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Tyres for Winter Driving Around Europe
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iismail View Drop Down
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    Posted: 08 Nov 2013 at 10:19pm

Hi everyone,

I've just purchased a BMW 1M Coupe a week ago and plan to drive around Europe (France, Italy, Switzerland and Germany) during the Christmas holidays. Rear tyres have only about 2mm on them so I plan to change these before the trip. Coming from Malaysia, I'm still trying to understand the tyre requirements here in the UK and Europe.

Some questions I have:

1. Some of these countries recommend using winter tyres, but only Germany seems to make it mandatory. If I decide to skip Germany, would it be safe enough to drive with summer tyres? Any insurance or legal issues? I plan to bring along snow chains/socks just in case.

2. If I do end up changing to winter tyres, can these be used during summer? Again, are there any insurance or legal issues?

3. Some websites advertise cold weather tyres. How are these different from winter tyres?

4. Another option I have is to use the all-season tyres, but for 265/35/19 the only tyre I could find is the Roadstone N7000, which I've not heard of. Any feedback on these tyres?

5. Just to complicate matters, I also plan to attend at least a couple of track days before returning (and bringing the car back) to Malaysia in September next year. Therefore, I hope the tyres are at least decent enough for this purpose too.

Appreciate all the feedback I can get!

Thanks in advance

-Irwan
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Maniac View Drop Down
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I would suggest given the length of trip, invest in proper winter tyres now, run them until the weather starts to improve next year then take them off, store them and put summer or all season tyres on dependent on your taste. There is absolutely no point spending 30-40K on a car then skimping on the thing that keeps the car on the road. You've really no idea what elevations or winter conditions you're going to face and the last thing you want is either an accident, or being stuck somewhere that recovery can't get to you, leaving you cold and miserable. Spend a grand on winter tyres, they will last you several winters when alternating between them and summer/as tyres.

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issus View Drop Down
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Points: 1337 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote issus Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 09 Nov 2013 at 2:47pm
Here is Continentals answer to your query:
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iismail View Drop Down
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Points: 9 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote iismail Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 09 Nov 2013 at 11:33pm
Originally posted by Maniac Maniac wrote:

I would suggest given the length of trip, invest in proper winter tyres now, run them until the weather starts to improve next year then take them off, store them and put summer or all season tyres on dependent on your taste. There is absolutely no point spending 30-40K on a car then skimping on the thing that keeps the car on the road. You've really no idea what elevations or winter conditions you're going to face and the last thing you want is either an accident, or being stuck somewhere that recovery can't get to you, leaving you cold and miserable. Spend a grand on winter tyres, they will last you several winters when alternating between them and summer/as tyres.
 
Thanks Maniac, so I guess you're saying all-season tyres are not really "all-season" then? And are more like summer tyres? I agree and I don't intend on skimping on tyres, just that I won't be here for more than one winter and thus the questions. If I do purchase winter tyres, is there a market for used 265/35/19 tyres? I can't seem to find any being sold so far (although that doesn't mean there's no market for it).
If there are any all-season tyres that really do well on ice/snow and yet can be used all year round, I don't mind paying more.
 
FYI, I don't commute with the car on a daily basis either, so I'll probably clock only 5k miles between now and when I return to Malaysia next year.
 
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iismail View Drop Down
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Originally posted by issus issus wrote:

Here is Continentals answer to your query:
 
Thanks issus. I found one by AA too.
 
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JMcWhir View Drop Down
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Hi,
As a tyre guy, I wanted to offer some advice, and more is available if needed..
 
1- Cold Weather tyres ( as Michelin described them) are the same as a winter tyre. We call them Cold Weather tyre, as some people think that they are only a "Snow" tyre, hence if it's not snow or ice, they aint any good.. However the compounds work well in lower temperatures, so they work better in all Cold weather conditions (cold, wet, damp, slippy, ice, snow the works..)
2- Don't go with an All Season. It's neither one thing or the other. Its a compromise. Michelin Cold Weather tyres still work well in the dry, and don't stop working in the summer. The other thing I'd recommend, is not to take ANY brand of Winter/Cold Weather tyre on a Track day, as you will kill them in a matter of laps. Use Summer tyres for that..
3- For European driving, the key now is some countires insist on 4mm+ of tread remaining, and I'd also recommend a tyre with the 3PMS (3 peak mountain & snowflake symbol) as it means they will meet a good level of performance in the winter.
4- You don't need to fit the same size as summer tyres. Most germans don't
 
If you want anymore advice, give me a shout
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Peter C View Drop Down
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Points: 192 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote Peter C Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 Nov 2013 at 11:56pm
Originally posted by JMcWhir JMcWhir wrote:

4- You don't need to fit the same size as summer tyres. Most germans don't
 
That is the point I would have made. I have read reports of someone putting winter tyres on a 1 M Coupe and they used significantly narrower tyres on different wheels to get better performance for everyday winter  motoring and especially when it gets snowy.
 
They also said it made the car much more comfortable!
Peter Cheesbrough
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