Winter Tyres

[Micro]

Hey all,

With cold temps starting to reappear, and reports of cars starting to end up in ditches, i've come to a small minefield.... do I put winter tyres on my focus?

I've got about a 35 mile round trip to work, and occasionally do a 100 mile round trip to family, so average 240 miles a week.

Winter 2012 I had my Corsa, which was fantastic on snow even with budget summer tyres. Obviously it had a smaller tyre width/diameter to the Focus. It got me 60 miles along gritted slushy motorways and fresh/compacted ungritted country roads with only a couple of hairy moments (No ABS/Traction), and was otherwise fantastic in the cold snow/ice. Even started on a hill from standstill after stopping to help someone who'd gone off the road.

Question is, would you?

[IINexusII]

not really, the Avon ZV5's i have seems to have a good tread design that i think will do just fine in snow/slush

[The Dark Knight]

not really, the Avon ZV5's i have seems to have a good tread design that i think will do just fine in snow/slush

Dangerous assumption. Firstly though, if they were snow tyres, they would be a waste of money. As they are winter tyres, anything below 7C and you are onto a winner. Above 7C and they are still good, they aren't suddenly going to become diabolical.

Worth reading my post here (apologies for it being long winded) as I speak from experience.

I went through the winter of 2008/2009 in a Fiesta ST with summer tyres that I thought had good tread and I always drove to the conditons. Winter tyres are a waste of money when you drive appropriately and have good quality summer tyres I would boast. Then I had an appointment with the kerb. No amount of careful driving could undo the laws of physics.

I went through the winters of 2009/10 and 2010/11 in a Land Rover Freelander with M+S rated all season tyres. The 4x4 abilities were great but unlike some, I drove to the conditions and not like I was invincible. I did notice loss of traction at the back when turning into corners on snow due to the weight though.

I went through the winters of 2011/12 and 2012/13 in a Land Rover Freelander with winter tyres. 4x4's take longer to stop than normal cars so winter tyres can make a big difference. Those winters, I joined a 4x4 response group helping nurses get medication to elderly patients. I went out and about on country roads in heavy snow as part of my duties and appreciated the extra safety of winter tyres.

I went through the winter of 2013/14 aka The Diablo winter because it was so mild, in the Fez ZS with winter tyres fitted. Seldom did they come into their comfort zone it was so mild. Last winter was to mild what 62/63 was to cold though, very rare indeed.

This winter I have the ST and the same set of winter tyres but on spare rims. The tyres (Continental TS850) cost me £350 but while I am using them, I am not wearing out the tread on my normal tyres. Plus the extra safety could avoid a minor accident which would cost more than you would have paid for the tyres.

While ever I can afford to, I will always buy winter tyres. Interestingly, one person I know runs winter tyres all year because she can only afford one set of tyres. The logic is that the winter tyres outperform summer tyres in winter by a considerably larger margin than summer tyres outperform winter tyres in summer.

Have a read through this topic and watch the videos: http://www.fordownersclub.com/forums/topic/63386-winter-tyres-for-st-zetec-s/

[JC600]

I've been a mobile fitter for a hydraulic hose company for 10 years, our company normally fit budget or mid range tyres to the vans. We drive on building sites, quarries, farms and other places in the middle of no where lol

Been out in some harsh conditions on untreated roads to gritters etc.....and touch wood, never had any problems. You drive to the conditions, and your own abilities.

I don't think in this country you need winter tyres, especially with the mild winters we usually have now. Yes, we've had a few bad ones.

Ive done winter tours in Bosnia and Kosovo. And seen 6ft of snow lol.....and even know everyone moans about our roads, they are generally well treated and clear. Most hold ups are caused by numpty drivers who panic about one snow flake.

[Andy.B1971]

I see more and more works vans now using winter tyres all year round,

I put my winter tyres on last week(I got mine for peanuts) thankfully the wet grip rating is B so general motoring I feel totally safe.

As said if you can afford to have a spare set of steel rims with the tyres on and storage space then its totally worth it.

[JC600]

We don't even get winter tyres in the winter lol

One year I had a Ling long, 2 x chin chang and a radial 666 lol

Luckily my new Van is on Continentals, and as it's lease hire has to have good tyres put on when replaced. :)

[Andy.B1971]

:D :D :D :D ling long there are a few lease companies which do take the biscuit like lex , leaseplan but to name a couple

[IINexusII]

Best thing is to work from home on days like that with too much snow :)

TheDarkKnight is right though about the difference between winter and summer tyres, but with the amount of snowy/icy days i have seen over the last few years i do not see the benefits of having winter tyres on for half of the year, also wouldnt winter tyres have a negative on tyre noise & fuel economy due to the compound? i guess the all season tyres would be a better option

[Micro]

Best thing is to work from home on days like that with too much snow :)

Unfortunately kind of difficult to work from home in my profession! Work will come and collect you, however, getting you back home again after is obviously not as much of a priority!!

I think i'm gonna stick to the summer tyres and get some snow socks, hopefully they'll get me out of a mess if I get stuck!

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Ford OC mobile app

[artscot79]

never needeed them and i live at the top of a hill that isnt gritted or ploughed as always pick the right gear drive smoothly and youre fine

[Micro]

On the tyreleader.co.uk site it lists steel wheels as 6Jx15" - the owners manual for my car states nothing less than 16" wheels.

If I select the FORD FOCUS II / CC / ST220 1.6, they list 6.5 J x 16".

The 195/65 R15 tyre for the first set of wheels will be 2mm less in overall diameter, so not much difference re:speedo accuracy.

I'm confused!

[The Dark Knight]

Unfortunately kind of difficult to work from home in my profession! Work will come and collect you, however, getting you back home again after is obviously not as much of a priority!!

I think i'm gonna stick to the summer tyres and get some snow socks, hopefully they'll get me out of a mess if I get stuck!

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Ford OC mobile app

Snow socks are a reasonable compromise. Just remember that you have to remove them once back on cleared roads or they will shred/tear pretty easily. Bit of a faff putting them on and you may get cold fingers.

As I've said, if you can afford to buy them, that removes the only negative aspect of them (short of guaranteed mild winters every year with temps always above 7C - Highly unlikely even here).

The naysayers who I've spoken to at work sometimes boast how they have managed to get traction ok, they drive to the conditions and slow down with the gears etc but they've missed the point.

Of course, even with winter tyres you can't do much to stop idiots on the road who don't know how to drive but if the occasion ever calls for sudden braking, for reasons beyond your control (been there), you will be able to pull up far sooner than on summer tyres. You also feel more at ease knowing your tyres are up to the job. Naturally, you still drive appropriately.

Then there's the grip and turn in which is far superior. It doesn't matter to me what you choose to do because I know I've made the right choice and I just want to inform others of the key points. I've been driving on winter tyres for the last few weeks and temps reached 13C (typical). Did they feel bad? Not one bit.

Moist roads at -2C this morning, did they feel better? Yes, much better. It felt like driving on bone dry tarmac. Very sure footed.

This video is well worth watching as it shows the difference in the rain at +4C as well as the snow. The difference in stopping distance is rather alarming.

[Micro]

Price isn't a concern, I'm going to need 4 new tyres soon anyway so £300ish, £50 more isn't a problem to get the wheels too. I can always sell them if I find I don't need them I suppose!

I'm driving around when it is still quite cold (early hours in the morning) due to day shifts, and driving back early hours on nights, so I really am in two minds on the matter.

As long as I am definitely buying the right wheels for the car, I'm really tempted to buy them, and find a H rated tyre to suit with good reviews.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Ford OC mobile app

[The Dark Knight]

Continental TS850 (mine) get fantastic reviews and seem to cope better than others when temps get milder. Goodyear ultragrip good reviews and Nokian.

Mine cost £350 in 16" from tyre pneus.

[Micro]

Continental TS850 (mine) get fantastic reviews and seem to cope better than others when temps get milder. Goodyear ultragrip good reviews and Nokian.

Mine cost £350 in 16" from tyre pneus.

Have you got separate wheels, or do you swap yours over (and rebalance) your alloys?

Wheel size is confusing me at present - conflicting information on whether I can run 195/65 tyres, and if a 15" wheel is suitable for a 1.6 Zetec Focus...

[The Dark Knight]

I bought them for the Fiesta ZS I had before, to go straight onto the standard alloys. Obviously, they wouldn't fit the ST so I ended up buying some manky 17" alloys from eBay for £100 (just cosmetic damage) and paid £140 for a full refurb and re-spray in graphite colour. So £240 for effectively new wheels. The PCD (distance between the bolts) is the key and Fords mostly seem to be 108. Mine certainly was.

The bigger your wheels, the more you pay for winter tyres. My winters are 195/45/R16.

[Micro]

Tyreleader suggests a 195/65 R15 tyre, with a 6Jx15" steel wheel (108mm PCD, http://www.tyreleader.co.uk/steel-wheels/ford/focus-ii/16-28753 )

The sticker on my drivers door jam suggests I can use (manual doesnt!) a 195/65 R15 tyre, with a 15" wheel. Is there anything else I can check to ensure they will fit (other than take the websites word)?

[The Dark Knight]

The only issue I encountered was that the locking nut wouldn't go all the way, so clearly the holes on the spare rims were different. I bought a set of 4 normal wheel nuts from the local Ford dealer for £15. I can do without locking nuts over winter as 95% of my daytime parking is at work (which is a secure car park).

Good value: http://www.tyres-pneus-online.co.uk/car-tyres/continental/conti-wintercontact-ts-850/195-65-r15-tl-91-t.html

EDIT: RIDICULOUSLY GOOD VALUE! X4 = £188.08

[Micro]

I've contacted tyreleader re:wheel nuts, and fitment. If they confirm that they will fit my vehicle, and the situation re: nuts, then I'll go for the 16" black steel, so that they're the same size tyre as I have now. Saves hassle later on, and not that much more expensive. Definately cheaper than buying from a UK supplier.

Mums tipped the boat, she says she always had winter tyres when she was younger as her dad made her have them. It does make sense.

[The Dark Knight]

Didn't realise winter tyres were available years ago in the UK. I thought they were a relatively new introduction.

If you are going for 16", then on the link to tyre pneus I posted, you are looking at £317.24 for the TS830 which is the predecessor to the TS850 in 195/65/R16. Quite a price jump. I went a rim smaller with the ST and its fine.

195/45/R16 = £304.88 in the TS850. Obviously there are other brands available but this shows the price jump for the same brand.

Have a look at this by the way: http://www.fordownersclub.com/forums/topic/63632-the-finished-product-winter-tyres-fitted/

[artscot79]

I use asymetrical tyres designed for dry and wet work well in snow and slush so i stick to them 5 winters with no issues even braking given abs is on every car winter tyres will make no difference the abs will work exactly the same

[The Dark Knight]

I use asymetrical tyres designed for dry and wet work well in snow and slush so i stick to them 5 winters with no issues even braking given abs is on every car winter tyres will make no difference the abs will work exactly the same

ABS will work the same and you always get that judder when braking on snow due to the ABS not being able to cope as well as normal due to the loose and slippery surface created by the snow.

A car with winter tyres in snowy and icy conditions (in particular the top stuff like Contis) will outperform any normal tyre and the asymetrical business won't hold a candle to a proper winter tyre.

In circumstances beyond your control where sudden braking is called upon, I could brake to a halt, stop the engine and get out for a stroll while a car on normal tyres is still slithering about and heading for a collision with whatever the driver was trying to avoid.

Cost is the only real negative.

[The Dark Knight]

The reasoning by the way, is that summer tyres go hard at cold temps and the tread pattern is not suited to the conditions. Winter tyres remain flexible and the more aggressive tread bites into the cold surface.

They are designed so that snow sticks to them too. If you've ever rolled a snowball, you will know that nothing sticks to snow better than snow. This results in far easier traction.

[Micro]

Third option, i'll wait for my tyre gauge to show up, see how much tread is on my front tyres (besides feeling for the wear indicator), and decide whether i'll just get some winters fitted now and get some new wheels next year!

[The Dark Knight]

That's fair enough. My starting point was always to buy winter tyres to put onto the standard rims rather than buy a spare set of rims due to cost. Always served me well too.

Due to being forced into spare rims, I am well pleased with the look of the now refurbed wheels. :)