Car tyres - Is there a moustachian strategy?

Dear all,
This maybe a very dull question :sweat_smile: , but I’m more used to non-moving things :house: :building_construction: :innocent:
have you ever compared or experienced the longterm (i.e. 10y) cost of managing 2 sets of tyres (summer and winter) and the same set of rim versus 2 complete set of wheels?

Yes, I know there are a lot of variables that play a role…
Number of km a year i.e. 15’000 km
Tyre life expectancy i.e. 30’000km (is this ok for a scenario?)
Cost full set tyres only 640 chf (i.e. 160 chf each)
Cost full set tyres+rims 1440 chf (800chf 4 x rim + 640chf tyres)
Cost Winter/Summer rotation 2 times/year: tyres only versus full wheels 60chf
any other factor?

I could imagine all this information in an interactive moustachian graphic. I wonder if there is a moment where the scenario between the two options changes :grinning_face_with_smiling_eyes:
Let me know your thoughts :oncoming_automobile:

Without running the numbers im pretty sure one set of rims and all season tyres would probably be the cheapest albeit not safest solution?

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Not sure if it helps but:

Our car came with 2 sets of rims when we bought it and it is new enough we were confident it would last enough years to be worth running 2 sets of tyres. I have a small jack and I change the wheels myself, it takes an ~hour but it would take at least this long to drive to the garage, wait around and come back. Thinking if buying an electric bolt machine to speed it up…

On an old car that I thought only had a couple of years lifespan so I ran it with winter tyres all year. Don’t think that is unsafe, just noisier, a bit less fuel efficient and wears down the tyres more quickly.

Winter tyres will have generally a higher breaking distance than summer tyres in non-snowy conditions.

More general points :
Summer tyres are better in most conditions EXCEPT when there is snow/mud/icy
The 7°C (or other temperature) is a myth. As long as it is not snowy or muddy, summer tyres will be still better in most cases. (https://youtu.be/kb0RZEHiKDA). It has to be much colder that the summer tyre is working less good. Winter tyres are more for the eventuality that the road is snowy, then the summer tyre is not working at all.

So if you can leave your car at home when it is snowing, you could actually stay on summer tyres all year long.

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That’s what I am doing most years. But I only drive around 3000 km a year.

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Here‘s what I do:

  1. only all-season premiun manufacturer tyres = no yearly tyre change
  2. change the 2 front tyres when they are used, befoee they reach the legal minimum (my car is front-wheel-driven) = the 2 tyres of the back come to the front and the 2 new ones goes to the back (for safety reasons)
  3. I do 15k km per year and drive in winter, never had any problem. I try no to drive in heavy snow though.
  4. When I need 2 new tyres I order them on reifendirekt.ch and they send it to a garage nearby with a fix price for the change.

I haven‘t found a more mustachian solution yet…

Doing so I skip:

Having 2 sets of tyre and/rims
Yearly tyre changes
Replacing 4 tyres at the same time (my back tyres last almost 2x as long as the one in the front do)
Buying the tyres at the garage

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Hello everyone,

Can anyone put me in the right direction for the ‘best quality/price’ winter tyres website? I need to buy some for this season and I have multiple streams of information and opinions from people

Many thanks

That way you always have the used tyres with less tread on the front. I thought it’s the general recommendation to have the traction & steering wheels get the “better” tyres, esp. in winter conditions. I think I used to put the new tyres on the front, and when worn down 2/3 they moved to the back till end-of-life. But it’s been a long time since I had a car.

Thanks for the feedback!

I heard the same. Not really safe, but @Balaclava goes premium, so maybe this can also be a safety factor.

Quite… impossible for me :thinking: for someone without a “fixed office”, moving a lot between sites, it’s challenging.

I was looking at their site and they seem very competitive!

I’m also looking for good options. TCS normally runs some tests on yearly basis :arrow_right: Winter Types 2021

I thought the same until this guy teached me: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=kb0RZEHiKDA

I was surprised indeed how good all season tyres can be, check out this test for example: https://www.adac.de/-/media/pdf/dko/reifenratgeber_2020_winter_final.pdf

My conclusion: the good allseason tyres are really competitive, but they are differencies, therefore I check out the tests and only buy the best ones.

  • When it comes to safety, the tyre usage, the right airpressure and your driving style are as important IMO.

Dealer: Reifendirekt.
They also sell motor oil at good prices.

Tests: TCS or the usual car magazines, such as Autobild, which always has some tests when winter or summer is coming.

Are winter tyres were legally mandatory? Or putting it otherwise: is there a legal risk related to wrong ‘season’ tyres in a car in case of… :blue_car: :boom: :racing_car: ?

True BUT: You can pay to have that risk covered, its called the „grobfahrlässigkeitsverzicht“ and should be always included in your car liability insurance IMO

Tires is the one place where I don’t want to save for my own safety. I just get new ones when they’re run out and swap them in October and around Easter. But my Tesla has some 700hp peak output so tires w/o ZR/VR ratings wouldn’t be very long lasting anyway. I currently have Michelin Pilot Sport 2 for Summer and Pirelli Zotto Zero 3 for Winter.

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You also risk your driving license if you have an issue and the police considers you were not properly equipped

Yes thats true - I tried to find a case or examples but didn’t find any… Since all season count as winter tyres and driving winter tyres in summer isn’t as critical as the other way around, I think fines in that regard seem to be quite rare…

does anybody have some data / examples on this?

Not sure if the Grobfahrläsigkeitsschutz will work if the insurance consider that your car is not properly equipped for the road conditions. I would double check on that.

They do, as written here: Bei Schnee mit Sommerpneus unterwegs | Helvetia.ch

Hi all,
Is there any german website you can purchase tyres, get it deliver to germany and get the tax back (while importing in CH)?
THanks