The tyres turned up from Germany today (ordered last Friday as per my post of that date.....("Just been out and ordered 4x Dunlop 215 60 16 M3 winter tyres from ATS plus 4x 7J steelies from local Skoda dealer").

They're dated March 2011...bit surprised as I thought they were superceded by the 3D. Perhaps they are and were the last made (Dunlop said they were the last four they had) Have the snowflake symbol on them and reviews seem generally OK.

Skoda wheels turned up within 24 hours by 8.30am on the Saturday...they must deliver to dealers overnight. Good service!

Gave the wheels a wax polish and a Stone-Guard spray on the inside to try to keep rust at bay and wrapped them up in blankets and stored them on their side on a rack in the garage.

Hope it was the right thing to do...time will tell. What's the chance of a 5 year run of snow free winters?

Shouldnt matter if it doesnt snow, change them over winter time any way and you'll get better performance from around 7deg and lower compared to your normal tyres.

Did they sleep well in their blankets?

Did they sleep well in their blankets?

Yes, they were very tyred.

Yes, they were very tyred.

That was a cracking response which made me chuckle - and from the day I've had so far it was a very welcome, albeit, short distraction - thanks

Yes, they were very tyred.

:rofl: Love that comment!

Yes winter tyres work better than summer tyres from when the temperature drops below 7 degrees. So rain or shine at that temperature and below the winters are a lot safer than summer tyres whose compound makes them go hard at these temperatures - hence the loss of grip.

:rofl: Love that comment!

Yes winter tyres work better than summer tyres from when the temperature drops below 7 degrees. So rain or shine at that temperature and below the winters are a lot safer than summer tyres whose compound makes them go hard at these temperatures - hence the loss of grip.

I also understand that summer tyres wear out faster in the bad weather compared to winter tyres.....

Gave the wheels a wax polish and a Stone-Guard spray on the inside to try to keep rust at bay and wrapped them up in blankets and stored them on their side on a rack in the garage.

Hope it was the right thing to do...time will tell. What's the chance of a 5 year run of snow free winters?

I clean and polish mine (alloys) then remove all stones etc, check for wear etc. then put tyre dressing on, then inflate to max load pressure (not of tyre but what is stated for max load in car..this is less than max prsssure stated on side of tyre) then I have a big cardboard box under the workbench that they live in, in the garage . These are stored standing up, and due to the higher pressure have never "flat spot" or "settled" in the last two winters. I run a bigger alloy rim with wider tyres for summer. Michelin Alpins for winter (very good) and Toyo TR1 Proxes for summer.

Keep them out of UV light of poss (dark garage / black bag etc) - will preserve them for longer.