Just purchased 4x 205/55R16 Vredestein Snowtrac 3 for £323 including delivery. Vredestein Snowtrac 3 Winter Tyre Test Winner 2009

Just purchased 4x 205/55R16 Vredestein Snowtrac 3 for £323 including delivery. Vredestein Snowtrac 3 Winter Tyre Test Winner 2009

daft question - won't 205/55 tyres give you a different rolling circumference, assuming the originals are 225/50 17"

quote - Speedo reads 70mph your actual speed will be 67.35mph

Cheers

Jon

daft question - won't 205/55 tyres give you a different rolling circumference, assuming the originals are 225/50 17"

I guess they would. The steel spare in my boot sports 205/55/16, Guess thats why you can't drive it over 50mph and for any distance, even though it is a fully V rated tyre. 205/55/16 appears to be the standard size for Octy's on 16" rims.

i was thinking when all four are fitted ( so there no diffrerence in axle speed)

Hopefully i'll be picking up my scout next week and i've secured 5 16" steel wheels as well. one will be used as a spare but the other 4 will be used for winter tyres (hopefully)

the Vredestein Snowtrac 3 look pretty good to me. one question do the majority of people using winter tyres use 205/55 16s?

cheers

jon

Edited 6 November, 200916 yr by kumquat

I have 225/50/17 winter tyres. On a German forum I see a lot of Scout drivers use this size for winter tyres.

I could drive on unpaved winter roads in the Alps without chains. However, if you need chains (mandatory on some roads in the Alps during winter) you can only use the more expensive "tracks" since regular chains might damage your suspension. Using the 16" will allow you to use regular (affordable) snow chains.

mmm.. got me thinking now that I should have got 205/60/16's :( Then the rolling radius differance would be much less. Still does not explain why the 16inch spare is 205/55/16 and also why this size is also quoted on the inside of the fuel filler cover. Any ideas?

mmm.. got me thinking now that I should have got 205/60/16's :( Then the rolling radius differance would be much less. Still does not explain why the 16inch spare is 205/55/16 and also why this size is also quoted on the inside of the fuel filler cover. Any ideas?

Oops..., as long as all four are the same size its not an major issue (mechanicaly speaking), there's just the speedo reading slightly low?

to be honest 205/60/16s are over £100 a corner (on mytyres)

Been thinking about the whole summer tyre thing today. Even checked the Mondeo's manual.

Whilst it mentions using them, only really says they are legal in some countries, speed guidelines and follow local law.

So.... what is the actual legal implications here in the UK when there are no warnings or notices that the manufacturer says the tyres supplied with the car are only good in certain conditions? Also where's the waiver you sign at Kwikfit etc that the tyres they've just sold you are only summer, and you fully except liability if using them outside the tyre spec?

Then onto insurance when you have a crash in snow, yet the tyre co 'suggests' your tyres are no good below 7C?

There are very few EU countries that dont have policy/law on CWT. So why havent the UK?

Edited 7 November, 200916 yr by gadgetman

When you finally get your law, hopefully it's better worded than ours:

1. Winter tyres must be used during December-February.

2. Studded tyres can be used during Novemember-March.

3. Studded tyres can be used at other times if weather conditions require them (which sort of makes point 2 semi-meaningless :confused: )

When you finally get your law, hopefully it's better worded than ours:

1. Winter tyres must be used during December-February.

2. Studded tyres can be used during Novemember-March.

3. Studded tyres can be used at other times if weather conditions require them (which sort of makes point 2 semi-meaningless :confused: )

Germany is even more frustrating.

The unwritten law used to be October to Easter winter tyres, but now it's take your chances when. Personally, I go from Dec to March with winter tyres.

The law now states that you must have the right tyres for the prevailing weather conditions. That is really unhelpful if you have a warm 13 degrees in Winter.

If you get caught with the wrong tyres, it's a fine, points on licence and if you're in a crash, insurance companies use their get out clauses and reduce payments.

I can't speak for the tyres sold in Germany, but the Nokian winter tyres I've used really start to harden and lose performance after 3-4 years. What make of tyres were you using? And were they all-season or specifically winter tyres?

The "continental" winter tyres in middle and southern Europe have harder rubber for use in more rain and motorway-driving than the nordic ones. They are better on wet and dry tarmac, but worse on snow....

So they will hav a longer lifespan.....

I have the Haakkaapelittaa R tyres myself and they will be changed after 3-4 years.....

mmm.. got me thinking now that I should have got 205/60/16's :( Then the rolling radius differance would be much less. Still does not explain why the 16inch spare is 205/55/16 and also why this size is also quoted on the inside of the fuel filler cover. Any ideas?

205/55/16 is the other Skoda approved winter tire for the Scout. You have to take into account that there is a small inaccurary in the measurement of your speed due to the smaller radius.

Good news is that you can use regular (affordable) chains (50-100 Euro rather that the 300 Euro tracks) and R16 tires are also more affordable than the 225/50/17. If you increase the radius you cannot safely use chains without risking damaging your suspense (or crashing if you spin out of control the moment the chain hits the suspension).

It is said in many German discussions that the R16 is the best choice for off the road during winter conditions, R17 is more an choice for winter driving on the Autobahn. However I did not have any troubles driving off road in the Alps, actually my R17's exceeded my expectations (Conti T810, which has softer rubber than other brands of winter tires). I also read very positive experiences on driving with R17 on German forums.

I am definately going to use snow tyres - my previous "car" was a Mercedes Vito 120cdi and with snow tyres on was as useable in the snow last year as my wifes jeep (and we had a lot of snow last year here in Gloucestershire!)

The question is - Am I better off getting Skoda alloys or steels (my octavia will be L+K on 17" alloys and I can't see mention of 17" steels in the brochure) or am I better of getting some other brand of alloy (like fox etc).

What has everyone else done.

I am also thinking of using the Avons as these are what I had on my van.

Thanks

TC

I am definately going to use snow tyres - my previous "car" was a Mercedes Vito 120cdi and with snow tyres on was as useable in the snow last year as my wifes jeep (and we had a lot of snow last year here in Gloucestershire!)

The question is - Am I better off getting Skoda alloys or steels (my octavia will be L+K on 17" alloys and I can't see mention of 17" steels in the brochure) or am I better of getting some other brand of alloy (like fox etc).

What has everyone else done.

I am also thinking of using the Avons as these are what I had on my van.

Thanks

TC

I hav the same summer wheels as you, but for winter(snow) I've got 15" alloys.... This because i want the wheels to get more pressure to the ground per square inch than with 17"s.....

But generally why not have alloys for the winter tyres

I'm going for 225/50 17s on the same wheels (2nd set) that the car comes with. That way they'll also fit my Audi and I can pick the best 4 wheels when I come to sell it.

I just found out from the dealer that skoda reccomendation is a set of 16x6J steel wheels, actually listed as snow wheels with 205/55R16 on them. We are not quite sure if they need wheel trims as none are listed.......

TC

Just found a link on the Mytyres website where they actually sell complete sets of winter tyres with steel wheels, fully fitted and balanced.

mytyres.co.uk - A Complete Set of Wheels: Steel wheels with winter tyres

I'll both agree and disagree. Wintertyres will hep your grip, but to be honest I never have a problem in ice and snow on summer tyres- I've never got stuck: it's all the people that can't drive on snow that cause the worst problems .

I'd never got stuck with my summer tyres until last winter when someone coming down a hill in a 4wd decided not to give priority to me coming up it in my FWD car. So I had to stop - and despite lots of effort and lots of grit, I could not get going again. I'm sure winter tyres would have helped, but as others have said it's a question of cost, and storage. Where do you keep your spare wheels and tyres?

That website has some really good prices. I was quoted £56.22ea for the wheels and £90ea for Kumho snow tyres.

TC

I'm going for 225/50 17s on the same wheels (2nd set) that the car comes with. That way they'll also fit my Audi and I can pick the best 4 wheels when I come to sell it.

If you intend to go to the extra expense of winter tyres (and wheels) then why would you pick a tyre that is so wide it will be pretty hopeless in the snow? IMO something much narrower would be more suitable.

Driving around Manchester in it’s partly flooded state, I have found my Vredestein Snowtrac tyres have been brilliant. Not even a hint of aquaplaning, no matter mow cad the water or how quickly I drive through it (not splashing people obviously). It’s just about cold enough for them to operate properly too

If I change my car next year to a rwd only (currently I have a rwd, but also a 4x4 for some northern driving in winter) I will definitely stick Winter tyres on it.

OK. Previous post appears to be missing, but I basically said that even wide 275/40 R 20 Conti WinterContacts had an advantage in cold conditions and were also better than "summer" tyres in the snow, although to be fair probably not as good as a narrower section tyre would be as Gizmo68 points out.

Someone asked about rear wheel drive in the snow, and all I can say is that I came back from BMWs Winter Driving Course (in an Austrian ski resort) a convert to winter tyres. They used non-studded tyres, and we experimented with and without DSC and DTS - their version of ESP. I still prefer FWD or better still AWD in winter conditions though.

Using the same size "winter" tyres as the standard "summer" tyres will enable me to use the wheels on several vehicles (obviously at separate times), reducing the overhead of he whels themselves. As we had a lot more cold (sub 7 degC) days than just the 2 where we had snow last winter, I'll be happier being able to drive more confidently (and therefore faster than if I was less confident) with CWTs on - especially when my family's in the car. Equally, I should in theory be safer to other road users.

So my view, based on my own experience is to go with the same size unless you are planning to fit snow chains. Either way steel wheels will reduce your costs if you can't share the cost or resell the alloys.

If it gets too bad I won't drive, and if I have to go a really long way in a short space of time, I'll probably fly because there's no point trying to make your car do something it really wasn't designed for.....

Thanks Jeeves, it might have been my post about RWD and winter tyres tat you refer too. I said I used them on a FWD/4x4, but never on a RWD (which is what I drive at present). Next year, I would like to sell my 4x4 and my RWD for just one car and that new car would be RWD. So it was good to hear that even RWD works reasonably well with winter tyres. One question though, did you try them on any hills in the snow?

And was me who responded to someones E30 being pants in the snow - my response was because it's RWD, not necessarily due to the wider tyres.

Think somebody else may have said about the width, but just pointing out that there's still an advantage to be had even at the same width.

Most of the "work" was on a private car park where the older snow had been compressed and topped by new snow i.e. no tarmac coming through. It was a few years ago and I do remember driving up an alpine piste "road" that you would typically ski down between pistes, so lower gradient than a green run from memory.

I didn't pay for the course, so didn't have an axe to grind, but came back suitably impressed, thinking just how good the combination of quattro and CWTs would be. I can also remember the laugh we all had hearing about "The Circle of Kamm" (has to be said in an Austrian accent like Arnie's....

I once witnessed a low speed crash in a local country lane where a BMW hit another car on the outside of the bend. The camber/slope was such that by braking downhill the BMW would have skidded into him, and accelerating would have just meant it was the back rather than the front that hit first. A no-win situation. I'd argue that it's just those sort of conditions where CWTs are worth their weight in gold....and perhaps provide a relatively bigger advantage than in FWD/AWD where the dynamics are more predictable in a moment of panic.