THE Winter Tyres Thread

[ChrisRs]

After too long faffing about I finally decided to get some winter tyres. Last year we could hardly get up the road to our house even though it is close to a town centre but is never gritted. Having read most of the threads - and this one in particular - I thought in an ideal world (ie if I had done something about this 2 - 3 months ago!) I would buy new steel rims and fit 195/65/15 winter tyres to my FL Octavia 1.8 TSi DSG estate (bought new a year ago). Anyway, with time running out and snow rapidly approaching in our area (Hants/Surrey border) the best I could do was to buy winter tyres to fit on my existing wheels (205/55/16 91V).

I spent 2 hours (Friday 17th) from 9-11am phoning every tyre supplier in the immediate area (ie radius 10-15 mls) - finally tracked down 2 Avon Ice Touring ST 205/55 R16 91H at National Tyres In Farnborough and 2 more identical ones at National in Guildford....was just about to set off when the former rang back and said they had just gone! Btw - the "all in" quotes were £250 and £220 respectively from each dealer - robbery! As a final throw of the dice called National in Kingston (National seemed to be the only people with any stock at all....everybody else - "sold out - don't know when next stock is coming" etc etc.). They had 6 Avons in stock!! Dashed off and got 'em - all 4 fitted for £400.

So........if anyone else needs that size - there may still be 2 in Guildford and 2 in Kingston!

I wouldn't have chose the Avons by choice but absolutely nothing else around.

Tyre here:

http://ssl.delti.com/cgi-bin/rshop.pl?details=Ordern&cart_id=25158116.110.27537&Cookie=froogle&typ=R-149242&ranzahl=4&Breite=205&Quer=55&Felge=16&Speed=H&weiter=0&kategorie=6&Ang_pro_Seite=20&sort_by=brand&Transport=P&F_F=1&dsco=110&sowigan=Wi

Some comments here:

http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Tyre/Avon/Ice-Touring-ST.htm

Anyone think I will get any grief from my Insurance Co (Aviva) re new tyres which are rated "H" and not "V", which was what was originally fitted? (H is rated up to 131mph - should be enough in the winter I would have thought!).

Avon Ice Tourings are highly rated.

Dont worry

[TorqueDude]

Just got 4 Dunlop winter 3D 205/55 r16 on VW steels from Feltham tyres (just south of Heathrow) £120 a corner, they have more available!

They are on 0208 890 7138

Edited 18 December, 2010 by TorqueDude

[VRShaun]

How did you find reifen.com? I checked them out as a last resort after finding nothing for my Yeti at Performance Alloys or MyTyres. I was surprised at how competitive their prices were and they seem to have reasonable availability. I ordered a set of Dunlops on 12th Dec and I've just been informed they'll be sent from Germany on 27 December.

Thanks

Del

Hi Del,

I order 4 x Nokian WR G2 (205/55 R16) on the on the 5th and they arrived 14th December. I did try to phone them for a delivery date on the 7th but gave up after 15mis; however they did respond to my email within 24hrs.

Overall, I am very pleased with service provide by reifen , as they saved me over £200 on the "over-inflated" mytyre prices , and I will certainly be using them again :yes:

Edited 18 December, 2010 by VRShaun

[psycholist]

Even though the rest of Ireland is snowed in, the worst I've seen is a hard frost since I fitted my winter tyres the friday before last... The snow that had been there thawed the day I fitted the tyres, so Murphy's law is kind of working out for me ...

[Del B]

Hi Del,

I order 4 x Nokian WR G2 (205/55 R16) on the on the 5th and they arrived 14th December. I did try to phone them for a delivery date on the 7th but gave up after 15mis; however they did respond to my email within 24hrs.

Overall, I am very pleased with service provide by reifen , as they saved me over £200 on the "over-inflated" mytyre prices , and I will certainly be using them again :yes:

Many thanks for the update Shaun. It was your post that prompted my to try reifen.com in the first place but there was surprisingly little about them on the forum or elsewhere on the (UK) internet. It was actually the 15th December that I placed the order and it looks like there's a chance I'll get them by the end of the year or just after which would be fine by me.

Cheers

Del

[VRShaun]

Many thanks for the update Shaun. It was your post that prompted my to try reifen.com in the first place but there was surprisingly little about them on the forum or elsewhere on the (UK) internet. It was actually the 15th December that I placed the order and it looks like there's a chance I'll get them by the end of the year or just after which would be fine by me.

Cheers

Del

Del, that’s no problem at all; if you find something good you have to share it with others

After doing some internet research and a few phone calls I knew the winter tyre stock in the UK was pretty limited. At first, I was then tempted by mytyres, but there are a few stories around of payment complications. So, I decided to try and find other German suppliers; reifen.com was top spot in google for tyre in German (reifen). I did look at other sites, but they didn't mention that they could do shipment to UK.

[blackielawless]

Winter is coming, I have a Mk2 Octavia, what are my options?

1 - Risk it on my current rubber, drive sensibly and carefully and see how I manage

2 - Keep some snow chains/autosocks in the boot, drive sensibly and carefully and see how clean I can stay every time I transition between deep snow and clear roads

3 - Get setup with some proper "winter" tyres, drive sensibly and carefully and manage.

What are winter tyres?

Tyres specifically formulated for use in lower temperatures. They are made of softer compound rubber which massively outperforms "summer" tyres below 7 deg C. At this point the rubber used in summer tyres starts to harden and become even less grippy. Winter Tyres come in a variety of flavours, some are designed to perform best in deep snow whilst others are designed with a tread pattern better suited for a variety of winter conditions. Read online reviews and pick the ones you think will meet your requirements.

What are the advantages of winter tyres over chains and autosocks?

Chains and autosocks are for emergency use in snow and require to be removed for tarmac. Winter Tyres can improve the roadholding and therefore safety of your vehicle throughout the winter months, whether it snows or not. Cold, wet, standing water, snow, ice, winter tyres can cope with these situations better than normal tyres. Do you live somewhere where it is routinely and consistently below 7 deg C for several months of the winter? If so winter tyres may be for you.

Winter Tyres are not just for snow!!

Yeah, yeah, surely they can't be that much better?

Well if you won't take my word for it, watch this:

RWD BMWs normally lambasted as being "rubbish for snow" in the UK, safely negotiating a 90 degree bend at 20mph!

Convinced yet?

Could make all the difference between being involved in an accident and not.

OK, I'm convinced, but its going to pricey, right?

Kind of. There is undeniably an upfront capital cost in buying the additional tyres, but whilst they are on you will be resting your "summer" tyres so they to will last longer before needing replacement. Dependent on your annual mileage you could get several seasons out of both sets. Cost over the life of the vehicle is the same.

My Octavia is front wheel drive, can I just use two winter tyres on the front?

You can, but it is not recommended and some would say downright dangerous. The back wheels will have lower grip levels and under lateral cornering forces release grip sooner. If you think you can get away with it, on your head be it. It is not recommended.

OK, what are my options?

Two choices, use your current wheels or buy wheels specifically for your winter tyres.

If you're running 17s or 18s you may find that four tyres to fit the existing profile are more expensive than buying another set of wheels in a cheaper profile (15s or 16s) and the tyres. May depend on how long you keep the vehicle too. Say changing tyres costs £5 per corner thats £40 a year (2 x £20) or £120 over three years, at which point you could have bought a second set of wheels and have full control over when you change between tyre types (say the snow comes early or stays late).

An extra set of wheels, what do I need to know?

16" wheels will fit on all Octavia 2's

15" won't fit on the VRs, and depending on who you speak to, some other models too.

The specs you need if looking for second hand wheels (the cheapest option) are as follows:

The wheels must be 5 stud with Stud Diameter PCD of 112 and ideally an offset ET 50.

Using eBay there are filters on the left hand side of the page to filter your choices based on this information. Generally other VAG cars based on the same platform (Mk2 Leon, Mk5 Golf, etc) will be suitable donors. Steel wheels are generally cheapest, though not everyone can live with the looks and may prefer another set of alloys. Though as my wife said the other day to our friends who laughed at putting steels on their 3 series Coupe, "what would you rather, get home, or look good in a ditch...." Steels can be made to look better (dependent on your own opinion) with OEM Trims from Skoda or Centre Caps from VW vans.

What are the "ideal" VAG OEM steel wheels?

The VAG "winter wheels" are part no. 8PO060102703C these are 16" x 6J width, so meet the Octavia manuals stated requirements for snowchains.

If you can live with buying more expensive slim-line chains if and when you think they may be required (if ever) then you can order VAG wheels part no. 1K0601027A03C that are 16" x 6.5J.

These can both be fitted with 205/55 R16 tyres.

If buying second hand the part no, PCD, width and ET are all stamped into the wheel around the hub centre on the outer face of the wheel.

Will these different wheels affect my speedo reading?

Probably. Check out the Alloy Wheels Site which has a tyre size comparison to see what effect changing wheels will have on your speedo reading.

Can't I just get the tyres and wheels as a set?

If you can't face the hassle of sorting the wheels and tyres seperately then some dealers and the website "mytyres" will do steel wheel and winter tyre combo's to get you started.

Where do I get the tyres from?

What more do you want? Google for yourself or speak to your local dealer/tyre supplier!!

Niall

I had a stroke of luck back in September when I started looking for Winter goodies, one of the UKMKIV's.net members was flogging four mint 17" steelies for an absolute bargain, professionally painted and not so much as a whisker of a scratch or dent anywhere then I picked up four Infinity Winter tyres at £53 ea. This has been my standard set up since Nov and I'm definitely glad I made the change, these are staying put til at least April.

[101vrs]

Just a quick question, does anyone have info on what the correct tyre pressure should be for 205/55/16's. Handbook directs you to the fuel flap but on a VRs it only gives you pressures for 17 & 18's!! :S

Any info would be much appreciated

[SiH]

Just a quick question, does anyone have info on what the correct tyre pressure should be for 205/55/16's. Handbook directs you to the fuel flap but on a VRs it only gives you pressures for 17 & 18's!! :S

Any info would be much appreciated

My Octavia II (2005 4x4Fsi Estate) handbook suggests a couple of extra bar front and back over standard pressures. I have my 195/65R15H winter tyres at 2.4 bar (35psi) and rears at 3.2 bar (36psi).

Laden values for these (5 adults + luggage) are 37psi front and 49psi(!) rear.

Hope that helps.

Simon.

Edited 19 December, 2010 by SiH

[FatblokeVRS]

My Octavia II (2005 4x4Fsi Estate) handbook suggests a couple of extra bar front and back over standard pressures. I have my 195/65R15H winter tyres at 2.4 bar (35psi) and rears at 3.2 bar (36psi).

Laden values for these (5 adults + luggage) are 37psi front and 49psi(!) rear.

Hope that helps.

Simon.

Hi

I have 16" x 6j steel wheels and 205 x 55 x 16 Continentals on the VRS - 32psi all round looked like the tyres were underinflated especially on the front.

I have 36psi on the front and 32psi on the rear and they seem to be fine - the dirt or wet just shows to the edge of the tread on the tyres which looks about right - too hard and there would be a dry band round the edge of the tyre or if they were too soft, there would be wet/dirt onto the sidewall a bit. If you drive through deep snow or puddles etc then you wont see the line round the wheel correctly - you only see this if you drive the car a few yards in shallow snow or on a damp or slightly wet road or driveway when the tyres are dry ie if it is just taken out of the garage.

Have had them at these pressures for a couple of weeks and the car handles really well in the snow and absorbs the road bumps better than the 18" alloys with the summer tyres. The tyres are quieter also.

Cheers

Dave

[stripey]

Just got 4 Dunlop winter 3D 205/55 r16 on VW steels from Feltham tyres (just south of Heathrow) £120 a corner, they have more available!

They are on 0208 890 7138

Hi TorqueDude - thank you for the tip; I will be on my way to collect the same from them at the same price! Nice one!

[ruffday]

Well ill just add my findings.

I picked up my 1.8TSi at the end of September and it is fitted with continentals from the factory and to be honest i found them very noisy and did not give much confidence when going quick on A roads.

Well i did 11,000 miles on them so at the begining of December ( Just before Sheffield had 2 foot of snow) I had a set of Vredstien Snowcontact 3s fitted to the std wheels 205/55R16 but in a H speed rate rather Than a V rate.

If you look in the owners manual this is not a problem according to Skoda as long as you dont go over the limit of the Tyres.

Anyway i have covered around 2,500 miles on them now and all i can say is it was a good move.

The grip is superb and they are a lot quieter than the std fit tyres.

The grip under braking is also superb and they give such confidence in all driving conditions except for black ice covered roads.

And the car corners as if on rails. i do a mixed selection of driving both motorways and A & b roads.

I would recommend anyone who does a lot of driving to fit winter tyres. Skoda recommend fitting them if the temp gets below 7 degrees and i dont think they are wrong.

Edited 24 December, 2010 by ruffday

[Reds]

I bought 4 x Viking SnowTech (Continental brand apparently) on steel wheels. 205 55 16, for £440 from MyTyres. Ordered mid November, took a week to arrive.

My Octavia has always been useless in the snow, and I live on a steep hill that never gets gritted. These boots have transformed winter driving for me, I've been out and about in weather I wouldn't have attempted to drive in before.

Winter tyres are probably the best investment I've made on any car in almost 30 years of driving. The difference in traction and grip is just amazing. I would recommend them to anybody who needs to drive a lot in winter.

Just got some for my Wife's Focus. Avon Ice Touring on steel wheels, £480. Took about two weeks to arrive - got here yesterday (MyTyres again).

[flinflon]

Did you specify H speed because you are unlikely to need V speed rated tyres in winter conditions?

[pgiles]

Just spoke to tyremen and they now have some more winter tyres in stock.

[psycholist]

Took a drive on Saturday to see how the winter tyres coped with snow - we got a couple of inches on Friday, with a lot more falling at higher altitudes. Given I was the first or possibly the only person to drive to the top of one of the mountains locally (450 m) and the only place I had any slip at all was at the very bottom, which was covered with skidmarks already from other people who'd tried the climb and failed, a good few of which were 4x4's based on the skidmarks, I'd say they make a huge difference. The next day I was out with 2 other cars worth of people to go mountain biking and while the roads were mostly okay, the last section up to the forest was a sheet of snow compacted to ice. The other cars on summer tyres were having serious difficulty getting moving at all (Wheelspin, sliding to the ditch etc.), while I able to drive along without a bother (Driving as for ice of course, not driving as if it's tarmac ).

The snow is all gone thanks to rain all day today though... Luckily the wet weather grip on these tyres is nothing short of fantastic too...

[kingsize]

I took the plunge with some semperit speed-grip winter tyres 205/55 r16's. Really pleased with them - great comfort, quiet and well reviewed all round. I'll reluctantly go back the noisier bridgestones when ambient temps go above 7 degrees!

[mcgiver]

I bought 4 x Viking SnowTech (Continental brand apparently) on steel wheels. 205 55 16, for £440 from MyTyres. Ordered mid November, took a week to arrive.

My Octavia has always been useless in the snow, and I live on a steep hill that never gets gritted. These boots have transformed winter driving for me, I've been out and about in weather I wouldn't have attempted to drive in before.

Winter tyres are probably the best investment I've made on any car in almost 30 years of driving. The difference in traction and grip is just amazing. I would recommend them to anybody who needs to drive a lot in winter.

Just got some for my Wife's Focus. Avon Ice Touring on steel wheels, £480. Took about two weeks to arrive - got here yesterday (MyTyres again).

Octavia (manual and dsg) is one of the best car to have in the snow if you have summer tyres (my experience was with nearly new Toyos Proxes), but of course winter tyres are the best solution and this winter my Octavia fittet with winter tyres (Conti) was great in every situation with a lot of cars in a lot of troubles, including 4x4.

4x4 with summer tyres were also in troubles although on the national and local radios there was a lot of .. if you had a 4x4, if they had a 4x4, if i had a 4x4, to get out you'll nedd a 4x4 ... a lot of free ads for 4x4.

But 4x4 with summer tyres are not a solution and nowhere near any 2wd with winter tyres..

[900000]

But 4x4 with summer tyres are not a solution and nowhere near any 2wd with winter tyres..

Ahem... See this thread on the Yeti forum about exactly that statement:

http://briskoda.net/forums/topic/185134-4-wheel-drive-or-2-wheel-drive-winter-tyres/

[Snaden]

Michelin Alpin A4 - EXCELLENT tyres! - great economy too on my 1.8 TSI

[Rab-k]

Have also taken the plunge;

'Nokian WR G2' on 15" Avantgarda steels. (With Avantgarda trims - don't like 'naked' steels)

Wheels/trims from dealer, tyres from Pneus Online; all fitted by dealer = £700

Original summer tyres: 205/60R15 91V

Replacement winter set 205/60R15 95H

Insurance company said that so long as the rolling radius of the tyre remains the same as the originals, and the winter set are supplied/fitted by manufacturer/dealer, then there's no charge/change to my policy. (Pointed out the load index of winters was actually higher than originals and although the speed index was lower, it remained above the 115mph max speed of the model concerned).

Also bought a Westfalia 'Wheel rim tree' plus cover (£25) for storing the unused set in the garage.

Edited 29 January, 2011 by Rab-k

[pist0nbr0ke]

Not sure of the offset, but these would look tasty if cleaned up & fitted with the right rubber. Please post pics if you buy them.....

[bahnstormer vrs]

Not sure of the offset, but these would look tasty if cleaned up & fitted with the right rubber. Please post pics if you buy them.....

i'd be worried about buying these as they are listed as 5 x 112 but the cars referred to in the description are IIRC all 5 x 100.

Something doesn't seem right.

[ChrisRs]

I was impressed at the My Tyres service too for the wife's winter tyres...even more by Camskill for mine....@ £46 each for Kumho KW27's!!

[hoppo]

I know the requirement and desire to use winter wheels/tyres is often based on locality and the likelihood of a heavy amount of snow, but all comments I have read on this subject seem to relate to getting narrower tyres than OE fit and on smaller wheels.

Has anyone thought to just switch their 'summer' tyres for 'winter' tyres? i.e. on a vRS using 225/45 17 or 225/40 18 Winter tyres. This will keep the roadholding and handling ability as near as normal for most of the time and you then have winter tyres to provide better grip when it is cold and it snows.

This is is what I'm doing with my Yeti by just switching the normal 225/50 17 tyres to a 'winter' brand now and then changing back in the spring.