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... ... ... ...)

Interesting, the guy who fitted my tyres to the new rims, etyres, said that he was doing quite a few winter tyre sets this year and that his company, for the first time, would be fitting 'winter wheels' to all their vans.

ernieb

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... ... ... ...)

Well, depends on your precise definition of evidence I guess but go to You Tube and type winter tyres test and there are a raft of video's from 'tire' test companies (generally US) showing precisely why winter tyres are a good idea, illustrating increased traction, greater retardation etc. So I think the 'evidence' is there. Of course virtually nothing is irrefutable and I'm sure some will cast doubts on the equality of the drivers, the reason behind using this car or that car etc but this 'evidence' is sufficient to convince me that there is a strong case for winter tyres in poor winter conditions. Whether an individual can afford it or wants to go that route is another matter.

but go to You Tube and type winter tyres test

Thanks GazzaC, that's the sort of thing that is helpful. I'll stop hiding, and scoot off to YouTube now.

Cheers

Not used or felt I needed to use winter tyres on my own cars before the Monster but I very quickly got rid of the 225 17", they were quite scary on hill descents in the snow.

Glad I switched as the winters were a big improvement, so I don't need to watch youtube; I have the 'T-shirt'

TP

Edited 28 October, 201015 yr by The Plumber

Am I right then to understand that if you have an SE Yeti you can't readily get 17" steel rims on which to fit winter tyres and have to buy new or used alloys?

Clearly I can see it would be very feasible with 16" wheels given that Skoda themselves do them for use on the "S" trim as well as MYTYRES - as I ungerstand it.

And I seem also to gather that the 17" availablity of winter tyres is more restricted than 16" (as well as dearer?)

This may have a bearing on the choice of "S" or "SE" as the "S" has most of what I'd like. (See my seperate "S" or "SE" spec. thread.)

Am I right then to understand that if you have an SE Yeti you can't readily get 17" steel rims on which to fit winter tyres and have to buy new or used alloys?

Clearly I can see it would be very feasible with 16" wheels given that Skoda themselves do them for use on the "S" trim as well as MYTYRES - as I ungerstand it.

And I seem also to gather that the 17" availablity of winter tyres is more restricted than 16" (as well as dearer?)

This may have a bearing on the choice of "S" or "SE" as the "S" has most of what I'd like. (See my seperate "S" or "SE" spec. thread.)

Indeed I believe that 17" steel wheels are hard to come by (if indeed available at all). If I had been ordering a yeti for delivery I would have very seriously thought about the wheel size as I feel Skoda are just following the trend and mistakenly thinking that upmarket specs need bigger wheels. I think I would have ordered an 'S' and added the extras to bring the spec up - as long as some features were not excluded that maybe I wanted. My SE car was in the showroom and it was either that or a long wait.

Regarding winter tyres - my main concern is snow. we live in a rural community and last year the snow was not cleared from the local roads. We do not intend to venture out of it is too deep but just want some added comfort that we will get a getter grip/stabilty than 2WD (and certainly more than my useless Merc RWD). If we get snow this year then it will be a learning curve for the future!

Survey,

I think your main concern ought to be cold and wet as well as frost on the road before you worry about snow. The snow is very obvious and you can see it and deal with whether it is OK for you to drive out in it or not. The others are more treacherous, as they are not always obvious and visible conditions. As you can see below, I have both summer and winter wheels, and have just changed to the winter ones earlier in the week.

My biggest beef with the standard summer wheels is that thety are TERRIBLE in straight line braking on slick winter roads and that they have a tendency to "hang" in longitudinal grooves in the road at all times. This is related to the thread design, where there are large circumferential grooves in the tyres, good at letting the tyre contact the road with a lot of water on it - great for summer driving on very wet roads, but when the water gets below freezing, it does not work so well.

If you do decide for winter tyres on different wheels, 16" standard size is the way to go - both cheaper than 17" and also really better in winter.

Whether the 17"'ers are better in summer, or just a cosmetic fad, I don't know, but the 16"ers in summer are just fine as far as I can tell - that I also think the fit the Yeti looks better than the skinny 17" tyres is a matter of taste.

Just for the record, I am very impressed with the chosen winter tyres here in the autumn, only a little noisier at the slower speeds, but not noisier above 50 mph, great performance both wet and dry.

Edited 28 October, 201015 yr by Agerbundsen

... that I also think the fit the Yeti looks better than the skinny 17" tyres is a matter of taste.

Slightly off topic but look at these for non-skinny tyres! On a 1970s Ferrari Boxer! 70 profile on 15" wheels!!! Now that looks ultra comfortable but can you imagine the wallow through the corners?

[And yes I was at the RM Auction last night where the James Bond Aston Martin sold for £2,600,000! This was one of the other cars there]

Now back on topic. OR is that back on the sub-topic?! For all the reasons mentioned above by Agerbundsen I'm spending the money on winter tyres too. I'm hopefully keeping the Yeti for more than three years so it really was a no brainer for me.

Indeed I believe that 17" steel wheels are hard to come by (if indeed available at all). If I had been ordering a yeti for delivery I would have very seriously thought about the wheel size as I feel Skoda are just following the trend and mistakenly thinking that upmarket specs need bigger wheels. I think I would have ordered an 'S' and added the extras to bring the spec up - as long as some features were not excluded that maybe I wanted. My SE car was in the showroom and it was either that or a long wait.

Regarding winter tyres - my main concern is snow. we live in a rural community and last year the snow was not cleared from the local roads. We do not intend to venture out of it is too deep but just want some added comfort that we will get a getter grip/stabilty than 2WD (and certainly more than my useless Merc RWD). If we get snow this year then it will be a learning curve for the future!

So. Can I get straight in my mind, once and for all.

If I get the "S" spec Yeti it'll have 16" wheels (7J x16 215/60/R16 95H) and I can easily get either steel (or alloys, if I so chose) with a reasonable choice of winter tyres (Conti, Vreds, Nokian, Goodyear....?) which would be more readily available and there would be no issue with an insurance company saying I've altered the size of the wheels ((as per insurance implications talked about elsewhere on the site).

And if I bought an "SE" it would have 17" wheels (7Jx17 225/50/R17 94W) and I'd almost certainly have to put 16" wheels on it - with the possibility of conflict with the ins. co. (remember I called them and they said no problem as long as the winter wheels and tyres were the same size as the original).

If the latter - I would very much like to have the (unavoidable?) 16" rims fitted with a tyre size that would replicate the original... ie. the same speedo / odo reading.

Would be very pleased to receive definitive advice on this one .....(Looks in The Plumber's direction and and waits in anticipation)

:-)

and there would be no issue with an insurance company saying I've altered the size of the wheels ((as per insurance implications talked about elsewhere on the site).

I know I have a different car but my experience may be relevant - the standard alloys are 16" so I bought 15" steel wheels from a dealer and fitted them with winter tyres, using the one of the other tyre sizes mentioned on the inside of the fuel filler cover. The overall diameter remains the same so the speedo readings are just as accurate (or inaccurate) as when using the normal alloys.

I told my insurers and, although being prepared to argue the case based the wheels being from Skoda and at the same time being less valuable and desirable than the standard alloys, the tyre size in line with Skoda recommendations, and the Skoda handbook recommending using winter tyres for wintery conditions, I was told there was no extra premium to pay.

So. Can I get straight in my mind, once and for all.

If I get the "S" spec Yeti it'll have 16" wheels (7J x16 215/60/R16 95H) and I can easily get either steel (or alloys, if I so chose) with a reasonable choice of winter tyres (Conti, Vreds, Nokian, Goodyear....?) which would be more readily available and there would be no issue with an insurance company saying I've altered the size of the wheels ((as per insurance implications talked about elsewhere on the site).

And if I bought an "SE" it would have 17" wheels (7Jx17 225/50/R17 94W) and I'd almost certainly have to put 16" wheels on it - with the possibility of conflict with the ins. co. (remember I called them and they said no problem as long as the winter wheels and tyres were the same size as the original).

If the latter - I would very much like to have the (unavoidable?) 16" rims fitted with a tyre size that would replicate the original... ie. the same speedo / odo reading.

Would be very pleased to receive definitive advice on this one .....(Looks in The Plumber's direction and and waits in anticipation)

:-)

Hi,

yes

the Yeti 'E' and 'S' run on 7Jx16 rim's with the 215/60 tyres. These rim's are available in both alloy (Spectrum pattern in the UK) and steel. You can fit either without issue; bolts etc. are the same.

The SE (and above) unfortunately due to the short sightedness of SUK is only available with 17" rims, so it's fit expensive winters to them or swap to a 16" option, which will slightly throw your speedo out. Last year my insures were happy for me to fit 16" rim's as long as the handbook advised me I could do so for winter use.

Would have gone for a 'S' myself had certain options been available but there not so I ended up with an SE. Found as I suspected that the 225/50 R17 tyres were quite poor in winter driving, hence the switch.

Regards,

TP

Oldstan: my advice is to order an SE and ask the dealer for a no-cost swap of your 17" wheels and tyres for some 16" Spectrums. They should be quids in as the bigger ones would be worth more than the smaller ones (to someone).

or swap to a 16" option, which will slightly throw your speedo out.

Was wondering why you didn't choose 195/65R16 (such as Blizzak LM-25) or 205/60R16 for winter tyres if you wanted to keep as close as possible to the original diameter? Presumably the better availability and cheaper prices by going somewhat off size?

I know I have a different car but my experience may be relevant - the standard alloys are 16" so I bought 15" steel wheels from a dealer and fitted them with winter tyres, using the one of the other tyre sizes mentioned on the inside of the fuel filler cover. The overall diameter remains the same so the speedo readings are just as accurate (or inaccurate) as when using the normal alloys.

I told my insurers and, although being prepared to argue the case based the wheels being from Skoda and at the same time being less valuable and desirable than the standard alloys, the tyre size in line with Skoda recommendations, and the Skoda handbook recommending using winter tyres for wintery conditions, I was told there was no extra premium to pay.

That's encouraging. I do believe it depends on the individual insurer - and even who you get to speak to on the day.

Oldstan: my advice is to order an SE and ask the dealer for a no-cost swap of your 17" wheels and tyres for some 16" Spectrums. They should be quids in as the bigger ones would be worth more than the smaller ones (to someone).

Nice idea but certainly when I tried this it was a no-go with any local dealer. My dealers only stocked SE and Elegance with the 17" wheels as there was 'no call' for the lower spec models, unless of course someone specifically ordered one. So the dealer would have to order in the 16" wheels and tyres at cost and hope they can flog on the 17" wheels and tyres or that by chance another customer was having delivered a 16" shod SM in at the same time and was happy with a trade. My dealers understandably weren't keen to have nearly £900+ worth of new 17" wheels and tyres potentially sitting around waiting for a potential buyer. Of course there is no harm in asking but it would have to be a very compliant dealer to agree to this (although the logic is sound!).

Although my SM isn't due yet I've already decided that I will go for winter tyres before next winter, the significance is that I will purchase 16" alloys for them to go on so kinda getting the best of both worlds (16" for 4 months say and 17" for 8 months).

These alloys look promising without breaking the bank (fitted to a black Yeti of course!)

http://alloywheels.com/product.asp?P_ID=2413&V_ID=146598&strPageHistory=search&strKeywords=5x112%20et35,5x112%20et37,5x112%20et38,5x112%20et40,5x112%20et42,5x112%20et45,5x112/57-1%20et35,5x112/57-1%20et38,5x112/57-1%20et40,5x112/57-1%20et42,5x112/57-1%20et45&numPageStartPosition=3&strSearchCriteria=any&PT_ID=all&strSort=Low&Make=Skoda&Model=Yeti&strSize=16%22&searchSize=16%22

Edited 28 October, 201015 yr by GazzaC

My usual thanks for the replies and to TP for his prompt advice.

It really would be handy to have all the winter tyre posts lumped together.

TP, was there a particular reason for your not going for exact size for size replacements? I'm sure there was. I can't remember which tyre you fitted, can you remind me?

A quick look shows that the 16" size offers more choice....Nokian WRG2, Vreds. Wintrac Extreme (but NOT ther Snowtrac 2 or 3), Bridgestone Blizzak, Dunlop Winter Sport, Avon Ice, Cooper, Hankook and Goodyear Ultragrip..... I checked the Conti website and they don't offer winter tyres in either 16 or 17 standard sizes.

.......whereas the 17" is much more restricted.

Back to the net for more research.....

Edited 28 October, 201015 yr by oldstan

Went for 205/55 R16 on grounds of cost as there a very common winter size and a specified winter option in the handbook. Would have cost another £80 to go for 215/60 R16 at the time.

Regards,

TP

Yet(i) again, thanks for that, TP. I always knew there would be a sound reason.

The Nokian does seem to get good reports and would undoubtedly be on my list. I have yet to look further in to whether there is, or isn't, a particular winter tyre that could, in practice, be used all year round, ie. without unacceptable loss of dry performance or excessive noise, wear but will not dwell over much on that aspect.

On MYTYRES at the moment the difference between the 215 60 R16 and the 205 55 R16 is £3 per tyre....(£99 / £96)

As has been said, thanks for your advice and opinion.

Oldstan,

See # 57 above and this thread: http://briskoda.net/forums/topic/178224-oh-no-tyres-again/

If I did not already have a set for each season, I would seriously consider usig the Goodyear winters all year round.

Some folks have expressed doubts about winter tyres, and even been advised they are not a good idea. Well, everyone has their own mode of use, and location also makes a difference, so all opinions are valid!

However what is clear is that - they are not just an advantage in snow, whenever temps are close to freezing they are likely to be a big improvement and they don't necessarily wear that much quicker than summer tyres. This weeks Auto Express has an interesting detailed article, and a comparison test - I think everyone should read it before making a decision. last January I was in the Scottish Highlands with my Golf - and I was totally disabled. Locals flying around in Pugeots, Ka's, Focus's, etc etc, with winter tyres in place. I am not sure - but I think the British perception of these things is set to change - and come in line with most everywhere else in Europe where the benefits are embraced. Since they are only on for part of the year, and save your summer tyres while in use, the initial cost , and very small inconvenience, is the only concern.

Having just got my Yeti, I have taken a deep breath and got 5 Conti winter tyres in the 225/50/17 size, and will change them over in due course. 5 since local sources won't carry them if I get an unrepairable puncture, and I want to be prepared. I prefer to keep the alloys on. One will stay in the garage, except on longer trips. I look forward to my winter Scottish trips more now than I have done since I stopped being a Defender owner! Everyone to their own, of course.

Edited 29 October, 201015 yr by roguebrit

Thanks AB. The only available Goodyear I could see in 16" (215 60 R16) was the Eagle Ultragrip GW3 on the same site mentioned before (won't repeat otherwise bods will start saying I work for them, which I don,t) Goodyear winters didn't seem to feature in many places..........I wonder what you'd do if you damaged a rare tyre and couldn't promptly source a replacement?....but appreciate another angle to look at.

RB. Interesting to see which route you went down. (Which Conti?...and dare I ask where from?)...you pre-empted my point raised above re. sourcing a replacement in the event of damage.

My usual thanks for the replies and to TP for his prompt advice.

It really would be handy to have all the winter tyre posts lumped together.

TP, was there a particular reason for your not going for exact size for size replacements? I'm sure there was. I can't remember which tyre you fitted, can you remind me?

A quick look shows that the 16" size offers more choice....Nokian WRG2, Vreds. Wintrac Extreme (but NOT ther Snowtrac 2 or 3), Bridgestone Blizzak, Dunlop Winter Sport, Avon Ice, Cooper, Hankook and Goodyear Ultragrip..... I checked the Conti website and they don't offer winter tyres in either 16 or 17 standard sizes.

.......whereas the 17" is much more restricted.

Back to the net for more research.....

Old Stan is right, I thought this topic was 4x4 capability, not winter tyres!

I wonder what you'd do if you damaged a rare tyre and couldn't promptly source a replacement?....but appreciate another angle to look at.

It is hell believe me... My A2 has rare tyres. Big at 16" and a standard 50 profile for the size BUT narrow at 185mm and not the normal 195. Very scarce. I once drove over a bit of metal driving into Heathrow car park 1. Tyre was dead flat once I parked. Phoned Audi assistance whilst waiting for the person I was picking up. They sent a van who could not fix the tyre and could also not source a tyre anywhere. So he fitted the space saver and they had to send a flat bed to take the car to an Audi dealer - I succesfuly argued that I just picked people up and was going on a trip and cannot do all of that on a 50km/h limited space saver. Would a flat bed fit into a car park? No. So they rented me a car and I agreed to drive with the space saver to the car rental place on the airport and for the flatbed to pick me up there. I had that Mondeo for 3 days at Audi's cost whilst they sourced a (very expensive) replacement tyre. So keep this in mind and what you will do once you are out of the Skoda Assist in year 4.

So a car with rare tyres I will never again want to own and especially if my only means to fix it is a can of foam. Hence me ticking the spare wheel option on the Yeti and living with the smaller boot as a result. And also why I specified the 205/55 R16 winter tyres as TP suggested.

Oldstan asked a question of me - and so I am answering here - while feeling a bit sensitive to it being nothing to do with the OPs subject..and relating to tyres again!

Stan - mine are the TS830Ps. These are not the ones Conti say are expressly for 4x4 SUVs. They are the ones my local dealer, who I like to use, was able to source through his usual suppliers - otherwise I believe I could have got them myself from MyTyres. They were ****** expensive! But reviews at least indicate pretty good. Hope that helps

Edited 29 October, 201015 yr by roguebrit

Some folks have expressed doubts about winter tyres, and even been advised they are not a good idea. Well, everyone has their own mode of use, and location also makes a difference, so all opinions are valid!

However what is clear is that - they are not just an advantage in snow, whenever temps are close to freezing they are likely to be a big improvement and they don't necessarily wear that much quicker than summer tyres. This weeks Auto Express has an interesting detailed article, and a comparison test - I think everyone should read it before making a decision. last January I was in the Scottish Highlands with my Golf - and I was totally disabled. Locals flying around in Pugeots, Ka's, Focus's, etc etc, with winter tyres in place. I am not sure - but I think the British perception of these things is set to change - and come in line with most everywhere else in Europe where the benefits are embraced. Since they are only on for part of the year, and save your summer tyres while in use, the initial cost , and very small inconvenience, is the only concern.

Having just got my Yeti, I have taken a deep breath and got 5 Conti winter tyres in the 225/50/17 size, and will change them over in due course. 5 since local sources won't carry them if I get an unrepairable puncture, and I want to be prepared. I prefer to keep the alloys on. One will stay in the garage, except on longer trips. I look forward to my winter Scottish trips more now than I have done since I stopped being a Defender owner! Everyone to their own, of course.

So what are you being charged at each swap over of tyre?