Winter Tyres - Your Opinions Please

[Happy Driver]

Greetings all.

Okay,

So I am unsure if this is the correct place to post this - so here goes.

Has anyone run their Skoda on Winter tyres?

I am off to Poland soon and need a set of 4. I will also need a set of wheels to put them on and reckon either steel or alloys from a breakers yard to keep costs down.

How long do the winter tyres last assuming I keep them on all the time?

Currently I am doing 10-12,000 miles a year and the Goodyear tyres I have at the moment are looking to last at least 30,000 miles.

Hear from all your opinions.

Many Thanks in advance.

Happy Driver

[cheezemonkhai]

If you want something to use on dry tarmac and also to be able to cope with a bit of snow and the cold, could I suggest the nokian WR.

Snow flake rated and also excellent in heavy water and cold weather.

I have a post on here with my thoughts on them, albeit on an octavia.

[The Plumber]

Might be an idea to check your handbook for recommended wheel & winter tyre sizes, particularly if you factor in snow chains which in some countries is a requirement to carry in the winter months.

[Lady Elanore]

I use Vredestein Snotrac’s. They should last quite well, although I doubt 30, 000 miles as the tyre is made form a soft compound. They will also wear out pretty quickly if you drive them in temperatures above 7C.

If you do a search you will find a couple of recent threads on Brisky about Winter tyres.

Btw the Vredesteins are superb in snow and ice, as last winter showed me.

[Gizmo]

Babs is selling a set of Passat steel wheels they are 15" so you would need to check they would clear your front calipers.

[Babs]

They were on an Audi 1.8T Sport, so a TDI should have the same size calipers.

[Happy Driver]

okay,

so having read around abit, I will have to phone a few places to check prices on snow tyres.

Thinking along the lines of new rims - I have phoned two places - both are clean out of rims of any description. because of the VW,Audi,Seat, Skoda partnership, I thought there must be a common wheel that is shared between the Superb and other cars within the partenrship.

I have also heard that the Passat 5 and 5.5 rims can fit on the Superb - but what is the Passat 5 and 5.5? what years do they cover?

Many Thanks for all you help so far.

Happy Driver

[Gizmo]

okay,

- but what is the Passat 5 and 5.5? what years do they cover?

The Passat B5 was from 1996 - 2001 and the B5.5 was from 2001 - 2005

[Babs]

Such as the rims I've got for sale

[Happy Driver]

Are they 15" or 16" or 17" and whill they fit my superb?

[Jim H]

As I have said many times, we have Vredestein All-season tyres (Quatrac 2s) and they are great in winter. I just wish they made something suitable for my Furby vRS. My Father has had Pirelli snow tyres (Snowsports?) on his car and again we'd recommend them.

[Gizmo]

Are they 15" or 16" or 17" and whill they fit my superb?

see my post at #5 above for the link to them.

[Babs]

Are they 15" or 16" or 17" and whill they fit my superb?

15", currently have fairly decent tyres, and they should your Superb

http://briskoda.net/automotive-parts-sale/b5-platform-audi-a4-vw-passat-15-steel-wheels-x-5-a/160665/#post1867112

[dieselV6]

15in do not fit over 312mm brakes, so check the front brake disc diameter first.

15in rims are OK for 288mm brakes, though.

[Happy Driver]

Okay,

I remember when I had a Land Rover and changed from 205 R16 to 225 75 R16, the circumfrance was slightly greater, but near enought the same.

If I go for the 16" wheels, what size tyre do I need to match the 225 45 R17's that I have at the moment?

I need to make sure that the speedo does not over read any more as it is nearly at its 10% limit at the moment.

Can any Audi wheels fit?

Many Thanks to all the comments and assistance so far. It is very much appreciated.

[Gizmo]

If I go for the 16" wheels, what size tyre do I need to match the 225 45 R17's that I have at the moment?

A superb on 16" wheels has 205/55/16 tryes fitted as std, this will match your current tyre circumference.

Can any Audi wheels fit?

Not ANY Audi wheels (for example early A3's etc are 5x100PCD), likewise the MKII Octavia has too much offset (ET) to fit a Superb. The Audi A4 & A6 wheels are almost identical ET to the Superb.

This tyre calculator is pretty useful.

A few other useful links:

Wheel technical Information

Alloy wheel fitments

[Happy Driver]

Those links are fantastic Gizmo.

Thank you very much.

Looks as if I have some homework to do and then I will have a look at the classified and breakers yards.

Wheels are clearly a science, rather than an art!

Many Thanks to all who have contributed.

I will do the homework and look into the problem of my key transponder not working...

... I feel another post coming on.

Happy Driver