Winter Tyres

I bought new tyres for my Yaris last week and, for the first time in years, I've gone for a set of Winter tyres. I've bought them before for our bigger cars when we have driven to Germany for Christmas (it's sort-of, but not actually, a legal requirement there). The last time I had them for a small car was on an old Mk2 Golf which ended up as shredded rubber when we were late for the ferry terminal in the Netherlands. I've needed to get new tyres for a while as the handling has felt increasingly tetchy but, as the tread depth has remained perfectly legal, I just kept putting off the decision.

I finally made the effort of buying them after I had to brake hard when a young man stepped out in front of the car in Airdrie. I stopped in time - although the ABS was thundering through my right foot. With my heart trying to exit though my chest for a good half hour afterwards, I checked out the local Kwik Fit for tyres and was surprised to see that they were stocking Continental TS800 Winter tyres in my size. These are actually meant for any cold weather - not just snow and ice - and the difference they have made in handling is like night and day. Cornering, acceleration and braking are all very assured, it feels very stable and sure footed at speed, and when a grouse ran in front of the car I came to a smooth halt with just a couple of minor ABS clicks. So, no-brainer then: Winter tyres are better. Well, yes - but it's not that straight forward.

During last Winter's heavy snow I didn't have any problems driving on it, but since then the Continental EcoContact3 tyres have become quite worn (down to 3mm) and the Goodyear GT2 tyres, although still with lots of tread, have started to perish with age (and I suspect they were a piece of rubbish 6 years ago when they were new). Had I simply swapped the tyres for a new set of quality all-weather tyres (Michelin and Continental are my usual favourites) I suspect that the handling would have been equally improved merely by having some decent new rubber.

That's not to say that the Winter tyres are not worth it. I have to drive to work over some variable quality roads including the A801 Avon Gorge: a laughably poor section of A road consisting of a 15% hill with a sharp right angled bend. It scares the Hell out of me in the best of weather so what it's like when there's a bit of snow and ice doesn't bare thinking about. But Winter tyres do have their downside. Apart from having to change them over in the spring, they are typically noisier, have higher rolling resistance and wear faster than standard tyres. In terms of noise, I haven't noticed much difference - if anything it seems quieter. That's not to say that they are silent as the Yaris isn't exactly the quietest of interiors at the best of times (I usually have the CD player on loud enough not to notice) but there isn't anything new noise-wise that is now bothering me.

In terms of rolling resistance, I've based this on my journey to work. This is a mixture of A and B roads, a stretch of motorway and some urban roads with roundabouts but not much in the way of stop-start traffic. Typically, I get mid 50s mpg but the biggest factor is seasonal as the consumption can vary as much as 20% between mid-summer and mid-winter. The last full tank with the old tyres measured just over 54 mpg. With the new tyres I just about got 53mpg. It's not much difference but it does mean it costs slightly more to run. Of course, this is not a strictly scientific test - the weather conditions were worse with the new tyres and I filled the car with ASDA fuel this time rather than Shell (do you believe their marketing?), so it's possible that the old tyres would have returned the same in the conditions I tested them in.

In terms of tyre wear, I won't be able to tell until the spring when they have had a bit of use. It does, however, present the other cost which is whether to get the tyres changed over or to invest in a second set of rims and swap the wheels myself. At the moment, the Winter tyres are on the original alloys and I don't mind having a set of steel wheels in their place. The only problem is that the conventional wisdom is to use steel wheels on the Winter tyres and alloys on the Summer. Of course, I could always go for some cheap (and not as tatty) alloys but that is another expense in itself. If I just get the tyres swapped over it would cost about £40 including balancing at the local fitters - so £80 per year to change in Spring and Autumn. It's not an insubstantial cost but it is good value for the additional safety it provides.

Overall, I'd say I was very happy with the Winter tyres and it is worth going for if you can afford the extra expense. If we do get heavy snow, the cost will be recouped immediately.