Two things I noticed lately
1. People are driving much slower. Don't see too many cars whizzing past at 90-100 MPH on motorways compared to a year or two back. Must be due to fuel cost.
2. Awareness about winter/all season tyre is more. Many people (even outside this forum) are not laughing at the idea.
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>> Many people (even outside this forum) are
>> not laughing at the idea.
>>
But how many think winter tyres are some sort of magical item that lets them drive like it's a fine summer day?
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I don't see much point in ordinary winter tyres. Nor do I think driving more slowly on motorways is an 'improvement', although it doesn't offend me as much as it used to. Perhaps I am getting old.
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I don't "laugh" at anyone who chooses to fit winter tyres. Not really anyway, just the ones on here who I feel by default of having stuck their heads above an internet parapet can be ribbed to periodically amuse my tiny mind ! :-)
Indeed, I can quite appreciate the potential benefits in the same way that, for example, ABS or traction control aids safety. Equally though, it is also still perfectly possible to drive safely in vehicles without any of those features provided appropriate care is taken.
For what it's worth, I've both lived at altitude and driven extensively in all weathers and at all times of year throughout the British Isles and continental Europe. A lifetime ago I spent a winter teaching skiing for a living and drove on snow daily.
Over time I've either owned or had long term use of over 40 cars and amassed some 1.2 million miles. Some of them were RWD, some FWD and some 4WD. I've only ever been stuck in wintery conditions once when a truck blocked a motorway and nothing could move and on another occasion when snow drifted ten feet high and nothing could move no matter what tyres it had fitted.
Granted, a 4x4 with winter tyres will get better traction than a RWD with summer rubber and there will be varying degrees of grip with all the possible permutations in between but it is rare indeed in my experience to be unable to move at all no matter what you're driving and on those occasions there are are simply different techniques and levels of concentration required depending upon the configuration of the vehicle's drivetrain.
Most of the time, in the UK climate anyway, it's about taking appropriate care and if winter rubber makes some feel safer still then fair enough. Bit like taking a shovel/flask/Mars bar. Handy if you need it but not strictly essential. Nowt wrong with that really is there?
Conversely, the implication that those of us in RWD cars with summer tyres are all going to die if there's a bit of a frost is equally er... well, you know !
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>> But how many think winter tyres are some sort of magical item
Probably the same folk who drove a bit faster when they first got seatbelts / airbags / ABS.
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>> >> But how many think winter tyres are some sort of magical item
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>> Probably the same folk who drove a bit faster when they first got seatbelts /
>> airbags / ABS.
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Whose numbers have probably thinned out a bit.
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>> >> Probably the same folk who drove a bit faster when they first got seatbelts/
airbags / ABS.
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metalled roads/4 wheel brakes/rack and pinion steering/radial tyres/crumple zones/SIP
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General driving improvements in recent times - The Nut
