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Driving in the snow?

I had Nokian tyres in UK snow in 2010/2011 and they were ok. I still have a set on the rear, but now have Goodyear UltraGrip 8's on the front and they are really good. Recommend these from Camskill.co.uk and better than the Nokian WR G2.

Ben
 
entwisi said:
rubbish, I live down a 1:4 hill, on Conti Winter Contacts I was able to drive up it completely covered in snow without the VSA even flashing, my wifes Astra on Conti Sport Contacts would get all of 3 feet on the gentlest bit of the slope. I was actually gob smacked how bad her car was compared to mine, I hadn;t even considered that I wouldn;t be able to get hers out the Accord had been that sure footed. Last year we had full snow covering our estate for nearly 6 weeks and with the Winters on it was just like driving on white tarmac. Its even suprrising how well it stops on it. OK if you jump on tegh ABS kicks in but I can live with that

Get proper tyres on and Carry on carrying on.....

forgot to say, I also have screen wash rated down to -60 which also helps on these frosty mornings.... :D
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Hi entwisi,

Just wanted to ask what speed rating of Conti Winter Contacs you went for and why? Makes quite a difference in the total price if you're buying a set of four.

Thanks,

Rory
 
SOFTLY SOFTLY CATCHEE MONKEY!! nice and smoooooth with the controls, and any car will be quite safe. drive like a maniac then expect and deserve trouble.
 
SOFTLY SOFTLY CATCHEE MONKEY!! nice and smoooooth with the controls, and any car will be quite safe. drive like a maniac then expect and deserve trouble.
 
Rory said:
Hi entwisi,

Just wanted to ask what speed rating of Conti Winter Contacs you went for and why? Makes quite a difference in the total price if you're buying a set of four.

Thanks,

Rory
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Just seen from a post of yours in another thread that you went with the H rated tyres. Thanks for doing that check! I've gone for the same, seeing as that speed rating exceeds the top speed of the car...
 
Id imagine the D's will struggle more than the P's in the snow, due to the down low torque?

As it happens my Accord is great in the snow, last year i had 215/45/17s summer uniroyals, this year i have 195/60/15 uniroyals for winter, it will be interesting how the car behaves if it snows. In theory it should be better, we shall see.
 
I have to say, of all the cars I have driven I have found my Accord Tourer pretty much the worst/scariest in the snow. Over the last 2 Winters I've had 2 different makes of tyres on aswell which made no difference. The ABS is scarily sensitive so you touch the brakes and nothing happens and the traction is woeful. I've got Winter Tyres on this year and hoping to see a big improvement.
 
its all about tyres and driving style. As has been said smooth driving is the key and if you get a slide on dont just slam the brakes on, and try and look for some fresh snow as it will have abit more bite than the hard compressed stuff.

Older cars will always be better in the snow if driven right as they are inherently lightly and give better feed back through the steering and pedals etc.

Also if the road ahead looks really bad/ you know of a potential black spot, you can always stop and have a little walk to see if it is safe/ possible to continue.
 
Winter tyres make a huge difference, but if you don't have them, then ultimately it's down to how you drive. On a snowy road never use 1st gear, always start in 2nd gear and drive off as slowly as you can, and I mean slow, You'll be surprised at what you can do when other cars are hopelessly revving away and spinning their tyres,

WInter tyres are the best answer though.............https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elP_34ltdWI

But what are they like in summer? Anyone have any experience of using winter tyres in the summer?
 
Best car to drive in snow is a 2CV. Astonishing grip in fresh snow, or frozen snow, or rutted snow, or slush.
In the early 80's I used to travel out to work on an open country road. There was a stretch that was about a mile long, one winter the road was covered in rutted snow, and there was a convoy of about 10 cars nose-to-tail travelling at about 30 mph. Nothing coming the other way and I overtook the lot of them on the other side of the road. When I got to work, a colleague had been in that convoy and he said he was gob-smacked at how I did it. I just said "wasn't me, mostly the car, get a 2CV for winter driving" :lol:
 
Just got some Continental WinterContact TS850s delivered to work today. They're top of the pops according to this winter tyres guide http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Article/2012-Winter-Tyre-Buying-Guide.htm so I'm keen to see how they perform. I'll post my verdict after I get them fitted next week.
 
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