XC60 AWD & 2WD Tyres & Winter

[darbs]

Originally Posted by volvorocks

what is your personal experience with summer / winter tyres on XC60 2WD or AWD in the winter in the cold and wet and ice.
Just wondering how many have used their XC60 AWD and found it alright on summer tyres in winter having due regard to getting moving , going uphill etc. Or have you got winter tyres on your 2WD XC60 and find it better or as good as AWD XC60 on summer tyres.What tyre make have you all got?

my experience of awd on summer in snow and ice (pirelli p zero rosso):

http://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showpo...4&postcount=23

[volvorocks]

Originally Posted by darbs

my experience of awd on summer in snow and ice (pirelli p zero rosso):

http://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showpo...4&postcount=23

Thats pretty much heavy snow!

Thanks for that.

[jimbg]

Volvo are now getting in on the act and will store your summer tyres ( for a fee )

http://www.volvocars.com/uk/sales-se...ter-Tyres.aspx

[volvorocks]

Originally Posted by jimbg

Volvo are now getting in on the act and will store your summer tyres ( for a fee )

http://www.volvocars.com/uk/sales-se...ter-Tyres.aspx

Thanks for this.

Ironic you should post this as an edition of Volvo's LIV mag came through the door and after wading through writings about the current epoch, the Anthropocene Era, the Paleozoic Era,the Burj Khalifa,the advance of Napoleons army into Russia in 1812 I finally get to the back cover and on the inside is Volvo winter tyre programme, and VOLVO insurance..!!

[Rich17]

We had no problem in the ice and snow at the beginning of the year our AWD Geartronic on Perilli Rosso's. They did have a reasonable amount of tread on them, so that might explain why.

I've just changed the fronts to Continental UHP's so if the forecaster's are accurate and that we get heavy snow later this month, I'll let you know.

In the decades before when we used to regularly get snow in Sussex, we never needed winter tyres to rescue people (but Escort vans had very narrow tyres ) who had gone too fast around a corner on ice. I'm not saying that winter tyres are a bad idea, just surprised how quickly people have picked up on them, though I'm sure they're not going to protect you from skidding around on black ice if you don't adapt your driving style for the conditions.

We also used to swear by 'Liquid Snow Chain' spray which you sprayed on, and would give a surprising amount of traction albeit for a short distance. Interestingly, similar products are starting to appear again. http://www.sprayontyrechain.co.uk. I was given a can this year - wonder how good it is?

[wimorrison]

Originally Posted by Rich17

...We also used to swear by 'Liquid Snow Chain' spray which you sprayed on, and would give a surprising amount of traction albeit for a short distance. Interestingly, similar products are starting to appear again. http://www.sprayontyrechain.co.uk. I was given a can this year - wonder how good it is?

Interesting stuff this

I just wonder how you use it when you are already skidding, but most importantly it states that it doesn't work on wet snow - that is what we predominately have in the UK, certainly in the south.

I know the issues I had in the first year of owning the XC60 whilst using summer tyres, I also know complete lack of issues that I had last year using winter tyres - hence I know where I feel happier and my family is safer and that is with winter boots on the car

[wimorrison]

Originally Posted by Rich17

...We also used to swear by 'Liquid Snow Chain' spray which you sprayed on, and would give a surprising amount of traction albeit for a short distance. Interestingly, similar products are starting to appear again. http://www.sprayontyrechain.co.uk. I was given a can this year - wonder how good it is?

Interesting stuff this

I just wonder how you use it when you are already skidding, but most importantly it states that it doesn't work on wet snow - that is what we predominately have in the UK, certainly in the south.

I know the issues I had in the first year of owning the XC60 whilst using summer tyres, I also know complete lack of issues that I had last year using winter tyres - hence I know where I feel happier and my family is safer and that is with winter boots on the car

[robg]

i have the pirello p zeros. i didnt use the car much during last years heavy snow and ice but i did venture out a couple of times.
The xc60 was excellent at starting off even on hills and kept drive traction pretty well until i started being silly in first/second gear for fun.

Steering was no better than any other car have have had in the past - ie you have to be very careful.

Anything other than very careful braking was just as frightening as in any other car.

I tried going down a fairly steep hill, engine braking in 1st/second was ok, hill decent control was excellent, but touch the brakes and the thing was sideways pretty quickly, just like any other car.

I have used winter tyres in the past on other cars and found them to be very good.

Generally now though i take the train everyday anyway and only use the car at weekends. If it snows heavy i stay at home - cant trust everyone else not to crash into me when they are going too fast with only the windscreen clear of snow not being able to see properly.....

[XC60MY12]

Originally Posted by volvorocks

Thanks for this.

Ironic you should post this as an edition of Volvo's LIV mag came through the door and after wading through writings about the current epoch, the Anthropocene Era, the Paleozoic Era,the Burj Khalifa,the advance of Napoleons army into Russia in 1812 I finally get to the back cover and on the inside is Volvo winter tyre programme, and VOLVO insurance..!!

Did it say whether Napoleon's army had winter tyres fitted? I am waiting for details of Volvo's winter tyre program which, I believe, will be available from November. I have no experience of the XC60 2wd in the cold but will definitely be using them. There are as many differing opinions as there are threads on the subject, so I'm making my own mind up.

[volvorocks]

Have read all the threads on the forum and elsewhere and everyones opinions and experiences with regard speed rating insurance handling grip stopping distances etc and whilst they differ the underlying thing and only probable “correct” answer is that winter tyres are without a shadow of a doubt the best idea and safest option in cold damp and wintry conditions especially coupled with AWD

Its interesting with XC60 AWD that Darbs as such had no problem with moving about in heavy snow whilst Wimorrison was entirely stuck and could go nowhere, with both on summer tyres at the time of experience. As Darbs said he was on new Pirelli P Rosso Zeros , not sure what condition or make your summer tyres were Wimorrison (maybe I missed it?)

It is appreciated that summer tyres in winter , whilst you may get going with XC60 AWD stopping and handling will be poor as you say Darbs. In all my years of driving I have never ever had a winter tyre and as such not had major problems. However that doesn’t mean I wont get stuck in the future or have problems and have to agree with Wimorrison after his experience that winter tyres are a necessity. Thanks also Darbs for the video where the guy is on the test track in XC60 with only “one wheel drive” and he gets going!!

We really need three cars so have decided to have winter tyres on one 2wd car which has 175/15 as they are only £300 or so and a set on another 2wd which has 205/17 and they are about £550 .That’s two cars wintered for the price of one XC60 AWD!! I will leave the XC60 on summers as they are virtually brand new and should perform much better than worn summer tyres and perhaps next year get a set of winters for it after seeing what the experience is on summers this year. If XC60 is poor then I would simply park it up.

An interesting point is that there is a lot of debate on “winter tyres taking longer to stop and grip in summer” and insurance company frowning - yet those very same drivers are content to drive on summers through winter where the stopping distance of those summer tyres is much much much greater than the stopping distance with winter tyres in summer. Insurance companies have no problems with the summer tyre in winter scenario even though it is more dangerous.. Bizarre.

I think Wimorrison correctly sums everything up about winter tyres in one sentence


“I also know complete lack of issues that I had last year using winter tyres - hence I know where I feel happier and my family is safer and that is with winter boots on the car”

Conclusion

Fit winter tyres even if you are of the opinion that you do not need them!