winter tires

[foo]

In theory removing alloys and fitting steels could be seen as a modification! It would have to be a tight insurance company to see it as such though.

Unfortunately "tight" and "insurance company" are really one and the same.

Bell tried to tell me that factory fitted side airbags were a modification and would attract an additional premium "makes the car more desirable innit".

[vRS Bob]

Ordered my winter tyres from Blackcircles today (Hankook l*cept Evo W310), went through Quidco and lo and behold you get 2% cashback, plus until 31st October you get 25% off Hankook tyres when you buy 4. Too good to be true I thought.

It was - the offer excludes winter tyres

Bob.

[FatblokeVRS]

ebay is the answer...........bought in the spring £60.00 for a set of 4 Audi wheels.

At the moment kwik fit

Continental Winter Contact TS830 205/55H16 = 428.80 fitted which does not seem to bad.

When I got mine (Conti WinterContact TS830 205x55x16) at the start of the year, they were £130 each off the web - got them at my local kwikfit for just over £60 each fitted and balanced to loose wheels for the VRS and just over £70 each fitted to the wheels already on my Astravan.

Its amazing how all of a sudden because people are buying a product so the manufacturer can make it in bulk, the price goes up not down.

I would shop about a bit as your local kwikfit seems to have a different idea of a good price than mine.

Cheers

Dave

[FatblokeVRS]

Unfortunately "tight" and "insurance company" are really one and the same.

Bell tried to tell me that factory fitted side airbags were a modification and would attract an additional premium "makes the car more desirable innit".

My wifes's insurer, Tesco, charge us an admin fee for putting the winter steelies on and also add a bit to the premium - to55ers. She stuck with them this time as they are much cheaper than anyone else for insurance even with the winter wheel "modification" charges.

The fact that the wheels are listed in the manual as approved for winter use by Skoda and they do make the vehicle much safer in poor driving conditions means nothing to Tesco unfortunately.

Cheers

Dave

Edited 21 October, 2011 by FatblokeVRS

[r6ymy]

The AA issued advice on this last year in association with ABI (Association of British Insurers?) when a lot of insurers were trying to rip people off by charging them £30 for notifying a change to winter tyres.

As long as the size and speed rating (which will be lower than summer tyres) match what is approved for your vehicle as stated in your vehicle handbook then you do not need to notify them.

When it does become unclear though is if you change the wheels, especially if to a different size. In theory removing alloys and fitting steels could be seen as a modification! It would have to be a tight insurance company to see it as such though.

If you choose to take off 17" or 18" rims and put 16" or 15" rims on though you should discuss this with your insurance company first.

I will try and find the link.

Edit

It is here.

What about fitting different size tyres to your original rims? My Octavia SE has 205/60 15 tyres as standard, but I can get 195/65 15 winter tyres much cheaper. That's the same size that Skoda would fit to an S spec Octavia, I believe on the same size rim. Any views on wheteher that constitutes a mod, or is it manufactures spec, albeit for a different trim level of the same car?

What happened to the old pinned thread on winter tyres, I wanted to check the steel wheel offset and bolt diameter?

Edited 22 October, 2011 by r6ymy

[Anddenton]

What happened to the old pinned thread on winter tyres, I wanted to check the steel wheel offset and bolt diameter?

5x112 et 50 I believe (Assuming mk2 Octavia)

[M12MKD]

When I got mine (Conti WinterContact TS830 205x55x16) at the start of the year, they were £130 each off the web - got them at my local kwikfit for just over £60 each fitted and balanced to loose wheels for the VRS and just over £70 each fitted to the wheels already on my Astravan.

Its amazing how all of a sudden because people are buying a product so the manufacturer can make it in bulk, the price goes up not down.

I would shop about a bit as your local kwikfit seems to have a different idea of a good price than mine.

Cheers

Dave

could also be down to area.....nothing is cheap around here! I have been shoping about and at the moment that is the cheapest price vs easy of access to fitter. Will keep searching

[TorqueDude]

Old winter tyre thread is in the 'tyre' section - Scroll down on the home page...

[kenmc]

Quick stupid question. When taking off alloys and putting on steelies, will I need to change the bolts too, or with the one set do?

Ta

[foo]

Depends on the "steelie".

[kenmc]

In what way?

[foo]

Where the bold head interfaces the wheel.

Conical? Spherical? Flat?

[willskoda]

A quick hi-jack here - I spotted in Asda that they're stocking tyre socks for £35. What are peoples thoughts?

[bongobob]

Ant vRS owners that have gone down to 16" alloys to put winter rubber on, have you all gone for 6.5x16?

Am just wondering if 7x16's are ok?

[marcevo1]

regarding cost / wear - summer tyres go brittle in winter and as a result don't grip or last as long - save the summer rubber for summer you'll save in the long run. I get 2 seasons out of a winter set

I'll be changing over in a few weeks time - still to warm to fit at the moment

[Guest]

Ant vRS owners that have gone down to 16" alloys to put winter rubber on, have you all gone for 6.5x16?

Am just wondering if 7x16's are ok?

I have 16 x 7J alloys to go on mine. AFAIK they should be fine, narrow is meant to be better in the slushie stuff (cuts down into it as opposed to riding on top of it) but I dont think there is much in it... a handful of 'mm' anyway! :p

[bongobob]

I have 16 x 7J alloys to go on mine. AFAIK they should be fine, narrow is meant to be better in the slushie stuff (cuts down into it as opposed to riding on top of it) but I dont think there is much in it... a handful of 'mm' anyway! :p

Cheers for that, its just that my local dealer said 6.5 was the correct one for my car, or maybe he was saying that so he could sell me his alloys....

Have you got 205/55 or 215 for the 7x16?

Edited 27 October, 2011 by bongobob

[SB1962]

I've got 205/55's on my 7J x 16's as per this thread

They are ex-Audi alloys & that's also what was on them when I got them.

[bongobob]

I've got 205/55's on my 7J x 16's as per this thread

They are ex-Audi alloys & that's also what was on them when I got them.

Thanks for that, the ones I'm looking at are Audi too.

I notice in that tread that someone else said that 6.5 was the correct size tho, but if you've been running them with no probs then that should be fine

[stringbean]

1319739244[/url]' post='2558362']

A quick hi-jack here - I spotted in Asda that they're stocking tyre socks for £35. What are peoples thoughts?

Thry're good for getting you out of trouble but they tend to wear rapidly on bare tarmac. This means you need to keep putting them on and taking them off. Winter tyres also help in low temperatures when there is no snow.

If you can afford winter tyres then go for them - if not a set of good snow socks are a good investment.