever TCS, DSC and HDC you have a vehicle that's capable of surmounting any obstacle or incident that presents itself during winter driving conditions (subject to the driver's intelligence!)

The downside: winter tyres do transmit more road noise than ordinary tyres - the amount of increased road noise is again brand dependent. Also they will wear faster than ordinary tyres if used for prolonged periods on normal dry tarmac - so change them as soon as you feel confident that winter is over. Here in CH her Ladyship's FL2 runs on winter tyres from November > April, the exact dates are of course dictated by the weather.

athelstan wrote:

Andy131
Basically winter tyres are produced from a different material compound that does not harden under extreme cold conditions. In practice this gives winter tyres a far superior grip on snow and ice which can reduce stopping distances by up to 46% (brand dependent).