pixor

Yep, I finally understand the attractions of a 4x4 now - one of them being that you can let all the normal cars scrape their under trays away and drive over the top of the ridges I quite fancy a Yeti for my next car

Dave, as I live just round the corner from you, I can tell you you'll probably think it's the best money you've spent on car extras! Had to take the back roads home as the M9 westbound was shut, and as long as I had ground clearance, it was plain sailing.

@rob_e yep, I don't think I would have bothered with winter tyres if I still lived down south, although I remember a lot of really snowy winters when I grew up in Oxfordshire.

I have the same problem as I live at the end of a cul de sac too, and I have a dodgy back which isn't liking all the shoveling too much! I have been really impressed with everyone in the road though. Last year we let the snow compact and freeze, which made it a nightmare for months. This year everyone has cleared their patch immediately, so the snow isn't building up along the road. I think I've spoken to more neighbours in the last few days while shovelling than all year

Ask your passenger to eat less beans? Sorry! I'm sure someone will tell you about the seals who knows more than I do.

Definitely not factory-fit Xenons if no washers...

Ah, but they aren't snow tyres, they are winter tyres.They give much more grip once the temperature drops below around 7 degrees C. I guess the problem in the UK is that we stretch north-south a lot, so conditions vary up and down the country. Living in Scotland now, I will put winter tyres on every year. Not sure I would bother if I lived where my brother is (Portsmouth).

My Octy estate is DSG and has had no problems on anything yet. The difference is I have winter tyres. When I left home this morning I drove through 2 miles of re-frozen snow to get to the M9 at a temperature of -9, including a steep hill, and the traction control didn't even come on.

Mmmm.... I think black wheels look tip top on a white car

-9 as I left this morning, and the Octy estate was great on winter tyres. I could have done with more ground clearance though - I have persuaded myself that I will get a Yeti next time :yes: . As I was the first one out of our estate, the ridge of snow inbetween the wheel tracks had frozen. I'm so glad I don't have my old BMW. Not only was the rear wheel drive on wide tyres a pain, it was a sport version, and had lower body kit than a standard car. Scraaaaaape!

I forgot to say that I'd choose the vRS, but I have a kid and a wife and travel 70 miles a day. If I was still a young 'un with no kids planned, I'd probably go for the R-Type.

I bought some Autosocks. The day after I first used them I bought a set of steel wheels and winter tyres. Why? They do work, but they are very inconvenient. The main problem for me was that they are limited to 30mph (?) and you have to take them off when you reach cleared road, or they will shred. I could not find a safe place to stop and put them on/off other than my driveway. The snow means that all roads are effectively single track round here, until I reach the motorway. That meant I had to stop with a queue of traffic behind me while I removed/fitted them. You also need to have some long gloves with you, as your hands and arms will get covered in crud. Then you get on the main road, and your summer tyres are still rubbish. So, yes, they do work, but they are not as good as winter tyres, and have major convenience issues.

If you are thinking of having kids, the VRS is the one to have. You'll soon get fed up of only having 2 doors. Having said that, the type-r feels more sporty. If you are doing any long trips, the Skoda is more comfortable. Both cars have decent boots, big enough for baby stuff, buggy, etc. The Skoda is a little bigger. Hondas are more reliable - this is not my opinion, but the results of warranty claims statistics. Hondas are the most reliable brand of car on the road, twice as reliable as the next brand. Skoda come 5th, the best-placed non-Japanese brand.

I've seen a number of threads on here from people who have experienced the same thing. Can't say I've ever used them myself though.

I usually do all my own detailing, but in this weather I go to the hand jet wash nearby as they only use jet wash (so hopefully no scratching) and it's warm water and foam. Plus, they have proper drainage, so no extra ice on the road/drive. At least I feel better than leaving ice/salt/crud on it.

I've found it does help lift some of the dirt off before you use a mitt, so you've less chance of scratching your paintwork. I did read someone say they could use snow foam for a contactless wash, but IMHO that's rubbish - mine definitely needs a wash with a mitt and the 2 bucket method afterwards.

That's crazy. I got 4 winter tyres + Skoda steel wheels + trims fitted for £650 on Monday by my Skoda dealer. And they are cleaning and storing my alloys for me. If I hadn't dithered about and had got them on a few weeks earlier, I could have got them for less as they had to change supplier for the tyres to get any. As it was I got their last set.

Yep, the Cinese aren't into diesels, so it shouldn't have any real effect. I was told the problem was because VAG downsized their production plans based on the recession, so did all their suppliers, and the unexpected demand has caught them all out. No-one keeps stock these days, it's all just-in-time production. I'm not sure why it's taking them so long to ramp production back up again, though.

Whereabouts in Scotland are you going? The West coast isn't too bad, but once you go further North than the Firth of Forth, most locals are staying home and avoiding the roads where possible. We've about 3-4 feet here in Central Scotland, and I will be working from home tomorrow!

I'm rather glad I haven't lowered my car now

I'm finding winter tyres are fantastic on my estate, but the snow's getting so deep that I will soon have no clearance. The extra height and front/underside protection on the Scout would be really useful :yes:

I wonder if certain tyres are better on certain cars? I put RE050As on my RX-8 on the advice of the owners club, and they were excellent.

I've only had my winter tyres on 2 days, but I'm a convert. I live at the end of a gently sloping road with at least 2 feet of snow, and the road up to that has compacted, refrozen snow on it. The day before I got winter tyres it took 2 people and a shovel to get me up the road. It took me 3 hours (!) to get out in the morning as I couldn't get off the drive (another slope). Today, after more snow and the old stuff starting to freeze, I drove straight to work and back, with no drama, and the traction control didn't come on once. On the way home I drove up a hill past a lorry and 4x4 which were spinning their tyres and getting nowhere. So I think 2wd with winter tyres will beat a 4x4 with summer tyres hands down. A 4x4 with winter tyres would no doubt have better traction and (quite important now the snow is so deep) better ground clearance. I will have to start shoveling again tomorrow as the snow is deeper than my bumper

It's more like 400-600 for all 4. Don't just put 2 on, or you will likely spin and crash. And look at it this way. How much would it cost if you crashed, and would you want to get stuck with your family in the snow? I never bothered when I lived in urban England. Now I am in Scotland, it's a different story.

Yes and no. Yes, they got me off my drive and to the road, but of course once I took them off I was all over the place on the main road. The problem is that you need to find a safe place to put them on and take them off. Round here, everything is single track at the moment, so i had to take them off before I got on the main road. They also damage easily if you end up wheel spinning or getting stuck with gravel or stones under the snow. I ended up up biting the bullet and getting a set of steel wheels and winter tyres from my local Skoda dealer. I wasn't overjoyed at having to spend the money, but boy are they impressive. My traction control hasn't come on once in the last 2 days, and I'm driving on slush, ice or snow almost the whole time.