Right lads, straight to the point.

Having trouble finding winter tyres for less than a squillion quid (should be cheaper in summer surely) in 205/45/16, so what other sizes will do, what brands would you recommend and where would you get them from? Must fit wheels that can clear 312's.

Cheers,

Andrew

195 50 16 will also fit with a slight stretch.

195 50 16 will also fit with a slight stretch.

Cheers!

Also need to find either some cheap alloys or Bora steelies

Thinking about it, 205/50/16 will fit as well. A slightly taller profile, but not massive enough to throw the speedo out too much.

There's also a few on eBay

There's also a few on eBay

Oooh, new rubber...

Continental Wintercontact are very good,

Pirelli Sottozero are very good,

about size, narrower are better,

There's also a few on eBay

However, I wouldn't recommend buying part warn tyres from there. Things like these Manufactures recommend that winter tyres are not effective with 4mm or less tread on them. If they have 5mm on them (half warn for summer tyres), you only have 1 mm until the winter minimum tread depth.

Edited 28 June, 201115 yr by Jim H

Why do you need winter tyres? I've used the same tyres all year round and have had no problems at all? In fact no one I've ever known has changed their tyres when it's 'winter'?

buy some snow socks.

Sent from under the duvet with bri's ma using Tapatalk!

Why do you need winter tyres? I've used the same tyres all year round and have had no problems at all? In fact no one I've ever known has changed their tyres when it's 'winter'?

You'll be amazed at the difference. Yes you can still drive on normal tyres, however winters feel so much more planted as they have so much more grip, not just in snow, but in cold conditions.

You usually end up driving around "normal" people who've got stuck

Autosocks are fantasic if you can't get winters. Handy as you keep them in the boot until you need them. Might have to get a new pair for the winter as I put a few holes in mine last year when toeing my dads Jaguar XF out the street

Winter Tyres are like summer Tyres. People buy the likes of Michelin, pirrelli, conti's etc because they want ultimate grip in the warm weather (above 7c) Winter Tyres are for people who want ultimate grip below 7c

Going to pick up a set of 5 16" steels tomorrow for the

knock down price of £50 plus a 100 mile round trip to collect them.

The Mrs is pulling faces as including my spare I'll have 7 of the things kicking round

the house for a while.

I am getting my alloys refurbed very soon and when winter gets here I'm taking em off

and sticking my steels on. I'll be winter tyre shopping soon. 195s for me too,

as said before, skinnier is better when snow is involved. Tyres should be cheaper

and easier to find too

Quite a lot of hills in the Bristol/Clifton area. London was much flatter

It'll give me a chance to give my alloys a thorough proper clean ready to

go back on in the spring.

Going to pick up a set of 5 16" steels tomorrow for the

knock down price of £50 plus a 100 mile round trip to collect them.

The Mrs is pulling faces as including my spare I'll have 7 of the things kicking round

the house for a while.

I am getting my alloys refurbed very soon and when winter gets here I'm taking em off

and sticking my steels on. I'll be winter tyre shopping soon. 195s for me too,

as said before, skinnier is better when snow is involved. Tyres should be cheaper

and easier to find too

Quite a lot of hills in the Bristol/Clifton area. London was much flatter

It'll give me a chance to give my alloys a thorough proper clean ready to

go back on in the spring.

I shall be doing the same thing this winter. I was disgusted at the state of my wheels after cleaning them last night.

Not really kerbed, just corrosion where the paint has started to flake :(

However, I wouldn't recommend buying part warn tyres from there. Things like these Manufactures recommend that winter tyres are not effective with 4mm or less tread on them. If they have 5mm on them (half warn for summer tyres), you only have 1 mm until the winter minimum tread depth.

Cheers, I'd far rather buy new wherever possible anyway

Why do you need winter tyres? I've used the same tyres all year round and have had no problems at all? In fact no one I've ever known has changed their tyres when it's 'winter'?

Dude, I live in the far north of Scotland , you live in Kent... :p

The last two winters have seen me do long (250+ miles, through some very remote areas) journeys in deep snow. It was more like Siberia. I know I'll be doing the same again this winter, so if the weather turns the same, I want better tyres for the job as the 17'' Falkens weren't really up to it. I'm getting 16'' steelies anyway to avoid damaging my Evolos in the slippery conditions, so I may as well get winters while I'm at it.

buy some snow socks.

Sent from under the duvet with bri's ma using Tapatalk!

Eff that, I'm not fannying about in a blizzard putting these things on

You usually end up driving around "normal" people who've got stuck

That's what I'm after

Going to pick up a set of 5 16" steels tomorrow for the

knock down price of £50 plus a 100 mile round trip to collect them.

The Mrs is pulling faces as including my spare I'll have 7 of the things kicking round

the house for a while.

I am getting my alloys refurbed very soon and when winter gets here I'm taking em off

and sticking my steels on. I'll be winter tyre shopping soon. 195s for me too,

as said before, skinnier is better when snow is involved. Tyres should be cheaper

and easier to find too

Quite a lot of hills in the Bristol/Clifton area. London was much flatter

It'll give me a chance to give my alloys a thorough proper clean ready to

go back on in the spring.

Ah you suck, I wish I could get them that cheap! Sounds like a good plan though, you're thinking along the same lines as me.

I've got my steels for winter came with four brand new Toyo T1r's for £140

I know they aren't winter tyres but for that price can't grumble.

I've got my steels for winter came with four brand new Toyo T1r's for £140

I know they aren't winter tyres but for that price can't grumble.

Where on earth did you find them at that price?

Hhhmmmmmm just been doing a post on tyre sizes....here's my findings which should help you decide the size, as for brand I got a set of Michelin Alpin B4 or B3??...got a complete set from ATS...but I'm only running 185/60/R14!! Had them a few winters now...very good....much better than anything else when the temp is below +5C!! Even my "Summer" Toyo Proxes T1R's!!! as I notice this during Nov when I decide to swap over!!

Quote

I presume that Skoda adjusted the VRS gearbox and speedo to work with a higher RC than the rest of the Fabia range as the other MKI Fabias the biggest sizes were 185/60/R14 side wall depth = 111mm, and 195/50/R15 sidewall depth = 97.5(98.5mm required), both give an RC of 1760mm!

The logical size up to keep the same RC would be 205/40/R16 swd = 82mm, or 215/40/R16 RC = 1765 swd = 85mm (86mm required,better), and to go 17" rim would be 215/35/R17 swd = 75.25mm (73.5mm required)

BUT.....Skoda fitted to the VRS Fabia MKI 205/45/R16 RC = 1800mm swd = 92.25mm!!! So a bigger RC and deeper sidewall!!

So a 17" rim to keep the same RC would logically be 215/35/R17 but swd = 75.25, and we require 80mm!! So 215/40/R17 swd = 86mm, 205/40/R17 swd = 82mm!!!! so this is the nearest as RC = 1820mm

To recap...to keep 17" RC on a VRS as per OEM 16" then a 205/40/R17 tyre

to keep 17" RC on a non VRS as per OEM 14" or 15" then a 215/35/R17 tyre

Having trouble finding winter tyres for less than a squillion quid (should be cheaper in summer surely) in 205/45/16, so what other sizes will do, what brands would you recommend and where would you get them from? Must fit wheels that can clear 312's.

The trouble is the tyre size. 205/45/16 is a less popular tyre size and so the tyres end up being way more expensive than a 195/50/15 and about the same or slightly more than 205/40/17. When I was looking at winter tyre prices (for 205/45/16) last year they were around £75 each in August/September but then shot up in price from there. I decided to go for a set of 15s instead but of course you don't have that option with your fancy brakes

As for make, you'll probably find any make of winter tyre will beat any make of summer tyre hands down. I have a set of Avons on my winter wheels and my husband got a set of Matadors for his (if you haven't heard of them before VW used to put Matadors on new Polos a few years back). The difference in grip compared to the summer tyres was staggering. With the Fabia I noticed the car would no longer scrabble for grip pulling out of T junctions on cold damp mornings. Braking was much better too - on an icy morning there was no more ABS thumping through the pedal while you hoped you'd find enough grip to stop in time! When the snow came we just gt in our cars and drove wereas our neighbours would be digging out, pushing and sliding all over the place. I would say that winter tyres are the single best 'modification' anyone could make to their car. Fancy big turbos and intercoolers and the like are all very well but they're useless if you can't even get off your driveway.

I went to a local 'Part worn' tyre emporium and bought 4 x michelin winter tyres with plenty of tread left on them for a mere £90 fitted! Result

Has any one used mytyres? they do winter tyres fully fitted to steel wheels & look quite good value.

http://ssl.delti.com/cgi-bin/skw.pl?dsco=110&cart_id=88396423.110.23831&s_p=Steel_wheels

Why do you need winter tyres? I've used the same tyres all year round and have had no problems at all? In fact no one I've ever known has changed their tyres when it's 'winter'?

so probably u never drove on proper snow or ice driving uphill,

I do know people do it inc myslef

Where on earth did you find them at that price?

Got them from someone on here, lived 10 minutes away too which was a bonus.