Lets not get too carried away. Winter tyres are a great idea and do help to make driving safer I'm sure.

BUT I've been driving for 50 years, through worse winters than the last one (1963) and never had the luxury of changing to winter tyres.

Now they seem to have become a "MUST HAVE" like sat-navs and HID lights. Even people who seem to spend most of their time driving around London now expect to have a pile of winter tyres stacked in a corner of their garage. (Sorry Londoners - I have the luxury of a garage and it does not cost me a penny )

So it must be nice to afford a complete set of extra wheels but, until Mr Cameron links my pension to your wages, I will just have to cope with the Goodyear ones supplied.

Terfyn,

The extra set of wheels are surely an initial investment. Longer term, the investment is only the extra steel or alloy rims, as the tre wear is spread over two sets, so no additional expense.

But you do have to plunk down the cash up front.

Terfyn,

The extra set of wheels are surely an initial investment. Longer term, the investment is only the extra steel or alloy rims, as the tre wear is spread over two sets, so no additional expense.

But you do have to plunk down the cash up front.

I presume you mean - buy the extra wheels when you buy the car?

I have had my Yeti for 11 months now and another set of rims were not on my shopping list at the time. I drove through the last winter with care and without incident and I will have to do the same this winter as a second set of wheels and tyres is out of the question. I would suggest that "two set" families are still a minority in this country and most drivers use the set on the car at the time to see them through the winter, perhaps changing to a new set of tyres for the existing wheels in the autumn.

Lets not get too carried away. Winter tyres are a great idea and do help to make driving safer I'm sure.

BUT I've been driving for 50 years, through worse winters than the last one (1963) and never had the luxury of changing to winter tyres.

Now they seem to have become a "MUST HAVE" like sat-navs and HID lights. Even people who seem to spend most of their time driving around London now expect to have a pile of winter tyres stacked in a corner of their garage. (Sorry Londoners - I have the luxury of a garage and it does not cost me a penny )

So it must be nice to afford a complete set of extra wheels but, until Mr Cameron links my pension to your wages, I will just have to cope with the Goodyear ones supplied.

Cars did not run on low profile tyres in the 60's. More of a narrow open agrucultural type tread. Cars would be less powerfull and heavier too which would mean better in snow. Roads would be less congested and drivers possibly more able/sensible than they are now.

Modern low profile wide tyres do nothing for driving on snow.

Winter tyres will be of little use in London not least because of the other idiots around you who are not able to drive to the end of their street.

Edited 19 October, 201015 yr by loskie

I was wondering if 4wd alone would be enough to get me where I want to go in Winter. My late lamented Alfa with 250bhp going through the front wheels (albeit with a mechanical Q2 diff) was utterly useless on its low profile 17" tyres and those tyres were not dissimilar to the Yeti 17" I will be getting. I was stranded 3 times last year alone in various grass fields following downpours. Currently scuttling around in the wife's smart fortwo and whilst it is surprisingly capable in snow (engine over the driven rear wheels remember) the snow was so deep in Manchester at one point last year that it was higher than the front of the little critter and it makes a crap snowplough as you would expect.

As I seem to spend half my life up a mountain in Scotland/Wales or the Lakes whilst my other half does a fell run or fishing somewhere in an equally innacessable and wet location I thought it prudent to go down the winter tyre route. Yes it's expensive but at some stage I will have to replace the 'summer' tyres on my Yeti anyway and maybe the fitment of winter optimised tyres will put that day off a tad?

Still thinking of Goodyear Vectors on the std 17" rims rather than a separate wheel/tyre combo but by no means a done deal.

Last winter was about as bad as I can remember in Scotland too. I found that my Yeti was absolutely superb in slippy or snowy conditions.

With the "off-road" button pressed, it kept going (albeit slowly) in snowy roads when everyone else seemed to have stopped, including a snow-plough!

Last winter was about as bad as I can remember in Scotland too. I found that my Yeti was absolutely superb in slippy or snowy conditions.

With the "off-road" button pressed, it kept going (albeit slowly) in snowy roads when everyone else seemed to have stopped, including a snow-plough!

Was this on standard tyres?

Was this on standard tyres?

Yes. A previous post on this site is given below:

Posted 08 January 2010 - 19:15

Have found my 4x4 Yeti incredibly sure-footed in snow with standard tyres and 16" wheels.

For example, vistited friend in Auchterarder on Hogmanay. She had not managed to get in or out of the estate in her fwd VW Golf for several days. My sister, who got there just before me in her (BMW) Mini had to be shoved the last 100 yards or so. However, my Yeti sailed in and out twice that evening no problem both with me alone and with three passengers. Incredible. And I have not even been off-road yet(i)!

Yes. A previous post on this site is given below:

Posted 08 January 2010 - 19:15

Have found my 4x4 Yeti incredibly sure-footed in snow with standard tyres and 16" wheels.

For example, vistited friend in Auchterarder on Hogmanay. She had not managed to get in or out of the estate in her fwd VW Golf for several days. My sister, who got there just before me in her (BMW) Mini had to be shoved the last 100 yards or so. However, my Yeti sailed in and out twice that evening no problem both with me alone and with three passengers. Incredible. And I have not even been off-road yet(i)!

Hi finebone,

hope your keeping well and it's not to cold up with you yet :wonder: is your Monster fitted with Conti Premium Contact 2's by chance. Wife had these on her previous Corsa and appeared to work reasonably well in the snow, even got up a hill with the aid of the cars TCS. Think also the 16" work much better than the 17's.

Hills particularly descents on snow and ice were quite scary on the 225 Goodyears hence the decision to go with the winter option. Great improvement but I maybe would had less problem with your size wheels and make of tyre :wonder: Could have done without the extra expense but the switch transformed my Monster into a Defender

Regards,

TP

Thanks for the kind wishes, Plumber.

First frost on windscreen today, but no sign of snow.

I have the Goodyear 215/60 R16 Excellence tyres. Of course they were almost brand new last winter, but tread still looks pretty good today.

Downhill on snow felt very secure. Guess it must be a combination of the off-road button and 16 inch wheels.

Good luck with your winter boots!

Thanks for the kind wishes, Plumber.

First frost on windscreen today, but no sign of snow.

I have the Goodyear 215/60 R16 Excellence tyres. Of course they were almost brand new last winter, but tread still looks pretty good today.

Downhill on snow felt very secure. Guess it must be a combination of the off-road button and 16 inch wheels.

Good luck with your winter boots!

Thanks,

interesting to hear you have the same tyre pattern as myself but had a totally different experience in the winter conditions. Only differnece between us beinging 225/50 WR17 v 215/60 HR16 and my Monsters slight additional weight.

Regards,

TP

Wow, the old 4x4 vs winter tyre debate again.

In short, winter tyres make more of a difference than 4x4, that said a 4x4 is better than 2wd (if they're both on the same tyres). I got rid of the Octavia vRS in 2005 after a few scary moments the previous winter, and a few hills I just couldn't get up. Then I ran an Audi TT quattro the following 2 winters and what a difference the 4x4 system made, just floor the throttle, point the car in the right direction and let the quattro (haldex) system and the ESP do the hard work. By the way, both cars were running Goodyear Eagle GSD F1s, a great performance tyre but terrible in the snow.

As has been explained the 4x4 system on the Yeti is the haldex, most of the power goes to the front with up to 50% (IIRC) being sent to the rear when required.

The best vehicle I've driven on snow however was a hired 1.0L Hyundai Getz on winter tyres in the French Alps in heavy snow, it was hilarious tooling past people in Land Rover Discovery or X5s who were running "all season tyres" whilst climbing the steep roads to the ski resorts.

I'm now running a Lexus IS220D which of course is rear drive, and it's a bit of a handful in the wet, let alone snow and ice, so guess what - winter tyres go on from November to February. Yes, it's a bit noisier, the handling isn't quite as sharp in the dry, and I lose a few mpg, but well worth it, particularly in the North of Scotland where we had several roads closed overnight last night !

As for shelling out for two sets of wheels, why bother ? My local friendly garage will fit and balance 4 corners for £20, so to switch twice a year it's not going to break the bank.

As has been explained the 4x4 system on the Yeti is the haldex, most of the power goes to the front with up to 50% (IIRC) being sent to the rear when required.

Yeti uses Generation 4 Haldex so its upto 90% to any axle and even then has the ability to send 90% of that torque to a single wheel iirc. Gen 4 Haldex always splits the drive (unlike previous versions) when in motion so 10% always goes to the rear when cruising on the motorway for example. The pre emptive nature of gen 4 is far superior imo to the generation 2 system I had on my older Octavia 4x4 Turbo.

Just out of interest, how good is the drive system on the 2wd yeti? Can this also send 90% of the power to the wheel with grip?

I put mine on a slippery grass surface under one front wheel and a stone track on the other, and I could not get the wheel on the grass to spin significantly, even with the handbake applied.

That has more to do with the electronic traction control: the ABS system slows a spinning wheel down to move power to one one that has traction. You should be able do disable the traction control, and then the wheels will spin freely if one is on a slippery surface. This feature is pretty much standard these days and has nothing to do with the 4wd haldex systems

That has more to do with the electronic traction control: the ABS system slows a spinning wheel down to move power to one one that has traction. You should be able do disable the traction control, and then the wheels will spin freely if one is on a slippery surface. This feature is pretty much standard these days and has nothing to do with the 4wd haldex systems

And I think Im right in saying that you'd actually want to turn off the TC if trying to move off in slippery mud or snow as from experience its simply made the car bog down with no power available to pull away.

Thanks,

interesting to hear you have the same tyre pattern as myself but had a totally different experience in the winter conditions. Only differnece between us beinging 225/50 WR17 v 215/60 HR16 and my Monsters slight additional weight.

Regards,

TP

My tyres are also 225x50xR17. Is there any reason why you did not go for a narrower winter tyre (adjusting the profile of course to ensure the same diameter for odometer accuracy). And do you put your winter tyres on a separate set of rims or get your tyre dealer to swap them over?

My tyres are also 225x50xR17. Is there any reason why you did not go for a narrower winter tyre (adjusting the profile of course to ensure the same diameter for odometer accuracy). And do you put your winter tyres on a separate set of rims or get your tyre dealer to swap them over?

Hi again,

went for 16" steel rims and the 205/55 tyre on the grounds of cost and that they are a designated winter tyre size in both the handbook and on the Skoda Germany site tyre guide.

Rim's from dealer, tyres via internet supplier, assembled and initially fitted at the local tyre fitting place. Swapped back to alloys end of March myself.

Appreciate my speedo and mileometer are out but not too fussed by that myself; these things are not 100% accurate anyway.

Regards,

TP

Hi again,

went for 16" steel rims and the 205/55 tyre on the grounds of cost and that they are a designated winter tyre size in both the handbook and on the Skoda Germany site tyre guide.

Rim's from dealer, tyres via internet supplier, assembled and initially fitted at the local tyre fitting place. Swapped back to alloys end of March myself.

Appreciate my speedo and mileometer are out but not too fussed by that myself; these things are not 100% accurate anyway.

Regards,

TP

Thanks for your (as usual) prompt and helpful reponse. I know you have stated this elsewhere but how inaccurate is the speedo etc and does this really not worry you?

Thanks for your (as usual) prompt and helpful reponse. I know you have stated this elsewhere but how inaccurate is the speedo etc and does this really not worry you?

Morning,

just got up to watch the F1 and it's stopped due to rain Good old Bernie taking the Circus to these exotic places that have monsoons :S

Anyway back appropriately to winter tyres; speedo is about 2 to 3 mph up (indicated 57-58 = indicated 60mph) at national speed limits as a rule of thumb, which I can factor in when reading the speedo. Could also use my Garmin sat nav to give a speed reading which is slightly more accurate than the speedo anyway.

Also factor in early morning winter weather and road conditions round here and you wouldn't sensibly want to be going fast anyway.

Regards,

TP

http://www.etyres.co.uk/tyre-size-calculator.htm

This is quite a handy way to work out the effect of changing the rim/tyre sizes.

I spoke to my dealer yesterday and he said that when the dealers went to Austria to test drive the Yeti, they drove it through wet and slippery mud on standard tyres and the 4x4 was fine. My car is the SE and unfortunately comes on 17" wheels; to provide winter tyres I would have to swap each year on the existing alloys or buy 16" steel rims and adjust the tyre profile or get a brand new set of 17" alloys. So I am tempted to see how things go this winter when we get some snow before taking the plunge and investing in winter tyres for the few days that we may have such inclement weather.

I spoke to my dealer yesterday and he said that when the dealers went to Austria to test drive the Yeti, they drove it through wet and slippery mud on standard tyres and the 4x4 was fine. My car is the SE and unfortunately comes on 17" wheels; to provide winter tyres I would have to swap each year on the existing alloys or buy 16" steel rims and adjust the tyre profile or get a brand new set of 17" alloys. So I am tempted to see how things go this winter when we get some snow before taking the plunge and investing in winter tyres for the few days that we may have such inclement weather.

Hi Survey

That'll be what I am going to do too. I called in to a local tyre depot and had a chat with the manager there who said that despite being in a rural area full of 4*4s, double-cab pick-ups, and so on they do not see many looking to either swap to winter tyres or to swap wheels with winter tyres on.

In fact he went as far as to say that, because of greater wear and (so far) the lack of really bad conditions he would advise me NOT to do it.

Like you I will watch closely and drive carefully and hopefully save £400 plus that I can ill afford, and spend it on heating oil instead.

Part of me, says he putting on his cynic's hat, thinks this is a little bit like the Emperor's New Clothes syndrome where winter tyres are this year's "Good Idea"!

I'd like to see irrefutable, solid, proven and reproducible evidence that there is genuine benefit, not merely "feelings" and "gut reactions".

George (scurries off in a hurry to find a safe hidey-hole... ... ... ...)

Having just spoken to my day who has been driving since the early 70s, he also didn't understand why you would bother with winter tyres. I think I may have convinced him, on the following points:

1) The only actual cost is really a new set of wheels (steelies or ebay 2nd hand alloys - cost £100) - as you need tyres of some sort, and if you plan to keep the car longer than 3 years, the winter tyres will be a no cost option.

2) The do grip better in cold weather (I drove a Zafira in Austria fitted with winter boots last January, when it was -7, and I stopped in a car park normally, as in no ice or so I thought, I hoped out and fell straight on my arse due to the skating ring ice on the car park. The tyres were brilliant)

3) If you need to go anywhere remote in the winter where the roads are not gritted, it's a no brainer.

4) 4x4s do not offer more grip when going through bends in bad conditions, tyres do.

On Surveys point, wet and slippery mud should be fine with normal tyres in a Yeti - but what happens when it's freezing - which tyres stick to the road better?

That's my justification to myself for just spending £500 on tyres for a car I don't even own yet!!!!

sorry posted twice somehow - how do I delete?

Edited 28 October, 201015 yr by Mr.P