Is your car ready for winter?

[MikeDaMouse]

Checked the Van recently and topped it up.

Also got 2 new front tyres this week (£90 !!! ) Best time of year to renew

So Yep all ready for the white stuff

 

Obelix do you find the winter tyres worth it? Ive never had them but wondered if they made much of a difference. Also are they mush expensiver that standard ones, Cheers.

[tinfoilhat]

Winter tyres are awesome. Buy them for your van today. Hankook do winter tyres for commercial vehicles. Is it worth it? December is my busiest time and even at £200 odd a tyre it's still worth it for me as I'd lose more if I was off the road for a few days like I was in 2010. That said if you aren't mega busy it's worth adding up the cost of tyres and an insurance excess (winter tyres won't stop people hitting you) versus what you'd lose in work.

[Obelix]

 

Obelix do you find the winter tyres worth it? Ive never had them but wondered if they made much of a difference. Also are they mush expensiver that standard ones, Cheers.

 

I know a lot of people think they are a marketing gimmick but as tinfoilhat says they are rather good. The difference between ordinary summer tyres and a decent set of winters is exceedingly impressive and means that you will go places that a 4x4 won't if its on summer rubber. Pricewise - well they will be climbing in price now but I reckon about £110 a corner was what I paid, but that included steel wheels too - most people tend to buy them a size narrower that summer rubber to make the dig in a bit better and make the trye more compliant with the road to increase the contact area.

 

An example of how good they are - I found a stuck National Park ranger landrover on the Derwent dam road winter before last - he couldnt get up the hill for love nor money and it wasnt for lack of his driving ability. I ended up towing up all the way out to the main road in a 2WD BMW. I'd never have gotten back up the hill myself if I had my summer tyres on. About the only thing better than winters is a set of snowchains and they are a real pain to use, but very good of course when you do fit them.

[monkey104]

No problem winterising my car, it died a death last Saturday pulling the caravan back from Cornwall!

[DT Ralge]

So, apart from a bit of banter, there's screenwash itself and a suggestion of a changed dilution level and winter wheels/tyres (for the affluent few?)

Anything else? ... maybe light bulbs, window cleanliness (number plate), tyre condition, pressures, tread, vehicle servicing, warm clothes ...

Edited November 6, 2014 by DT Ralge

[Guest]

For me the only change is swapping to winter wheels/tyres which I'm doing this weekend. I always check fluids etc anyway so business as usual for me. Oh yeah, make sure I have some deicer and a scraper since my car is parked outside this year!

[Cyclone]

I keep a plastic bag full of "winter" things in the boot all year anyway. Some gloves, a coat, a shovel and some old carpet.

 

I've no idea if you can get winter tyres in 255/40r18.

 

Since I use the car so infrequently at the moment it's definitely not worth buying a spare set of wheels or even tyres.

 

(They are available, I just looked)

http://lovetyres.com/tyre/Dunlop-Winter-Sport-3D/255-40-18

 

We did have some snow socks for my wifes previous car, and we should get some for the new car, the one time we used them they were excellent and meant we got to the airport to go on holiday.

[convert]

As already said, make sure screenwash is topped up and @ correct concentration level.

 

Company car has a pair of snow socks in it (they won't pay for winters!)

 

Winter wheels / tyres fitted to Wife's car.

 

As we live on quite a steep hill, they are essential, and the other year Range Rovers, X5's et al were all getting stuck at the bottom (on summer rubber), however the little Audi sailed up the hill.

 

Taken an extra precaution this year...

 

 

Bought an old range rover with General Grabber AT2's on it

 

Probably won't get driven much, but I need my V8 fix in winter.

[Guest]

I keep a plastic bag full of "winter" things in the boot all year anyway. Some gloves, a coat, a shovel and some old carpet.

 

I've no idea if you can get winter tyres in 255/40r18.

 

I always have 2 extra coats/fleeces in the car.

 

I assume you can, I have 235/40 and 265/35 winter tyres all 18s.

[L00b]

Taken an extra precaution this year...

Did that last year, fat lot of good it did me...but I'm hedging my bets and keeping the 'Preza a bit longer

 

I check oil/coolant/screenwash levels and tyre pressure, and clean the front windows, front/back windscreens and head/tail lights of both cars every weekend. Only takes a few minutes. 'Business as usual', as probed said

 

With winter about here, I add snowsocks, an all-weather LED torch, a fleece blanket and a couple of 0.5l mineral water bottles in the boot of each car, in addition to the 1st aid kit, the hi-vests and the fire extinguisher that live in the boot all year round.

 

No need to panic- or over-winterize, winters here are hardly that cold/extreme. I only winterise 'proper' (with e.g. new wipers, less-diluted screenwash, battery blanket & more winter kit in boot, etc.) just before we go to France for Xmas, as that's deep into the Continent, where they have proper winters (as in -10C in sunny daytime, without windchill).

Edited November 6, 2014 by L00b