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      04-12-2013, 08:05 AM   #16
sfax
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Quote:
Originally Posted by plymjack View Post
Firstly I did not pay over £2000 for my tyres.
No-one said you did. Read it again. I was talking about how much I spent, and I'm agreeing that if you keep them for long enough they are not as expensive

Quote:
Originally Posted by plymjack View Post
You also misquote the "marketing" - the improvements are increased as the temperature drops below 7C
Well no, they're not really. The 5% improvement is actually at 5C not 7C and it doesn't get any significantly bigger at 2C whereas the wear factor change is much more significant. The main improvement (and my point) is when you have snow and ice (and I get snow about 3 days per year here).

"now mandatory in most European countries" => they are only mandatory in countries that get significant snowfall, not the UK, or even Scotland.

And re. grand prix, not sure how that's relevant really. What's needed is context and you can get 20% reduction in braking distance by changing your tyres at 3mm rather than when they reach the legal minimum. You can also get this reduction by not driving as fast when wet. I'm sure some people quote safety as the reason they get winters but then don't change their tyres until the legal min and also drive too fast when wet

http://www.rospa.com/roadsafety/advi...ead-depth.aspx

And as example of marketing and the words used:

http://www.kwik-fit.com/why-fit-winter-tyres.asp

Quote:
the winter tyre gives significant safety advantages in wet and icy conditions - up to a bus length and a half shorter stopping distance! Their superior grip helps you keep control.
They say significant but then there's a chart next to the words showing a 6.8% reduction and the car with winter tyres still taking 65.7m to stop. Yes, it's a reduction but it's over-egged and it could make people over-confident and prone to more risk taking with the perceived safety net of winter tyres.

Drive 10mph slower (70=>60mph) when it's wet and you'll reduce your braking distance by 36% (75m to 55m). That's significant.
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