just fitted winter tyres

[tdm900]

After being completely unable to get the Zed even off the drive during the freak snow period I decided to seek out some winter tyres. Everyone had run out of course. Eventually, after phoning just about every tyre garage in the whole of Yorkshire and Teeside, I found a garage in Darlington called Walkers who coincidently had ordered the last 8 winter tyres he could get his hands on. I therefore put my name to 4 of them and waited for them to arrive. Today they arrived and I drove the Zed (in light snow) to Darlington (10 miles away) and had them fitted. £470 for 4 tyres (good ones aparantly). My original tyres were 225/50R/16s but the new winter tyres are 205/55R/16s so are thinner which is better of course. I intend to get some 18" alloys with low profile tyres after the winter and just keep the winter tyres on the existing 16" alloys which I will put on the Zed every winter from now on. I could do with snow chains (or socks perhaps?) also but yet again everyone has run out unless anyone can suggest somewhere I can get some from please?

Cheers

Daren

[Guiseley]

After trying winter tyres for the first time this year myself, I was plesently surprised at the grip and traction in the snow & slush - better than all the front wheel drive cars in the 'getting out of the company car park' stakes - and I wonder if you might be able to get away without socks / chains with the new set up.
Mine are also wider tyres and a more powerful car - so you already have an advantage over me in snow / slush!

[a11y]

Chains are only really necessary for extreme conditions on white-out roads. They're just a pain when you need to remove/refit them at the sign of black tarmac between the snow patches.

[pvr]

I have the bajonet style snow chains that are fitted within 30 seconds (and removed), but never had to use them yet on my winter tyres. I did carry them in my boot a few weeks back though as some of the roads and hills looked bad, but the winter tyres just gripped fine witout any movement.

[tdm900]

Tyre socks make a difference in thick deep snow where they grip the (dry) snow which in turn grips more snow (UK snow is mostly quite wet). Chains, as PVR says, are very rarely needed in the UK. Good winter tyres are better for the UK and provide good grip in snow here. Having lived in Northern Scandinavia for 4 years and Germany for 3 I have good experience in driving almost solely with winter tyres on and hardly ever putting chains on (perhaps twice as I remember to go up a hill). If the Zed's struggling a bit turn off the TC and engage sport mode which will make a difference.

Thanks for the posts, very interesting and useful.

[mason storm]

Glad to hear you are enjoying your winter tyres. I couldn't face another winter like last time in my Z, so I decided to get a second car for the daily commute and have fitted winter tyres to it. Drove in fresh snow today and felt fine, was actually quite good fun.

[cj10jeeper]

Forget the idea of chains on UK roads. for normal driving.

I use them purely in extreme mountain conditions where the law requires they are fitted beyond certain points on roads and then only on a big 4x4. They are speed limited, amazingly noisy and have to be removed each time you find a patch of black tarmac. Not really an ideal partner for a Zed that's going to be ploughing before chains are effective.

[peddy]

Chains on a Z4?? If you are in a place where you need chains you really should pick a more suited vehicle...