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do we really need winter tyres with Subaru AWD?

I had a BMW 118d once upon a time, and a bad winter here in Scotland - so I got 4 Pirelli Sottozero 2s for it (205 50 R17 I think).  They were definitely good with snow and when it was cold, but at any temp above about 10degrees they were very very soft, and the handling became rotten.

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well you could say that about any car, would have thought our AWD would have meant ours had a better chance than many at stopping and having better control in snow/icy conditions. 

Guess its a personal choice since our government have not made them mandatory.

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General consensus is that a 2 wheel drive car with winter tyres on will perform better than an AWD car with summer tyres on in winter conditions.

 

It's all personal choice at the end of the day like you say, but I know what I'd prefer to be on, given the choice.

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I'd agree with David I've had better luck in a front wheel drive car with winter tyres than other 4 wheel drive cars on summer, and have used summer tyres in summer and winter tyres in winter since, even when I got an AWD car. I don't think our AWD system will make any difference in stopping, only the rubber on the road will do that in winter when the temperature drops below about 7 degrees ish.

To back this up I nearly put my new STi in a wall last winter a day after I changed back to summer tyres because I thought we'd seen the last of the winter weather. Wasn't driving fast just lost traction on all 4 wheels going up a hill and skid sideways into the kerb and then started sliding down the road. A few cars got past me including a van, but most if not all had either winter tyres or were big 4 wheel drives with off road tyres.

Just my two pennies worth.

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I don't know what to do this year. I have a pair of rims with some GY UltraGrip on and another pair of different rims that I could get some more GY on but it just doesn't stay consistently cold enough here.  I have a few months yet anyway. 

Could always pick up a part worn pair on the bay.

I'm seriously considering sourcing a hardly used set of rubber from there...bargains to be had

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2 minutes ago, david1972 said:

Could always pick up a part worn pair on the bay.

Def mate that's where the current ones came from and were peanuts really.  Just need to find a matching pair to what I have which shouldn't be too hard.  

When are you gonna look to buy? Sooner rather than later as I guess prices will go up the colder it gets? 

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I always highly recommend winter tyres to anyone. They're not just for snow, but also for.... WATER. And we have plenty in the UK during the winter months.

Look for Toyo Snoproxes at mytyres.co.uk - VERY good tyres even in extreme winter conditions like -30C driving. The thread is about 10mm, so they last for a long time and ideal for floods and rainy seasons + occasional snow/ice.

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Talking about the winter tyres here is a 5% off code -) for the winter tyres, they have one of the lowest prices in the country anyway, so with 5% off that would be a real bargain.

Your code* is:  RDUKCW37

FROM 11th - 18th SEPTEMBER 2016

mytyres.co.uk

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Do I really have to get V speed-rated tyres, the same as summers? - what does everybody else do?

 

I'm sure my outback's tyre label on the door shut showed a much lower speed-rated tyre for winters

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30 minutes ago, GeoffLeggy said:

Will you be doing 149mph? Have you found some lower rated ones?

lol no

 

I just thought someone on here advised that I needed the same speed rating as the summer tyres as indicated on my door shut label

 

There are loads of H rated tyres that I could go for if I knew I could legitimately

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You DON'T need the V speed rating for sure. I don't think they manufacture such winter tyres to be honest. Can you possibly imagine doing such speed in harsh conditions like snow or heavy rain?

I went with H rating Toyo Snowproxes - stick with them and keep them till March. Even H rating is good enough for most drivers. The tyres are very good, been using them for years, also they're directional, so has it's downsides, but overall they last very long (depends on the driving style).

Another thing to mention I wouldn't keep the winter tyres longer than 4-5 years (even if plenty of Thread) as the rubber hardens and they don't handle well in wet conditions. I personally have to drive in snow/ice in the winters in North Europe and I replace my winter tyres usually every 3 years.

The reason you have V speed rating stated is because your car is capable of such speeds therefore the manufacturer by law must state such rating. If you don't do 150 mph, then you can stick with "lower level" tyres depending on your speed habits, I usually go with H in the summer and winter, which is way above the UK speed limits anyway.

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15 hours ago, david1972 said:

Do I really have to get V speed-rated tyres, the same as summers? - what does everybody else do?

 

I'm sure my outback's tyre label on the door shut showed a much lower speed-rated tyre for winters

Replied above -)

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