Best winter modification for £10 what other mods will you add ?

[Hobo]

But now those parking light are looking very yellow.

I fitted these a few weeks ago, very white light.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2-ERROR-FREE-CANBUS-W5W-T10-501-LED-SIDE-NUMBER-LIGHT-Bulb-5-SMD-Xenon-White-/220974676870?hash=item33731dfb86

[Mr Onion]

^^^

Thanks, I'll get a couple

[harry22673]

I've currently got a 42 led version on and they are bright and very white
So white that they sometimes look blue
Although I'm thinking about wrapping my headlights with the yellow film so all the effort that goes into making them white goes out the window

[stiggysawdust]

I changed sidelights for leds off ebay over 12 months ago and they have been fine.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ERROR-FREE-CANBUS-W5W-T10-501-5-SMD-LED-SIDE-LIGHT-BULB-/281248230835?hash=item417bb36db3

[guest5669]

But now those parking light are looking very yellow.

I fitted these a few weeks ago, very white light.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2-ERROR-FREE-CANBUS-W5W-T10-501-LED-SIDE-NUMBER-LIGHT-Bulb-5-SMD-Xenon-White-/220974676870?hash=item33731dfb86

Could you show us a photo when you've fitted them please? Cheers Steve.

[Mr Onion]

... and don't forget to check your tyre pressures. I checked ours a month ago and today they are down by 2psi per corner.

Don't rely on the crappy gauge they have on forecourt air lines either. Invest in a decent calibrated gauge. The one I have is no longer available, but its similar to this.

[culzean]

... and don't forget to check your tyre pressures. I checked ours a month ago and today they are down by 2psi per corner.

Ambient daytime temperature a month ago was probably 20 degrees,  today its more like 2 degrees so pressure may well be lower,  but a bit less pressure is good on snow Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr    and we will all have some soon,  blame me if you like, weather was fine until I put my wifes winter tyres on last weekend.

[Mr Onion]

... and don't forget to check your tyre pressures. I checked ours a month ago and today they are down by 2psi per corner.

Ambient daytime temperature a month ago was probably 20 degrees,  today its more like 2 degrees so pressure may well be lower,  but a bit less pressure is good on snow Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr    and we will all have some soon,  blame me if you like, weather was fine until I put my wifes winter tyres on last weekend.

... but how often are you driving on snow? (by which I mean snow and nothing else) Winter driving consists of snow/slush/rain as well as dry tarmac. Correct tyre pressure (like most things) is a compromise.

re cold air and tyre pressure

When setting your pressures with cold tyres (tyre temperature at the outside ambient temperature), set them to the vehicle manufacturers’ recommended pressures.

from:- http://www.michelin.co.uk/tyres/learn-share/care-guide/cold-weather-tips

I have never found the need to swap to winter tyres despite living as far afield as the South Coast and the North East (as well as frequent Mountain Snow driving in South Wales)

All IMHO of course.

[culzean]

I have never found the need to swap to winter tyres despite living as far afield as the South Coast and the North East (as well as frequent Mountain Snow driving in South Wales)
All IMHO of course.

I wouldn't have tried winter tyres either, despite having strugged through some of the worst winters on record.   When my wife bought her GE Si it didn't have a spare wheel, so instead of spending bad money on a spacesaver wheelbarrow tyre I checked out mytyres and spent good money on a set of 4 Nokian WR D3   175/65 R15 on steel wheels for just over 300 notes,  so she could use one as a full sized spare.   Although we had very little snow by us last year I did get to try them out on about 1 - 2" of snow and some icy roads,  well it was a revelation,  I did some slaloming, hard braking and accelerating and results were very, very impressive especially braking when ABS hardly cut-in.   I tried the same stuff in the Civic with pretty new Michelin ES+ tyres and nearly spun it 180 plus wheelspin when trying to pull away carefully in second gear, and braking, well less said about that the better. 

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/accessories-tyres/89345/nokian-wr-d3-tyre-review# 

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/accessories-tyres/92873/all-season-tyre-test-2015-results-by-category

http://www.wheels.ca/news/all-weather-tires-are-not-the-same-as-all-season-and-heres-why/

[Mr Onion]

I hope you don't think I am being rude (because I am not) but maybe its all down to driving style.

Neither Mrs O nor myself have experienced wheel spin etc on snow. Yes I have experienced driving on ice in pre ABS days (Escort 1300 mk1 since you didn't ask. Rear wheel drive and all) I saw others fall off the road and on stopping to help my shoes had no grip on the icy road.

[guest4324]

I hope you don't think I am being rude (because I am not) but maybe its all down to driving style.

Neither Mrs O nor myself have experienced wheel spin etc on snow. Yes I have experienced driving on ice in pre ABS days (Escort 1300 mk1 since you didn't ask. Rear wheel drive and all) I saw others fall off the road and on stopping to help my shoes had no grip on the icy road.

Definitely not down to driving style, that's why the rest of us "europeans" use winter tyres. Plenty of threads on here with all the links that prove the benefits, especially braking distance which will mean the difference to killing a kid or not!

[Mr Onion]

But now those parking light are looking very yellow.

I fitted these a few weeks ago, very white light.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2-ERROR-FREE-CANBUS-W5W-T10-501-LED-SIDE-NUMBER-LIGHT-Bulb-5-SMD-Xenon-White-/220974676870?hash=item33731dfb86

All right, I surrender. How the *beep* do you get the sidelights out? I have pulled, pushes, twisted, sworn (especially the latter) with no joy. I suppose I could dismantle the car ...


... that might be easier 

[Hobo]

sworn (especially the latter)

That definitely helps , they turn approximately 1/4 of a turn but as you have found out they are not easy to get at and they are bl**dy tight, also they only fit one way so as you remove them make sure you note the alignment as they come out, I didn't and it took me ages and a lot of cursing before I figured out how to get them back in.

The LED's are polarity conscious so test they are working before refitting them, if they do not come on reverse them in the holder.

[bill ericay]

Make sure you're trying to remove the sidelight-- if you let your fingers do the looking you may find ( as I did) that you're trying to unplug the (I presume) headlight level adjust. The easiest one to do is on the drivers side, check from the front where the sidelight is and get your fingers round the back, then a 1/4 turn and out it comes. Once you've done it it's a doddle, as much as anything can be a doddle on a modern car.
Alternatively, wait until bob a job week and pay a boy scout with tiny hands, 5p to do it for you !

[Mr Onion]

Thanks both. Yes, I did try removing the headlamp height adjuster before I realised it was the wrong thing.

yeh, I thought it was a quarter turn type thingie. Now I KNOW thats what it is, I'll try again tomorrow. Hopefuly it will be a ;little warmer then.

Though I still think it'll be easier to dismantle the car