Other What's ruining your life right now?

And then you go to countries used to snow like Austria, Switzerland or the northern parts of Sweden and people just drive their cars like it's summer. Central Europeans seem to be incapable of dealing with adverse weather.

 

Sunny Deutschland innit.

I'd have thought where I am would be used to it - Pretty much the Augsburg landkreis. Not that far from snowy places, and yet snow seems to make the drivers close their eyes, scream, and pray for death.

 

True but then try driving those same roads on summer tyres

 

Nobody with a brain does that. We rented a car in Sweden around NYE and got a BMX 225Xe with studded tires. Literally every car I saw during our week-long stay had studded tires.

Germans, on average, are a rare breed of idiots. And yes, I'm German.

 

Haha. Man, I only use the B17 and A8 most days, at least one accident causing multiple kilometer traffic more often than not. It's quite interesting to me that, a country with many unlimited speed sections of well maintained road, the most challenging race track in the world, and so many high-end automotive manufacturers manages to mash more cars together (Anecdotally, at least) on a daily basis than I'd ever have imagined.

Although it might be the driving attitude around here, which isn't so much "Leave a gap" as "mount the car in front, it'll save on your fuel bill".

 

I'm currently enjoying my very low traction on Dunlop Sport Maxx I actually think I got better grip of my pushbike tyres yesterday.

I am getting all season tyres next fed up with this every year skating around an generally not being able to pull away. Plus when we do get that one day of snow I'll be able to drive around like normal while the expensive 4X4's skate around at the bottom of hills.

 

Well played sir

 

Most people in the UK do do that, even when we rarely get snow. Awesome combination of ice, summer tyres and no compulsory skid pan aspect of the driving test

Likewise. There's quite a few sets out there that will cover us in the UK for our most 'extreme' weather conditions.

 

I once sold a car with a second set of wheels that had winter tyres on. Buyer looked at me like I had two heads when I said "winter tyres".

Can't work out why they're not legally required in the UK.

 

Did it for years, great fun, never died or nothing.

I quite like Cross Climates, decent price and more importantly for me a decent low wear rate

Because we rarely get what would be classed as a winter

 

I disagree. It's not like it's a snow hotspot, but it definitely gets cold enough to warrant a different rubber compound during the colder months.

It doesn't take much, if you look into the 'Glass transition' with regards to tyre compounds it can be as "high" as 7c where traction loss occurs because of the rubber compound reacting differently. Obviously it's going to vary from manufacturer to manufacturer and compound to compound, but 4-7c is about where you'll find traction going down the toilet for 'summer' tyres.

 

Maybe, but with care (and ignoring the north / south differences) it is perfectly fine to drive around on summer tyres in the UK all year round.

Even if it were legislated that we must use winter tyres it's not make much difference, 99.9% of the time the problem is with the nut behind the steering wheel, not their tyres.

 

That was a pulled punch, if ever I saw one...

 

I don't disagree that if people drove with more than a fraction of their brain focused on the task at hand there'd be fewer accidents and road fatalities, but it is an indisputable fact that grip plummets when the tyre compound isn't being used in its designed temperature range.

IMO mandating winter tyres would at least help a bit, because people would find that they do have that grip they thought they had, instead of having to remember that it's cold and no, they don't have that grip anymore.

Although I've spent a lot of time making merry with that newfound lack of grip come the winter months.

 

I used to run many years ago Yokohama S-Drives, they actually had an operating temperature range on the side wall, +10c-+50c so not ideal in the UK, amazing when you were in the window. terrifying when your below. Literally lethal below 5c.

 

You don't need even 'mildly inclement weather' for that mate. It could be the middle of summer on a scorching summer's day and you're almost guaranteed to see someone being a complete prat on the road.

Hardly a day goes by when I don't have to wave tailgaters back; most of the time people do drop back, but the shitbrained van driver following me about 30 minutes ago actually got closer when I waved him back. Where the **** do you expect me to go? There's tailgating traffic in the left-hand lane so there's literally no space; there's traffic in front of me and we're already well over the speed limit, so just what exactly do you expect me to do?

Most of riding a motorbike is being aware of, anticipating, and planning for the weapons-grade ****ery of other people. Treat literally every other vehicle as something that can kill you, no matter how fast either of you are going.

 

Than usually followed by a punishment pass, get them every time I'm out on my bike. Or pointless passes which are m favourite, they overtake me in a 30 an do less than 30 then get really angry when a cyclist dares to overtake them.

Part of the poor weather driving is driving instructors don't take them out if its less than perfect. When I learn't to drive I was out in all sorts, fog, heavy rain snow an ice. You wont have the confidence unless you've been out in the conditions.

 

It would've been so easy to reply "Well, your country voted pro Brexit", but I won't stoop that low.

And yeah, many people over here do it as well. Even the ones that should know better, living in the South where they actually get snow in the winter. I never understood that. But then again, it just proves to me that I'm correct in assuming that the average person is stupid.

 

It'd be fair enough, saw a program of a Brit getting a tattoo of flat earth because, you know, the earth is flat and we've all been duped...

Unfortunately no country is immune from making stupid decisions.

 

It was even worse back when I was cycling regularly. I nearly came off several times because people passed so close that the air turbulence knocked me seriously off balance.

I don't get that kind of horseshit on the motorbike - not since the L-plates came off anyway - but it's just as dangerous when people are doing stupid things on national speed limit dual carriageways. When that moron of a van driver was tailgating me earlier we were doing 60/65mph+ and at one point he was literally a few feet behind my back wheel; if he had hit me from behind at that speed with those traffic conditions then there's a fairly good chance he would have killed me. At best I would be carted off in an ambulance with life-changing injuries.

People are totally oblivious in their nice big steel deathboxes, they get so complacent that they don't even realise how ****ing stupid they're being. Very few people deliberately drive like dickheads but those that are simply oblivious are just as dangerous.

Of course I've got a "choice". I can ride a motorcycle back & fore to work (or drive a car) or I can waste an extra ~3hrs a day going by bus ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. The novelty of catching the bus and not having to drive is nice now and then, but there's no way in hell I'd rely on it.