Hi,

Given the snowfall lastweek it got me thinking about getting "winter tyres". I know our winters usually dont include much snow but when it does we usually are unprepared. I did try and prepare as best I could buy buying bags of salt and "magic ice melt". It helped clear my driveway a bit but when I was on the roads, they wern't gritted as far as I could see by the council.

I've done research into winter tyres and found things I didn't know previously

they are designed for use of temperatures under 7 degrees

In england from nov to march we experience temperates of less than 7 deg constantly. for example today the temp outside is minus one.

There;s not a big market for winter tyres in england but countries like germany and france use them.

Apparently winter tyres can work in the dry also...doesn't have to be wet or snowy.

is it worth me in investing in a set for the winter period?

has anyone done this?

Even in Germany initially their was a marked reluctance to use them at one time. Now Germany is the worlds greatest user of winter tyres. the benefits of winter tyres are not just in the snow. As you have indicated tyres loose their frictional properties below 4 deg C. They are more prone to loosing traction and skidding. Winter tyres have softer compounds that have been formulated to remain sticky at well below freezing enabling them to maintain friction. they also have a better tread design that enables the to clear standing water better so are less likely to aquaplane. The tread also grips on snow far better than all season or summer tyres. It is not just about the prevention of being stuck but to help avoid accident through skidding, to help braking and steering response in poor weather. Winter tyres are beginning to catch on in GB just like else where in the EU as people begin to see their advantages in all winter weather.

Even in Germany initially their was a marked reluctance to use them at one time. Now Germany is the worlds greatest user of winter tyres. the benefits of winter tyres are not just in the snow. As you have indicated tyres loose their frictional properties below 4 deg C. They are more prone to loosing traction and skidding. Winter tyres have softer compounds that have been formulated to remain sticky at well below freezing enabling them to maintain friction. they also have a better tread design that enables the to clear standing water better so are less likely to aquaplane. The tread also grips on snow far better than all season or summer tyres. It is not just about the prevention of being stuck but to help avoid accident through skidding, to help braking and steering response in poor weather. Winter tyres are beginning to catch on in GB just like else where in the EU as people begin to see their advantages in all winter weather.

Sounds good and i'm all for safety.Only issue is storing the tyres. I've heard some people buy a spare set of steel or alloys and mount them to the winter tyres. So they can stick them straight on during nov. After about march they remove them and put the summer ones back on.

This sounds like a good idea but very costly especially since i may keep the car for 3-4 years max so might not be a good investment getting rims also.

Is there any issues with removing the tyres and storing them on their own(without wheels) and then mounting them to the tyre when the time comes? or by removing/refitting over a period of 2-3 years the tyres will start to look worse for wear? as they do use quite aggressive tools to remove tyres at the fitters dont they?

Sounds good and i'm all for safety.Only issue is storing the tyres. I've heard some people buy a spare set of steel or alloys and mount them to the winter tyres. So they can stick them straight on during nov. After about march they remove them and put the summer ones back on.

This sounds like a good idea but very costly especially since i may keep the car for 3-4 years max so might not be a good investment getting rims also.

Is there any issues with removing the tyres and storing them on their own(without wheels) and then mounting them to the tyre when the time comes? or by removing/refitting over a period of 2-3 years the tyres will start to look worse for wear? as they do use quite aggressive tools to remove tyres at the fitters dont they?

We've had snow more or less every day since Thursday - it's been snowing constantly since 8am this morning for example. We now have around 7 or 8 inches and it's becoming an issue on the side roads. I had a few hairy minutes driving to my parents' house this morning to drop off my toddler for the day. So I have just ordered a set of Nokian WR G2s with steel wheels to run for the rest of the winter. It might be different if I was in England or even if I didn't have the wee one in the car but for a few hundred quid I don't see the point in taking risks. The Nokians seem to get a good rep among Skoda drivers and mytyres.co.uk offer a service to deliver the steelies with tyres fitted. I could have searched and found a cheap set of wheels somewhere but the price looked pretty damned good and for the sake of quick delivery.....

Means I can head to the slopes at the wekeends with a bit more confidence of actually getting there!

Domhnall

Sounds good and i'm all for safety.Only issue is storing the tyres. I've heard some people buy a spare set of steel or alloys and mount them to the winter tyres. So they can stick them straight on during nov. After about march they remove them and put the summer ones back on.

This sounds like a good idea but very costly especially since i may keep the car for 3-4 years max so might not be a good investment getting rims also.

Is there any issues with removing the tyres and storing them on their own(without wheels) and then mounting them to the tyre when the time comes? or by removing/refitting over a period of 2-3 years the tyres will start to look worse for wear? as they do use quite aggressive tools to remove tyres at the fitters dont they?

Obviously buying new additional wheels on top of tyres is going to hike up the price. It should be possible to buy used wheels from brakers, E Bay or even on here. Steels are going to be cheeper. It is better to have separate wheels for a number of reasons. Convenience easy on and easy off, timing jsut sling them on once the weather changes at the end f the year you wont put it off, preserving the expensive alloys by protecting them from salt and knocks. less tyre fitting fees. I do not know if it damages a tyre if it is repeatedly taken on and off, I have no idea at all. At a guess I would thing that this should be limited because it may stress the tyre bead but I know not

I hope that this has been helpful.

We've had snow more or less every day since Thursday - it's been snowing constantly since 8am this morning for example. We now have around 7 or 8 inches and it's becoming an issue on the side roads. I had a few hairy minutes driving to my parents' house this morning to drop off my toddler for the day. So I have just ordered a set of Nokian WR G2s with steel wheels to run for the rest of the winter. It might be different if I was in England or even if I didn't have the wee one in the car but for a few hundred quid I don't see the point in taking risks. The Nokians seem to get a good rep among Skoda drivers and mytyres.co.uk offer a service to deliver the steelies with tyres fitted. I could have searched and found a cheap set of wheels somewhere but the price looked pretty damned good and for the sake of quick delivery.....

Means I can head to the slopes at the wekeends with a bit more confidence of actually getting there!

Domhnall

I've heard very good things about these Tyres, out of interest where did you order these from? Thanks.

I've heard very good things about these Tyres, out of interest where did you order these from? Thanks.

Camskill and Mytyres sell winter tyres. I am very tempted to try and find a pair (or set) or wheels and put either Toyo Snowprox or Kumho winter tyres on. I remember how awful (and even dangerous) my Goodyears were last year. I haven't been out to try my T1-Rs yet (had no need to). I just wish Vredestien would make something suitable for the Furby vRS.

The question is do you buy 2 winter wheels & tyres for just the front, or buy a set of 4?

Edited 21 December, 200916 yr by Jim H

Set of 4; you don't want the tail stepping out. . Have just got 4 Kumo23s from Blackcircle. They were fitted locally and the fitter offered to keep the ordinary ones over winter. No need as I've space, but apparently they must be stored horizontally. Tried to find set of rims from breakers but without luck. I can't believe that there aren't any out there as the same 5 stud wheels must fit other vehicles. So, come Easter we'll swop them over again and keep the winter ones (if not worn out) until the next winter.

Hi Jim

there is already a discussion going on here:

http://briskoda.net/forums/topic/147108-snow-winter-tyres-2-or-4/page__pid__1838953__st__0entry1838953

Always stick 4 equal tyres to the car. Handling will stay predictable. Not so if you only uprate one axle.

I am driving my winterwheels from the end of oct till easter. The same time my summerwheels are stored in my garage (on a "wheeltree") and wont wear. Also I am keeping my ball polished BBS nice and unsalted.

Bought Dunlop Winter 3D in VR spec, because I drive the majority of my miles on the (german) autobahn. Had HR specced (Conti TS810) before but the bling speed warning just came on too often.

Even cheaper no name winter tyres in SR or TR spec will do far better than modern summertyres. Not only on snow and ice but also when the temperature drops and it gets cold.

The modern winter tyres are so much better and even snow/ice handling in combination with a tyre that is rated up to 240km/h is excellent. I have no trouble driving topspeed with the smaller 16" compared to the 18".

Straightline stability is still ample, although autobahn curves are less stable as with the 18" at speed (no wonder).

Start looking for steelies in summer. That is the time most people are looking for nice alu rims

Or someone should take a look here in Germany, most people drive their winter tyres on alu too.

I picked up a set of early Audi A3 15 inch alloys this summer for about £50 and had a set of Continental Wintercontact TS800 185/60/15 tyres fitted at a cost of £270ish. May sound a lot but my normal wheels and tyres are sat in the garage, so in theory it shouldn't cost much at all to run.

Having read the reviews of Toyo/Kumho etc. done in Germany by ADAC I decided to steer clear and stick with one of the top rated ones (Michelin/Continental etc).

The tyres are absolutely amazing in snow and ice - have to really try hard to make them break loose either braking or accelerating.

Also when choosing winter tyres go narrower as they cut through snow better.

HTH

I ran wredestien wintrac extreme for a couple of years. Since going to 4 wheel drive I have not bothered.

Reasons

1) They had good aquaplaning performance initially but at less than 4mm became worse than any other tyre I had used hence making them useless to even finish off.

2) While they undoubtedly provide more grip in snow ice I have never had problems on snow as long as driving slowly and on the gears, however, can see advantage on a 2wd car.

3) In ice which I am far more likly to encounter they offer no advantage. If you are on sheet ice you are on sheet ice unless of course you have studded tyres.

4) While they have better grip at low temps its never been an area I have found any issues with, Running ultra seesantas I find cold grip fine, even when playng on roundabouts perfectly adequate, again if its really cold and you hit ice won't make any difference.

I just don't feel the snow fall/conditions in most of the uk is sufficent to justify them for very many people. Especially as the temps are jumping about so much these days.

Having driven my RWD car today (and finding traction almost completely missing on my ice covered local roads, I tried a brake test and the ABS came on with the lightest prod. Took a fair while to stop too. I then tried the same stunt with my Vredestein Snotrac tyred Fiat and the difference is very noticeable. It seemed to use half the braking distance and the ABS didn’t intervene half as much.

Tire Rack (available on You Tube) did many tests with All Weather vs Winter tyres and the results are very much in favour of the Winter tyre if used on Snow or Ice. One thing they found was that Studded tyres are not as good as Winter tyres on ice owing to the development of Winter Tyres Rubber.

Also that best traction with Winter tyres is often at high slipping rates, ie when you are spinning the wheels. They recommend turning off the traction control system of your car to maximise this trait if you are attempting to pull away on a tricky surface.

Camskill and Mytyres sell winter tyres. I am very tempted to try and find a pair (or set) or wheels and put either Toyo Snowprox or Kumho winter tyres on. I remember how awful (and even dangerous) my Goodyears were last year. I haven't been out to try my T1-Rs yet (had no need to). I just wish Vredestien would make something suitable for the Furby vRS.

The question is do you buy 2 winter wheels & tyres for just the front, or buy a set of 4?

from the tests i've seen all 4 winter tyres are best. There's videos on youtube which show one car fitted with "4 winter tyres" as opposed to "2"

Just do a search for "winter tyres"

I looked on camskill but was advised they are out of stock until oct 2010!!!

We've had snow more or less every day since Thursday - it's been snowing constantly since 8am this morning for example. We now have around 7 or 8 inches and it's becoming an issue on the side roads. I had a few hairy minutes driving to my parents' house this morning to drop off my toddler for the day. So I have just ordered a set of Nokian WR G2s with steel wheels to run for the rest of the winter. It might be different if I was in England or even if I didn't have the wee one in the car but for a few hundred quid I don't see the point in taking risks. The Nokians seem to get a good rep among Skoda drivers and mytyres.co.uk offer a service to deliver the steelies with tyres fitted. I could have searched and found a cheap set of wheels somewhere but the price looked pretty damned good and for the sake of quick delivery.....

Means I can head to the slopes at the wekeends with a bit more confidence of actually getting there!

Domhnall

Hi, I looked on mytyres and saw a few winter tyres in 205/45/16 size but no option for steel wheels already fitted to the tyres.

Is this something i need to phone up for?

Hi, I looked on mytyres and saw a few winter tyres in 205/45/16 size but no option for steel wheels already fitted to the tyres.

Is this something i need to phone up for?

Have a look at the bottom of the page: Steel wheels and Winter tyres - MyTyres a few weeks ago they were offering Kumhos as well.

and

Winter Tyres - 205/45 16 - MyTyres

Have a look at the bottom of the page: Steel wheels and Winter tyres - MyTyres a few weeks ago they were offering Kumhos as well.

and

Winter Tyres - 205/45 16 - MyTyres

thanks!

the vrs isn't listed but would it be fabia 1.9TDI, 77KW."5 4 hole steel wheel" The KW threw me a bit as i thought the vrs was more than that?

Kumo23s fitted last Friday. Today was first real test. We live out of town and the last part is a track with a steep twin concrete strip section. Few people get up without 4WD and until today I would get part way up then slide off into the field and leave the car overnight - but today Wow straight up with no slipping and it was very icy with snow on ice. Can recommend.

thanks!

the vrs isn't listed but would it be fabia 1.9TDI, 77KW."5 4 hole steel wheel" The KW threw me a bit as i thought the vrs was more than that?

The vRS is 96 KW, I think the 77KW is the 100BHP 1.9TDI.

Hi, I looked on mytyres and saw a few winter tyres in 205/45/16 size but no option for steel wheels already fitted to the tyres.

Is this something i need to phone up for?

sorry been busy sliding around (another 30cm of snow and no winter tyres yet) DOH! I see someone else has pointed you in the right direction anyway. Snow was up past my bumper today so I don't think tyres were gonna help. Anyone know if you can fit a snowplough to an Octavia?

In the recent ADAC (German autoclub) Winter 2009 tyre tests, the Vredestein Snowtrac 3 came out best by some margin, wear rate also looks low, so these should last a while. Full info here (in German).

http://www1.adac.de/Tests/Reifentests/Winterreifen/default.asp

Get a set of old 15" alloys and put a set of 195/55/15 on for the winter - should be OK until March. The Vredesteins are really an all-season tyre so you could use them all year, but bear in mind that winter tyres usually come in lower speed ratings than summer tyres.

sorry been busy sliding around (another 30cm of snow and no winter tyres yet) DOH! I see someone else has pointed you in the right direction anyway. Snow was up past my bumper today so I don't think tyres were gonna help. Anyone know if you can fit a snowplough to an Octavia?

Fit extreme low ground pressure tyres like the icelanders do and drive on to of the snow. I have a tractor with Low ground pressure tyres and it just rides on top of the softest snow. Tyres are aired down to about 1 or 2 psi.

the only thing is to put them on your car it would have to have masses of modifications but it would look cool

Fit extreme low ground pressure tyres like the icelanders do and drive on to of the snow. I have a tractor with Low ground pressure tyres and it just rides on top of the softest snow. Tyres are aired down to about 1 or 2 psi.

the only thing is to put them on your car it would have to have masses of modifications but it would look cool

and it would be useless when I get to the road beyond my street which HAS been ploughed. :'(

and it would be useless when I get to the road beyond my street which HAS been ploughed. :'(

Maybe do what I did today, buy or make a snow shovel - and get to work on the snow, if there is any community spirit then lots of people will join in, if they don't then you just shovel the snow in around them - they will soon get the message!

Maybe do what I did today, buy or make a snow shovel - and get to work on the snow, if there is any community spirit then lots of people will join in, if they don't then you just shovel the snow in around them - they will soon get the message!

I have actually been trying to find a shop sellign snow shovels but no one stocks them