'My Tyres' Steel wheels + winter tyre delivered to UK

[oldstan]

Anyone used My Tyres to buy their winter tyres already mounted on steel wheels?

I was preparing myself to get either Dunlop, Vredstein or maybe Continental 215 / 60 / 16 winters and then get the 7J steelies from Skoda locally...but had another look at the My Tyres package tonight.

Question. Will the My Tyres wheel accept either the Skoda Rif wheel trim? - or - more probably an independantly bought plastic wheel trim (with the metal sprung ring on the inside from a retailer or wholesaler. Rifs are about £120 odd for 4 and indies are £15 from a wholesaler. (or probably £20 from Halfords).

If the answer's no then I'll get Skoda wheels as I don't want to spend all winter with bare painted wheels.

Thanks in anticipation.

Edited 6 May, 2011 by oldstan

[The Plumber]

Hi oldstan,

have a set of mytyres steel wheels/tyres but for our Fabia. The standard Skoda 15" wheel trims for this model do fit but I don't think as well as they could if they where on OEM rims. Bought them as at the time this option saved me about £100 and was available fairly quickly.

Will be using proper Skoda steel rims for the Yeti with the Rif covers, which I have from the previous Monster in readiness for a set of winter tyres.

Also remember there are other on-line tyre providers; there's a list at the bottom of the tyre & rim guide My link

Hope this helps,

TP

[ejstubbs]

Anyone used My Tyres to buy their winter tyres already mounted on steel wheels?

Yes, I did. They were pretty efficient but the deliveries were delayed because of the December snows - hardly their fault. They do send the consignment as four separate packages and in my case the carrier managed to send one of them a longer way round so it arrived a few days after the first three. But they did all arrive, and the carrier was pretty good about making arrangements to leave them down the side passage because we couldn't wait in to take delivery (all done through their web site IIRC).

Question. Will the My Tyres wheel accept either the Skoda Rif wheel trim?

No idea, sorry.

- or - more probably an independantly bought plastic wheel trim (with the metal sprung ring on the inside from a retailer or wholesaler. Rifs are about £120 odd for 4 and indies are £15 from a wholesaler. (or probably £20 from Halfords).

The cheap Halfords trims will fit just about anything, based on my experience with the Missus' ageing Clio. The main attachment to the wheel is a couple of silver cable ties so it's not dependent on the profile of the wheel. Looks a bit untidy but then I think plastic "fake alloy" wheel trims look pretty naff anyway (just MHO). I put VW T4 wheel centre caps (part number 2K0 601 149) on mine but three of them fell off, I suspect because the clips which are supposed to fit securely over the wheel nut heads were too worn. I've since sourced a set of VW Caddy centre caps (part number 2K0 601 169) which fit much tighter, and I'm in the process of tarting them up with Skoda badges ready for next winter.

You can find the VW centre caps going for bobbins on eBay if you are persistent.

There's pictures of Yetis with both the T4 and the Caddy centre caps on various of the other threads on here about winter tyres.

[rockhopper]

Here you go. my T5 hub caps fitted to Elsie the Helipad............

[900000]

The MyTyre wheels have a smaller "dished" area around the nuts it seems hence the full centre caps won't fit securely. As ejstubbs suggests use the Caddy half caps instead as they fit inside this smaller dished area. Also remember that full wheel covers will tent to hide snow behind them which can make the wheels unbalanced at certain speeds (until the snow melts of course) or indeed cause corrosion by being trapped like that. I'd avoid full covers on winter wheels for this reason.

As to T5 caps: don't go there! They don't fit as they are meant for 5x120 stud wheels and not 5x112 Yeti studs. They tend to get lost over time as they engage to some extent but not enough to withstand the rigours of normal driving.

[oldstan]

Hi oldstan,

have a set of mytyres steel wheels/tyres but for our Fabia. The standard Skoda 15" wheel trims for this model do fit but I don't think as well as they could if they where on OEM rims. Bought them as at the time this option saved me about £100 and was available fairly quickly.

Will be using proper Skoda steel rims for the Yeti with the Rif covers, which I have from the previous Monster in readiness for a set of winter tyres.

Also remember there are other on-line tyre providers; there's a list at the bottom of the tyre & rim guide My link

Hope this helps,

TP

Ta for that, Tim.

I did see that the combined package from MT worked out quite a bit cheaper but, as always with me, wonder at what cost in other terms.

A quick ring round this morning indicates that there is very little stock of WT's till June/July/August when they start to come over from Europe (where they get first choice by the sound of it due to the compulsory fitting there). Camskill and Tyremen were helpful but suggested waiting a couple of months. Tyremen, like MyTyres, will do wheel & tyre packages and they believe the wheels (which come from Europe) will accept wheel trims....but obviously cannot guarantee they'll be the same as Skoda regading fit and finish. (They may even come from the same factory???)

Camskill comfirm 215 60 16 to be a compatible, acceptable size to replace 225 50 17, but suggest contacting insurers as a matter of some legislative importance. They recommend Vredstein Wintrac Extreme over others such as Avon (which they have in stock). Will keep on checking possibilities but it looks like Vreds + Skoda steel wheels + wheel trims from either Skoda or an indie. Will make a note of the other online suppliers as per your post but expect they will all be out of stock till they receive this seasons stock (which may well be dearer as they're due to put up prices apparently). I would have gone for Dunlop, Vreds, Goodyear, possibly Michelin Alpin or Conti but he says Conti. Ts 180 is a rarity over here- he says Goodyear Ultragrip 215 60 16 isn't an available size - but I thought I'd seen it somewhere. Michelin Alpins are available now locally for £167 fitted.

Will advise of any developments.

Rgds.

[ejstubbs]

Beat me to it, Johann.

Your pictures of the Caddy half caps are here.

I bought some of these Skoda badges off eBay. They are intended to click in to the centre holes in alloy wheels so they have plastic tabs on the back. I used pliers to twist the tabs off and trimmed off the stubs with a Stanley knife. I then used a fretsaw to cut the large VW logo out of the middle of the wheel centre cap (the logo is domed so it makes the Skoda badge sit too proud). I used Evo-Stik Serious Glue to glue the Skoda badge over the resulting hole. The bits that fit over the wheel studs have a Volkswagen logo on them as well so I've ended up with a mutant VW/Skoda centre cap, but the Skoda bit is definitely more prominent.

I'll try to post up some pictures of the process and the finished product at some point.

[oldstan]

Many thanks for replies re. tyres, wheels and trims. Will avoid the centre caps and go for full width trims. I'm not that worried about having about plastic wheel trims....could live with them I think. If I get the indies and scratch or lose one it's not so terrible.

EDIT..Just noticed Johann's comment re trapped wind. EDIT No, it wasn't trapped wind it was trapped snow. OK, I'll think again, but maybe if the snow was a problem I'd just remove them....my main concern was really the ice that follows the initial snow....but appreciate that thought though.

I have noticed, though, that the tyres on the car 'bulge out' quite a bit beyond the alloy wheel thus protecting it from light kerb scuffs. We all try not to kerb wheels but I, for one, am not immune from temporary lapses of perfect judgement and have caught them in the past.

Thanks again.

Edited 6 May, 2011 by oldstan

[bohmer]

Ta for that, Tim.

I did see that the combined package from MT worked out quite a bit cheaper but, as always with me, wonder at what cost in other terms.

A quick ring round this morning indicates that there is very little stock of WT's till June/July/August when they start to come over from Europe (where they get first choice by the sound of it due to the compulsory fitting there). Camskill and Tyremen were helpful but suggested waiting a couple of months. Tyremen, like MyTyres, will do wheel & tyre packages and they believe the wheels (which come from Europe) will accept wheel trims....but obviously cannot guarantee they'll be the same as Skoda regading fit and finish. (They may even come from the same factory???)

Camskill comfirm 215 60 16 to be a compatible, acceptable size to replace 225 50 17, but suggest contacting insurers as a matter of some legislative importance. They recommend Vredstein Wintrac Extreme over others such as Avon (which they have in stock). Will keep on checking possibilities but it looks like Vreds + Skoda steel wheels + wheel trims from either Skoda or an indie. Will make a note of the other online suppliers as per your post but expect they will all be out of stock till they receive this seasons stock (which may well be dearer as they're due to put up prices apparently). I would have gone for Dunlop, Vreds, Goodyear, possibly Michelin Alpin or Conti but he says Conti. Ts 180 is a rarity over here- he says Goodyear Ultragrip 215 60 16 isn't an available size - but I thought I'd seen it somewhere. Michelin Alpins are available now locally for £167 fitted.

Will advise of any developments.

Rgds.

Just for info Old Stan, I had correspondence from Will Fisher of SUK last winter, who eventually confirmed 215/60/16 was acceptable on our 1.2, and sent copies of his reply to Saga insurance, who also OK'd them at no extra cost. There were a lot of postings last December on the subject. I ended up buying the Skoda steel wheels and bought Kleber Krisalps(made by Michelin) for £113 each from Mytyres, I think they are still selling for that. I was amazed at their performance in the snow and ice, living on the side of a hill they totally transformed the car immediately, I was struggling to get up our road in the snow on the summer tyres beforehand. I eventually bought some cheapo plastic wheel trims from ebay for £18, don't look fantastic, but just covered up the black steel.

[oldstan]

Just for info Old Stan, I had correspondence from Will Fisher of SUK last winter, who eventually confirmed 215/60/16 was acceptable on our 1.2, and sent copies of his reply to Saga insurance, who also OK'd them at no extra cost. There were a lot of postings last December on the subject. I ended up buying the Skoda steel wheels and bought Kleber Krisalps(made by Michelin) for £113 each from Mytyres, I think they are still selling for that. I was amazed at their performance in the snow and ice, living on the side of a hill they totally transformed the car immediately, I was struggling to get up our road in the snow on the summer tyres beforehand. I eventually bought some cheapo plastic wheel trims from ebay for £18, don't look fantastic, but just covered up the black steel.

Much obliged for that. Thanks.

[oldstan]

Just been out and ordered 4x Dunlop 215 60 16 M3 winter tyres from ATS plus 4x 7J steelies from local Skoda dealer. Collect next week....tyres coming from Germany, wheels from Tamworth.

Just need the trims now......and some snow!

Appreciate advice received.

Thanks.

[bilun777]

Nothing like being prepared well in advance.:sun:

[oldstan]

Nothing like being prepared well in advance.:sun:

Indeed!

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/may/12/uk-winter-weather-in-may

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1191089/Its-June--snowing-From-sweltering-shivering-just-week-happen-great-British-summer.html

[Llanigraham]

I can remember marshalling on a car rally on the top of the Presceli Mountains in Pembrokeshire on a Bank Holiday Sunday night and it snowed!!