I have been offered a set of winter wheels fitted with Firestone winter tyres for £650 - is that a reasonable price to pay now for next winter?

Do you not need them now?

Depends on what wheels you have gone for, if it's steel wheels then it's not exactly cheap, if it's new VAG alloys then yes that is a good price.

I have been offered a set of winter wheels fitted with Firestone winter tyres for £650 - is that a reasonable price to pay now for next winter?

It's cheap if they are Skoda alloys, expensive if they are steel wheels. Four new steel wheels for the Yeti from a Skoda dealer will be about £190. You could get top-quality winter tyres for (say) £80 each if you have lots of time to shop around, as you have. Firestones are definitely not top-quality winter tyres, so I'd avoid the deal you're being offered even if the price were better.

Hi,

if your not needing them until next winter then my advice would be to wait until late August, early September. Tyres age even in storage best to get the newest rubber you can.

As a guide my steel rims from the dealer last year cost £170, tyres bought in August from camskill £315 and fitting by a helpful local fitter £20.

Tyres are 215/60 R16 Hankook W310 winter icept; bought because of the good price and so far they have proved very effective in all winter conditions, so no hesitation recommending them.

Currently mytres are charging £155 each for the same tyre

Regards,

TP

I have been offered a set of winter wheels fitted with Firestone winter tyres for £650 - is that a reasonable price to pay now for next winter?

The $64,000 dollar question is why get new wheels? Why not buy new tyres and get them fitted to your existing alloys? My local Mr Tyre quoted £10 per wheel to swap and balance tyres so that equates to 5 changes before you have broken even on buying steel wheels - before any charge for wheel changes which could be £5 per corner.

My current alloys are 6 years old and almost as good as new so I don't think all the concern about winter damage to alloys seems justified.

Worth thinking about?

The $64,000 dollar question is why get new wheels? Why not buy new tyres and get them fitted to your existing alloys?

One problem with this is if you get a 'monkey' swapping the tyres over then you also get damaged alloys at the same time, I know this could happen when you come to need new tyres but why add an extra two change overs per year that are not needed?

As for it taking 5 changes to break even, the wheels will always have a s/h value to them, so that is now more like 2 change overs, or 1 year!

The only downside to this is storing the wheels, but if you have the room then it is a no brainer IMO.

One problem with this is if you get a 'monkey' swapping the tyres over then you also get damaged alloys at the same time, I know this could happen when you come to need new tyres but why add an extra two change overs per year that are not needed?

As for it taking 5 changes to break even, the wheels will always have a s/h value to them, so that is now more like 2 change overs, or 1 year!

The only downside to this is storing the wheels, but if you have the room then it is a no brainer IMO.

Also the wheels have more chance of being damaged in snow and ice so why risk the alloys? I have plenty of garage room so if I wake up to a foot of snow - like last year - I can swap the wheels myself.

As to why I don't want to fit the winter tyres now - well we haven't had any snow here - yet!!

Winter tyres aren't just for snow, you know - are you telling us the outside temperature hasn't dropped to 7deg C there?

Also the wheels have more chance of being damaged in snow and ice so why risk the alloys? I have plenty of garage room so if I wake up to a foot of snow - like last year - I can swap the wheels myself.

As to why I don't want to fit the winter tyres now - well we haven't had any snow here - yet!!

Why compromise the cars looks by fitting steel wheels on it?

A set of OE alloys can be picked up for the same sort of money as new steel wheels, and will always look so much better

The only reason why there is more chance of damage during the winter is when the tyres let go, with winter tyres there is less chance of this happening - providing you are driving sensibly.

Fit the winters when the ambient temperature regularly drops below 7°C (when the car is being driven) to get to full benefit over your normal tyres.

Also the wheels have more chance of being damaged in snow and ice so why risk the alloys? I have plenty of garage room so if I wake up to a foot of snow - like last year - I can swap the wheels myself.

As to why I don't want to fit the winter tyres now - well we haven't had any snow here - yet!!

I've had winter tyres on both our cars since November and December, I'm just outside Glasgow and we've had plenty days/nights below -4. :(

This is what I have them for, much as I would love to see some more snow here they are winter tyres, not specifically snow tyres.

Why compromise the cars looks by fitting steel wheels on it?

A set of OE alloys can be picked up for the same sort of money as new steel wheels, and will always look so much better

The only reason why there is more chance of damage during the winter is when the tyres let go, with winter tyres there is less chance of this happening - providing you are driving sensibly.

Fit the winters when the ambient temperature regularly drops below 7°C (when the car is being driven) to get to full benefit over your normal tyres.

+1

I bet that if steel wheels where standard and alloy's a cost+ option most people paying 20k+ for a new car would opt for the alloy's.

If that's so why are you prepared to put up with steel wheels for 5 months of the year?

I will now put on my tin hat and wait.

+1

I bet that if steel wheels where standard and alloy's a cost+ option most people paying 20k+ for a new car would opt for the alloy's.

If that's so why are you prepared to put up with steel wheels for 5 months of the year?

I will now put on my tin hat and wait.

Well for the last 50 years I've been driving on ordinary tyres all year round so why the sudden desire for special winter tyres when it's just a bit chilly! I know that if we get a bad winter with ice and snow then due to the design of modern "normal" road tyres I will get very little grip. I won't be driving for 5 months on my winter tyres.

The 7 degree business is surely the other way round - winter tyres won't last long on warm dry roads.

Well for the last 50 years I've been driving on ordinary tyres all year round so why the sudden desire for special winter tyres when it's just a bit chilly! I know that if we get a bad winter with ice and snow then due to the design of modern "normal" road tyres I will get very little grip.

You have just answered your own question there.

I remember when I passed my driving test (just 25 years ago) that a 60 series tyre was considered low profile!, tyres were both narrower and had higher profile tyres, both of these helped in the snow, yet still slid around on the ice.

Winter tyres are designed to stick to the ice AND snow due to their compound and pattern.

I won't be driving for 5 months on my winter tyres.

The 7 degree business is surely the other way round - winter tyres won't last long on warm dry roads.

Nobody is saying to run them when it is warm though and 7°C can hardly be classed as warm.

It's your choice when to fit and remove them, but it would be silly not to use them in the conditions they are designed for wouldn't it?

That would be like someone buying a 4WD 170CR car when they only drive 5k miles a year on bone dry tarmac at 30 mph - pointless.

Winter tyres are designed to stick to the ice AND snow due to their compound and pattern.

No tyres other than studded ones are going to grip on sheet ice so the only times I am interested in using winter tyres is on snow.

No tyres other than studded ones are going to grip on sheet ice so the only times I am interested in using winter tyres is on snow.

You may wish to take your head out of the sand and research your info before making such bold statements, the following video should prove to even you that winter tyres make a huge difference on ice:

No tyres other than studded ones are going to grip on sheet ice so the only times I am interested in using winter tyres is on snow.

I suggest you try watching part of this evenings One Show, as they completely disproved that comment!!

No tyres other than studded ones are going to grip on sheet ice so the only times I am interested in using winter tyres is on snow.

Twaddle.

The time you really need winter tyres is when that wet road turns out to be sheet ice. WTs will save your skin - literally.

You have been driving for 50 years, only 42 in my case. But I wonder when you decided to stop learning?

I am currently driving on my first ever winter tyres and the difference is simply staggering. I have been trying to learn their limits and they are as yet unfound. The traction from the off on compressed, frozen snow with last nights fresh dusting is extremely good. The ability to brake on shiny iced surfaces is quite remarkable. I have tried it on surfaces where walking is difficult and the tyres simply grip. Please get a go in a car with proper tyres before you dismiss them. When I first drove in an Austin 1100 and a Singer Vogue both seemed astonishing. Cars and tyres have moved on-try catching up!

I seem to remember there was some research done a few months ago where a summer tyre was tested against a winter tyre on dry roads at 5 degrees C. I think both sets of tyres were from the same manufacturer.

The result: at 60mph the winter tyre stopped 5m shorter than the summer tyre.

Other research has tested them both on ice. Stopping both cars from 25mph, the summer tyred car went past the stationary winter tyred car at 20mph......

Funny thing is I am getting better fuel economy with my winter tyres on than with the summers. I fitted them in mid October, but they are in their element now.

You no doubt will have seen my incar videos of going along icy/snowy roads and starting off on steep hills.

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I suggest you try watching part of this evenings One Show, as they completely disproved that comment!!

That was on a dead flat ice rink! Even the camber on a normal road covered in sheet ice makes a total difference.

I accept that if there is even a minimal covering of snow then winter tyres will work. I also accept that they grip better all the year round but they won't last long in warmer weather.

Just for the record I have been driving for 55 years and my best car on snow or mud was a 1936 Austin 7 on almost bald tyres about 3 inches wide. (They were legal because there was no tread limit then, you just had to have rubber!)

Edited 11 February, 201214 yr by Norry

I also accept that they grip better all the year round but they won't last long in warmer weather.

You still haven't grasped this. Winter tyres don't grip better all the year round. Compared to summer tyres they grip very much better below 7 degrees and distinctly worse above about 10 degrees.

As for winter tyres having a higher wear rate in warm weather, that is true. But it is also true that summer tyres have a higher wear rate in cold weather (counter-intuitive though that may be). So if wear is your concern, you might just as well say you can't understand why anyone would waste their money by running summer tyres in the winter.

I'm a total convert (albeit I've gone for the intermediate stage of Goodyear 4 Seasons tyres). It really is not just about snow, but about cold roads generally. The grip form the winter tyres is just so much better. The beneficial/differential effects on snow and ice are just magnified.

I used both studded and non-studded winter tires and I'd say the difference between them is not very big when it comes to braking on ice. And when the ambient temperature drops below ~20 degrees Celsius, studs become virtually useless (in such conditions non-studded tires get an edge because of softer compound). But the difference is huge between even all-season (let alone summer) and winter tires in winter conditions. And even if the road is dry and the temperature is slightly above freezing.

I've been using Michelin Alpin series winter tires for 6 years now. On my previous car I used Alpin A3 and I liked it so much that decided to buy Alpin A4 for the Yeti. Although this rubber is meant for mild winters, it works rather well down to at least -25 degrees Celsius (in my personal experience).

I lived in Germany for 13 years and I am quite used to driving in snowy conditions heavy and the delights of freezing rain! I am the same as JCP, this is the first time I've driven on Winters (used to use snow chains in Germany - or tracked vehicles) and I am really amazed at the difference it makes to driving in Wintery conditions.

I have yet to test them in the manner I would wish (that's the child in me coming out!), I also hasten to add that they could also give the Winter driver (experienced or inexperienced) a false sense of security which in turn means some people drive with a perspective of over confidence and invincibility rather than with the usual caution. (I'll get off my soap box box now)