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RWD - on which axle do winter tyres go?


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Rear.The weight of the front of the vehicle will help the tyres grip. The rear needs all the help it can get - especially of the rear breaks free. Best tyres go on the back. Not sure about porsche 911's though.

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Winter tyres go on both axles, no matter the drivetrain.

This. Otherwise you'll get a huge more grip on one axle than the other and end up arse about face pretty quickly due to the winters grabbing much better.

 

Also some insurance companies need to be notified. Check the ABI winter tyre insurer list.

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Winter tyres are not just for snow.

I've never bought any, and I live in Cumbria - almost Scotland. I just make sure I have properly inflated tyres with plenty of tread, and drive to the conditions.

 

Winter tyres are an extra safeguard, and maybe something that's necessary if you live in the Cairngorms, but does anyone really need them if they're, say, commuting in Dudley?

 

There's probably only a handful of days a year when you'd feel the benefit of them in that scenario, and a set of tyres ain't cheap.

 

What I probably should have said is that they're not worth the expenditure.

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After the bad snow a few years ago the following year I put winter tyres on the back of my MX5. It was crazy how little grip there was. Great fun sometimes but always had to drive carefully.

It snowed a tiny bit that year. I took them off and never used them again.

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And how many days a year do you need your seatbelt? But I will stick with my seatbelt I think. And winter tyres performance is superior below 8*C or so, so they are for, oddly enough, the winter months.

 

I use Michelin cross climates so have the nearly the best of both worlds.

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I had winter tyres on my Vectra in 2011 after OMGSnowmageddon 2010. Drove 3 feet after fitting, over a stone on the driveway and the tyre burst, massive hole and a write off. Had to buy another, then had a bit of snow and 1 occasion where a slightly tricky hill was achieved.

 

I only had them on the front but I agree, 4 are adviseable, otherwise some decent normal tyres and a spade/ some cardboard and a mobile are sufficient for the UK IMO.

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After the bad snow a few years ago the following year I put winter tyres on the back of my MX5. It was crazy how little grip there was. Great fun sometimes but always had to drive carefully.

It snowed a tiny bit that year. I took them off and never used them again.

 

In 2009 and 2010, it was horrific up here. Think the Souf may have had a light dusting...(where are you from btw?) and as with every other year, I never had winter tyres.

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In 2009 and 2010, it was horrific up here. Think the Souf may have had a light dusting...(where are you from btw?) and as with every other year, I never had winter tyres.

In 2009 I just about managed getting about in the MX5 but in 2010 I just left it and cleared the snow off the roof. My Mum couldn't drive at the time so I ended up with my Dad's Vectra to run about in.

 

I'm from Falkirk. You?

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In 2009 I just about managed getting about in the MX5 but in 2010 I just left it and cleared the snow off the roof. My Mum couldn't drive at the time so I ended up with my Dad's Vectra to run about in.

I'm from Falkirk. You?

N.E. England. I nearly drove over a huge pile of snow that had been there for months. I am glad I never, as when it thawed it turned out there was an NB MX-5 hiding underneath!

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One axle with snow tyres is ok if you pretend you've summer tyres on all round and crawl everywhere at 23mph in 9mm of suburban snow, allow yourself to be amazed as you set off up hills when 4x4 are slowly sliding backwards. Otoh if you think you're a demi-god then it's all gunnarend badly.

 

If you want to cover any distance at near-normal speeds in a few inches of fresh snow and without breaking a sweat, then a set of good winter tyres is a grand experience.

 

I reckon you could do it for no more overall outlay over a ten year period if you buy a set of secondhand steelies and fit winter 195-65-15s and have removed them by the time there are balmy Spring afternoons.

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I've got the winter tyres on the front end of the Pug 106, ie. the end with the heavy bits in it and the best brakes. If traction is so severely reduced that the back locks up before the front and I start reversing towards what I'm gonna hit, I still want the heavy end over the tyres with the best grip...

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I think that winters on the back and summers on the front is still safer than four summers (when it's cold).

I can't think of any advantage of less grip on the back end of a car rather than more.

This is true whether FWD, RWD or 4x4.

 

Equally, winters on the front and summers on the back is a bad idea as shown by the video posted above.  I still did it one year though.

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