So, onto an attempted coherent review of the tyres! Well, not really, but an attempt to not sound contrite/clueless ^_^
I do not actually know why I had never purchased Winter tyres beforehand. Well, actually I do. I was too cheap. And gloated when my other car made it up the hill with Summer tyres on, but being a front-wheel drive vehicle, it naturally has a larger percentage of weight over the driven wheels and hence a larger amount of tractive force, giving it an inherent advantage in snow. That, and it avoids the peculiar issue of motion of travel being perpendicular to the direction of drive that the Cefiroluls seemed to suffer from whenever it span its wheels and sought to kill me o_o
I was also concerned with the inordinate amount of effort required, to switch wheels every winter. I may have even broken a sweat. A primary cause of deliberation however was the dry weather performance of snow tyres - considering they are constructed to deal with one extreme of conditions, I would feel no tyre could be such a veritable master of versatility. True, the manufacturers claim that in Cold weather in the dry, their snow tyres can muster enough traction under braking to perhaps stop before the end of time. I don't like compromise though. And the aforementioned effort that would've been added. It would've made fairies cry.
And so it would seem - whilst far more comfortable than the objects of perpendicular motion previously installed on the car, I am sure I can feel a curious "floating" sensation at higher speeds on a dry road. I would pin this down to the fact that snow tyres are inevitably extremely soft in compound, and as I found out, the sidewall as well. I have yet to read further in to the matter but essentially snow tyres are made from a particularly soft durometer rubber compounds which help to provide grip in the snow, and to that end I would think the Sidewalls too are quite soft. As I saw visually when the tyres were being fitted to the wheels. This is further amplified by the copious tread blocks and siping on the wheel (to clear snow/debris/fairy corpses out and such), which would flex very easily. It is not a particularly worrying trait, introducing some vagueness just off-center to the steering, and feeling as if there are constant cross-winds at high speed, but it is evident. Hmm.
They are very cushioning though, as you would expect tyres made of sheep's wool and duck down to essentially be, almost too much so, maintaining the wafting sensation on snow and ice. Which is basically inevitable. Redundant point. STFU. However, what is immediately apparent though is.
And so onto the next point.
^_^
It is quite apparent on cornering that, there is an impressive degree of grip being generated. It's not a fathomable "z0mg G-FORCESz0r!!1!" sensation, but rather a "Wow, I'm actually turning in the direction I wish to move in" situation. Upping the speed or severity of steering inputs will serve to put that confidence in its place, but it is notable all the same. As well as braking grip in the thick snow - instead of sliding endlessly into oblivion and beyond, perhaps pirouetting and doing a little dance in the meantime, the car actually seems dig into the surface of the ice. So much so that it is actually parked right now, on a vertical driveway. On a layer of snow. Point. In. Case. And despite my geriatric mentality, I have also found that the tyres do seem to hold powerslides quite well.
I on the other hand, don't.
Ok, let me rephrase - a powerslide is probably an optimistic term for the Cefiroluls, no offence to the cetacean. More like a momentary-underpowered-breaking-of-traction-slither, slide. It is rather amusing though, as where you would expect the car to continue into an arc de triomph when the slide initiates, it just hangs at a small angle of slip till the car decides it looks silly and straightens up. So naturally to exacerbate the situation, I try to "flick" the car. All I achieve is some pendulum motion. The tyres do not say "idiot-proof" for a reason. So yeah. It won't deal with my abysmal attempts at doing a Pentti Airkala. I don't know why I said that, I have no pretensions of such, I know I'm just releasing my inner hoon. And looking predictably silly. I even forget how to steer in these slide attempts.
And as such, I spunded. I only choose quiet desolate roads, so, the only thing damaged was some snowy verge. I will write my letter of condolences to its family. Or not. In all. I am contented in the purchase of these tyres. But you'd know that. As it was in the introductory paragraph. So. Yeah.
So, with new found confidence in tyres established, I've been wasting more petrol than necessary going out for snow driveluls. I take a sizeable loop taking me through some lovely country roads covered in snow of doom, and some A-roads. This did not pan out yesterday. Obviously it would take a special kind of stupid to decide on the basis of the traffic seen on the other side of the A-road to "take the M25 as a short cut". Two hours later. I return from the 5 mile jaunt. I had realised I was the purveyor of on Epic Fail of Destinous Proportions (>_<). I re-attempted later on in order to take some scenic pictures, but the master of timing that I am, go too late. I.e. when there's no light. So. The pictures are rubbish, but some were not complete and utter abortions:
I will follow the route again today and preferably with the camera stand, and with some common sense to do it when there is a semblance of natural light abound. After which I will cry about the petrol consumed. Copious tears.
So in short - Snow tyres, good. Me. Fail. Not that it needed saying.
Also, Cefiroluls tried to tempt me to some yellow snow. I wouldn't bite. Dirty slut.
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