Winter tyres

[spg]

We are struggling in bad weather with wheelspin on our autotrail imala 724. What are the best winter or all terrain tyres please? 

[colin]

On road or off road? If it's on road 'all terrain' will not improve matters, in fact they are likely to make it worse.

Also check your axle weights, its very easy to put a load of weight behind the rear axle which unloads the front.

Aside from that I would recommend a 'all season' tyre such as Michelin CrossClimate for use in the conditions mostly seen in UK.

[Derek Uzzell]

3 hours ago, spg said:

We are struggling in bad weather with wheelspin on our autotrail imala 724. What are the best winter or all terrain tyres please? 

Welcome to the Out&AboutLive forums, spg.

I'm guessing that you are seeking advice on winter or all-season tyres , but - if you were considering fitting all-terrain tyres to your Imala - this link might dissuade you.

https://www.yournewtyres.co.uk/news/2023-05-26/the-pros-and-cons-of-putting-all-terrain-tyres-on-your-van

Being realistic, choosing 'genuine' winter tyres is only likely to be justifiable if a motorhome were to be driven extensively in snowy/icy conditions of the type that are rarely encountered in the UK lasting for long periods of time. Consequently, all-season tyres should be a better bet, as they offer many of the advantages of winter tyres without losing the benefits of 'summer' tyres.

This 2020 test of all-season tyres for camper-vans had Continental VanContact 4Season tyres come out top.

https://whattyre.com/news/a-tyre-for-every-destination-test-of-8-all-season-campervan-tyres/

Continental's data on that tyre can be read here

https://www.continental-tyres.co.uk/b2c/car/tyres/vancontact-4season/

and several forum-members have chosen it when selecting replacement tyres for their motorhome.

The Imala 734 is not a lightweight small motorhome (example here)

and when you say "We are struggling in bad weather with wheelspin...", I wonder if this happens when your Imala is being driven on the road, or on non-metalled surfaces like a grass campsite.

I owned a Fiat Ducato-based 2015 Rapid coachbuilt motorhome for several years and I don't recall ever provoking wheel-spin when driving on ordinary roads however wet the weather was. (OK,  the Rapido was shorter and lighter than your Imala, but it did have the 150 horsepower motor and I'm not afraid to use the accelerator-pedal.) On the other hand, gaining traction on wet grass at a campsite could be a nightmare - though this was no more than I expected and would have been little different if the Rapido had been fitted with all-season or winter tyres. The moment mud fills the tread, grip disappears and that's when the chunky open tread-pattern of all-terrain tyres really gains.

This fairly recent MotorHomeFun forum discussion was about all-terrain tyres and might be of interest.

https://www.motorhomefun.co.uk/forum/threads/bf-goodrich-all-terrain-tyre.281394/

[rooster63]

If wheel spin is an issue getting off grass pitches I have found grip mats do a wonderful job. Nearly got stuck on a pitch in Spain this summer as hadn’t realised that my attempts to get up onto levelling blocks had caused one wheel to gouge out a rut 6” deep. Grip mats made getting off the pitch a piece of cake.

[Brian Kirby]

3 hours ago, spg said:

We are struggling in bad weather with wheelspin on our autotrail imala 724. What are the best winter or all terrain tyres please? 

You don't say where you are, or what is making the ground so slippery (i.e ice/snow, mud/wet grass, or other).  This is relevant because whereas all terrain tyres may help on wet grass, they are unlikely to be of much advantage on ice/snow.

However, if the problem is ice/snow, you may gain some advantage from having "all season" tyres fitted.  But if you do, you should fit them to all four wheels and, if you have one, also the spare, so it won't be cheap (the same will be true for all terrain tyres.

If you opt for winter tyres and the problem is ice/snow, then they should give the greatest advantage under those conditions, but they will need to be changed for summer use as the tread compounds are unsuitable for summer (i.e. higher temperature) use. 

In the Alpine regions of Europe it is quite common to have two complete sets of wheels/tyres (summer and winter) for vehicles, and to have the wheels changed to the winter set sometime around October/November and back to the summer set around March/April depending on local regulations.

"All season" tyres may give a slight advantage on wet/muddy ground, as they tend to have slightly more "aggressive" tread patterns, but once wheelspin begins on wet/muddy ground the tyre treads tend to become clogged, so what is presented to the ground is little more than a "slick".  However, they will give some advantage over "summer" tyres on icy/snowy surfaces and being rated "all season" are suitable for summer use.  Some also seem to be acceptable for use in Alpine regions in winter so comply with local winter tyre regulations, but if this is a consideration for you this should be checked before buying.

The best general advice for getting off a slippery surface is to avoid it in the first place and, if it can't be avoided, try to get the driving wheels as close as possible to a firm surface for your exit and then use the highest feasible gear at the lowest feasible engine revs, with a feather touch on the clutch, while trying to cross the ground between the two.

Edited December 18, 2023 by Brian Kirby

[Brian Kirby]

Just two more things to bear in mind: if the ground is sloping, try to park so that your exit is downhill, and if the ground under your van appears dryer than the surroundings, try gentle throttle in reverse gear first, as the ground behind the front tyres (assuming FWD) may also be dryer, and so give adequate traction.  Then, even if you only have space to back up a foot or two, you will begin driving forward over the patch of dryer ground you just reversed across and, having gained some momentum on the dryer bit, you only need to maintain that momentum over the wetter ground ahead until you reach terra firma.