I live in the sticks and the village has steep hills in and out. I need to keep mobile this winter, so was wondering just how capable my FL2 on the standard Wranglers will be if it gets snowy?

Should I invest in a set of specific winter tyres, or is the FL2 likely to cope okay on standard Wranglers and I'd just be wasting £500?

Thanks!
Neal.

I had Wranglers on my previous FL2 and found them to be a good all-rounder. However that did not stop me getting a spare set of wheels and fitting winter tyres. The confident ride and grip of winter tyres in ice especially in my opinion justifies the purchase of winters. The winter tyre compound is optimised to give better grip at low temperatures and will grip on ice where your Wranglers will be hard rubber when on ice. Nothing more embarrassing than seeing your 4 x 4 in the ditch! Bite the bullet, & get winter tyres to use November to March. Your Wranglers life will be extended by being only used in the summer!  10MY (Sept 09) TD4 HSE Auto in Stornoway Grey (Now Gone)

08 FL2 TD4 SE Manual in Rimini Red (Now Gone)

check this out



in this test 2WD with snow tyres did better than 4wd without

There is no substitute for winter tyres when it gets below 7 deg C 

Thanks for the feedback so far.

The Wranglers are an M+S marked tyre so they are classified as an "all weather" tyre, so I assume this means they should fare rather better than a standard summer tyre?

"Jack of all trades, master of none" 'nuff said. 10MY (Sept 09) TD4 HSE Auto in Stornoway Grey (Now Gone)

08 FL2 TD4 SE Manual in Rimini Red (Now Gone)

That all said, I stupidly ran my Wranglers on 3-4mm last winter and had no issue in deep snow, even gave a couple of mates a tow and again no issues.

That said, was fresh snow and slush, not particularly icy. 2013 FL2 - Black Edition Auto
2013 FL2 - Black Edition Manual GONE!
Founder of the 'Microscopic LR Spoiler Badge Club'
Destroyer of chrome rears.....

Neal H I ran mine on Wranglers through two bad winters. I live in a hilly part of Derbyshire and was amazed at what the Freelander 2 can do. I didn't skid/slip or even come close to getting stuck. I had winters on my second FL2 but I haven't bothered with the current one. You have to drive sensibly though because the FL2 is heavy. As the others have said winter tyres improve grip and thus offer a degree more reassurance in icy conditions.

Does anyone have experience of 'snow socks'? I'm thinking of getting some for emergency use in case I get stuck!

I'm reluctant to buy a second set of tyres as I'll probably be changing the FL2 next year for either a DS or Evoque, so I'd only need them for a very short time.

I have used snow socks a few times and they are good, you will get more grip than a winter tyre but they are only for emergencies. Make sure you have room around the arches to fit them, should be ok with a fl2, get a good pair of gloves to go in the bag.

I drove about 40 miles from London to Kent with a pair, I had to drive on some Tarmac in Kent and this left a few small holes but they were still useable. Some people recommend you fit socks to all wheels, I only used them on the front of a front wheel drive car.

For the price you can't go wrong.

I put Goodyear wrangler A/T sa tyres on earlier in the year, since then it has been through fields pulling trailers, through brechfa forest & through snow & rivers in mid Wales , they are by a long shot the best tyres I've ever had on a vehicle, excellent grip in all weather conditions & all types of terrain , I would definitely recommend to anyone who aks how the freely will cope in conditions with different tyre types to go on an approved off road course with an instructor to teach you how to drive in adverse conditions & show you just how capable the fl2 is , over confidence in your own ability , tyres & vehicle will get you stuck if you don't know how to drive it ...

Neal H having had both Wranglers and Nokian winters I personally don't think winters are a must. I have switched to General Grabber GT's (all season tyres) now and they would be my choice of where to spend your hard earned cash when it is time for a change. I ploughed through 3 foot snow drifts with wranglers on though and the Freelander didn't even notice it. Where you have to be a little careful is steep downhill routes on compacted snow/ice. I tended to slowly descend those sections. The Audi I had before the FL2 didn't even make it to the bottom of the hill not alone up it. I think save your money and give it a try on an area where you you can gain confidence/experience without coming unstuck. The previous post makes the point that common sense/skill together with land rover engineering can keep you out of trouble.

Thanks for the feedback everyone. Clearly the FL2 is a very capable vehicle as long as you apply a dose of common sense to what you're doing.

I think I'll stick with my Wrangler's this winter and throw a pair of snow socks in the boot - just in case!

Neal.