Very interesting video: front-wheel-drive on winter tyres VERSUS 4x4 variant on regular rubber

[Zafiro]

See video:

http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-video/winter-tyres-vs-4x4

 

[Deckhook]

On most other countries in Europe I think this test clearly shows which option you should chose and in fact in most it's probably not an option but law, here in the UK we only get the odd bad few days so the winter tyre option isn't really necessary and dare I say an expense too far for most. So in my opinion AWD serves a better purpose here in normal everyday British weather.

 

[NarutoRamen]

Well honestly, if you live where it snows heavily, I don't know why you wouldn't get winter tires. Doesn't matter whether or not if you have a AWD or not.

It's the same concept as why you see people put off-road tires to go offroad.

 

[Giannis]

Interesting video. So, in UK it's not mandatory by law to have winter tyres. In Sweden, it is though. Right?

 

[MikeJ]

According to Wikipedia, the European countries where winter tyres are mandatory are the Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Lithuania, Latvia, Norway, Romania, Slovenia, Austria, Luxembourg and Sweden.

 

[ACE]

I saw that video a few weeks ago when it came out. It is exactly correct, winter tyres give you better braking and cornering on snow than awd on summer tyres but awd gives better traction from standstill. Awd reduces the chances of you becoming stuck. Where I live all roads are gritted any time there is snow (couple of weeks a year) and if you don't have awd you can't even get going up the driveway.

 

[Mr Robert]

If you wrong-side-of-the-road-drivers don't want winter tyres, you should look into making rain tyres mandatory

Jokes aside, using tyres made for the condition in which you are driving is simply a no brainer. Before I knew you brits don't use proper tyres, I didn't understand why your journalists always seems to think AWD is absolutely necessary for year-round driving. Now I know.

On the video, does people, for real, think that AWD would be a better choice than proper tyres in the pictured conditions?

Where I live all roads are gritted any time there is snow (couple of weeks a year) and if you don't have awd you can't even get going up the driveway.

But you could with proper tyres