True "winter" tyres (they have a three-peaked mountain and a snowflake symbol on the sidewall) start to deliver better grip than "Summer" tyres below about 7 degrees C. It doesn't have to be frosty or snowy. Obviously, it's barely noticeable at that temperature, but below about 3 degrees, most drivers can spot it. Certainly below freezing (which I admit, in Southern UK isn't that often), the difference is very noticeable. Some rear wheel drive cars put their power down better than others, as do some fronts. In general, front wheel drives have more of their weight over the driven wheels - which is the key. I have a front wheel drive car that is lousy in snow, because as a right hand drive, with driver-only, and an open diff, I'm sitting on the same side as the engine, so it just spins its left hand front wheel.
Tyre roadnoise
- Thread starter norseman
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I find a set of Sno-soxs are a great get-you-home solution to snow, though you can get very damp/dirty fore arms fitting them
They are front heavy. If you add a few large sacks of spuds to the trunk, the traction should improve.
That's true. I've never had a problem with bad weather & RWD as the vast majority of vehicles I have owned/driven have been rear drive & the UK used to get far more frequent snow falls back in the day.
Mind you, only those of a certain age will remember those times
I had. A little bit of snow and my car couldn't move out of the drive way. Basically, the rear orbits the front, cartoon style. I don't have winter tyres. Loading up with loose timber or spud sacks is cheapest.
Back in the early 'nineties I ran a Toyoto Corolla estate around the Essex countryside during what became a winter of considerable snow. The RWD Toy. was fitted with Firestone 'town & country' tyres on the rear axle & although I got stuck occasionally, I always managed to drive myself out without assistance, which was just as well as out in the sticks you often didn't see a soul for miles.
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I hear they tear apart quickly if wheels skid . True ?I find a set of Sno-soxs are a great get-you-home solution to snow, though you can get very damp/dirty fore arms fitting them
Never had that happen, though to be honest I've only ever used them on a couple of occasions, just to get a Mondeo out to the lane a quarter mile from our drive.
Impressed by their performance though. When the Mondy went I bought an unused set for the BM, usually plenty of Sox on the 'Bay because when folks change their cars the replacement rarely runs the same tyre size.