57%
- BMW 320D
- 205/55 R16 H
- 3,000 miles
- Mostly Country Roads
- Average
I Must admit that after all of the hype, i'm a little disappointed with the snow grip of these Ultragrip 8 tyres. I'm currently renting a property out in the country for a short period which didn't really justify the purchase of a 4wd, and so snow tyres seemed a good compromise for the odd few days that we get snow in the uk......then the snow actually came this weekend, and I got the opportunity to 'test' them.
I must admit that if my Journey hadn't have been a family emergency, I probably wouldn't have ventured out of doors however when it was obvious that I would need to make the effort, I did at least feel confident that I had snow tyres on the car when I went out into the chaos.
When I hit the roads we had around 6cm of Snow, not extreme by any means at least not when you read reviews of people putting them on their vehicle to go skiing in the Austrian Alps!. On flat, level surfaces, yes the tyres do seem to work, and do increase traction, however if you try to climb an incline or hill in fresh snow its the same old story.....slip, slide, lose the back end, then all traction completely lost and your stuck, just like summer tyres.
So if you live in a relatively flat place, such as Cambridge, or a leafy suburb of London where 1 cm of snow is 'extreme', then you'll love these tyres, however if you have a few hills to climb or live around untreated country roads then do yourself a big favour and hit your browser's back button, because beyond nice flat level motorways and 'A' roads they are no different to summer tyres when faced with a bit of an ungritted incline.
Some people over hype these things on the basis of 'wow I can get in my drive' isn't really a review nor impressive on a suburban housing estate. Try them in an inch of fresh snow on a hill in the country miles from anywhere, then come back and tell us how wonderful they are.
Yes, my car is Rear Wheel Drive, but then that represents a massive target market for Snow Tyres in the first place, especially in Germany and Austria where every other car is a German rear wheel drive and where winter tyres are a legal requirement.
So i'm left bitterly disappointed with what the Ultragrip 8 actually delivers when the snow falls and the going gets tough, and like most politicians they talk big and deliver extremely little.
I must admit that if my Journey hadn't have been a family emergency, I probably wouldn't have ventured out of doors however when it was obvious that I would need to make the effort, I did at least feel confident that I had snow tyres on the car when I went out into the chaos.
When I hit the roads we had around 6cm of Snow, not extreme by any means at least not when you read reviews of people putting them on their vehicle to go skiing in the Austrian Alps!. On flat, level surfaces, yes the tyres do seem to work, and do increase traction, however if you try to climb an incline or hill in fresh snow its the same old story.....slip, slide, lose the back end, then all traction completely lost and your stuck, just like summer tyres.
So if you live in a relatively flat place, such as Cambridge, or a leafy suburb of London where 1 cm of snow is 'extreme', then you'll love these tyres, however if you have a few hills to climb or live around untreated country roads then do yourself a big favour and hit your browser's back button, because beyond nice flat level motorways and 'A' roads they are no different to summer tyres when faced with a bit of an ungritted incline.
Some people over hype these things on the basis of 'wow I can get in my drive' isn't really a review nor impressive on a suburban housing estate. Try them in an inch of fresh snow on a hill in the country miles from anywhere, then come back and tell us how wonderful they are.
Yes, my car is Rear Wheel Drive, but then that represents a massive target market for Snow Tyres in the first place, especially in Germany and Austria where every other car is a German rear wheel drive and where winter tyres are a legal requirement.
So i'm left bitterly disappointed with what the Ultragrip 8 actually delivers when the snow falls and the going gets tough, and like most politicians they talk big and deliver extremely little.
