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Tyres on SR+. All weather?

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Winter tyres make a huge difference. We go up North a lot, in slushy/snow conditions it makes the car a lot grippier. Even in plain wet weather it makes a huge difference.

My specific concern is with the SR+ being rear wheel drive and how it handles in wet weather.
 
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Winter tyres make a huge difference. We go up North a lot, in slushy/snow conditions it makes the car a lot grippier. Even in plain wet weather it makes a huge difference.

My specific concern is with the SR+ being rear wheel drive and how it handles in wet weather.
The ones that came on mine are michelin pilot sport 4 235/45 r18 "extra load"

I believe they are a summer tyre...
 
Personally I've NEVER understood the whole winter/summer tyre thing.

I've driven cars for 25 years and NEVER considered or changed tyres based on the seasons. Pick a standard decent tyre - drive the car. end off.

Totally agree. Unless you are guaranteed multiple days of sub-zero and ice, then changing is not worth it IMHO. Would always recommend premium tyres
 
Winter tyres make a huge difference. We go up North a lot, in slushy/snow conditions it makes the car a lot grippier. Even in plain wet weather it makes a huge difference.

My specific concern is with the SR+ being rear wheel drive and how it handles in wet weather.

I wondered that too, as my parents still live where I grew up - near snowdonia. I asked the sales rep and he gave me a spiel about because the batteries are more central and there's no mass in the front (no engine, innit) it is much much better in the snow and ice and isn't likely to fish tail etc.
 
I wondered that too, as my parents still live where I grew up - near snowdonia. I asked the sales rep and he gave me a spiel about because the batteries are more central and there's no mass in the front (no engine, innit) it is much much better in the snow and ice and isn't likely to fish tail etc.

many years ago i had c class coupe that used to fishtail at even a hint of snow. keen not to repeat that experience.

on our FWD cars we’ve always seen a huge increase in traction control in winter swapping to all weather or winter tyres
 
Coming back to this.

I had my first long drive in really bad rain yesterday. My SR+ with the Michelins they put on handled better than any car I've ever driven. (Better than Audi's, BMW's, Mercedes etc)

I think the weight distribution on the model 3 makes it a far better all weather car. It was also a treat with Auto-steer/FSD on as it handled bits where I couldn't see due to the heavy rain really well.
 
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I have previously been a satisfied customer of Michelin Cross-Climates but have a dilemma with my new LR AWD. I would expect it to be better able to handle difficult conditions because of the AWD, and I like the look of the Pilots. I also don't fancy springing for another set of wheels which would make swapping back in the spring more straightforward. However I get the impression that the Pilots are every much summer tyres, and are susceptible to cracking if not given a chance to recover after temperatures of -7 degrees Celsius. The question is whether this is likely to happen in London this winter..
 
I wondered that too, as my parents still live where I grew up - near snowdonia. I asked the sales rep and he gave me a spiel about because the batteries are more central and there's no mass in the front (no engine, innit) it is much much better in the snow and ice and isn't likely to fish tail etc.

I think the summer/winter tyres culture has perhaps filtered down from countries where it's a requirement by law. Go to Finland in Autumn and you'll hear a tick tacky sound of cars running some kind of studded winter tyres on dry roads because, on a certain date (December to end of Feb rings a bell) you have to have them on by law. If you live in a country or a region where it's pretty likely to be snowy throughout the winter months, it makes sense. In most parts of the UK, a couple of days with slush each month doesn't force it to be mandatory. Offering these options on an international shop is probably catering to those who HAVE to do it.
 
I wondered that too, as my parents still live where I grew up - near snowdonia. I asked the sales rep and he gave me a spiel about because the batteries are more central and there's no mass in the front (no engine, innit) it is much much better in the snow and ice and isn't likely to fish tail etc.
in other words behaves like a central engine car CoG wise...
 
Personally I've NEVER understood the whole winter/summer tyre thing.

I've driven cars for 25 years and NEVER considered or changed tyres based on the seasons. Pick a standard decent tyre - drive the car. end off.
They may not be relevant to your driving but that does not mean they are not a thing. Try telling that to anyone living in Scandinavia or the Alps. Winter tyres make a huge difference and not just in snow and ice. Since they are made of a softer compound they typically give better grip even on clear roads below about 7 degrees and on snow the difference is nothing short of miraculous.
Does any of that make them worthwhile for the average UK driver? Probably not. They also can get a bit scary at high speed when the temperature hits 20+ degrees., So with our UK yoyo winter temperatures the arguments for them for most of us in the UK are marginal at best
I highly recommend Autosocks though for peace of mind to get you out of trouble in occasional bad weather.
 
I wondered that too, as my parents still live where I grew up - near snowdonia. I asked the sales rep and he gave me a spiel about because the batteries are more central and there's no mass in the front (no engine, innit) it is much much better in the snow and ice and isn't likely to fish tail etc.
I've been wondering about this as a benefit for EV's but never seen it mentioned as a feature/benefit. Lots of cars have 50-50 weight distribution via putting battery and fuel etc at the back to balance out the engine at the front but it seems to me 50-50 with the weight in the middle is going to be inherently better than 50-50 with the weight at each end hence the ultimate ICE cars being mid engined.
 
I have previously been a satisfied customer of Michelin Cross-Climates but have a dilemma with my new LR AWD. I would expect it to be better able to handle difficult conditions because of the AWD, and I like the look of the Pilots. I also don't fancy springing for another set of wheels which would make swapping back in the spring more straightforward. However I get the impression that the Pilots are every much summer tyres, and are susceptible to cracking if not given a chance to recover after temperatures of -7 degrees Celsius. The question is whether this is likely to happen in London this winter..
well according to the sun we have ahead a weather researcher do the longest forward forecast ever and all forecasts tended towards -70 and 30 ft of snow.. cough sorry -30 and a lot of snow.... so you go and read the report and we are due a bad beast from the east again and there we go make of that as you will.
 
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We have ordered winter set from Tesla. They are having to come from Tilberg and was told a couple of weeks.

My thoughts on going Tesla winter package:
  • The tyres supplied with car are 'summer'
  • We are only paying extra for rims, tyres would have been needed at some point anyway so we are just extending the life of both sets
  • We always promised ourselves a set for our previous car, but didn't think we would get life out of car as it was getting on a bit. A mate could not recommend winters enough even with decent all season tyres - we live on a hill and have been defeated a couple of times the last 100 yards.
  • Exact same Tesla 18" as we already have are...
    • Less likely to cause insurance issues, its just a tyre swap which is non notifiable
    • Can be used as an emergency spare

Not sure whether to DIY fit them or get a garage to do it. Need to sort some jacking point pucks either way. Was going to get the rubber ones from Amazon but they get some bad reviews with difficult to insert and nipple breaking off. So probably will add them to an upcoming Abstract Ocean order.
 
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Anyone who says we dont need winter tyres in this country clearly hasn't driven with winter tyres to appreciate the difference. I currently drive a ICE RWD car with 420bhp, on summer tyres in winter it'll kill you. Summer tyres generally dont perform well below 7 degrees, the tread stiffens up and becomes solid which means you have no traction. The compound on winter tyres stays softer at lower temperatures which provides better grip. People have this assumption that winter tyres are only applicable in several feet of snow when the reality is far from it, i switch over to my winters late oct/beginning nov and then switch back usually late April. Last year in the snow i was watching VWs, Audis, etc struggling in the slush/snow/ice, car sliding around, whereas i just drove straight past them.
For reference i'm not even using premium winters, i've got Nexen Winguard Sport 2 which were around £100 a corner. They're invaluable.