I asked for my mechanic about winter tyres to bring to CH when I bring my car from Spain, he offered Michelin Alpin as usual winter tyres, and told me about the new model "Michelin Cross Climate", which has been certified both for summer and winter.
Any experiences with mixed tyres? I would save the hassle of changing them every season and the space of having the others stored. I live in Geneva.
I guess if they have the mountain and snow symbol they would suffice for any insurance issues - Maybe someone could confirm that
The description says occasional snow which would put me off as they seem more suited for somewhere like the UK that might get a dusting of snow but not serious snow conditions you may encounter here
and for the price you quote I'd just go for winter and summers as its by far and away cheaper then you would pay here
Southern Germany, Austria and Switzerland all change the 4 tyres every Autumn and Spring. "All Season" tyres have been around for years, and provide an unsatisfactory compromise.
the above reviews confirm the compromise. The Michelin Cross-Season are good all season tyres if you only occasionally need to drive in poor conditions, and you can wait for the sun to warm the road up; OK for pensioners and housewives. But if you need the car for commuting to work, then you need a good quality winter tyre, with good tread and a good rubber for low temperatures. Michelin and Continental M&S tyres.
You would be better driving with the Michelin Alpine tyres he has offered. Make sure he isn't selling you old tyres! If possible, mount the winter tyres on basic steel wheels, and then you can exchange them yourself, twice each year. Tyres wear regularly, and after the initial balancing you don't need to do it again, unless you have driven badly, for example hard acceleration and cornering.
As PapSmurf said, the selling price he is offering them for is excellent. You need to add mounting and balancing costs. Many tyre companies and garages, now offer free tyre storage if you buy tyres from them.
Oh and don't forget, most of the Winter you will be driving on cold salty water, not dry roads and not snowy roads, but cold slushy wet roads.
I don't think it's quite as black and white as that. If you have an accident that they think may have been due to inadequate equipment for the conditions they could still, in theory, refuse to honour your damages, or part thereof.
So it's not a case of labelling, but of whether you were overdoing things for the tyres fitted. I always go for proper winter ones, but then I do a lot of mountain driving, especially when there's a lot of snow. For city use I imagine these will be very much better than summer tyres and suffice for sudden snowfall, but trips out into more exposed areas may need a little more caution.
That little bit of rubber is all that keeps you and your's... and mine safe.
Put the right tyres on, simple really. All seasons aren't as good as when its warm as summers or when its cold as winters... they are just a cop out for lazy people. Dodgy Ken has a great video link of the effects in another thread, it demonstrates the point perfectly, but here is one:
Simply put: I used all season tires before. When I lived in the Netherlands. Cause they do have temps below 10, so you need a softer tire, but hardly any snow ever.
In Switzerland get the best winter tires you can afford. Saving money on them is like saving money on your brakes...
Driving around on all year tires at the moment. Swiss roads get swept to a degree that is unknown in the UK. No tire grips on ice without chains which are not practical for commuting. Is it the tires or the driver? I decided all year was the lesser sin than having the wrong tyre on in winter/summer which is very difficult to avoid unless you reserve winter for December-February.
The person asking is in Geneva, how much snow is there in Geneva? I'm not far and thre is no snow right now
From what I gather the cross climates are good but I don't think they fit my car, the dealer doesn't know and the tyre places didn't know either oddly!
Thanks for all the opinions... in Geneva I have seen so far 1 day of snow, and I will use the car mainly to go to the store and occasional weekend trips. For work I use the public transportation. That's why I was thinking they could be a choice. I'm concerned about the security and also the hassle, as the price is similar for both types.
By the way, I have seen almost the same price online in CH (78CHF each), I thought the price was not too good. The good part is that he's a family friend so he would mount them and calibrate for just 40CHF.
I still have 3 weeks to make my mind. Thanks again!
Am I the only one around here who uses his car on the weekends to go to these things called mountains to do this sport called skiing? (Zurich does not have too much snow either... but when it does will you have a massive difference between the two tires.)
I wouldn't take the car to go skiing (never been but the kids are hoping to get their first real snow this year). I know that if it's really bad you need snow chains of which I wouldn't even have an idea on how to fit to be honest.
If you are in an area with a lot of snow I do not question the need to have 2 sets but when you are where the snow is a lot less I can't see why a cross climate tyre wouldn't be enough. Of course you do need to be careful regardless of tyres and anything else, seen a few fatal accidents in the area recently sadly
I put Pirelli P6 all season tyres on an Audi A3 belonging to my (ex) GF who lives in the Chamonix Valley, TBH they were fine, pretty sure they are still on her car today 5 some years later.
If you accidentally step out in front of me when the temperature is 3 degrees, would you like me to have cross-climate or proper winter tyres on my car?
There is a difference between all-season tyres (which lack the mud & snow symbol) and all-weather tyres, which are certified for mud & snow use. I put Nokina WR G3s on my car and have been very happy with their year-round performance. They're much better in the snow than any all-season tyre I've ever used.
On roads without ice or snow summer tires generally outperforms winter tires. The braking distance on dry road is much longer with winter tires compared to summer tires - especially in warmer weather.