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All Season Tyre Test by OAMTC Austria

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Kodiaq 4x4 with Quatrac 5s was brilliant in the snow we had in Scotland this season, I'm happy with all season tyres for living here too.
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Over the years I've used true winter tyres on rental cars and Vredestein Quatracs and Michelin CrossClimates on my own.

All performed well in snow and ice on the roads into and out of various ski resorts. I remember the Vredestein Quatracs, in particular, getting me up a very icy steep slope to get out of a car park.

However, they do wear quicker than regular summer tyres when used year round. As "On the rocks" points out - it's the rubber compound that plays a major role in making them more grippy in winter.

Of course they are absolutely useless in the UK because you invariably get stuck behind hundreds of other cars with no grip whatsoever!
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 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Valkyrie wrote:
Kodiaq 4x4 with Quatrac 5s was brilliant in the snow we had in Scotland this season, I'm happy with all season tyres for living here too.
Have you tried your Kodak in deep mud, ruts etc.? I was wondering what they are like in more serious off-road conditions.
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 You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
How funny that on the day the winters are coming off that it's all about tyres!
As for the benefits of proper tyre equipment, you simply cannot "tell" people how much of a difference there is, you have to experiece it. Driving, like skiing is a skill in which many believe they are much better than they are - but no matter how adept one is at operating the controls when all 4 have lost grip on a hill or you need to emergency stop, Proper tyres give you a fighting chance! (and that includes not being on winters in summer)

For all the gizmos, gadgets and skill within a car it all comes down to the 10square cms on each corner that are touching the road.
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
foxtrotzulu wrote:
Valkyrie wrote:
Kodiaq 4x4 with Quatrac 5s was brilliant in the snow we had in Scotland this season, I'm happy with all season tyres for living here too.
Have you tried your Kodak in deep mud, ruts etc.? I was wondering what they are like in more serious off-road conditions.


Not tried them but I'd expect them to be no better than summer road tyres. The tread looks very road biased, they're not sold as suitable for off-road.
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 You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
In an ideal world (and the world in which I started to drive and maintain cars), there were no "all season" tires. You put on snow/winter tires around mid. Nov. and took them off in March. But, that required you to have an extra set of wheels and store them somewhere, plus a garage to mount them, or pay a tire shop to do it. However, in lean snow years, or in areas where you are at the freezing point very rarely, it was a drag to drive around all winter on snow tires -- which as noted, wear faster, are noisier and tend to have more rolling resistance. So in that sense, all-season tires were an improvement.

However, I never felt that all-season tires were anything but a compromise based on convenience. Yes, they do perform marginally (but noticeably) better in light snow than do "summer" tires, especially wrt braking and steering -- in my opinion. So the Austrian test confirms what I already believe. For those who encounter true winter conditions, best to put on winter tires; for the rest, all-season are OK, so long as you're not concerned with dry road performance.
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Valkyrie wrote:
Kodiaq 4x4 with Quatrac 5s was brilliant in the snow we had in Scotland this season, I'm happy with all season tyres for living here too.


As an aside how are you finding the Kodiaq? A serious contender for my next change.
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
Surprised the Pirelli Scorpion Verde wasn't reviewed. Had them on my last car and they were excellent all round.
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