Winter tyres
 

Anyone know how much of a drop in MPG I'd get from fitting winter tyres? Snow is pretty bad here in the UK atm, and few people use them. I'm considering it but I don't want it to wreck my 56mpg!

from what I have read you will see between 5-10% on dry pavement. on wet or snowy roads it will be better then your normal tires.

I got 50+ all summer long on my winter tires.

I see no change from my summer tires to my snow tires, but it may be that my summer tires are just really bad.

Summer: Primewell PS830 165/80-R13 at 44psi (cheap)
Winter: Hankook Zovac Studless 185/70-R13 at 44psi (also cheap, would buy skinnier next time)

They both come out reading 3% high on the 10 mile odometer check on the freeway.

It's a safety issue for me; here in NH, people who don't fit them generally end up in the ditch. The cost of repairing the car afterwards exceeds my fuel bill for the year, so I try not to do that :-)

That said, I do see a drop in the winter, but most of it appears to be due to the change in outside temperature and fuel formulation (that is, I'll see the mileage drop even before I change the tires over, and the mileage will start to be better again in the spring before I change back); there might be a 1 or 2 mpg change that's just due to the tires. I can't check this year because I'm in the process of building a house and will be moving to it late this winter, and I'm still learning the local roads, which has more of an effect on mileage than anything the tires can do short of running on all flats :-)

I bit the bullet and bought Michelin X-Ice 2's (not inexpensive). They are "Green X", which means low rolling resistance. Apparently they're so good that there's little or no fuel economy loss vs. regular tires. And, they're supposed to be excellent in snow also. I sure hope so because we do get serious snow here.

I haven't gotten them put on yet. Maybe this weekend!

On my Civic, when they came off last spring it was at least a 3mpg difference, and that was really babying the gas the last tank with snows on. Just put the snows back on the other day, and it feels like I'm driving in molasses again. This tank should be about 2mpg down.

I have ice x on the civic, nearly unstoppable till the snow is interfering with the bumper. We have also had good luck with Hankook ice tires no studs.

Fully studded Firestone Winterforce on the Vibe. About a 5mpg drop.

If you get LRR winter tires, then you should see virtually no change; other than what the cold air causes. Nokian Hakka R are excellent, as are Michelin X-Ice 2 -- both as LRR and as winter tires. The Hakka 5 is even better as winter tires, but slightly less good at rolling.