I am looking for a set of winter rubbers for my Octy, and it seems that the offer from Kwik Fit is hard to resist. I have a spare set of alloys (16inch), so therefore I am looking at 205 55 r16s for the old girl.

The two tyres that KK-F have are:

- Goodyear Ultragrip 8 (£114.20 each)

- Michelin Aplin A4 (£115.60 each)

Are there any preferences between either of these two?

Thanks,

Matt

Not much help, I know, but I went for Continental TS830 from Kwik Fit (£107 each IIRC). There were consistantly good reviews on the net for them.

I also had them fitted to loose wheels back in October, and the conditions don't warant changing over from summer tyres yet so I can't comment on their performance.

The TS830 does't seem to be available in my required size, at least not from the local branch :S

The UltraGrip 8 is very well tested in Germany in this size.

The new Michelins arent that bad either, but the Goodyears were better.

TS830 is already one year old and the competitors (michelin and goodyear) are

just new this year.

MUCH cheaper if you buy them online and pay £40 to have them fitted by an independant fitter rather than Kwikfit!!

http://www.camskill.co.uk/m96b0s629p0/Winter_-_Snow_-_Cold_Weather_-_Car_MPV_Tyres_-_16%5C_inch_R16_inch_-_205_55_16_205_55_R_16

I have always struggled to find a cheaper place to fitting/balancing locally :-(

Only ones Camskill have in stock is this flavour:

http://www.camskill.co.uk/m96b0s629p79376/GOODYEAR_TYRES_WINTER_SNOW_CAR_GOODYEAR_ULTRA_GRIP_PERFORMANCE_8_-_205_55R16_91T_TL_

Which is T rated (118mph), so I guess I could get away with those. Blackcircle.com suggest my tyres should be V rated (149mph)...

No way you need V rated on an Octavia.

You can even fit the S rated but will have to stick to the 100mph limit. (which shouldnt be so much of a problem in GB)

Most of the VRS in Germany use the H rated (up to 210 km/h). All we have to do is put a sticker on the dashboard

with the speed limit of the tyres.

Biggest advantage of a lower speed rated tyre is, that it will be more capable in colder conditions.

It doesnt have to be so hard/rigid to withstand the higher speeds.

Figures for my car suggest max speed is 119mph, and there is no way I am going to be touching speeds like that because:

a. the car might blow up

b. it costs far tooooo much in terms of fuel :'(

Edited 19 November, 201114 yr by mbames

I used the AlpinA4 Michelin's last year and will be putting them back on in a week or two when it gets a bit colder, had no problems at all last year