Snow It's Coming!

[noby76]

yes i do matt.. feel free to pm me a street name where your IS is undrivable near essex and i might just surprise you!!

"Yes you do" what? Know everything?

My IS isn't undriveable. Went out in it Friday, and yesterday. Coped perfectly fine, almost as if there isn't any snow at all

Yes i do know whats best for me based on my own research and decisions i make on anything sometimes it might be the wrong decision but i do learn from it... this is simple!! its like back ache or a headache.. doctors and chemists recommend pain killers when one is showing these symptoms but one can get by without taking Panadol to ease the pain and they will still go on with thier daily routines... they wont feel a 100% but will still manage to get by untill the body healls its self . where as another person wont be able to get out of bed or function well untill they have taken some pain killers to ease the same level of pain the first patient was suffering. same like winter tyres... they will do the job 100% in the snow just like how Panadol will do the job to ease a backache and I am not disputting that fact but one can get by with non winter tyres in the same inches of snow as you have in Essex and not end up in a ditch just like the first backache sufferer who did not take the Panadol and managed to get by ok. all am saying is winter tyres in UK are not for everyone most people think they need one based on the belief or dare i say myth about all rear wheel driven cars being bad in snow but actually they dont need winters and can get by ok with thier summer tyres if they change the driving, throttle and steering style a little to accomodate the road/weather conditions based on where they live just as I have proved with results in my pictures today.

Will winter tyres keep a car more safer in winter conditions compared to another car not wearing them? Absolutely yes and will again be based on ones location and how one drives e.g. if it takes you 10 feet to stop in the snow when doing 50mph without winter tyres and takes you 5 feet to stop in the snow when doing 50 mph with winter tyres but will take you 5 feet to stop in the same snow without winter tyres when you drop your travelling speed to 30mph that will still save you from knocking down that child crossing the road or running into the back of the car infront. this result was all because travelling speed was decreased by 20mph in the snow without winter tyres .. so in a nutshell if one is able to adjust the way they drive in wintery conditions they will be able to get by fine, stop and move from a stop ok without needing winter tyres based on where they live and how far they adjusted thier driving styles to accomodate the condtions. Yes it wont be a 100% like when wearing winter tyres but one will be able to get by ok untill the snow clears. and lets be honest here there will be situations or inches of snow where winter tyres becomes useless anyway.

[matt-c]

So based on your figures (surprise surprise, you're using figures again. There's a surprise);

50mph NO winter tyres = 10ft stopping distance

50mph WITH winter tyres = 5ft stopping distance

30mph NO winter tyres = 5ft stopping distance

So wouldn't the car WITH winter tyres doing 30mph stop in 2.5ft?

What's your point? Are you just quoting numbers for the sake of it?

And you haven't answered my question; if it's dependant on where one lives, making the difference between being able to drive a certain car in snow or not, why the last comment about telling my neighbour to change his C-Class for an IS300 and only use the snow setting, and "he won't go wrong"?

[noby76]

quote from my last paragragh

'so in a nutshell if one is able to adjust the way they drive in wintery conditions they will be able to get by fine, stop and move from a stop ok without needing winter tyres based on where they live and how far they adjusted thier driving styles to accomodate the condtions. Yes it wont be a 100% like when wearing winter tyres but one will be able to get by ok untill the snow clears'

and I keep saying based on where one lives matt so driving on non winter tyres in winter is not for everyone but not everyone needs a winter tyre. who knows maybe i will be able to get up that hill ok but you neighbor in the c class wouldnt but we wont know untill its tested out.

oh and comon sense should tell you thoses figures a rough figures and are not real its only an example which means if one is able to adjust thier driving styles to accomodate conditions they can get by without winter tyres its all about making the right judgements when driving in these conditons matt!

[matt-c]

Hang on, I'm talking about a specific point in your post - please stop diverting from it by changing the subject.

As you said - "tell that C Class driver to get him a Lexus IS300 and wont go wrong with the Snow mode setting."

So you're saying my neighbour should get rid of his Merc and get an IS300, and he'll be able to drive it no problem with summer tyres, just by using the snow setting?

[Raymond.]

Fwiw, winter tyres are not just for snow. They work better when temperatures drop below 6°C. Hence why they're called winter tyres. Proper snow tyres are not allowed on UK roads as they chew the roads up. (If it's actually possible to make them worse)......

I've been driving various RWD cars over the years and always had a spare set of winters to go on for winter and never had a problem. I've lived in Holland for 25 years and often ventured out to Germany, Austria, Switzerland and France during winter to go skiing and you actually get fined for not wearing winter tyres.

That can't have it all wrong can they? It's just pure ignorance not following suit.

Wonder why Britain has the highest insurance claim rates.......

[noby76]

yes matt he should get rid of it because the IS's are better built than a C class anyway! and am not changing any subject here we are still on the winter / non winter tyre subject for starters i have proved snow button does work in wintery conditions i have proved summer tyres also works on a rear wheel driven car in wintery conditions. and forget your neighbour he should have got winter tyres or an IS300 if he noticed he lived up a hill i dont live near a hill but for the past couple of days i have driven locally to town and from work which invollved some hillish roads and its been fine. better build qualiyu and reliability alone should make your neighbour do the switch and the snow

button will def

help him too :-)

[petayV8]

I tried to have a bit of fun in the car park today and I couldnt get it to slide at all! turned TRC off too. This makes me wonder if winter tyres are really necessary tbh. I also havent had any issues and my roads pretty bad, covered, no tarmac showing, only had the TRC light come on when ive made to effort to make it skid to test the conditions which is what matt described also with his winter tyres. Obviously ive adjusted my driving habits and dont mind being extra cautious vs driving at a normal pace with a good set of winter tyres. I also had to stop very quickly yesterday driving 40mph into a bus stop about 40 - 50m ahead that was almost covered with snow/slush and stopped without a skid.

Having a 2nd car is down to the individual. For me I understand it completely simply because I love cars in general and sounds like a good excuse to own another and when it comes to cars, expense goes out of the window for me. I would own 6 if i could afford it. It just depends where ppl like to throw there money, some pets, some kids some cars.... who cares. BTW im running summer tyres, live in a urban area and dont use country road or go up steep inclines so could be the reason ive had no problems, but saying that I did used to commute on country B roads until i moved closer to work and we've had some nasty winters in the last 4 or 5 years, and still never had issues and the best tyres ive ever had are mid rangers, and used to run budgets on my Rover 200 SDI. And for these reasons winter tyres arent my priority, but this is just from MY own personal experience and ive only been driving 5 years....

[Dewfallsuk]

Not that I want to interject in this argument but I used to work for Highways and was involved in winter inspection ahead the gritting fleet. We had massive problems staying on normal rubber (Focus ) switched to winter rubber. The difference was night and day.

I don't use winter rubber on the IS because I choose to use other transport when the weather is bad but if I had to then winter rubber would be high on my wish list.

[matt-c]

yes matt he should get rid of it because the IS's are better built than a C class anyway! and am not changing any subject here we are still on the winter / non winter tyre subject for starters i have proved snow button does work in wintery conditions i have proved summer tyres also works on a rear wheel driven car in wintery conditions. and forget your neighbour he should have got winter tyres or an IS300 if he noticed he lived up a hill i dont live near a hill but for the past couple of days i have driven locally to town and from work which invollved some hillish roads and its been fine. better build qualiyu and reliability alone should make your neighbour do the switch and the snow

button will def

help him too :-)

Hang, lets dissect this;

yes matt he should get rid of it because the IS's are better built than a C class anyway!

The question of better built doesn't come into it. We're talking specifically about driving in snow. Please don't go off topic

and am not changing any subject here we are still on the winter / non winter tyre subject

Actually you just did. You commented on build quality.

i have proved snow button does work in wintery conditions i have proved summer tyres also works on a rear wheel driven car in wintery conditions.

The snow button desensitises the throttle. It doesn't give you traction in snow. You can do the same by having better throttle skills. You've also proved you have little to no regard for any pedestrians or other road users. If you think winter tyres are purely for getting going, and not for braking and cornering, then yes, you have proved that.

And lastly, you keep reminding me that you're talking about WHERE ONE LIVES, and that IS300 with summer Pirelli's works for you - but by your own admission on that, is it not conceivable that an IS300 with summer Pirelli tyres won't work where I live? Seeing as you haven't been here? I just helped push a FWD Volvo up the hill and out onto the main road. A BMW that was following gave up and rolled back down.

Now, considering you're saying an IS300 with summer Pirelli tyres works in snow where you live, and by stating my neighbour should get an IS300 with summer Pirelli tyres would solve his problem, you're also stating that an IS300 with summer Pirelli tyres would also work here, can you explain why the IS200 that also lives in my estate can't get up the hill? Granted I can't tell you what tyres he has on, so I'm sure you'll grab that and claim it's because he doesn't have summer Pirelli's on, but that would be too convenient wouldn't it?

[noby76]

i dont own an IS200 so i cant comment on that i own an IS300 and it has done the job so far without winter tyres. you have winter tyres and its doing the job ok I dont have winter tyres and its doing the job ok. we are both happy with our desicions we made thats what counts.

[matt-c]

Oh. The IS200 and 300 aren't pretty much the same then? Obviously apart from the engine and automatic gearbox of course.

[noby76]

weight matt think weight..

[petayV8]

I think we've come to the conclusion that winter tyres are necessary depending on your type of vehicle but more importantly your environment, or just piece of mind if you've got the time and money. It is also clear that they aren't just a gimmick and do make a difference but aren't always essential.

[noby76]

I think we've come to the conclusion that winter tyres are necessary depending on your type of vehicle but more importantly your environment, or just piece of mind if you've got the time and money. It is also clear that they aren't just a gimmick and do make a difference but aren't always essential.

Thank you PetayV8 thats all i was trying to drum in all along..

[matt-c]

weight matt think weight..

About 5% difference. Negligible

[Raymond.]

They need more weight on the front (Sunday dinner didn't make a difference) and a longer wheel base.

Nowt to do with grip or owt, just how much fun it would be.

I find on fast skids (30mph) and above the rear AND front end steps out so it needs weight on the front.

[matt-c]

Lower it Ray. Won't add weight, but it will lower your centre of gravity

[Raymond.]

Might get some coils over the summer and see what's what.

I'm used drifting the 2 tonne Beemer about in the snow and it seemed more fun.

Only thing I have managed with the IS is a clean 720 (nearly) never managed that before....

[matt-c]

I had mine more or less pirouetting on the spot yesterday, followed by a nice big crop circle. I can't drift for sh!t though, so I can't get it to go sideways down the road

[Raymond.]

Best time to learn now with this snow Matt.

Looks like there's plenty to go at today...

[Raymond.]

This picture shows what winter tyres do. Clear treads! Now a summer tyre would be full off snow.

[Raymond.]

Front lip on the bumper has a secondary function as a plow.... I knew it weren't just for looks...

[matt-c]

Sadly I'm out at work everyday this week, so no chance of that. Was gonna go out yesterday as we had a good few inches fall on Sunday, but I was too comfortable on the sofa! :D

[Peter_1879]

This picture shows what winter tyres do. Clear treads! Now a summer tyre would be full off snow.

Nice looking IS mate.

Did the car handle and move ok in that snow? Are you auto or manual?

I bought a set of winter tyres for my IS (auto) and I haven't really driven it in snow yet. I took a work from home day today so don't really know what to expect from the white stuff!

How does the car handle on ice?

[Raymond.]

Nice looking IS mate.

Did the car handle and move ok in that snow? Are you auto or manual?

I bought a set of winter tyres for my IS (auto) and I haven't really driven it in snow yet. I took a work from home day today so don't really know what to expect from the white stuff!

How does the car handle on ice?

Cheers mate, it'll look better again when the summer wheels go back on. (See sig) not that keen on the black alloys...

It's fine on snow, sludge and iced up snow/sludge. Not drIven it on ice though. Used to take cars on frozen lakes when I was living in Holland way back but I don't think Britain gets cold enough to get lakes frozen over enough to go on it with cars?

Mine is a manual btw. I've had two automatic BMWs before this car and they were fine on winter tyres too.