Basically do I go and get 4 new Falkens and go through the autumn, winter and spring on them or do I get some Wintrac Xtreme for some extra piece of mind.

They wintracs are V rated so I am guessing should be able to deal with the tail end of september temperatures at 70mph without wearing excessivly quickly.

Any thoughts and anybody know if we are expecting a cold/mild winter this year?

Although I've been impressed with the dry performance of the Falkens they've not been so pleasurable in the wet having had a couple of 'twitchy' moments!

I'd perhaps look at something else. You cannot beat Michelin PS2's, they maybe a tad expensive but worth every penny imo.

I've had the Vredestein Sportrac 3 on my car for 10,000 miles , fitted them last November , they are very good in the rain and cold mornings , i was impressed with their grip in heavy rain , I have 4mm left on them , i'll probably replace them with the same this winter. I didn't have any snow last year ,so i don't know how they would do in the snow. I live in a cold place ,1400 feet up ,on side of a mountain.They are similar in price to Falken

Edited 5 August, 200817 yr by flabio
price

Basically do I go and get 4 new Falkens and go through the autumn, winter and spring on them or do I get some Wintrac Xtreme for some extra piece of mind.

They wintracs are V rated so I am guessing should be able to deal with the tail end of september temperatures at 70mph without wearing excessivly quickly.

Any thoughts and anybody know if we are expecting a cold/mild winter this year?

Depending on where you stay I would reckon that for the few days of snow we seem to get nowadays it is a bit of an extravagence buying winter only tyres.On the other hand the Vredesteins look like they would be mighty effective at clearing water and it is almost a certainty that we will have more wet weather. Also the tread compound is more suited to all conditions where the temp is below 7 degrees.

Have you looked at the new Quatrac 3's ? they are supposed to be an all season tyre.

Don't know much about Falkens but the brand gets good reviews on the forum.

Although I've been impressed with the dry performance of the Falkens they've not been so pleasurable in the wet having had a couple of 'twitchy' moments!

I'd perhaps look at something else. You cannot beat Michelin PS2's, they maybe a tad expensive but worth every penny imo.

Last I looked PS2 don't come in 205/55/R16. Also the PS2 are over twice the price I can get the falken for and almost twice the price of the winter tyres.

Can't say I've had any issues even in deep standing water on the falkens, but a couple of people say they have now.

How do the PS2 last compared to the falkens.

Ta

Depending on where you stay I would reckon that for the few days of snow we seem to get nowadays it is a bit of an extravagence buying winter only tyres.On the other hand the Vredesteins look like they would be mighty effective at clearing water and it is almost a certainty that we will have more wet weather. Also the tread compound is more suited to all conditions where the temp is below 7 degrees.

Have you looked at the new Quatrac 3's ? they are supposed to be an all season tyre.

Don't know much about Falkens but the brand gets good reviews on the forum.

Thing is the wintracks look very interesting exactly because of the extra grip afforded at lower temperatures and 7 degrees isn't exactly uncommon.

The Quatrac 3's do look very interesting indeed, but I've always been a bit sceptical of an all seasons tyre as they don't give the best dry grip or the best cold/wet grip.

Might be an option though.

Last I looked PS2 don't come in 205/55/R16. Also the PS2 are over twice the price I can get the falken for and almost twice the price of the winter tyres.

Can't say I've had any issues even in deep standing water on the falkens, but a couple of people say they have now.

How do the PS2 last compared to the falkens.

Ta

A better all round performer by quite a margin I'd say but then again you do pay for it! I would also comment that the Michelins last almost twice as long as the Falkens so not as expensive in the longer term.

Depends on hoe long you intend keeping the car I suppose.

Guess it depends where you live and how often the temp is going to drop below -7 deg C. To be honest though, if it is below -7 are you really going to be pushing so hard as to notice the difference? No tyre (apart from those with spikes) is going to save you on a patch of black ice IMHO.

A better all round performer by quite a margin I'd say but then again you do pay for it! I would also comment that the Michelins last almost twice as long as the Falkens so not as expensive in the longer term.

Depends on hoe long you intend keeping the car I suppose.

I agree they last longer, my problem is the large amount of debris you seem to get around this way. One stray nail and that longer life is negated, hence looking at the options.

Where do you get your tyres from, I tend to use fareham protyre.

Guess it depends where you live and how often the temp is going to drop below -7 deg C. To be honest though, if it is below -7 are you really going to be pushing so hard as to notice the difference? No tyre (apart from those with spikes) is going to save you on a patch of black ice IMHO.

FWIW we are talking 7 degrees as opposed to minus 7 degrees.

On that note, quite often in a UK winter, especially on a road that pretty exposed.

As for the ice comment, that is true however on a slippery road, a tyre can make the difference between stopping and not stopping when somebody pulls out without looking (and they often do).

Hmm much to think on, might have a look at the quatrac 3's

FWIW we are talking 7 degrees as opposed to minus 7 degrees.

On that note, quite often in a UK winter, especially on a road that pretty exposed.

Apologies, I read it as minus 7.

Please ignore everything I said

Anyone know of any vredestein dealers in the portsmouth/southampton area or any online retailers.

Ta

I had the wintrac extreme. I'm afraid I never had them on any snow and I'm sure they would be fine due to the spliffs, however in my honest view Michelin Primacy HPs afford me more wet grip, a hell of a lot more dry grip as the vredestein were quite poor in this area and dont seem to offer any difference in performance in low temps, so in conclusion I would say don't bother.

That's interesting, so think I'll put them off the list then.

Falken 452 vs Quatrac 3 vs sportrac 3

The Michelin Pilots are not available in my tyre size so that's a no go.

Edited 5 August, 200817 yr by cheezemonkhai

Anyone know of any vredestein dealers in the portsmouth/southampton area or any online retailers.

Ta

I had the SporTracs3 on the Tolly done at Car Clinic in Chichester @ £129 fitted as it cost me £136 plus £8 fitting for 2 tyres for the vRS by buying them from CamSkill and fitting at New Forest Autos (near the other halves parents)

205/55/16 V are £62 and £66 for XL

VREDESTEIN TYRES / CAR / VREDESTEIN SPORTRAC 3 - - Car Tyres - MPV Tyres - People Carrier Tyres - R16" - 205/55/16, 205/55 R 16 -

I am replacing the front Michelins on my Tolly with SporTrac3s and likewise the Federals on the rear of the vRS.

I had mine fitted before a holiday in Cornwall in feb where we had to deal with wet and slimey country roads full of cow **** and the like (lowest was about -2c) and the rear held much better in the Tolly than the front Michelins which ran wide several times as the rears just gripped.

The SporTrac3s are good on the front of the vRS as well; they grip and seem to resist wheel spin even when pushing on in heavy rain. Same as what my dad found on his Saab 9-5 2.3T.

I think unless you live in the middle of no where then the SporTracs would suffice and provide the best combination of price/dry grip and wet grip.

BTW they came second in the Evo wet handling tests

I had the SporTracs3 on the Tolly done at Car Clinic in Chichester @ £129 fitted as it cost me £136 plus £8 fitting for 2 tyres for the vRS by buying them from CamSkill and fitting at New Forest Autos (near the other halves parents)

205/55/16 V are £62 and £66 for XL

VREDESTEIN TYRES / CAR / VREDESTEIN SPORTRAC 3 - - Car Tyres - MPV Tyres - People Carrier Tyres - R16" - 205/55/16, 205/55 R 16 -

I am replacing the front Michelins on my Tolly with SporTrac3s and likewise the Federals on the rear of the vRS.

I had mine fitted before a holiday in Cornwall in feb where we had to deal with wet and slimey country roads full of cow **** and the like (lowest was about -2c) and the rear held much better in the Tolly than the front Michelins which ran wide several times as the rears just gripped.

The SporTrac3s are good on the front of the vRS as well; they grip and seem to resist wheel spin even when pushing on in heavy rain. Same as what my dad found on his Saab 9-5 2.3T.

I think unless you live in the middle of no where then the SporTracs would suffice and provide the best combination of price/dry grip and wet grip.

BTW they came second in the Evo wet handling tests

I spend a lot of time either on the motorway or in the forests backroads which means high speed or damn cold and frosty/wet.

About the worse combination.

I spend a lot of time either on the motorway or in the forests backroads which means high speed or damn cold and frosty/wet.

About the worse combination.

I think the SporTrac3s would prob be best tbh. The QuaTracs are a good choice otherwise. Evo used the WinTracs on their Long Term mini when they went to a Snow covered Geneva (they performed great there but suffered back here).

I had the wintrac extreme. I'm afraid I never had them on any snow and I'm sure they would be fine due to the spliffs, .

What stoned tyres work better in the snow:confused::confused::P

I'd stick with the Falkens... I can't believe the grip and traction they provide, wet or dry. Even with the regular downpours we get up here in Scotland resulting in loads of water on the roads they haven't given me a moments doubt yet. Even in snow and icy conditions last winter they pleasantly surprised me :-)

I'd no problems with Ultracs, even in the snow last year. No problems with my old Bridgestone RE050 apart from a bumpy ride on cold mornings until the tyre warmed up a little.

I'm thinking I'll try the Falkens next time round. Sound good, and good prices too.

I've gotta agree with Mr Fish here, the PS2's are very good. So much so, I have just paid 247 quid for two which have been put on the front today!

Although I've been impressed with the dry performance of the Falkens they've not been so pleasurable in the wet having had a couple of 'twitchy' moments!

I'd perhaps look at something else. You cannot beat Michelin PS2's, they maybe a tad expensive but worth every penny imo.

I've gotta agree with Mr Fish here, the PS2's are very good. So much so, I have just paid 247 quid for two which have been put on the front today!

Regardless of how good they are they are not made in 205/55/R16

Sorry I spoke!

Regardless of how good they are they are not made in 205/55/R16

I don't think that "winter" tyres are really suited to our climate. They are made for a dry, cold snowy climate not the mild, damp that the majority of the UK suffers from. If you put them on a car now (August) the temp won't really drop low enough till mid November and then it's not consistently cold so tyres would suffer an abnormally high wear rate. Don't know what differs are the Quatrac and Wintrac but I noticed a local farmers Vectra estate on Quatracs so maybe they are a "mud" tyre. We're in mild SW Scotland.