My wife's Focus does no more than 6k or 7k miles per annum and she uses it mainly for the 15 miles each way to the school where she works. It is a veritable cross-country route and very tricky in bad weather. We have been considering the wisdom of using 'all-season' tyres as the annual mileage is low and the journey rarely allows a speed above 50mph. In addition, we have to bear in mind that car is now 10+ years old and maybe doesn't warrant any further investment.
The current tyres still have quite a bit of wear left in them and I normally try to replace them in pairs. Can anyone advise me, please, is it possible to replace them piecemeal with 'all-seasons' or would we have to replace the whole lot at the same time?
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You could probably get away with a pair on the same axle. I would say front!
the question you have to ask yourself tho, has she found it impossible to drive in the worse weather you have had (I don't mean 4 feet of snow when she shouldn't even be out in it)
Last edited by: Zero on Tue 4 Dec 12 at 12:34
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>> You could probably get away with a pair on the same axle. I would say
>> front!
And i would agree, with the priviso that once fitted you do a bit of testing where safe to get the feel of the handling yourself in varying conditions, though that should apply wherever you fitted tyres of different characteristics.
Years ago it was common to fit 'town and country' tyres to the drive axle of cars, almost all being RWD in those days, they didn't all promptly slide into the ditch because those deep treaded rear tyres had different grip in varying conditions.
Indeed the experts all say that new tyres should be fitted to the rear only (obvious with RWD) but said experts remian quiet when cars have different front/rear sizes and forget to factor in the sometimes extended bedding in or scrubbing off periods of many new tyres.
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>> Can anyone advise me, please, is it possible to replace them piecemeal with 'all-seasons' or would we have to replace the whole lot at the same time?<<
I haven't got a clue, but I would be interested in knowing what the wet braking/stopping distance was on:
(A) Your tyres in their present condition.
(B) Two new all-season tyres, fitted front or rear.
(C) Four new all-season tyres.
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Had 2 all season tyres fitted on the front last year it was superb for grip up hills and got us out and away from other cars stuck but cornering with standard tyres on the rear was tricky but fun the rear end steps out and correction on steering required to bring it back in line.
Now all 4x are all season tyres & im waiting for the snow with affection so we can go sledging. :-)
Tyres are Pirelli fourseasons.
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>> Had 2 all season tyres fitted on the front last year it was superb for
>> grip up hills and got us out and away from other cars stuck but cornering
>> with standard tyres on the rear was tricky but fun the rear end steps out
>> and correction on steering required to bring it back in line.
>>
The real issue is that the normal "panic reaction" of lifting off the throttle in such situations is fatal on FWD vehicles. The sliding back overtakes the gripping front in short order.
Correct technique is to accelerate out of it, allowing the gripping fronts to pull the thing back into line. Find a snowy, deserted car park and practice to ingrain the response.
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I suppose the technically correct answer to this is going to be do both axles at once.
The received wisdom as we know is to have the "best"tyres on the back. I suppose the idea is that the untrained, inexperienced driver tends to cope better with the straight-ons than a tail-out skid - the minimum instinctive reaction of just lifting off will tend to help with the first but make the second worse.
The trouble with mixing all-seasons with summer tyres is that which is the best tyre will change with the conditions. But that's a bit theoretical for me. In the most challenging conditions, the all seasons will be the best tyre, so should be on the back. But then they won't help in the matter of getting traction.
For myself I'd stick them on the front and watch out for the back trying to overtake the front. But if it was fit and forget for somebody who drives on autopilot (the ones who don't slow down in the rain) then it would have to be all four.
Regarding all-season tyres, the all-season Pirelli Scorpion STRs on the Outlandish worked well enough in the snow that 4 wheel drive wasn't needed to drive around the majority of stuck cars. Good option for me because they are much cheaper than the standard 18" summer tyres, and are wearing more slowly.
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Haywain, very similar scenario to you, missus is a nurse, drives about 6k a year.
After our 2 bad winters I replaced her front tyres (which were needing replaced anyway) with all seasons (Kleber quadraxers) if memory serves me right. This is on a FWD Beetle.
This was not to get through 4 foot drifts but simply to make sure she got to and from work ok - work is down a steepish hill and she works shifts so out early in morning and home late at night when roads are quieter so less tracks in snow.
Only downside was that she hit a bad pothole and the tyre bulged on the sidewall so had to replace with another quadraxer which took a day to arrive at tyre place.
have encountered absolutely zilch issues with backs being on normal tyres at same time.
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>> have encountered absolutely zilch issues with backs being on normal tyres at same time.
>>
Which doesn't surprise me at all. Most steady drivers won't experience a skid from one year to the next. And the rear grip is still no worse than it was before, so why should she have a problem?
But if it does let go in bad conditions, it will probably be the back that goes first, whereas it would more likely go straight on with matched tyres.
Just saying.
I'd have the all seasons on the front and take my chances in full knowledge, but I wouldn't do that on the boss's car. Too many big ditches round here, and she's put a wheel in two of them already!
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>>>Most steady drivers won't experience a skid from one year to the next. And the rear grip is still no worse than it was before, so why should she have a problem? But if it does let go in bad conditions, it will probably be the back that goes first,
Agreed. I'd never say you were heading for certain doom with winter/all season on front (FWD) but there are circumstances where it could catch you out if pressing on.
In summer/dry circumstances there is no doubt the winter/all seasons have a little less grip and softer turn in. This could lead to unexpected levels of understeer in extreme circumstances.
In winter conditions the lesser rear grip of the summer tyres could cause a spin.
Our C3 has had 4 Kleber Quadraxers for the past two years and I bought them online for a deal whereby junking the two decent rear tyres didn't hurt so much.
These Klebers are my first experience of a proper winter rated tyre (as opposed to mud & snow types on 4WDs) and their increase in safety and capability is well worthwhile.
I'd also mention they are wearing really well which supports their use all year round saving the wheel swapping of those that buy a second set of rims and dedicated winter tyres.
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>>In summer/dry circumstances there is no doubt the winter/all seasons have a little less
>>grip and softer turn in. This could lead to unexpected levels of understeer in extreme
>>circumstances.
>>
I found the opposite when I fitted Kleber Quadraxers to my old Opel Zafira. The understeer which those things are famous for and which was very obvious on the preceeding Michelin Energys disappeared on the spot. I have to admit that I was astonished as I fully expected dry/warm handling to be worse.
I guess that, as always, it depends on the car and the boots fitted.
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Many thanks for the comments.
I think I missed a trick in September when I had to replace a tyre that had an unrepairable puncture - I should have taken that opportunity to replace the front pair with 'all-seasons'.
If the car continues to run well, then I'll start fitting all-seasons (in pairs) next time a tyre needs changing. I will just mention again that this car doesn't do a large annual mileage and it is the one that my wife needs to get into work; we normally use my car for the longer distance stuff.
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The Lancer has its MOT next month, and the two rear tyres only just scraped through last year (they have at least over 50k miles on them - came off the front)
The last tyres bought were Uniroyal Rain Experts put on the front, they have 3-4mm left after 16k miles, so will go on the back where I expect to get at least another 20k out of them.
So two new tyres to buy - Uniroyal Rain experts again, 195/60/R15. Last time I checked they were 70 quid each, black circles and KF - so had them done at KF. KF don't have them on offer now, so its booked in at a Black Circles partner garage at - wait for it - 65 quid a corner all in.
Well pleased with that, 10 quid cheaper than last time.
Also the lancer has disgraced itself, its blown the nearside front sidelight bulb, and the offside front headlamp bulb. Got some H4 Osram Nightbreakers 90%+ and extreme power 501 led sidelight bulbs in the post.
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Interesting what DreamyMe89 says about em: www.youtube.com/watch?v=CF_iP09gCYA
They wouldn't suit me as I rarely use main beam down ere.
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Funnily enough, they arrived in the post about an hour ago, so I have popped them in. We will see if the "improved life" monica sticks.
Popped in the LED side lights as well, brief moment of panic when one didn't work, quenched by the fast realisation that they are, of course, polarity sensitive. Turned it round the right way and bingo.
While mucking about with the front lights I also popped in some multi LED front indicators, that I got free with some promotion a few months back.
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>> We will see if the "improved life" monica sticks<<
Well, one things foreshore ... they wont last as long as the OE jobbies!
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Starting to cost you money that thing....
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>> Starting to cost you money that thing....
quality and style never comes cheap. you keep telling us that.
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True enough, but there is always the silk purse / sow's ear equation to consider... Still, it's probably alright for bumbling down to garden centres and so on right enough.
:-)
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>> While mucking about with the front lights I also popped in some multi LED front
>> indicators, that I got free with some promotion a few months back.
Which are no good. Insufficient current draw. They ticktock fine on hazards but tick tick tick too quickly when turning.
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Ford Focus - 02 1.6 Changing to 'all-season' tyres..... - Zero
