Help! the germans and winter/summer tyres

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thomas

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Hi,

there is a discussion raging in the german forum at the moment as to whether one needs winter tyres or not...we know that in Ireland everyone just has all-year -round tyres; but then theres not ever much snow there.....
whats it like in the UK????
The german insurance companies are catching o too...if you have an accident in winter and are driving on summer tyres and they think that the accident could have been prevented with winter tyres they won't pay out!

Michelle&Thomas
from Ireland & Germany
1.6 FSI
http://www.audi-a2.co.uk/europe16.htm
There is no secret of life.
Lifes aim, if it has one, is
simply to be always
looking for temptations.
There are not nearly enough.
( O.Wilde: A woman of no Importance)
 
The UK is the same as Ireland i don`t know anybody who changes there tyres in the winter, it is widely accepted that if it snows in the UK nothing else works anyway
(M11 last winter)so why go to the expenses of changing tyres!!!

A quick Q for you obviously you don`t ware out the tyres in one winter so do the tyre retailers put the old tyres back on the following winter or do they make you buy new. As many tyre retailers in the uk will only fit newly supplied tyres, if you want older tyres refitted you have to move in the backstreet garage land and dirty ten pound notes!!
 
Also, does that mean all car dealers in Germany have to change the tyres of cars that are for sale when the summer/winter date passes? Also, how to define summer and winter? - by date, or by a certain temperature, or amount of snow?
 
Hi,

it is not yet law in Germany to change the tyres.
All cars are sold with summer tyres..but most car dealers do deals for free winter tyres if you buy new in Winter. Winter normally starts in october and goes on til March.
The experts say that the winter tyres give you better grip once the temp drops under 8.
The dealers will put back on your old tyres...however storing them properly is a pain.
(Sorry in german for Frido wie ist das bei Dir in der Gegend wo Du wohnstsind da Winterreifen vorgeschrieben ?)



Michelle&Thomas
from Ireland & Germany
1.6 FSI
http://www.audi-a2.co.uk/europe16.htm
There is no secret of life.
Lifes aim, if it has one, is
simply to be always
looking for temptations.
There are not nearly enough.
( O.Wilde: A woman of no Importance)
 
There is no rule here that you have to drive winter tyres where I live (southern Germany, 150 km north of Munich), but snow is common enough here that I feel more comfortable with winter tyres... (although the 155/55 on my A2 look horrible). Just this morning it snowed a couple of centimeters ans is still snowing...)

Bye, Frido.

----
[img=left]http://homepage.mac.com/frido/a2pic.gif[/img=left]
A2 1.4 TDI 2003 S-Line, cobalt blue, CC, DIS, SatNav+, Apple iPod
now parents' car: A2 1.2 TDI 2002 silver, CC, DIS
My A2OC pics Homepage
 
Frido - Don't you mean 155/65 rather than 155/55 tyres?

If you go for winter tyres it is best to have 2 sets of rims. One set for summer tyres, and one set for winter tyres. It's easier to store tyres without damaging them, when fitted to rims.

The 15" x 5.5" steel rims that Audi normally fit with 175/60R15 summer tyres should be idea. You can put skinny 155/65R15 winter tyres on these rims, which often work better in winter conditions than wider ones.
 
Oh, sorry, of course I meant the 155/65 tyres... but so far, no problems with them. A lot of people over here put 195/55 or such as winter tyres on their A2´s, because they are cheaper to get...
I have the "SE" wheels (185/55) on the 6-spoke alloys for summer and the 155/65 on the steel rims for the winter (they came with the car, no reason to change so far..)

Bye, Frido

----
[img=left]http://homepage.mac.com/frido/a2pic.gif[/img=left]
A2 1.4 TDI 2003 S-Line, cobalt blue, CC, DIS, SatNav+, Apple iPod
now parents' car: A2 1.2 TDI 2002 silver, CC, DIS
My A2OC pics Homepage
 
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