My not so Superb in the snow

[chiz]

I have now had my superb (Elegance) since March and it is just that Superb. That is until the snow came at the beginning of December and it has been complete poo in these conditions. I thought that it was just me but I have a work colleague who received his Superb on Christmas eve (santa is a good guy) and he is really disgusted with its handling in the wintry conditions of Scotland.

Has anybody else had similar experiences? I have had many company cars over the last 25 years but none as I can remember that were this poor in the snow and ice.

I have never had to purchase winter tyres before but now feel this may be my only option. Can you get winter tyres at 18" that will fit straight onto the existing alloy. If not it will be very expensive.

Any thoughts

[mannyo]

They are saying this cold snap is the worst the UK has experienced for 30 years, cars are slipping and sliding all over the place and it doesnt really matter what make they are.

[viewer]

Winter tyres really do make a huge difference. They don't look super snow pluggers, but tonight SWMBO got her Fabia through from Liverpool when the motorway was closed as was the airport. On the hills up until North Wales she simply drove past mere mortals with ordinary tyres who were stuck at the roadside.

[grobster]

I have now had my superb (Elegance) since March and it is just that Superb. That is until the snow came at the beginning of December and it has been complete poo in these conditions. I thought that it was just me but I have a work colleague who received his Superb on Christmas eve (santa is a good guy) and he is really disgusted with its handling in the wintry conditions of Scotland.

Has anybody else had similar experiences? I have had many company cars over the last 25 years but none as I can remember that were this poor in the snow and ice.

I have never had to purchase winter tyres before but now feel this may be my only option. Can you get winter tyres at 18" that will fit straight onto the existing alloy. If not it will be very expensive.

Any thoughts

Sadly, as tyres get wider and tyre profiles get lower, wet weather and winter handling suffers. Likewise my Octy2 Vrs tdi is the worst handling motor that I've ever had in the wet and wintery conditions. There are lots of winter tyres available on the market, budget tyres at £50 to premium tyres at about £160 a tyre. However, getting winter tyres with similarly low profiles as per those fitted to your 18" rims could prove expensive and could set you back about £200 per tyre.

If it becomes a private purchase for your company car....It could be cheaper to get a suitable 16" steel rim fitted with a winter tyre for about £120 a wheel, inclusive of the rim www.mytyres.co.uk could be worth taking a look at for some ideas.

Edited 5 January, 2010 by grobster

[ColinD]

The poor handling in winter is mostly down to the 18's.

That said I'm on the 4x4 platform and have not really noticed a big drop off, but compared to my roomster it's definitely less stable on snow. has more traction, but less confidence inspiring.

If it were on say 15" 175's it would be brilliant, but 18" 235 or whatever they are, they are just sledges in the snow. Its the modern small thin wheel cars which handle well at this time of year.

Apart from those parked up on my hill, none of which I've seen before, so actually it's the old defender landrovers which work best... but as a fried say, 2 tonnes of defender still obeys the laws of physics on ice.

[magic62]

It is not just the tyre size, what does influence the handling in the snow most, is the speed index. Having the same size and different speed indexes, especially the slower SR/TR tyres can still work on snow but the higher indexes V-->Z are miserable when cold/snowy/icy.

My VRS is doing excellent under the snowy conditions. Not with the std 18" Z rated tyres though, but with 16" snow tyres.

Edited 5 January, 2010 by magic62

[RDH]

I have now had my superb (Elegance) since March and it is just that Superb. That is until the snow came at the beginning of December and it has been complete poo in these conditions. I thought that it was just me but I have a work colleague who received his Superb on Christmas eve (santa is a good guy) and he is really disgusted with its handling in the wintry conditions of Scotland.

Has anybody else had similar experiences? I have had many company cars over the last 25 years but none as I can remember that were this poor in the snow and ice.

I have never had to purchase winter tyres before but now feel this may be my only option. Can you get winter tyres at 18" that will fit straight onto the existing alloy. If not it will be very expensive.

Any thoughts

[RDH]

I have now had my superb (Elegance) since March and it is just that Superb. That is until the snow came at the beginning of December and it has been complete poo in these conditions. I thought that it was just me but I have a work colleague who received his Superb on Christmas eve (santa is a good guy) and he is really disgusted with its handling in the wintry conditions of Scotland.

Has anybody else had similar experiences? I have had many company cars over the last 25 years but none as I can remember that were this poor in the snow and ice.

I have never had to purchase winter tyres before but now feel this may be my only option. Can you get winter tyres at 18" that will fit straight onto the existing alloy. If not it will be very expensive.

Any thoughts

[dfsuperb]

Have to agree.

Big wheels or not its a dog on the snow on ice forget it.

Its more so ice here in mid west ireland rather than snow.

I coldnt even get out my drive.

Im back to my 2000 Seat Toledo which is holding up well.

It upsets me to get into the old car every morning and walk past my new car but I think the Bi-Xenon headlamps with Adaptive Frontlights would be dearer to replace than my toledo not alone anything else like bumpers wings etc.

sorry poor thustworthy toledo.

I was expecting a thread like this for the last few weeks and knew it would come at some time.

Roll on the summer.

One last question. the continental tyres on the car at delivery (18" wheels) are they summer or all weather tyres.

D

[RDH]

I have fitted Vredestein Wintrac Extreme winter tyres to my Elegance on the original 18" alloys. I fitted them before the snow arrived so I have no before and after comparison . However, they are very good.

Having spent several hours in Basingstoke on December 21st I now know their value. On one steep gradient a Range Rover Sport (presumably on normal tyres) failed to get to the top. My two wheel drive Superb sailed up with no problem at all. The Vredestein Wintrac Extreme tyres make driving on snow and ice an enjoyable challenge not an arduous task

[The Plumber]

Dumped my 225/50/17 WR wheels fitted to my Yeti 4x4 for winters; now running on 205/55/16 HR.

Found in the snow just before Christmas that even with the AWD, wide sports tyres are as much use as a snowboard for finding any grip.

Getting steel rim's from my dealer, tyres from mytyres and fitting at the local ATS to be the cheapest and quickest solution for me.

Regards,

TP

[Anthony 1]

Fashion dictates ever wider more slick type low profile tyres, the worst possible combination for snow and ice. Years ago when winter conditions were more frequently like this cars had narrower tyres higher profile with more pronounced tread. Of course cars did become stuck occasionally but not with the piddling amounts of snow we are getting South of Scotland. It is simply ridiculous. If you put winter tyre on it it will make a massive difference not only on the snow and ice but slush, rain soaked roads and cold temperatures. the ideal way to go about it is to buy a set of cheap rims and put winter tyres on them. Keep them in the Garage until late November or December and leave them on until the spring, depending on where you live or drive. For the best results narrow tyres are best, narrow high profile. Oh and keep tyre pressures normal.

Sadly you will still get stuck unless you live and drive miles from the throngs because of all the others struggling with inappropriate tyres and poor driving abilities. It is difficult to do something about poor standards of driving in a hurry but if they made winter tyres compulsory in GB during the winter months just like some EU countries. then these huge cues of immobile cars and abandoned vehicles would be a thing of the past unless the snow was above bumper hight. It all a bit like the wrong sort of snow from BR but instead its the wrong tyres!

Let us have in GB, the compulsory fitments of winter tyres or similar during the winter months!

[KarriR]

Hello.

Kinda funny thread as Superb is considered on of the best winter cars here in Finland. The use of winter tyres is legally enforced and most settle for reasonable size of 205/55R16.

Superb won this "Winter car of the year 2009" award. The other vehicles competing were:

•Chevrolet Aveo SE 1,2 5-ov

•Citroën C5 2,0i 16v Confort Sedan

•Fiat 500 1,2 Lounge

•Ford Fiesta 1,4 Ghia 5-ov.

•Honda Accord 4D 2,0 Elegance

•Jaguar XF 3,0 Luxury

•Lancia Delta 1,4 TJet 150

•Mazda 6 2,0 Elegance

•Opel Insignia 1,8 Ecotec 4-ov. Edition

•Peugeot Partner Tepee Outdoor 110

•Renault Megane 1,6 5-ov.

•Seat Ibiza 1,4 Stylance

•Skoda Superb 1,8 TSI Ambition

•Subaru Impreza 2,0 Sport 4Q

•Suzuki Splash 1,2 GLS

•Toyota Avensis 1,8 Valvematic Luxury 4-ov.

•Volkswagen Golf 1,4 TSI 90 kW Comfortline 5-ov

[dfsuperb]

RDH i know you dont have the Vredestein Wintrac Extreme tyres too long but how are they supposed to perform in summer. Also are they good wearing all year and whats the road noise like. Worse or better than the original continentals. Noise is often seen as a problem with winter tyres.

D

[dfsuperb]

RDH i know you dont have the Vredestein Wintrac Extreme tyres too long but how are they supposed to perform in summer. Also are they good wearing all year and whats the road noise like. Worse or better than the original continentals. Noise is often seen as a problem with winter tyres.

D

[magic62]

Never use winter tyres when temperature gets too high. They will wear a lot more and, this is much more important, they wont be as safe to use as summer tyres.

Prolonged braking distances, indifferent roadholding (they smear) are some of the safety aspects where a summer tyre will be far superior.

Dont save money on safety.

If, you could try all weather or all season tyres. Wont have the same grip in winter as a winter tyre and wont have the same grip as a summer tyre. Mostly their speed index is lower than the topspeed on the car (that is why it will be a no go in Germany).

As the tyres are the only contact between car and road, I always take care that this aspect is OK. My life (and other ones lives) is/are more important than the money I have to spent on tyres. And if this gets too expensive, I should buy a cheaper car.

[grobster]

RDH i know you dont have the Vredestein Wintrac Extreme tyres too long but how are they supposed to perform in summer. Also are they good wearing all year and whats the road noise like. Worse or better than the original continentals. Noise is often seen as a problem with winter tyres.

D

From what I have read about the Vredestein'sWintrac Extreme's, their performance in the Summer is somewhere between acceptable to good...(maybe a 6 or 7 out of 10). Rightly enough it is probably fair to say that noise and wear is about 15% more than a typical sport our touring tyre, and they will not be at their optimum working temperature for their silica/rubber compunds. However, this is much easier to live with, than the massive inefficiencies and failures of sport/touring tyres druing the winter.

At least with winter tyre use during summer months, if you get yourself into a pickle then it's still probably the driver to blame.

Where as when using summer tyres in winter......the driver doesn't really have much of a chance to start with.

It would be nice to see car manufacturers making winter tyres an available option, instead of many of the other options of lesser importance.

[chiz]

Whoa! That has been brilliant. The response was fast and balanced. Thank you very much. I have just ordered winter tyres for both my colleague and myself. They are Cooper Avon tyres to be fitted straight onto the alloy. No steelies needed as the tyres were only £128 each. I get them on Friday. No more parking 1 mile away from the house from Friday.

[simonsheil]

I ran a set of Vredestein'sWintrac Extreme's for 1 year 205/55/R16.

Initially I found them very good, a bit more noisy but not excessive. Very good water clearing and generally good grip. However, when down to about 4mm they became very prone to aquaplaning.

Did not have any real snow or ice while I had them. Can't really comment on grip but I personally did not notice much difference between them and the Michelin Primacy HP I ran in summer and the subsequent winter on cold (-2) roads or damp conditions. Never had any grip problems and I don't crawl along.

[RDH]

RDH i know you dont have the Vredestein Wintrac Extreme tyres too long but how are they supposed to perform in summer. Also are they good wearing all year and whats the road noise like. Worse or better than the original continentals. Noise is often seen as a problem with winter tyres.

D

I will not use the Wintracs after the end of March as they are at their best at 7° c and below. I did look at all weather tyres but they seem to have none of the advantages of summer or winter tyres and the disadvantages of both. In March I will put the original Continentals back on as they are true summer tyres. I have only used the Vredesteins for two months and they show virtually no wear; at this rate they should be good for quite a few winters, The Vredesteins are a little noisier on dry roads but quieter on wet ones, and in the snow it is such a pleasure driving my Superb it really does not matter. Some of my friends appear to think winter tyres are an expensive option, but my Continentals are going to last some time too as they are sitting in the garage for the winter months. This morning as I successfully negotiated stranded and abandoned cars on the A30 I realised that winter tyres are not even an option.

[SimonK]

I fitted continental ContiWinterContact TS830's to mine onto the original 18" rims and it's been fine so far...but I also have the advantage of the 4x4 too. Can (literally) run rings around cars without winter tyres. Sure they cost extra, but in the mean time you're not using your normal tyres. I put them on in December and will take them back off at the end of March (when the snowboarding trips are finished)

[pmh]

I have Continental winter tyres on my superb 1.8

It is the best car I have ever had in the winter. I always run on winter tyres on black steel rims. They are stored at the local workshop. In November I call them and go to the workshop. In more or less the same time as a F1 pit stop they lift up the car, change the wheels and let me back out. As a part of the service they wash the rims and store them. In March or April I go back in a change to the summer tyres on the aluminium rims. Salt and winter is not very good for the aluminium rims.

I do not have 4x4. 4x4 will help, but only for accelerating. On braking 4x4 will help you nothing. Many tend to forget that. With a 4x4 in these conditions it is a risk that the slippery road is not detected so well at accelerating, but first at braking.

As long as you drive enough to have the tires wear out and not need change because of age it is not a lot of extra money to have to set of tyres on rims for a car.

Only downside is a slightly higher fuel consumption on the winter tyres.

Exactly like the summer tyres you can get cheap lousy tyres and good more expensive tyres. I put good (expensive) winter and summer tyres on my car. It is a Skoda not a Lada ;-)

PS live in DK.

[patnmand]

I bought myself some Autosocks from www.autosock.co.uk. I took the time at lunchtime today to fit them and try them out. Without the socks the car gets hopelessly stuck on the slope of our driveway. With them on it's as if there's no snow there at all! Fab. I've posted a picture of the car wearing its socks on flickrHere. I've got to go out properly tomorrow so that will be a better test

Edited 7 January, 2010 by patnmand

[patnmand]

I bought myself some Autosocks from www.autosock.co.uk. I took the time at lunchtime today to fit them and try them out. Without the socks the car gets hopelessly stuck on the slope of our driveway. With them on it's as if there's no snow there at all! Fab. I've posted a picture of the car wearing its socks on flickrHere. I've got to go out properly tomorrow so that will be a better test

Just an update - made it safely to Tunbridge Wells and back. It started snowing really hard on the way home so I stopped and put the autosocks on. Had a couple of bystanders watching after I'd fitted them, obviously waiting for me to get stuck. No such luck for them - they're brilliant! Got safely home, delivered stuff to snowed in neighbours on roads I'd never normally get up and down in snow, and reversed up the drive without even a hint of wheelspin. Thoroughly recommend them.

[jmed]

contrary to some of the replies on here i wanted to say that i found that my Superb has been excellent so far in the snow and ice running on its normal tyres. My estate is full of bends and little gradients and we have had the snow and then ice covering the roads as elsewhere, however possibly because of the Superb's clever electronics and the fact that i can use the 'creep' from the auto means that i have had no trouble so far whereas my wife's Honda Jazz and other cars seem to be spinning their wheels all too readily.