Should I get Winter Tyres or Snow Socks? Answer revealed.

We hear this all the time in the winter: "Its going to snow, I need a 4x4 to get around." However for those of us who know, the right kind of tyres is really more important that anything else.

A video from UK's AutoExpress puts this theory to the test to prove how true that is. They get two identical cars, one with two wheel drive and one with all wheel drive and they see which one is better at powering up a snowy slope.

With summer tyres fitted to both cars, the two wheel drive car doesn't make it very far up the hill, and the all wheel drive car doesn't do much better despite having twice the potential grip. However when equipped with winter tyres, the two wheel drive obliterates the all wheel drive car that are still using summer tyres.

So this video is excellent proof that splashing out for a 4x4 for the winter isn't necessarily the best or safest thing to do. Instead, invest in the right grip. If storing the winter tyres in the summer is going to be a problem, another great and cheaper option are snow socks.

Snow socks are quite new technology. As the name suggests, you pull the sock over the wheels. Unlike conventional snow chains, the socks have no metal or moving parts. This means noise is kept to a minimum and your original tyres are kept in good condition.

Manufactures suggest that its best to only use snow socks for vital journeys rather than having them fitted for the entire winter period.