It's time to check the tyres for replacement.
Anyone measure their tyre tread depth & when would you replace for ice & snow use. I'm thinking at 4mm.

I just took my winters off. Tread depth had gone under 3 mm in some places. I'd say 3 mm is minimum, 4 would give more bite.

Decided to have a quick shop around for a new set of winters even though I don't need them until Oct. Any winters the dealers have left atm is not likely to move until autumn so there are deals to be had. I got a set of new Cooper 225/75R16 10 plys, studded, mounted and balanced on spare rims for under $750.

30.04.2012


The performance of winter tyres remains effective down to a tread depth of 4mm. Below this level they are no longer adequate for winter use but can be used as summer tyres down to the main tread minimum legal limit, set at 1.6 mm. 

http://www.nokiantyres.com/slush-and-aquaplaning


For optimum performance and safety, it is essential that all four tyres are the same.

 Always use four winter tyres of the same brand, and with the same construction features.

Consult the vehicle's handbook for the correct load capacity and speed rating of the tyres to be used. 

The Bridgestone (Duelers) are now close to 4mm, may be best to change them now, rather than risk one more trip (in July).

blutek, not sure what Duelers or size you want, but check out http://www.tirerack.com

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/bridgestone/bridgestone-tires.jsp

Excellent pricing, ex US, just add $300 for freight and another $70 for local fitting to see how that compares with local pricing.

Thanks Gareth.

There's probably a reason why nearly all the Hotham Resort Management 4WDs have these tyres fitted.

BF Goodrich All-Terrain T/A and Bridgestone Duelers are off-road/all-terrain tyres NOT winter tyres.
Goodrich winter tyres are “Winter Slalom KSI” and Bridgestone winter tyres are the “Blizzak” range

If you check you will find the tyres used by Mt Hotham RMB and Hotham Ski Company in winter are mostly Nokian Hakka R on their Nissan SUVs, (sponsorship vehicle supply arrangement) and Nokian Hakka LT on their utes and pickups, not off-road and all-terrain AWD tyres as Stansi has incorrectly posted.

Yes Hotham RMB, as with the other Alpine fleets, use a real mix of tyres during the non winter months and there will be some of these tyres, depending on the operational requirements of the vehicle, still used in winter.

The RMBs know off-road and all-terrain AWD tyres are not specifically designed for winter/snow driving. These types of AWD tyres are designed for off-road driving on gravel, sand and rocks and have a very high noise level.

On icy snow and on ice, the open tread grooves have zero effect on performance. Under cool conditions—not just cold or freezing conditions—the rubber in these tyres gets even harder. Control of the vehicle comes strictly from equal parts of the tyre rubber compound that provides adhesion and the effects from the tread sipes.

This stiffer tread compound does not conform to irregular road texture as well, and as a result has less actual contact with the road surface. Because off-road tyres have very limited siping on their tread they provide little traction in icy conditions.

Only severe service winter tyres have the compound to remain soft and pliable at lower temperatures.

This winter check out the tyres, and speak with the drivers, on the management and ski company vehicles at your Victorian or NSW resort and you will understand why the use of winter tyres, not off-road/all-terrain tyres is increasing each season.

Agree with ST except for the comment that AT patterns have a very high noise level. Certainly they are louder than HT patterns but not annoyingly IMO. Have done 40k km on Dueller 693 (light truck) inc in the snow in some hairy conditions with no drama in the Forester. Sure, if I was living above the snow line I'd opt for winter tyres but can get away without them with careful driving and use of chains when needed.

My other 2c worth is that when the tread drops below about half the original depth punctures are more likely on gravel roads.

Agree, but remember Ziggy you are a very experienced/confident driver in all conditions.

There's nothing like an apprenticeship involving hard rubber on greasy roads and you only have two wheels :-\

Ziggy, first time I read that as 40,000km in the snow! Was just wondering where!

donuts in Perisher carpark?

http://www.snowtyres.com.au/gallery
images on row 3 in gallery show tyre performance testing ( some might say donuts), arranged with RTA, Audi Australia (the red A4 in background) & Perisher Blue,
in Perisher car park, early morning, a few years ago.
= fun for our urq

Bears have been following the discussion with interest and are still working to replace there flat/damaged rubber.Boys were overlaoding little trolley with huge logs though!

Thoughtless animals.

Everything except mud and deep sand. Urban, highway, gravel and about 3k km on outback 'tracks' (graded but no gravel, so gibbers in places and lots of corrugations).

The D693s as AT tyres do have sipes btw but not a serious blocky pattern, so they're on the HT side of AT (to be fair).

ST is right; a softer compound is better in the cold. Also in moderate climates cos of better grip but there the trade-off is mileage. I love sticky rubber on the motorbike but a tyre will last 3000 km on the rear the way I ride twisting roads. The addition of silica to the compound in more models has improved the trade-off substantially.

From memory those Bunghole hardware Trolleys cost less than a Tyre and rim from the same.
Grab a new one.

The old Coopers I just finished with lasted 5 winters of moderate mileage. I have them on pretty much 6 months of the year and I average 13000 km a year, so those tyres lasted about 33000 km. Winter in this part of Canada is relatively mild and I probably could make the tyres last longer by changing to summers sooner, but those odd frosty mornings can persist a long way into spring and I get nervous slithering around on the wrong rubber.

Interestingly other than ordering Nokian tyres from "Snowtyres" who is a commercial member here, there appear to be NO winter tyres imported to Australia for standard cars and SUV's. Some so called All Season tyres are available but even these are limited in choice and their performance in snow and ice varies widely with some being quite capable and some really no better than standard summer tyres. Tyre dealers here neither know or care about the subject. Given the general climatic conditions in Australia and commercial realities I cannot see things changing but perhaps huge companies like Bridgestone or Michelin may test the market at some point.

A small market, already served by a supplier.

In days gone by, 'winter treads' weren't too hard to find.

FWIW Maxxis make a wet weather tyre (or used to) but I don't know what the compound is like.

With motorbikes you can get a wide range of treads and compounds but you pay $300+ for the privilege of a rear.

Kind of true but he is essentially just a consignor. A person cannot come in off the street and buy tyres as he has no stock and generally just gets one or two shipments a year and virtually all the tyres are spoken for. But yes a small market that may not support anything more than this.

Tire Rack will ship to Australia for about $80 to $100 per tyre which is good value really.

Works out about even with what I'm looking for. Allowing for fitting and disposal charges.

13.05.2012

Let me correct and clarify......
Nokian winter-snow tyres are stocked by the snowtyres division of Roof Carrier Systems for when they are required - before the start of winter. This of course is when the shipments arrive, just like a ski distributor stocks new season skis for the winter ahead.

Anybody can come in off the street and buy Nokian tyres, you can do it by phone or by email, what ever suits you best. 
Nokian snow tyre stocks are available for this winter and when the shipments are received the tyres are kept in a logistics warehouse so they can be delivered directly to you or the tyre centre of your choice for fitting.

Many Nokian tyres are preordered before the winter by customers that plan ahead, by customers that know their tyres require replacement and by customers that have purchased a new vehicle. Other organizations have to budget for their expenses, forecast their requirements and preorder.

Do we really need winter tyres in Victoria?
When ever conditions aren't suitable for two wheel drives, the Resort Managements instruct all vehicles to fit chains.

Thanks for the clarification. Was that always the case or have you increased your inventory in recent years?

Been there done that, got the tee-shirt ... just one of a dozen threads on the topic. http://forums.ski.com.au/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=1058284&page=6#Post1058284

O.K. I'll leave it for the moment, But the fishing is generally good with this sort of bait.

The answer to the two last questions....

Yes and yes