[mammoo6]

Just looking for an opinion guys... Winter tyres for the rear or all 4 corners?

Just bought 2 Pirelli Scorpion Ice & Snow... But was unsure whether I should get another 2... And anybody use these tyres?


Cheers

[xenon]

All four wheels or not at all.

[Josh1a1h]

If your car was FWD...then you could get away with it on the front...But not with RWD

[surrey 335i]

All 4 on a BMW.

For years our family have always just used 2 winters on the front of our front wheel drive cars (also in Scotland so plenty of snow and frost) and that works fine (better with 4 obviously) but for a rear wheel drive always have 4 so you can get going up a hill but also can stop and steer (quite usefull!).

[LexS]

Always fit 4, you will create a significant imbalance front to rear on any car by only fitting a pair. Not much use if the front will go round the corner, but the rear won't regardless of driven wheels. Also as mentioned above stopping is far more important than going.

[surrey 335i]

Originally Posted by LexS

Always fit 4, you will create a significant imbalance front to rear on any car by only fitting a pair. Not much use if the front will go round the corner, but the rear won't regardless of driven wheels. Also as mentioned above stopping is far more important than going.

After more than 20 years driving (winters in scotland) and many thousands of miles driven with the winter tyres on the front only it has been fine, there is not the signficant imbalance you might expect.

[LexS]

Your welcome to your opinion, however, any experience with vehicle dynamics will show you very quickly the ease at which you can disturb a safe level of balance just through using incorrect air pressure let alone tread pattern, compound, carcass construction. You also need to remember your driving style may be more compliant to mixing tyres, other not so much. Also factoring in emergency situations, its just not worth it for the sake for a few hundred pounds, less so considering you save wear on summer tyres.

[Sir_Pigley]

I wouldn't put winter tyres on just the front wheels even on a FWD car. I might be OK for some of the time, but there are situations where having grip on the front wheels and very little on the back could cause dramatic instability.

If you want to simulate that try pulling on the handbrake when going around a corner.

[G82Dude]

All 4. Do you really want summer tyres on the wheels that handle most of your braking? No!

[G82Dude]

Originally Posted by surrey 335i

After more than 20 years driving (winters in scotland) and many thousands of miles driven with the winter tyres on the front only it has been fine, there is not the signficant imbalance you might expect.

But with summers on the back, how do you get traction to start with [for RWD]?!?

There was also a surprising video by 5th Gear about putting new tyres on front/back for a FWD car in the wet. Google it and watch...!

[surrey 335i]

[QUOTE=uke92dude;14826678]But with summers on the back, how do you get traction to start with [for RWD]?!?

QUOTE]

?
you wouldnt, thats what I have already said you need 4.

[G82Dude]

[QUOTE=surrey 335i;14826695]

Originally Posted by uke92dude

But with summers on the back, how do you get traction to start with [for RWD]?!?

QUOTE]

?
you wouldnt, thats what I have already said you need 4.

Ahhh, missed your earlier one FOR BMW - as you said OK on fronts on subsequent post, but that's for FWD cars!

[dopper99]

You may find you might not be properly insured with just 2.

If you were involved in a bad accident and they looked over your car, it would probably go against you having odd tyres on it. Not worth the risk.

[AlanQS]

It's a bit like the four wheel drive people, sitting smug in the snow and ice on their summer tyres. They can get moving whilst all those around them are floundering. But they can't stop any better using summer tyres than all the others they've been sneering at.

So, put winters only on the rear of a BMW, you're like the 4x4 people. You can move but you can't stop. Put them on the front of a BMW, you can stop all right but then, you wouldn't have been able to move off in the first place.

Reminds me of some photos on here a few years ago - tyre socks on a E91 - on the Front wheels!

[mammoo6]

Originally Posted by AlanQS

It's a bit like the four wheel drive people, sitting smug in the snow and ice on their summer tyres. They can get moving whilst all those around them are floundering. But they can't stop any better using summer tyres than all the others they've been sneering at.

So, put winters only on the rear of a BMW, you're like the 4x4 people. You can move but you can't stop. Put them on the front of a BMW, you can stop all right but then, you wouldn't have been able to move off in the first place.

Reminds me of some photos on here a few years ago - tyre socks on a E91 - on the Front wheels!

Very good point... Suppose I better get the bank card out..!!

Cheers lads

[a11y]

Originally Posted by Josh1a1h

If your car was FWD...then you could get away with it on the front...But not with RWD

Nope, not even a good idea on FWD. All 4 or not at all.

I, ahem, know of someone driving a FWD hatch with winters on the front and summers on the back (the rears were delayed in the post) and lost the back end in near-freezing, wet conditions, fish-tailed and wiped out a telegraph pole along with most of the front end of the car. Front end with the winter tyres was planted though


I'm a pro-winter tyre person but pisses me off that even with them it doesn't help you get anywhere at times: the roads are still blocked up by the f**kwits without winter tyres who just can't drive...

[Josh1a1h]

fair play mate

[SteveC]

Originally Posted by surrey 335i

After more than 20 years driving (winters in scotland) and many thousands of miles driven with the winter tyres on the front only it has been fine, there is not the signficant imbalance you might expect.

What you actually mean is that you've got away with it so far. Personally I would not even want to travel in your car, let alone put my family in it.
Safety is about having as big a safety margin as possible. By mixing summer and winter tyres, you have very different water dispersion characteristics, different grip levels, tyre side wall compliance, braking and cornering performance etc.

Summer tyres offer almost zero grip on snow and ice, but high grip on dry, warm tarmac. Winter tyres the exact opposite. There's no way that mixing the two can be safe on a high performance car, or even a low performance car come to think of it.

The problem is you'll probably only discover where the limits are when you're in a dangerous situation.....emergency braking, accidently cornering too fast, fast acceleration on a low traction surface etc. For the few quid we're talking about, there's no way I'd put myself, my family and other road users at risk by fitting such obviously mismatched tyres

[surrey 335i]

Originally Posted by SteveC

What you actually mean is that you've got away with it so far. Personally I would not even want to travel in your car, let alone put my family in it.
Safety is about having as big a safety margin as possible. By mixing summer and winter tyres, you have very different water dispersion characteristics, different grip levels, tyre side wall compliance, braking and cornering performance etc.

Summer tyres offer almost zero grip on snow and ice, but high grip on dry, warm tarmac. Winter tyres the exact opposite. There's no way that mixing the two can be safe on a high performance car, or even a low performance car come to think of it.

The problem is you'll probably only discover where the limits are when you're in a dangerous situation.....emergency braking, accidently cornering too fast, fast acceleration on a low traction surface etc. For the few quid we're talking about, there's no way I'd put myself, my family and other road users at risk by fitting such obviously mismatched tyres

My advice is/was buy 4 all round, be daft not to.

My experience is different from my advice and having actually done this for many years I know what I am talking about, from first hand experience of actually doing it.