1. Home
  2. Car Maintenance
  3. Winter Tyres - Insurance Implications

Winter Tyres - Insurance Implications

On Moneybox Live (R4) this afternoon the subject of insurance was discussed, and one query was "Will it affect my insurance claim if I fit winter tyres".

Responses from the R4 panel included:

"They may be considered to reduce accident claims, and attract a premium discount".

"If you fit them without notifying the company they may be regarded as a modification to the vehicle for insurance purposes". (I suppose more so if the complete wheels are swapped).

Perhaps a good idea to notify them?

I'd never thought of switching to winter tyres, but with the stuff that's falling this week...

Reply to
Gordon H
Loading thread data ...

I'm sure that if you check your handbook there will be a manufacturer specified winter tyre option, which means it's not a modification....

Reply to
SteveH

but if you fit them to steel wheels when your car originally came with alloys (or vice versa)?

Reply to
Paul Edwards

I'd like to see that stick in court, given that most full size spares are steels, wearing the same size rubber as the OEM alloys.

I'd say that, so long as you use the same size steel as the alloy fitted as standard, you wouldn't have any issues.

If you have 18 or 19" wheels, then more fool you for buying something with silly wheels in the first place ;-)

Reply to
SteveH

In message , Gordon H writes

I've got a spare set of rims so I ordered a set Nokian winter tyres from mytyres last Tuesday. They only arrived today and I won't be able to get them fitted until Saturday. I really could have done with them this week but I'm sure they will be appreciated over the next three months.

Reply to
Paul Giverin

In message , Paul Edwards writes

I read that as "steal wheels"...

Reply to
Gordon H

I bought a set of OE alloys from Ebay, so they're identical size tyres. I checked with the insurance co about the lower speed rating: they didn't care. Summer tyres are W rated, my winters are V.

Reply to
Chris Bartram

My winters are the same size & speed rating as the summers, and on not only the same size but same style of alloys...

Actually, they're not. Two of the summers are Mich EnergySavers

- and only H-rated. The winters & Conti summers are Vs.

Reply to
Adrian

Heh. W-rated winters either impossible to get or very, very expensive. It's not like the car could ever go that quickly anyway...

My winter wheels are identical to my normal ones too, save a bit of kerb scrape on the winter ones.

Reply to
Chris Bartram

One of mine specifies and supplies a steel rim for the winter tyres which is a totally different diameter and rim width to either of the two sizes of alloy rims usually fitted.

Reply to
The Other Mike

Interesting?

formatting link
Chris

Reply to
Chris Whelan

MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.