Store ‘em on a spare set of rims - then you could bolt them on the garage wall… and you can then do your own swaps. It’s gotta be the most economical option if you’re keeping a car for a significant number of years.
That is what everyone does here in the Nordics. I have mine at a "hotel" when not in use. Cost me about 140 pounds per year including two changes (spring/autumn) and cleaning.
Hats off to your wife working those hours in the service of the public! In Germany, many garages offer a package deal for the swapping of your wheels for winter/summer as well as the storage of the other set. Probably prompted by how many live in apartments and the absolute need to swap tyres in the seasons. Thanks for the update and good luck to "Mrs. EVMan".
I have two old Dacia Dusters. My 4WD has m+s tyres which as far as I know aren't quite winter tyres, or specifically cross climate tyres. My 2wd is on proper winter tyres, matching Pirellis on the rear and matching Avons on the front. When the snow hit on Sunday morning I took both cars out for a couple of hours, it was still fairly dark out, the roads had zero treatment, no grit, no plows. Both cars were absolutely unstoppable and I was putting a lot of other cars to shame. Half of the problem is a driver's inability to drive in harsh conditions.
From rural North of Scotland and I have had winter tyres pretty much since I've had a garage to keep them in. Getting a set of second hand wheels for the winter tyres means swapping is easy enough. Best I can recommend is metal tubing for a tyre rack, similar to scaffold tubing but smaller and bolts together (think climbing frame). Bolted to floor and wall but any normal racking is probably fine. If the tyres are on wheels they're sealed so you can just keep them outside (under cover) if you need to. Having a compressor is handy because it's not unknown for wheels to drop a few psi while stored.
My wife works for the ambulance service on shift and we have all season tyres on her car. She doesn't have the option of working from home and needs to get to work. It's worse than that though she will be finishing shift at like 7am and will need to get home. We actually had Goodyear all seasons and they did the job. Slightly less outright grip in summer, but she never noticed. I would actually say the compromise for most drivers is that they are slightly softer and hence can wear quicker, especially if you drive the car hard in summer. My eldest daughter has her first car and has a part time job at a health spa which is quite rural. The narrow country lanes are very impacted by heavy rain, mud, ice or snow. My Cupra born can barely make it when below zero. I fitted winter tyres to her car last week before the snow hit. The difference in grip on the snow was remarkable. Better than the all seasons. They are on separate wheels so we can swap the summer tyres back on that way. My brother lives in Halifax and his house is on such a steep hill. In fact his drive is so steep you are looking at the sky when you park on it. Anyway he is running Cross Climate 2's and it the car always makes it home.
After horrendous winter of 2010 I started to use separate tyres for summer and winter but I don't anymore. I now use Michelin Cross Climate 2 they are good enough for the weather we get here. This not Norway or Canada and I believe it's a completely unnecessary expense in the North of England.
When I had a Smart Roadster I had a little sideways event on a cold night heading home from work. Following that I got a set of second hand alloys and put winter tyres on (Dunlop Winter Sport 2 I think). I had the alloys reconditioned and sprayed black, that way they didn't show the winter road grime as much as the summer silver set. Massive difference in cold and wet weather, so much more grip. I swapped the sets around the time the clocks changed each year. Not needed them since as I mainly work from home now.
I’ve used all season on a number of SUV’s. My wife had to do on call as a radiographer. Where we are in Scotland (Fife) we do not get a lot of deep snow so the all season worked well for us.
In southern Bavaria (Germany) my 2019 Model 3 had the option to have extra 19 inch rims with winter tyres on the Tesla order page (looks like it's still an option here too), with 20 inch rims also an option (used with summer tires Hankook Ventus Evo iirc). Pirelli Sottozero are one of the supplied Tesla options and they were recently replaced with the same make again via Tesla due to having to pass the German MOT (TÜV) in October '24. Typically your (German) insurance will cause you problems if you're driving on the wrong tires in the wrong season if you were to have an accident. People tend to swap between tyres/wheel-sets April & October (a rule of thumb here). Some people also opt. to have all season tires if they don't want the hassle to change and store the sets. Having driven into snow laden ski resorts in the Alps over the last few years (where roads are heavily compacted with ice and snow) I can happily say these work very well.
Another All Seasons fan. Living down South so it’s often above 7C, the “max” temp for winters during the day. But also working shifts and with the need to get home during the early hours. All seasons work for me. I’ve driven to the Alps many times for skiing. My snow chains remain unused. Good All Seasons and better than budget Winter tyres in snow Had Vredestein and Falken tyres. No issues with wear in the summe either.
This video is an excellent brief summary of the whys and wherefores of using winter or all-season tyres. This is a subject which not too many people are familiar with in this country, due to severe winters being the exception rather than the norm in most regions here.
I live in Southern Michigan in the US and own a 2018 Model 3 Midrange. Love it. Ordered a Winter Tire set through Tesla. It's complete w/ wheels and TPS and Pirelli Sotozero's. I'm 69 and change them out myself seasonally. They work very well.
Great video, yesterday I had All Season tyres fitted to my AWD Smart #1 Brabus because they are the best option for my circumstances. 1. Location, I live in Preston so don’t get anywhere near as much snow as you do. 2. I have nowhere to store 4 tyres.
I'm in the north Highlands so have a set of summers (in my opinion standard "eco" tyres are very much summer only these days) and a set of full mid-budget winters. I know there are tyre test channels that claim some all-season are as good as full winters, but these channels always seem to make such claims about the same make of tyres so I'm a bit sceptical 🤔and personal experience has proven to me that even a budget winter is far ahead of premium all seasons when it comes to proper snow and ice. I have two sets of rims, £250 for a spare set from a breaker is well worth the investment as each set of tyres will last 3-4 years when the mileage is split between them, and 4 x £17.50 twice a year to swap tyres over is going to average out at over £500 during the tyres' life. It also means I can swap them myself whenever I need to, only takes 20 minutes. For storage I put lengths of 12mm threaded rod into the garage wall with resin anchor at a slight angle and hang the wheels on them by a convenient hole, cover the threaded rod with hose or shrink tubing to avoid scratching the wheels.
About time this country woke up to this perennial problem. I'm pleased that you are highlighting it. I'm a committed All Season driver as living in the midlands is a perfect solution for me. Also the cost of having 4 tyres swapped (and balanced) twice a year is prohibitive. I think you should consider having your winters put on some steel rims then you can do all the swapping around at your convenience and with no expense. Keeping the unused set either up on the ceiling in the garage cargo net or similar or bolted to the walls.
Bought an Octavia Scout in March 2024, it was fitted with Alpin 6 Winter Tyres which I was going to replace with Cross Climate 2s which I had used on previous cars and been happy with. Ended up leaving the Alpin 6 tyres on throughout summer / autumn. To me they have performed ok; grip when cornering / braking seems more than acceptable, but then, I live in South Scotland and this year has not been that hot and l'm not a hard driver. I accept they are a little noisy, they will wear more quickly and fuel consumption will be a bit higher. Current plan is to leave on until about 3mm of tread then research available All Season tyres. Probably go for Cross Climate 2s again, but a couple of other manufacturers now seem to have some close competition tyres available.
As others have commented the only efficient way to do this is with a second set of wheels. Recently when I had tyres changed the garage said that a lot of places will no longer fit used tyres - which the other set will be when they need to go back on again. I think for the vast majority of people CrossClimates will be fine but as you say, depends on use case. Would be great to see a side by side assessment - see if Michelin will send you to a Swedish frozen lake or something to test ;)
Like you I have used the crossclimates for years, we are very fortunate in not needing to go out at 2am. Very happy to hear your Wife got home after the snow!
I watched a UK tyre tester on his RUclips channel recently and his findings surprised him. He found that on snow the Cross Climate 2 did way better in handling than most “winter tyres” but still performed well in wet and normal dry conditions whereas the winter tyres failed miserably.
@@geoffnewman3109Guessing the Tyre Reviews channel, who also have a decent website. Do a lot of scientific tests although a lot about tyres is subjective. Issue is a tyre may perform well in one size and profile and less well in another
i think it was this video? "The TRUTH About Winter, All Season and Summer Tires ❄ Tested at 0c, 2c, 6c, 10c, 15c" I agree the Cross climate 2 and Continental All season contact 2 are stunning tyres.
Living in the balmy and wet SW peninsula, kept cosy by the Gulf stream passing to the North and south of us, all weather tyres are ok for us. Living on the very edge of Dartmoor we have experienced snow but it usually last a few hours so we feel we dont need the full winter. We have made the transition to Hankook all weather tyres on our LR M3 Tesla, which I love, but the Performance M3 still has summer Perilli's on it, I'm considering doing a spring and winter swap to full winter/summer tyres as we did have a little sprinkling on the moors and the LR with the Hankook's ploughed right through 150mm of snow with no bother
I have CC2’s looking at Hankooks for next tyre. On Tesla 3 rwd. Cc2’s right now in snow and ice performing as expected. Drove past cars stuck on a hill even stopped to chat and got going again with ease. They make all the difference.
There isn't enough thought about our workers in the emergency services when it comes to extreme conditions. I hope your wife has some emergency supplies in the car in case the roads get completely blocked. I got some messages from Apple a few months back saying i can now use a satellite option on the phone if I don't have a signal. Could be a life saver in an emergency. Back to the tyres, I went for all seasons with the winter symbol. My decision, like you suggested is based on the fact I live in South Devon and when i go down to Southern Italy, snow is fairly rare but i do venture into the mountains. You are required to fit winter tyres or carry snow chains from 15th November to 15th April. I travelled back from Italy about 3 weeks ago and we'd had some heavy rain but no snow in Italy. I did have to drive on snow covered roads in Switzerland coming back home but it was uneventful. I've got two sets of wheels for my Model S as the cost of a clean set of second hand alloys soon pay for themselves after a couple of years without having to get the tyres swapped. The smaller alloys that are better suited to winter are not that much. Maybe you can lean on your contacts at Michelin to do a comparison at a test site. If people could see the difference that decent all season or winter tyres can make, they would be much more likely to buy them.
I have Cross Climate + tyres on my Ford Focus and I highly recommend them. Now, yes I’m in Northamptonshire, so I won’t have it as bad as you up in Yorkshire, but down here I think they are the best tyres to use.
The all season tires should be illegal tbh. They don't do well in anything really. Just a mediocre tire all year. No dealer around here with respect for themselves would fit all season tires. People would laugh at them.
The only problem with changing tyres v all seasons is that the climate can vary a lot. For instance in December near Christmas it was 14 degrees and now it's -2. At what point do you change them? Switch when it's 18 degrees in March and then it snows on you a couple of weeks later! Maybe winter and all season would be a good combo as the drop off in summer is much less significant than the gain in colder temps and if you change over too soon and we get a random cold spell you'll still have good capability. Or just leave it until April when it's very unlikely to be a big spell of snow. But then you might be driving in warmer weather on winter tyres. That said I do think they're not too bad in the teens and only over 20 do you really get a drop off in performance and increased wear. I've been using all seasons for a while and grip in the wet especially when cold is why I'd never go back to a summer tyre.
Brow Road in Haworth will be fun in this weather, and by "fun", I mean bloody terrifying. The wife and I have Cross Climate 2s which suits for what we're doing, luckily we had a bit less snow in Ripon than you did and we don't need to go out at ungodly hours. 1:06 You can also have a choice that's bad, and I swear a lot of drivers are firmly in that camp. It's one of the most important parts of car ownership, so cheap rubber can get in the bin.
I used to run out of bradford on nights in a HGV and the biggest problem heading to Skipton wasn't the snow but the race track for the boy racers on shipley airedale road.
I've often thought about putting cross climate or winter tyres on as i live in Scotland at 270 metres above sea level. I've not done it yet and I've only been stuck once during Beast from the East but it wasn't the tyres that stopped me, my car got beached on the snow, I dug as much as I could from underneath the car but then everything infront was 2ft+ deep. I just parked her up and walked the ¾ of a mile home
I drive all over the country i used to just be careful on summer tyres in winter etc wasnt often that i’d drive far in winter and tbh ive been lucky 🍀. The one time i came off a country road into a ditch had to avoid another car but i had no control really the car didn’t respond in time cus there was no grip with the tyre. After that i went with all seasons, the control is noticeably better in cold wintery conditions. When accelerating from start my traction control barely activates anymore whereas on summer tyres you just go with it till you gain traction. Its a big difference. Few days ago i drove up an icey hill past a couple of cars struggling, even stopped to see all ok and got going again. Difficult to compare once you make the swap just know in places i used to avoid notorious for cars getting stuck its not a problem for me.
I was always told that tyres are best stored horizontally. Otherwise they become D shaped, as rubber does defform with weight and you get a flat spot. I have winters and summers for my model 3. Cheaper to invest in a second set of rims and sell on Ebay at a small loss eventually, than pay 20 quid a corner twice a year. Then DIY swap.
Well done you,for us,got a spare set of rims,have winter Tyres on the rims,in march,fit the normal tyres,it is the compound that matters,don’t leave your winter tires on in summer,they just won’t last,compound get to soft,a bonus of our way,2nd hand winter rims,it is ok shity roads,salted roads,there are winter wheels,tyres,thanks for the interesting video,this will bring the hater’s out,happy 2025 everyone.
Stack them flat on the floor, one on top of the other. If you hang them from a single point on the wall, the weight of the tyre may damage that spot. Shelf would also work or a rack up near the roof.
I'm involved with 4x4 Response - so when it snows I help ferry about the Doctors and nurses etc that can't get around. I have full winter tyres on my 4x4 Subaru, and wouldn't change. My range rover is on All Year tyres, but they're just not as good and my first choice is always the Scooby. (And of course the RR is usually broken down) And for those now saying "what are you doing on an EV channel, if you drive gas guzzlers?"............... Well, the answer is simple....Saving up :)
If I lived in a hilly area in the UK i would go for winter tyres every year.I think it's probably the cost what puts most people off.Where I live its flat so most drivers get away what they have.Not many Dutch drive on winter tyres only when they go into Germany a lot they have to think about it.Many years ago in my old VW Beetle i had remoulds and they got me anywhere in snow.Strange.
I'm going to other direction, with the weather we get the all-season tires are going to be better than winter tires *most* of the time, and even if they aren't then they're not going to be much worse. In my opinion winter tires make more sense if you anticipate having to go into hilly or mountainous areas in winter often, but if you mostly drive in flat areas where snow is a rarity all-seasons are going to be better in winter. You can still swap to summer tires in summer even if you use all-seasons in winter but why bother
These are probably a nice compromise between all season and winter in the UK. Wouldn't use any of these central European tires myself. For me it's Continental VikingContact 8, Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 or Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3. Michelin X-Ice Snow would be a 4th option, if others are not available.
In Glasgow & have CrossClimate2 on the MG5 and Continental WinterContact TS 860 on my rarely used, old Fiat Panda - shame it’s not a 4x4 model but pretty much unstoppable anyway. I used to swap between summer & winter tyres on previous car as daughter was due end of January & wasn’t risking not reaching hospital.
I live in nw Ireland halfway up a mountain, I run all season tyres, for the rain we get they are a better solution and will get you home if it snows. Got a new car before Xmas, has summer tyres, hasn't moved for 2 days because of snow.
I've been putting winter tyres on my cars for at least 15 years, not just good in snow and ice, but also wet weather, and general cold. Summer tyres get hard in the cold, and don't grip so well. Most ofbthe delays on the roads woild be solved if more drivers fitted winter tyres or at least all season tyres. This last week has been great on my wonter tyres, esp since the schools closed, and far fewer cars on the roads. I have a 2nd set of allows, which I bought second hand, just for my winter tyres. They go on the car in November once temps are around or below 7deg C, and come off by May. Only takes upto an hour to do the switch.
I don't have a need for winter tyres but it is a great idea for those that need to be able to travel in the bad weather. Like you we have no public transport but I can choose to stay home, which is a great benefit to have. And yes have a great 2025! BTW Have you seen the Tesla Owners Club Belgium are hosting a Tesla light show world record attempt on 23rd February?
Need to change my tyres (good tread but awful grip - came with 2nd hand car) and still struggling to wcide between good summer and good all-season. Haven't got the space for 2 sets but it's how much of a compromise the all season will be when it's warmer and especially dry compared to summers when it's a bit colder Big issue with tyres is you can't road test them so I've often stuck with a make I like, but then you change car and wheel size and it's guessing time again.
TBH. The compromise is less than most peoples skills. Run all season on 3 different cars. Never noticed a difference summer or winter. Even efficiency (now driving EV) has not taken a hit compared to the summer tyres that were on when getting car & waiting till I could get a good deal on all seasons. This week with weather just the same as end of video (still 10cm on patio table outside after 5 days) No problems at all getting around, unlike neighbours.
I've actually not had issues this week, albeit most roads are gritted although avenue isn't and that includes a 300 mile roundtrip last Sunday although probably being extra gentle. Bigger issue has been cooler and damp where there's a lot of wheelspin, partly due to Kona comical power delivery and partly due to Nexen EV tyres
Driving a BMWi3s is an absolute pain in the arse in the UK. Main tyre fitting garages only provide the Bridgestone EP500 which are HORRENDOUS in snow/ice. I’ve currently waiting for imports of Crossclimates 2 for the rears but it’s taking over a week for them to arrive and then get them fitted. Scandalous I can find any winter/cross climates for the 175/55/20 for the front pair. Sick of driving 25mph in a 50/60 because I don’t trust the i3 to stay in a straight line.
Have you thought about about purchasing some winter rims in a smaller diameter with winter tyres - the tyres will be a lot cheaper than your 55 profile tyres.
Winter tyres make a massive difference to driving in temperatures less than 7degrees. On our Landrovers I had a set of winter rims and tyres which I swapped over when things got cold or I was heading to the Alpe’s.
I have to disagree with your logic. The problem with winter tyres in the UK is that the temperatures in winter are often well above the recommended transition temp of 7C (as I write this the temperature in my area today hasn't gone above 0C, but in four days time the max temp is predicted to be 12C). In these warmer conditions, your winter tyres will perform much worse than a good All Season tyre such as the CC2. However, when it's cold a CC2 is almost as good as a winter tyre. Choosing a tyre which is a little better only occasionally, but significantly worse much of the time, means that on average you are on the worse tyre. I think that for almost the whole of the UK the best tyre strategy is a good summer tyre in summer, and a good All season tyre in the winter. That way you get the best grip in summer, and decent grip across all the conditions you are likely to find in winter. I'd only fit winter tyres if the temperatures in my area rarely went above the 7C transition temperature. Anyway, that my 5p worth.
I understand your reasons, but I would counter with the following points. I) good All season tyres, like the CrossClimate 2, are really very good in snow, you're fairly unlikely to get stuck with them on unless you're facing real snowdrifts, in which case most normal saloons, hatchbacks, etc. are going to struggle whatever tyres they're on. Ii) getting stuck is a pain in the proverbial, but the worse case scenario isn't getting stuck, it's having a significant accident. A crash can be just as bad (and probably be worse due to the likely higher speeds of the vehicles involved) on a wet road at 12C than at -5C. The key performance factor in avoiding accidents is braking, and good all seasons give away very little to winter tyres in snow braking but are much better in dry and wet braking. I prefer to play the percentages and have the best chance of avoiding significant crash, even at the price that very, very occasionally I might get stuck when winter tyres might keep me moving. Iii) don't forget, if the snow is so bad that cars on all season tyres (and obviously cars on summer tyres) are getting stuck, then as most cars are on these tyres of tyres then the roads are going to be blocked by loads of stopped cars and you're not going anywhere whatever tyres you have on - I've seen a snowplough stuck and not be able to get to were it was needed, not because it couldn't drive on the snow but because the road in front of it was are clogged with stuck cars.
@@albertoporras04 You've clearly not driven the CC2s in snow or icy conditions. They are terrible. And they are also worse than dedicated summer. I stay away from all season tires like the plague. Many of the "experts" warn about them here. The last Nordic winter tire test back in 2024 gave the CC2 a 54 of 100 score while the proper winter tires got 83-92 points. The CC2s are a bit better on wet braking, but that is not the important one tbh. If its sliding you off the road if there is some snow they are useless.
That is the problem with changing. Recently it can go from 14 to -4 in a week or 2. When do you change the tyres. All seasons are a compromise. Not once in summer have I felt any less grip but the winters are more solid in the snow. But use gentle throttle and all seasons can certainly go places summers can't. They last long enough. Been getting at least 30k miles out of the fronts and the rears haven't needed to be replaced.
I have an evoque and use all season tyres recommended by RR really are good , I find UK as more rain then sun so can never understand summer tyres in UK , I had a BMW rear wheel drive with those stupid runflats wow they are so bad i winter rain and esp snow even on a flat road the car spun round , I changed them to all season and wow what a improvement esp in snow and in wet the back end was good didnt seem to lose it like I did with summer runflats. I live in west yorkshire and most roads are ok esp mainroads but in North yorkshire where the roads dont get as many cars travelling on them esp in the hills so I would go snow tyres. P.s feel sorry for your wife driving through Bradford such idiots on those roads.
Same rwd car with all seasons. Dare i say its fun to drive in wintery conditions, nice to know you got all the control but I sometimes take the opportunity to let the back go :)
I live in North of Scotland and go with all season tyres all year around. Simple fact for 99% of year All Season tyres will offer goid enough performance. For the 1% time when you notice the difference you probably wont even have enough indication to change the tyres and then change them back a week later. Having grown up on Shetland and then living Aberdeen and South for next 25 years the inly time you really need winter tyres is very off road or car parks and private roads during 1% when you would benefit you probably had the wrong fyres fitted
I'm surprised it's not mandatory to swap to winter tyres from Nov-Mar in the UK as it is in some parts of Europe. All it needs is for your tyres to prevent one slide into a hedge and they have paid for themselves..This is especially true in heavy EV's, with lots of torque, big wheels, fat tyres and regen breaking making it easier to slide where 4wd is of little help..
In the south we often get through winter with only a couple of days of snow and it doesn't usually settle. Cross climates probably a better solution here than winter tyres because it can be quite mild at any time during the winter. Probably a slightly different situation in the north.
Yeah winters here are very hit and miss. I drive a lot & rwd car so cc2’s are my go too. I know when walking through countryside areas almost all cars have all seasons or winters, its just the city folk that are unprepared.
I really liked my CC2s on my previous car. Unfortunately the new one came with PS4, wish they let you pick which tyres the car came with as couldn't face just replacing brand new tyres
I've used those Michelin's on a diesel and an EV, but im still finding the premacy4 pretty good on my Zoe. The creep speed and it being and automatic is brilliant for snow.
UK roads are stopped in the winter because people who are stuck are usually driving on 4 mismatched budget summer tyres, while being absolutely sure they don't need allseason or winter tyres! I've actually had multiple comments that these kind of tyres are dangerous 🥲
I went for Good Year vector 4 season tires because the grip level on slippery surfaces of the Continental eco contact 6's I had on my Zoe was pants. The Good Years still have low rolling resistance but considerably improved grip, especially in the white stuff.
My golf came with eco tyres and they are awful and not just in the cold. In the wet any meaningful acceleration from standstill would spin the wheels! I replaced with goodyear vector 4 seasons and the grip is much better. But its dark wet roads where they seem to cope really well and same on my last car. They didnt make them for our other car, a mini so thats got kumho all seasons on it but they're also good. I would say they do feel slightly softer in the dry but worth it.
I've said for years it would be a legal requirement in this country that new cars come with all season tyres as it's the best solution for most people. Certainly more than all year summer tyres. Would see far less chaos than we have this week if this was the case.
I use cross climate all year because I don't have space for 2 sets of winter tyres in summer and vice versa. I do still have a small Herald based sports 30's style and a set of tyres for that on 15" wires so they are in a (garaged) vertical stack with a carpet underneath and a UV blocking cover. I've no idea if that's the best way, just seemed logical.
Winter tyres are slighlty better in the Snow than the best all season tyres such. But All season tyres are better on both wet and dry roads when the temperature gets milder (over 7 degres), my choice is All season tyres in winter and summer tyres in summer. I can't send a link here but there is an excellent video done by Tyre reviews (title : The TRUTH About Winter, All Season and Summer Tires ❄ Tested at 0c, 2c, 6c, 10c, 15c). I've been skiing in the Alps several times with my Continental All season contact tyres and they were very efficient even in deep snow, and they were a better choice for our climate (northern france), than dedicated winter tyres.
All season on another set of alloys or steelies...do full winters really work when temp swings are so big? Could be 15 degrees on Wednesday. Swap early November and March
My last car was a C Class Merc that came with a spare set of wheels from the previous owner. I put Maxis all season tyres on them but in all honesty they were not a great choice, very little better in winter and I still swapped them twice every year. If I were doing it again I'd fit ignore the tyre fitter who persuaded me to go all season and fit winter tyres. So how come you don't buy a set of used wheels for the winter tyres and save the cost of swapping?
I'm not quite clear why the All Season tyres aren't suitable for locations where snow is even less likely, e.g. in Clacton-on-Sea, where it'll still drop below 7 regularly (so summer tyre compound starts to harden) but not so much as to require full-on winter tyres. I assume all-season tyres are a bit of a compromise, but surely they're a Jack of all trades - fine in summer (but beaten by summer tyres), fine in winter (but beaten by winter tyres)?
The tyre I aim for is the most efficient. This typically means I'm restricted to summer tires but I have a feeling that all season tires are just as efficient. Correct me if I'm wrong.
You're wrong, even the best all season don't come close to summer "eco" tyres when it comes to efficiency, and full winter tyres are worse again! All depends on what your priorities are.
@garysmith5025 Yes that is what I've always assumed but when I last looked on mytyres for example and filtered on all season and efficiency ratings they where not much behind summer the most efficient all summer tires.
For a Tesla make sure the tyres have rubbing strips, I fitted cross climates on my e class 320 estate turning it into a greasy weasel on rollerskates bloody awful tyres I rejected them and got my money back as for Tesla anything other than standard fitment ( with rubbing strips ) I live in the north York moors
Hi Andy, Liked the video. I have CC2's on both my Leaf and ID3 and they work well. When you chose your winter tyres did you also choose to buy steel rims to put them on as last time I looked winter tyres only came in a small number of wheel sizes?
Could you not just get a cheap set of spare alloys, this would then negate the cost of changing tyres. I did exactly that, found cheap set of Jazz alloys and stored them with winters tyres on with a quick 1 hr to switch over. i use all seasons now until get settled and spare up garage space and much further north ( North Northumberland) When down south due to crime i just stored them vertically on the floor with an armax 19mm chain through the alloy too a ground anchor !!
I have CC2’s on my VW Transporter, and maybe they don’t suit that type of vehicle, but they have been very poor. Crucially very poor in snow and have worn quickly and unevenly to the point where they will need replacing much sooner than any other tyres I’ve had on my Transporters. Never again for me.
My ev6 rwd came with nexens, but changed to cross climate 2 XLs in the first winter after 31k miles, rears at 3 and front at 4.5 mm. Now at 75k miles and still above 3mm. They have been good in this weather, not like driving on dry roads but still gives lots of confidence in my rwd car.
I live in northern Poland, so the snow is a rarity here, definitely no need for winter tyres. In a week from now I'm driving to Austria for ski holiday and I'm sure we will be absolutely fine. And even if I get stuck -that's what snow chains are for. I'm glad you explained it really well - people need to do their own research and find out what suits them best.
I worked in Austria in the early/mid eighties and then at least, winter tyres were compulsory in the winter. You could hear the difference as everyone switched over.
Mmmm if someone has to make an emergency brake 2-3 times a year, they should check their driving. Probably they are not paying attention, anticipating to the situations soon enough or leaving a proper safe distance with the car in front. Or maybe they live in a country where people drive like crazy 😂😂... But seriously, I think in my 26 years driving I've had to make an unexpected emergency braking once... I've done more, but testing brakes, ABS, etc...
You clearly have not experienced winter tyres? It's not about emergency breaking (but yes also emergency breaking as well ) it's simply about grip . Cornring , breaking ,stopping . Starting , the whole 9 yards . Granted i live in hilly rural Aberdeenshire so i might be in a completely different environment from you , but look at all the videos and advice from experts it's not just snow , but anything below 7°c winter tyres are the best . But in snow there is absolutely no comparison. Many around here like me run winter tyres 24/7 365. Wet ,cold ,slippery ,sleet, snow ,ice , mud , even a 4×4 is useless in snow with ordinary tyres in snow , as opposed any car , yes any car even rear wheel drive BMW and the likes will benefit greatly in winter with proper winter tyres. Even if you never encounter snow ,simply 7° or below winter tyres will outperform ordinary summer tyres. Don't take my word for it look at all the evidence from all the tyre videos from proper experts . Not having proper tyres for the winter is putting yourself at a disadvantage? Think of it like this in winter, if tyres saves you one close shave or worse a crash once a year isn't that worth it ? Make no mistake winter tyres is no silver bullet you still need to drive with a lot of care , but give yourself a good start with the right tyres for winter at next to no extra cost ?
@@robduncan599 Wait, what? Are you replying to me or did you make a mistake and you were replying to another person? I didn't say anything about winter tyres. In most part of the UK they make total sense. I was talking about what he says in the video about the times one has to make an emergency braking. If one adapts the driving to the weather situation, anticipate what others are going to do, pay attention, leave a safe distance... it's very rare that you need to make an emergency braking, not 2-3 times a year. In my case, once every 25 years.
@ElectricVehicleMan Cheaper because, you don't buy second set of rims and tyres and the cost and inconvenience and cost of changing wheels twice a year, yes you will renew tyres a bit sooner but works out cheaper, I know cos I've done it. I have given up on 'winter' tyres and last 5 years run cross climates and still on this set after 50k miles. The tread is slightly less aggressive than full winters but very effective in deep snow. Obviously if you have confidence in you tyres it's a big plus ( unless you think you can get by on summer tyres)
@@ElectricVehicleMan OK just to be clear, choose either winter or all weather tires which ever you are confident in and keep them on until till they wear out, it will save you money and time.
I used to run summer/winter tyres until my company changed their policy as we had been through a few mild winters. As I live in Scotland, travelling into the Highlands during winter in a rear wheel drive Jaguar, I was livid. As a “compromise” they allowed me to fit Cross Climates, still not happy as I thought it was reducing safety, I reluctantly agreed. After running CC’s for a number of years, I won’t fit anything else. I’ve been caught in atrocious weather up mountains and they always impressed me with their performance. Never ever needed to fit my chains. Actually, in the North UK, I think they make better sense as I had previously changed to my summer tyres then experienced a late cold snap. With the CC’s you always had the correct rubber on. Even in 40c temps, they perform well. Some sort of wizardry!
Store ‘em on a spare set of rims - then you could bolt them on the garage wall… and you can then do your own swaps. It’s gotta be the most economical option if you’re keeping a car for a significant number of years.
That is what everyone does here in the Nordics. I have mine at a "hotel" when not in use. Cost me about 140 pounds per year including two changes (spring/autumn) and cleaning.
Respect to your wife. ❤
Hats off to your wife working those hours in the service of the public! In Germany, many garages offer a package deal for the swapping of your wheels for winter/summer as well as the storage of the other set. Probably prompted by how many live in apartments and the absolute need to swap tyres in the seasons. Thanks for the update and good luck to "Mrs. EVMan".
I have two old Dacia Dusters. My 4WD has m+s tyres which as far as I know aren't quite winter tyres, or specifically cross climate tyres. My 2wd is on proper winter tyres, matching Pirellis on the rear and matching Avons on the front. When the snow hit on Sunday morning I took both cars out for a couple of hours, it was still fairly dark out, the roads had zero treatment, no grit, no plows. Both cars were absolutely unstoppable and I was putting a lot of other cars to shame. Half of the problem is a driver's inability to drive in harsh conditions.
From rural North of Scotland and I have had winter tyres pretty much since I've had a garage to keep them in.
Getting a set of second hand wheels for the winter tyres means swapping is easy enough.
Best I can recommend is metal tubing for a tyre rack, similar to scaffold tubing but smaller and bolts together (think climbing frame). Bolted to floor and wall but any normal racking is probably fine.
If the tyres are on wheels they're sealed so you can just keep them outside (under cover) if you need to.
Having a compressor is handy because it's not unknown for wheels to drop a few psi while stored.
My wife works for the ambulance service on shift and we have all season tyres on her car. She doesn't have the option of working from home and needs to get to work. It's worse than that though she will be finishing shift at like 7am and will need to get home. We actually had Goodyear all seasons and they did the job. Slightly less outright grip in summer, but she never noticed. I would actually say the compromise for most drivers is that they are slightly softer and hence can wear quicker, especially if you drive the car hard in summer. My eldest daughter has her first car and has a part time job at a health spa which is quite rural. The narrow country lanes are very impacted by heavy rain, mud, ice or snow. My Cupra born can barely make it when below zero. I fitted winter tyres to her car last week before the snow hit. The difference in grip on the snow was remarkable. Better than the all seasons. They are on separate wheels so we can swap the summer tyres back on that way. My brother lives in Halifax and his house is on such a steep hill. In fact his drive is so steep you are looking at the sky when you park on it. Anyway he is running Cross Climate 2's and it the car always makes it home.
After horrendous winter of 2010 I started to use separate tyres for summer and winter but I don't anymore. I now use Michelin Cross Climate 2 they are good enough for the weather we get here. This not Norway or Canada and I believe it's a completely unnecessary expense in the North of England.
When I had a Smart Roadster I had a little sideways event on a cold night heading home from work. Following that I got a set of second hand alloys and put winter tyres on (Dunlop Winter Sport 2 I think). I had the alloys reconditioned and sprayed black, that way they didn't show the winter road grime as much as the summer silver set. Massive difference in cold and wet weather, so much more grip. I swapped the sets around the time the clocks changed each year. Not needed them since as I mainly work from home now.
I’ve used all season on a number of SUV’s. My wife had to do on call as a radiographer. Where we are in Scotland (Fife) we do not get a lot of deep snow so the all season worked well for us.
In southern Bavaria (Germany) my 2019 Model 3 had the option to have extra 19 inch rims with winter tyres on the Tesla order page (looks like it's still an option here too), with 20 inch rims also an option (used with summer tires Hankook Ventus Evo iirc). Pirelli Sottozero are one of the supplied Tesla options and they were recently replaced with the same make again via Tesla due to having to pass the German MOT (TÜV) in October '24. Typically your (German) insurance will cause you problems if you're driving on the wrong tires in the wrong season if you were to have an accident. People tend to swap between tyres/wheel-sets April & October (a rule of thumb here). Some people also opt. to have all season tires if they don't want the hassle to change and store the sets. Having driven into snow laden ski resorts in the Alps over the last few years (where roads are heavily compacted with ice and snow) I can happily say these work very well.
Another All Seasons fan. Living down South so it’s often above 7C, the “max” temp for winters during the day. But also working shifts and with the need to get home during the early hours. All seasons work for me. I’ve driven to the Alps many times for skiing. My snow chains remain unused. Good All Seasons and better than budget Winter tyres in snow
Had Vredestein and Falken tyres. No issues with wear in the summe either.
This video is an excellent brief summary of the whys and wherefores of using winter or all-season tyres. This is a subject which not too many people are familiar with in this country, due to severe winters being the exception rather than the norm in most regions here.
I live in Southern Michigan in the US and own a 2018 Model 3 Midrange. Love it. Ordered a Winter Tire set through Tesla.
It's complete w/ wheels and TPS and Pirelli Sotozero's. I'm 69 and change them out myself seasonally. They work very well.
Great video, yesterday I had All Season tyres fitted to my AWD Smart #1 Brabus because they are the best option for my circumstances. 1. Location, I live in Preston so don’t get anywhere near as much snow as you do. 2. I have nowhere to store 4 tyres.
Put 4 new Michelin cross climate 2s on my 2021 leaf . Been brilliant in this weather.
I'm in the north Highlands so have a set of summers (in my opinion standard "eco" tyres are very much summer only these days) and a set of full mid-budget winters. I know there are tyre test channels that claim some all-season are as good as full winters, but these channels always seem to make such claims about the same make of tyres so I'm a bit sceptical 🤔and personal experience has proven to me that even a budget winter is far ahead of premium all seasons when it comes to proper snow and ice.
I have two sets of rims, £250 for a spare set from a breaker is well worth the investment as each set of tyres will last 3-4 years when the mileage is split between them, and 4 x £17.50 twice a year to swap tyres over is going to average out at over £500 during the tyres' life. It also means I can swap them myself whenever I need to, only takes 20 minutes. For storage I put lengths of 12mm threaded rod into the garage wall with resin anchor at a slight angle and hang the wheels on them by a convenient hole, cover the threaded rod with hose or shrink tubing to avoid scratching the wheels.
About time this country woke up to this perennial problem. I'm pleased that you are highlighting it. I'm a committed All Season driver as living in the midlands is a perfect solution for me. Also the cost of having 4 tyres swapped (and balanced) twice a year is prohibitive. I think you should consider having your winters put on some steel rims then you can do all the swapping around at your convenience and with no expense. Keeping the unused set either up on the ceiling in the garage cargo net or similar or bolted to the walls.
Bought an Octavia Scout in March 2024, it was fitted with Alpin 6 Winter Tyres which I was going to replace with Cross Climate 2s which I had used on previous cars and been happy with. Ended up leaving the Alpin 6 tyres on throughout summer / autumn. To me they have performed ok; grip when cornering / braking seems more than acceptable, but then, I live in South Scotland and this year has not been that hot and l'm not a hard driver. I accept they are a little noisy, they will wear more quickly and fuel consumption will be a bit higher. Current plan is to leave on until about 3mm of tread then research available All Season tyres. Probably go for Cross Climate 2s again, but a couple of other manufacturers now seem to have some close competition tyres available.
As others have commented the only efficient way to do this is with a second set of wheels. Recently when I had tyres changed the garage said that a lot of places will no longer fit used tyres - which the other set will be when they need to go back on again. I think for the vast majority of people CrossClimates will be fine but as you say, depends on use case. Would be great to see a side by side assessment - see if Michelin will send you to a Swedish frozen lake or something to test ;)
@@rossbransby tyre place said this to me once so I asked for 4 tyre repairs please.
A good set of winter tyres and a gentle touch on the controls will get you about where other people give up.
Like you I have used the crossclimates for years, we are very fortunate in not needing to go out at 2am. Very happy to hear your Wife got home after the snow!
I watched a UK tyre tester on his RUclips channel recently and his findings surprised him. He found that on snow the Cross Climate 2 did way better in handling than most “winter tyres” but still performed well in wet and normal dry conditions whereas the winter tyres failed miserably.
What is a “UK tyre tester”? I like scientific testing from independent testers like Which.
@@geoffnewman3109Guessing the Tyre Reviews channel, who also have a decent website. Do a lot of scientific tests although a lot about tyres is subjective. Issue is a tyre may perform well in one size and profile and less well in another
@@geoffnewman3109only accessible if you pay them though
@@geoffnewman3109 Hes probably referring to that UK based guy with a RUclips channel and website.
i think it was this video? "The TRUTH About Winter, All Season and Summer Tires ❄ Tested at 0c, 2c, 6c, 10c, 15c" I agree the Cross climate 2 and Continental All season contact 2 are stunning tyres.
Living in the balmy and wet SW peninsula, kept cosy by the Gulf stream passing to the North and south of us, all weather tyres are ok for us.
Living on the very edge of Dartmoor we have experienced snow but it usually last a few hours so we feel we dont need the full winter.
We have made the transition to Hankook all weather tyres on our LR M3 Tesla, which I love, but the Performance M3 still has summer Perilli's on it, I'm considering doing a spring and winter swap to full winter/summer tyres as we did have a little sprinkling on the moors and the LR with the Hankook's ploughed right through 150mm of snow with no bother
I have CC2’s looking at Hankooks for next tyre. On Tesla 3 rwd. Cc2’s right now in snow and ice performing as expected. Drove past cars stuck on a hill even stopped to chat and got going again with ease. They make all the difference.
There isn't enough thought about our workers in the emergency services when it comes to extreme conditions. I hope your wife has some emergency supplies in the car in case the roads get completely blocked. I got some messages from Apple a few months back saying i can now use a satellite option on the phone if I don't have a signal. Could be a life saver in an emergency. Back to the tyres, I went for all seasons with the winter symbol. My decision, like you suggested is based on the fact I live in South Devon and when i go down to Southern Italy, snow is fairly rare but i do venture into the mountains. You are required to fit winter tyres or carry snow chains from 15th November to 15th April. I travelled back from Italy about 3 weeks ago and we'd had some heavy rain but no snow in Italy. I did have to drive on snow covered roads in Switzerland coming back home but it was uneventful. I've got two sets of wheels for my Model S as the cost of a clean set of second hand alloys soon pay for themselves after a couple of years without having to get the tyres swapped. The smaller alloys that are better suited to winter are not that much. Maybe you can lean on your contacts at Michelin to do a comparison at a test site. If people could see the difference that decent all season or winter tyres can make, they would be much more likely to buy them.
I have Cross Climate + tyres on my Ford Focus and I highly recommend them. Now, yes I’m in Northamptonshire, so I won’t have it as bad as you up in Yorkshire, but down here I think they are the best tyres to use.
The all season tires should be illegal tbh. They don't do well in anything really. Just a mediocre tire all year.
No dealer around here with respect for themselves would fit all season tires. People would laugh at them.
The only problem with changing tyres v all seasons is that the climate can vary a lot. For instance in December near Christmas it was 14 degrees and now it's -2. At what point do you change them? Switch when it's 18 degrees in March and then it snows on you a couple of weeks later! Maybe winter and all season would be a good combo as the drop off in summer is much less significant than the gain in colder temps and if you change over too soon and we get a random cold spell you'll still have good capability. Or just leave it until April when it's very unlikely to be a big spell of snow. But then you might be driving in warmer weather on winter tyres. That said I do think they're not too bad in the teens and only over 20 do you really get a drop off in performance and increased wear. I've been using all seasons for a while and grip in the wet especially when cold is why I'd never go back to a summer tyre.
Brow Road in Haworth will be fun in this weather, and by "fun", I mean bloody terrifying.
The wife and I have Cross Climate 2s which suits for what we're doing, luckily we had a bit less snow in Ripon than you did and we don't need to go out at ungodly hours.
1:06 You can also have a choice that's bad, and I swear a lot of drivers are firmly in that camp. It's one of the most important parts of car ownership, so cheap rubber can get in the bin.
I used to run out of bradford on nights in a HGV and the biggest problem heading to Skipton wasn't the snow but the race track for the boy racers on shipley airedale road.
I've often thought about putting cross climate or winter tyres on as i live in Scotland at 270 metres above sea level. I've not done it yet and I've only been stuck once during Beast from the East but it wasn't the tyres that stopped me, my car got beached on the snow, I dug as much as I could from underneath the car but then everything infront was 2ft+ deep. I just parked her up and walked the ¾ of a mile home
I drive all over the country i used to just be careful on summer tyres in winter etc wasnt often that i’d drive far in winter and tbh ive been lucky 🍀. The one time i came off a country road into a ditch had to avoid another car but i had no control really the car didn’t respond in time cus there was no grip with the tyre. After that i went with all seasons, the control is noticeably better in cold wintery conditions. When accelerating from start my traction control barely activates anymore whereas on summer tyres you just go with it till you gain traction. Its a big difference. Few days ago i drove up an icey hill past a couple of cars struggling, even stopped to see all ok and got going again. Difficult to compare once you make the swap just know in places i used to avoid notorious for cars getting stuck its not a problem for me.
I was always told that tyres are best stored horizontally. Otherwise they become D shaped, as rubber does defform with weight and you get a flat spot. I have winters and summers for my model 3. Cheaper to invest in a second set of rims and sell on Ebay at a small loss
eventually, than pay 20 quid a corner twice a year. Then DIY swap.
Well done you,for us,got a spare set of rims,have winter Tyres on the rims,in march,fit the normal tyres,it is the compound that matters,don’t leave your winter tires on in summer,they just won’t last,compound get to soft,a bonus of our way,2nd hand winter rims,it is ok shity roads,salted roads,there are winter wheels,tyres,thanks for the interesting video,this will bring the hater’s out,happy 2025 everyone.
Stack them flat on the floor, one on top of the other. If you hang them from a single point on the wall, the weight of the tyre may damage that spot. Shelf would also work or a rack up near the roof.
I'm involved with 4x4 Response - so when it snows I help ferry about the Doctors and nurses etc that can't get around. I have full winter tyres on my 4x4 Subaru, and wouldn't change. My range rover is on All Year tyres, but they're just not as good and my first choice is always the Scooby. (And of course the RR is usually broken down)
And for those now saying "what are you doing on an EV channel, if you drive gas guzzlers?"............... Well, the answer is simple....Saving up :)
If I lived in a hilly area in the UK i would go for winter tyres every year.I think it's probably the cost what puts most people off.Where I live its flat so most drivers get away what they have.Not many Dutch drive on winter tyres only when they go into Germany a lot they have to think about it.Many years ago in my old VW Beetle i had remoulds and they got me anywhere in snow.Strange.
I'm going to other direction, with the weather we get the all-season tires are going to be better than winter tires *most* of the time, and even if they aren't then they're not going to be much worse. In my opinion winter tires make more sense if you anticipate having to go into hilly or mountainous areas in winter often, but if you mostly drive in flat areas where snow is a rarity all-seasons are going to be better in winter. You can still swap to summer tires in summer even if you use all-seasons in winter but why bother
These are probably a nice compromise between all season and winter in the UK.
Wouldn't use any of these central European tires myself. For me it's Continental VikingContact 8, Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 or Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3.
Michelin X-Ice Snow would be a 4th option, if others are not available.
In Glasgow & have CrossClimate2 on the MG5 and Continental WinterContact TS 860 on my rarely used, old Fiat Panda - shame it’s not a 4x4 model but pretty much unstoppable anyway.
I used to swap between summer & winter tyres on previous car as daughter was due end of January & wasn’t risking not reaching hospital.
I have an electric converted 1988 Panda 4x4 on Hankook WinterIce tyres, I'm sure it could go ice climbing if I had the nerve!
I live in nw Ireland halfway up a mountain, I run all season tyres, for the rain we get they are a better solution and will get you home if it snows. Got a new car before Xmas, has summer tyres, hasn't moved for 2 days because of snow.
I've been putting winter tyres on my cars for at least 15 years, not just good in snow and ice, but also wet weather, and general cold. Summer tyres get hard in the cold, and don't grip so well. Most ofbthe delays on the roads woild be solved if more drivers fitted winter tyres or at least all season tyres. This last week has been great on my wonter tyres, esp since the schools closed, and far fewer cars on the roads. I have a 2nd set of allows, which I bought second hand, just for my winter tyres. They go on the car in November once temps are around or below 7deg C, and come off by May. Only takes upto an hour to do the switch.
Wet weather is a good point, winter tyres are far less prone to aquaplaning
I don't have a need for winter tyres but it is a great idea for those that need to be able to travel in the bad weather. Like you we have no public transport but I can choose to stay home, which is a great benefit to have.
And yes have a great 2025!
BTW Have you seen the Tesla Owners Club Belgium are hosting a Tesla light show world record attempt on 23rd February?
Need to change my tyres (good tread but awful grip - came with 2nd hand car) and still struggling to wcide between good summer and good all-season. Haven't got the space for 2 sets but it's how much of a compromise the all season will be when it's warmer and especially dry compared to summers when it's a bit colder
Big issue with tyres is you can't road test them so I've often stuck with a make I like, but then you change car and wheel size and it's guessing time again.
TBH. The compromise is less than most peoples skills. Run all season on 3 different cars. Never noticed a difference summer or winter. Even efficiency (now driving EV) has not taken a hit compared to the summer tyres that were on when getting car & waiting till I could get a good deal on all seasons. This week with weather just the same as end of video (still 10cm on patio table outside after 5 days) No problems at all getting around, unlike neighbours.
I've actually not had issues this week, albeit most roads are gritted although avenue isn't and that includes a 300 mile roundtrip last Sunday although probably being extra gentle.
Bigger issue has been cooler and damp where there's a lot of wheelspin, partly due to Kona comical power delivery and partly due to Nexen EV tyres
My tire rack is up high to save space but that means wrestling the new set down and old set back up twice a year.
Driving a BMWi3s is an absolute pain in the arse in the UK. Main tyre fitting garages only provide the Bridgestone EP500 which are HORRENDOUS in snow/ice.
I’ve currently waiting for imports of Crossclimates 2 for the rears but it’s taking over a week for them to arrive and then get them fitted. Scandalous I can find any winter/cross climates for the 175/55/20 for the front pair.
Sick of driving 25mph in a 50/60 because I don’t trust the i3 to stay in a straight line.
Have you thought about about purchasing some winter rims in a smaller diameter with winter tyres - the tyres will be a lot cheaper than your 55 profile tyres.
Winter tyres make a massive difference to driving in temperatures less than 7degrees. On our Landrovers I had a set of winter rims and tyres which I swapped over when things got cold or I was heading to the Alpe’s.
I have to disagree with your logic. The problem with winter tyres in the UK is that the temperatures in winter are often well above the recommended transition temp of 7C (as I write this the temperature in my area today hasn't gone above 0C, but in four days time the max temp is predicted to be 12C). In these warmer conditions, your winter tyres will perform much worse than a good All Season tyre such as the CC2. However, when it's cold a CC2 is almost as good as a winter tyre. Choosing a tyre which is a little better only occasionally, but significantly worse much of the time, means that on average you are on the worse tyre. I think that for almost the whole of the UK the best tyre strategy is a good summer tyre in summer, and a good All season tyre in the winter. That way you get the best grip in summer, and decent grip across all the conditions you are likely to find in winter. I'd only fit winter tyres if the temperatures in my area rarely went above the 7C transition temperature. Anyway, that my 5p worth.
It’s the worst case scenario I mentioned.
Getting stuck these past few days for example is worse than having winters at 12c.
I understand your reasons, but I would counter with the following points.
I) good All season tyres, like the CrossClimate 2, are really very good in snow, you're fairly unlikely to get stuck with them on unless you're facing real snowdrifts, in which case most normal saloons, hatchbacks, etc. are going to struggle whatever tyres they're on.
Ii) getting stuck is a pain in the proverbial, but the worse case scenario isn't getting stuck, it's having a significant accident. A crash can be just as bad (and probably be worse due to the likely higher speeds of the vehicles involved) on a wet road at 12C than at -5C. The key performance factor in avoiding accidents is braking, and good all seasons give away very little to winter tyres in snow braking but are much better in dry and wet braking. I prefer to play the percentages and have the best chance of avoiding significant crash, even at the price that very, very occasionally I might get stuck when winter tyres might keep me moving.
Iii) don't forget, if the snow is so bad that cars on all season tyres (and obviously cars on summer tyres) are getting stuck, then as most cars are on these tyres of tyres then the roads are going to be blocked by loads of stopped cars and you're not going anywhere whatever tyres you have on - I've seen a snowplough stuck and not be able to get to were it was needed, not because it couldn't drive on the snow but because the road in front of it was are clogged with stuck cars.
@@albertoporras04I think you’re forgetting he has to push for Michelin now.
@@albertoporras04 You've clearly not driven the CC2s in snow or icy conditions. They are terrible. And they are also worse than dedicated summer.
I stay away from all season tires like the plague. Many of the "experts" warn about them here.
The last Nordic winter tire test back in 2024 gave the CC2 a 54 of 100 score while the proper winter tires got 83-92 points. The CC2s are a bit better on wet braking, but that is not the important one tbh. If its sliding you off the road if there is some snow they are useless.
That is the problem with changing. Recently it can go from 14 to -4 in a week or 2. When do you change the tyres. All seasons are a compromise. Not once in summer have I felt any less grip but the winters are more solid in the snow. But use gentle throttle and all seasons can certainly go places summers can't. They last long enough. Been getting at least 30k miles out of the fronts and the rears haven't needed to be replaced.
I have an evoque and use all season tyres recommended by RR really are good , I find UK as more rain then sun so can never understand summer tyres in UK , I had a BMW rear wheel drive with those stupid runflats wow they are so bad i winter rain and esp snow even on a flat road the car spun round , I changed them to all season and wow what a improvement esp in snow and in wet the back end was good didnt seem to lose it like I did with summer runflats. I live in west yorkshire and most roads are ok esp mainroads but in North yorkshire where the roads dont get as many cars travelling on them esp in the hills so I would go snow tyres.
P.s feel sorry for your wife driving through Bradford such idiots on those roads.
Same rwd car with all seasons. Dare i say its fun to drive in wintery conditions, nice to know you got all the control but I sometimes take the opportunity to let the back go :)
I live in North of Scotland and go with all season tyres all year around. Simple fact for 99% of year All Season tyres will offer goid enough performance. For the 1% time when you notice the difference you probably wont even have enough indication to change the tyres and then change them back a week later.
Having grown up on Shetland and then living Aberdeen and South for next 25 years the inly time you really need winter tyres is very off road or car parks and private roads during 1% when you would benefit you probably had the wrong fyres fitted
I'm surprised it's not mandatory to swap to winter tyres from Nov-Mar in the UK as it is in some parts of Europe. All it needs is for your tyres to prevent one slide into a hedge and they have paid for themselves..This is especially true in heavy EV's, with lots of torque, big wheels, fat tyres and regen breaking making it easier to slide where 4wd is of little help..
I use winter contact tyres for my front wheels on my nero ev
In the south we often get through winter with only a couple of days of snow and it doesn't usually settle. Cross climates probably a better solution here than winter tyres because it can be quite mild at any time during the winter. Probably a slightly different situation in the north.
Yeah winters here are very hit and miss. I drive a lot & rwd car so cc2’s are my go too. I know when walking through countryside areas almost all cars have all seasons or winters, its just the city folk that are unprepared.
I really liked my CC2s on my previous car. Unfortunately the new one came with PS4, wish they let you pick which tyres the car came with as couldn't face just replacing brand new tyres
I've used those Michelin's on a diesel and an EV, but im still finding the premacy4 pretty good on my Zoe. The creep speed and it being and automatic is brilliant for snow.
UK roads are stopped in the winter because people who are stuck are usually driving on 4 mismatched budget summer tyres, while being absolutely sure they don't need allseason or winter tyres!
I've actually had multiple comments that these kind of tyres are dangerous 🥲
I went for Good Year vector 4 season tires because the grip level on slippery surfaces of the Continental eco contact 6's I had on my Zoe was pants. The Good Years still have low rolling resistance but considerably improved grip, especially in the white stuff.
My golf came with eco tyres and they are awful and not just in the cold. In the wet any meaningful acceleration from standstill would spin the wheels! I replaced with goodyear vector 4 seasons and the grip is much better. But its dark wet roads where they seem to cope really well and same on my last car. They didnt make them for our other car, a mini so thats got kumho all seasons on it but they're also good. I would say they do feel slightly softer in the dry but worth it.
I've said for years it would be a legal requirement in this country that new cars come with all season tyres as it's the best solution for most people. Certainly more than all year summer tyres. Would see far less chaos than we have this week if this was the case.
I use cross climate all year because I don't have space for 2 sets of winter tyres in summer and vice versa. I do still have a small Herald based sports 30's style and a set of tyres for that on 15" wires so they are in a (garaged) vertical stack with a carpet underneath and a UV blocking cover. I've no idea if that's the best way, just seemed logical.
Winter tyres are slighlty better in the Snow than the best all season tyres such. But All season tyres are better on both wet and dry roads when the temperature gets milder (over 7 degres), my choice is All season tyres in winter and summer tyres in summer. I can't send a link here but there is an excellent video done by Tyre reviews (title : The TRUTH About Winter, All Season and Summer Tires ❄ Tested at 0c, 2c, 6c, 10c, 15c). I've been skiing in the Alps several times with my Continental All season contact tyres and they were very efficient even in deep snow, and they were a better choice for our climate (northern france), than dedicated winter tyres.
All season on another set of alloys or steelies...do full winters really work when temp swings are so big? Could be 15 degrees on Wednesday. Swap early November and March
I have found round tyres to be the best , a much smoother ride .
My last car was a C Class Merc that came with a spare set of wheels from the previous owner. I put Maxis all season tyres on them but in all honesty they were not a great choice, very little better in winter and I still swapped them twice every year. If I were doing it again I'd fit ignore the tyre fitter who persuaded me to go all season and fit winter tyres.
So how come you don't buy a set of used wheels for the winter tyres and save the cost of swapping?
What tyres would you put on your Model S? Needing to replace mine shortly!
I'm not quite clear why the All Season tyres aren't suitable for locations where snow is even less likely, e.g. in Clacton-on-Sea, where it'll still drop below 7 regularly (so summer tyre compound starts to harden) but not so much as to require full-on winter tyres.
I assume all-season tyres are a bit of a compromise, but surely they're a Jack of all trades - fine in summer (but beaten by summer tyres), fine in winter (but beaten by winter tyres)?
@@tungro They’re perfect in Clacton. It’s the winters that are less likely needed.
Just stick a set of cross climates on be fine for uk and you get good mileage out of them
The tyre I aim for is the most efficient. This typically means I'm restricted to summer tires but I have a feeling that all season tires are just as efficient. Correct me if I'm wrong.
You're wrong, even the best all season don't come close to summer "eco" tyres when it comes to efficiency, and full winter tyres are worse again! All depends on what your priorities are.
@garysmith5025 Yes that is what I've always assumed but when I last looked on mytyres for example and filtered on all season and efficiency ratings they where not much behind summer the most efficient all summer tires.
For a Tesla make sure the tyres have rubbing strips, I fitted cross climates on my e class 320 estate turning it into a greasy weasel on rollerskates bloody awful tyres I rejected them and got my money back as for Tesla anything other than standard fitment ( with rubbing strips ) I live in the north York moors
Hi Andy, Liked the video. I have CC2's on both my Leaf and ID3 and they work well. When you chose your winter tyres did you also choose to buy steel rims to put them on as last time I looked winter tyres only came in a small number of wheel sizes?
@@chrisbeere7396 No just a swap of tyres.
Struggle to find Cross Climate 2 in a 245/50/R20.
The grip on the front of my MG5 in this freezing weather is absolute crap, scary bad.
Could you not just get a cheap set of spare alloys, this would then negate the cost of changing tyres. I did exactly that, found cheap set of Jazz alloys and stored them with winters tyres on with a quick 1 hr to switch over. i use all seasons now until get settled and spare up garage space and much further north ( North Northumberland)
When down south due to crime i just stored them vertically on the floor with an armax 19mm chain through the alloy too a ground anchor !!
I have CC2’s on my VW Transporter, and maybe they don’t suit that type of vehicle, but they have been very poor. Crucially very poor in snow and have worn quickly and unevenly to the point where they will need replacing much sooner than any other tyres I’ve had on my Transporters. Never again for me.
That's why I've got Nokian WRG4 all weather tires, that are snow rated. Sorry Michelin.
Love it, but you live in in Keighley technically from a post code.. North Yorkshire by what 1 Mile, Funny :-)
I don’t live in keighley.
I think i might buy rocket launchers and uzis for my Tesla if I worked in the BRI as well as winter tyre's
Wrong emergency service.
Winter tyres for winter, Summer tyres for summer ... what about Spring and Autumn? 😉
Always used Nexen nfera su1 with ev's. 53k range, lots of grip and quiet and very cheap. Just don't go near ice. 🙈😂
My ev6 rwd came with nexens, but changed to cross climate 2 XLs in the first winter after 31k miles, rears at 3 and front at 4.5 mm. Now at 75k miles and still above 3mm. They have been good in this weather, not like driving on dry roads but still gives lots of confidence in my rwd car.
I live in northern Poland, so the snow is a rarity here, definitely no need for winter tyres. In a week from now I'm driving to Austria for ski holiday and I'm sure we will be absolutely fine. And even if I get stuck -that's what snow chains are for.
I'm glad you explained it really well - people need to do their own research and find out what suits them best.
I worked in Austria in the early/mid eighties and then at least, winter tyres were compulsory in the winter. You could hear the difference as everyone switched over.
Your poor parents having to live in Clacton on Sea, it must be awful for them
Mmmm if someone has to make an emergency brake 2-3 times a year, they should check their driving. Probably they are not paying attention, anticipating to the situations soon enough or leaving a proper safe distance with the car in front. Or maybe they live in a country where people drive like crazy 😂😂... But seriously, I think in my 26 years driving I've had to make an unexpected emergency braking once... I've done more, but testing brakes, ABS, etc...
You clearly have not experienced winter tyres? It's not about emergency breaking (but yes also emergency breaking as well ) it's simply about grip . Cornring , breaking ,stopping . Starting , the whole 9 yards . Granted i live in hilly rural Aberdeenshire so i might be in a completely different environment from you , but look at all the videos and advice from experts it's not just snow , but anything below 7°c winter tyres are the best . But in snow there is absolutely no comparison. Many around here like me run winter tyres 24/7 365. Wet ,cold ,slippery ,sleet, snow ,ice , mud , even a 4×4 is useless in snow with ordinary tyres in snow , as opposed any car , yes any car even rear wheel drive BMW and the likes will benefit greatly in winter with proper winter tyres. Even if you never encounter snow ,simply 7° or below winter tyres will outperform ordinary summer tyres. Don't take my word for it look at all the evidence from all the tyre videos from proper experts . Not having proper tyres for the winter is putting yourself at a disadvantage? Think of it like this in winter, if tyres saves you one close shave or worse a crash once a year isn't that worth it ? Make no mistake winter tyres is no silver bullet you still need to drive with a lot of care , but give yourself a good start with the right tyres for winter at next to no extra cost ?
@@robduncan599 Wait, what? Are you replying to me or did you make a mistake and you were replying to another person? I didn't say anything about winter tyres. In most part of the UK they make total sense.
I was talking about what he says in the video about the times one has to make an emergency braking. If one adapts the driving to the weather situation, anticipate what others are going to do, pay attention, leave a safe distance... it's very rare that you need to make an emergency braking, not 2-3 times a year. In my case, once every 25 years.
Just go for winter tyres all year round, works out cheaper, you will get caught out on the summer tyres sooner or later.
@@russellurwin7396 They’d wear out much quicker in summer. Def not cheaper.
@ElectricVehicleMan
Cheaper because, you don't buy second set of rims and tyres and the cost and inconvenience and cost of changing wheels twice a year, yes you will renew tyres a bit sooner but works out cheaper, I know cos I've done it. I have given up on 'winter' tyres and last 5 years run cross climates and still on this set after 50k miles. The tread is slightly less aggressive than full winters but very effective in deep snow. Obviously if you have confidence in you tyres it's a big plus ( unless you think you can get by on summer tyres)
@ But you said winter tyres all year round?
@@ElectricVehicleMan
OK just to be clear, choose either winter or all weather tires which ever you are confident in and keep them on until till they wear out, it will save you money and time.
I used to run summer/winter tyres until my company changed their policy as we had been through a few mild winters. As I live in Scotland, travelling into the Highlands during winter in a rear wheel drive Jaguar, I was livid. As a “compromise” they allowed me to fit Cross Climates, still not happy as I thought it was reducing safety, I reluctantly agreed.
After running CC’s for a number of years, I won’t fit anything else. I’ve been caught in atrocious weather up mountains and they always impressed me with their performance. Never ever needed to fit my chains.
Actually, in the North UK, I think they make better sense as I had previously changed to my summer tyres then experienced a late cold snap. With the CC’s you always had the correct rubber on. Even in 40c temps, they perform well. Some sort of wizardry!