winter wheels

Cod · Post by **Cod** » Sun Jun 19, 2005 3:21 pm

..so what happens when you catch a ferry to finland in the middle of winter and you're sitting there on the dock with no winter wheels?

How do you get home or to the garage to change them over?

Or do you just take a left at the end of the pier and drive home over the frozen ocean hoping no one's gonna notice...

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aide · Post by **aide** » Sun Jun 19, 2005 3:36 pm

I guess you should just head for the nearest garage and hope no one notices. And be very, very careful!

Dan · Post by **Dan** » Sun Jun 19, 2005 4:48 pm

Can't you change them before getting on the ferry? How far do you have to drive to the port?

Anders · Post by **Anders** » Mon Jun 20, 2005 10:38 am

Please post your date of arrival here, so that I can stay home the day you're driving around with summer tires in the Helsinki traffic.

Post by **neil** » Mon Jun 20, 2005 11:41 am

If you cannot get tyres before you leave (preferred option), just drive *very* slowly and *very* carefully.

You will very quickly feel how much traction you are going to get with your existing set. I know someone who did this.

Arrival at night:

1. If the ferry arrives at night you will be screwed anyway so find a hotel that is close (within walking distance) from the port and leave your car in the car park.

2. The following morning, ask at the hotel reception to find you the nearest tyre shop.

Arrival by day:

Park up in ferry car park and go to the terminal and ask for help.

Alternatively (although this is illegal in some countries), you might want to fit a set of snow chains that you previously obtained and use them to get you to the nearest garage.

Cod · Post by **Cod** » Mon Jun 20, 2005 5:53 pm

..had a feeling that it was going to be tricky..

..reckon that slamming into a cop car without winter wheels on a quiet Helsinki evening wouldn't be covered by insurance...etc...let alone the dry cleaners bill for the spilt coffee on the cop suit..

Neil, your idea of the snow chains may be the best bet...

..or hows this then..does Germany sell wheels (put em on at the Ferry port)? UK doesn't, I say studded wheels on the phone and the tyre man try's to sell me something that would fit on a Ford Anglia with a Union Jack painted on the roof

.

...or surely you can head over to Estonia and pick wheel sets out there? Maybe thats the way to do it...go via Estonia from UK..

(we're in driving back from Helsinki in July2005..hence the point of figuring this out now...)

Hank W. · Post by **Hank W.** » Mon Jun 20, 2005 6:04 pm

They have mandatory winter tire season in Estonia as well. however tire prices in Estonia are quite OK, so picking up a set of wheels there isn't a bad idea at all. However If you are doing the journey in January - and there is snow, I wouldn't chance Via Baltica. Better idea is to get your ass to Sweden; Malmö should be quite soggy at the time anyhow, and the Swedes understand winter tyres and studs much better. Just remember to bring a set of rims from the UK, as otherwise you'll be shafted by the price. And if you give this silly changing rims=saving money bs, I'll pee in your tank. Its nabbdäck or dubbdäck in Swedish.

Mook · Post by **Mook** » Mon Jun 20, 2005 6:55 pm

Since the missus doesn't usually get around to putting the Winter tyres on her car until a maybe a month after they should be on, I have some experinece of this....In practice, if you've got fairly new Summer tyres, it isn't a problem.

Anyhow, another solution is to buy studless Winter tyres (S+M rating) in the UK before you go. (These are legal in Finland, in the Winter)

Cod · Post by **Cod** » Tue Jun 21, 2005 12:03 am

nice one gents...thanks for the tips...plenty here to get my head around!

Cod · Post by **Cod** » Sun Aug 21, 2005 8:35 pm

well that was interesting...

...my in-laws insisted on coming with us on the day in picking up the car and demanded in no uncertain terms that we are supplied with winter wheels...rims and tyres...

...and whats more Toyota are going to store them at their Vantaa show room until we get there in March 2006 when the in-laws will bring them to the port where we'll be sitting (with the heater on full blast)...

..what I can't figure out is either Toyota assumed that I knew that the second set of wheels is a 'given' or the in-laws just proved their weight in gold..

Hank W. · Post by **Hank W.** » Mon Aug 22, 2005 1:46 pm

Its "standard equipment" with a new car, of course, naturally, silly...

tampereblue · Post by **tampereblue** » Tue Aug 23, 2005 8:02 am

Come on guys.....Its still August!!! Winter's not here yet...

lukelee · Post by **lukelee** » Wed Aug 24, 2005 12:38 am

does anyone have any idea what car rental companies do when you hire a car lets say in Holland and you tell them that you will be driving to Finland in the middle of winter, do you think they will put some type of winter tire that will get us from Holland to Finland legally and safely.....
Does anyone have any experience in this?

Cheers
Luke

Hank W. · Post by **Hank W.** » Wed Aug 24, 2005 10:34 am

If they try giving chains tell them its illegal.

Make · Post by **Make** » Wed Aug 24, 2005 11:46 am

lukelee wrote:does anyone have any idea what car rental companies do when you hire a car lets say in Holland and you tell them that you will be driving to Finland in the middle of winter, do you think they will put some type of winter tire that will get us from Holland to Finland legally and safely.....
Does anyone have any experience in this?

Cheers
Luke

My sister drove on "winter tyres" to Switzerland from Holland with a Dutch car.

She had Special tyres with a different rubber composition which has very good adhesion with contact temperatures with the ground around 0 degrees instead of the normally much higher adhesion temperature.

I think a rental company should be in the position to put those for you.

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