Yes, larger should increase the gearing so should benefit the economy from my undertstanding.

Well, having larger wheels results in odometer giving lower readings for the same real distance => it shows lower MPG.

Edited 15 February, 201214 yr by briskycat

Yes, larger should increase the gearing so should benefit the economy from my undertstanding.

Up to a point if it means the engine is running at a more efficient point in its "profile", but the gain may well be outweighed by the error in distance/odometer measurement.

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?

Steel 16 inch wheels from local dealer £39 (not found cheaper on internet that would guarantee fit !!) Yokohama Geolander (summer grade, but deepest off road tread found in 215/60 profile ) from MYTYRES @ £96 each shipped to nearest partnered fitter plus £15 each fitted and balanced . These have got me around through the shooting season , through muddy lanes and quagmire gateways and am happy to recommend , seem to be wearing well and have smoothed out the ride over potholes noticably ! Minor increase in road noise not noticed if radio on or window open . Cheap trims from Ebay and they don't look too bad .

Regards

Phil

Steel 16 inch wheels from local dealer £39 (not found cheaper on internet that would guarantee fit !!) Yokohama Geolander (summer grade, but deepest off road tread found in 215/60 profile ) from MYTYRES @ £96 each shipped to nearest partnered fitter plus £15 each fitted and balanced . These have got me around through the shooting season , through muddy lanes and quagmire gateways and am happy to recommend , seem to be wearing well and have smoothed out the ride over potholes noticably ! Minor increase in road noise not noticed if radio on or window open . Cheap trims from Ebay and they don't look too bad .

Regards

Phil

Geolanders are all terrain tyres NOT winter tyres just so others are aware. Yoko's winter range is called W Drive for the UK Market I believe.

Correct.

Yoko's winter range is called W Drive for the UK Market I believe.

Correct; they're W.drive - I have a set in 225/50 17; perfectly excellent in the recent snow.

Correct; they're W.drive - I have a set in 225/50 17; perfectly excellent in the recent snow.

Ah, that's good to know as they seem to be particularly well priced from what i saw a few months back.

Ah, that's good to know as they seem to be particularly well priced from what i saw a few months back.

IIRC I paid about £148 per tyre December 2010; haven't check prices recently but probably same level.

Yokohama W.Drives are an "all-year suitable" winter tyre. I had some on my Honda Civic Type-R and while they're not quite up to full-on winters in snow, they perform far better on tarmac - making them a better proposition for most UK drivers. I had Bridgestone Blizzaks on my Subaru and while they were better in snow, the W.Drives totally outclass them when there's no snow. As we regularly get 12 degrees or more ove the winter in this country - I think a winter tyre like that is a far better option than some crazy alpine snowclaw that will get all greasy and horrid when it's a bit warm out - unless you live WAAAAY up north of course.

I regularly drive to Austria/Germany/Switzerland in the winter (partly on roads that you're not allowed up on tyres without the 'snowflake' symbol. I have tried the Kleber Quadraxer (snowflake rated all-season - currently on the wife's Suzuki Swift) and the Goodyear Vectors - and both are perfectly fine in the summer and work well enough in the winter for me to leave them on all year round, even in the Alps. The Vector has the edge over the Kleber in all conditions though, it must be said. Amazing hoops.

Tyres have come a long way. :yes:

Yokohama W.Drives are an "all-year suitable" winter tyre. I had some on my Honda Civic Type-R and while they're not quite up to full-on winters in snow, they perform far better on tarmac - making them a better proposition for most UK drivers. I had Bridgestone Blizzaks on my Subaru and while they were better in snow, the W.Drives totally outclass them when there's no snow. As we regularly get 12 degrees or more ove the winter in this country - I think a winter tyre like that is a far better option than some crazy alpine snowclaw that will get all greasy and horrid when it's a bit warm out - unless you live WAAAAY up north of course.

That very comforting to know as my w.drives have seen precious little by the way of snow this winter and get driven pretty hard otherwise. Much as they may be 'all-year suitable' I nevertheless have a set of Vredestein Ultrac Sessanta (225/45 18) waiting in the garage for some warmer weather.

I'm driving an Octavia TSI today (as a garage loan car) with Dunlop SP01s and on the greasy 8degC roads early this morning had the TCS light blinking and armfuls of understeer like nobody's business, when my Yeti would have been cornering like he was on rails.

I will NEVER understand why manufacturers sell 'normal' cars (ESPECIALLY in the UK where very few people use winter tyres) on tyres like the Dunlops. Not only are they a bit poop, but it's the kind of tyre that wouldn't be out of place on a 911. I couldn't even get the Yeti up my drive in the snow on the Dunlops (4x4 and I know what I'm doing on snow) and going downhill was plain dangerous - yet the wife's FWD Swift with no TC or electronic aids flew up and down on the Klebers like nobody's business. Can't you spec a NORMAL car with NORMAL tyres, not stuff that's also "suitable for the odd track day"? It's not a hot hatch or a 300bhp coupe...so give us something with at least a bit of tread and not just siping for Pete's sake. I am not saying they need to specify all season tyres, just something moderately sensible. It's quite a sensible car after all.....

Edited 17 February, 201214 yr by carnivorous

Sorry, but rubbish!!

I ran through the whole of last winter on the standard Dunlop 225/50's and had no problems at all, considering they are not a winter/all season tyre. That included driving to work at 0415, in 6" of snow over Kerry Mountain, (between Newtown and Kerry if you look on GoogleMaps), plus several trips out in the mountains around here. They may not have been perfect, but I certainly wouldn't call them dangerous.

Sorry, but rubbish!!

I ran through the whole of last winter on the standard Dunlop 225/50's and had no problems at all, considering they are not a winter/all season tyre. That included driving to work at 0415, in 6" of snow over Kerry Mountain, (between Newtown and Kerry if you look on GoogleMaps), plus several trips out in the mountains around here. They may not have been perfect, but I certainly wouldn't call them dangerous.

Well, I live on a steep hill that isn't gritted. On the compacted, hard snow last week, the Yeti on Dunlops with roughly 4mm of tread was unstoppably sliding down the hill. Came home the back way (major detour) as I couldn't get back up said hill. Tried it the next day with the hill-descent for a laugh and the car had absolutely no control - just slid all the way down geting faster and faster until the hill flattened out and I managed to purposely "slide/drift" it into the deep snow at the side to slow it down. With the wife's Klebers, I could go 10mph+ and stop no problem anywhere on the hill, and drive back up without issue.

I've been driving in the Alps for 6-8 weeks a year (in winter) for over 15 years now....I don't suck at snow driving.

There you go, that's my experience, make of it what you will. :yes:

If it was using the HDC how did it accelerate?

My car has no Off-Road button, etc, and as said, I didn't have a problem and live in a VERY hilly area, however my tyres had a lot more tread than that, at the time.

No grip = HDC useless.

The ABS will try to brake the individual wheels but can't.

So once you're sliding, the car just keeps getting faster.....

HDC is great for numpties but it will never be able to defy physics or create grip that simply doesn't exist.

Another idiot-proofing feature they put in can really catch you out as well.....the hill hold. Say you're driving up a slippery hill

and you lose traction...the car starts sliding backwards in 1st gear. What do you do? Dip the clutch and gently use the brake

pedal in an attempt to gain some control over the backwards slide. Doesn't really work very well when the car locks the brakes

for two whole seconds as part of your "hill start assist" package. Lesson learned...the minute you start sliding back you have

to be really quick to whack it in reverse so the car doesn't lock up all by itself and rob you of your last bit of control.

Very nearly caught me out did that one!

But hey, at least granny can move off in her Yeti without cooking her clutch.....whoopee.

I can see where he is coming from Graham.

As you know, just like ABS, HDC compares the rotational speed of the 4 wheels in order to detect wheel slip, then it transfers braking to the wheel(s) it thinks have most grip. However, if all 4 wheels are locked as could happen with the car sliding on ice or snow, then as far as the car is concerned it isn't moving so the computer doesn't intervene. It's totally against natural instincts but you have to come off the brakes/disengage HDC to get one or more wheels turning again in order to let the electronics to have another go.

Clearly the answer is not to get to that point in the first place - preferably by having tyres that are suitable for the conditions, but if it does happen your car literally becomes a toboggan!

No grip = HDC useless.

The ABS will try to brake the individual wheels but can't.

So once you're sliding, the car just keeps getting faster.....

HDC is great for numpties but it will never be able to defy physics or create grip that simply doesn't exist.

Bit harsh - don't quite agree with the first part of the above statement - HDC is great if the driver knows how to utilise it correctly without detriment to the driver or others

Another idiot-proofing feature they put in can really catch you out as well.....the hill hold.

This is can be a really useful feature especially when pulling a heavy load - admittedly it does have its draw backs but as long as the driver realises the limitations of use........ :wonder:

Say you're driving up a slippery hill and you lose traction...the car starts sliding backwards in 1st gear. What do you do? Dip the clutch and gently use the brake pedal in an attempt to gain some control over the backwards slide. Doesn't really work very well when the car locks the brakes for two whole seconds as part of your "hill start assist" package. Lesson learned...the minute you start sliding back you have to be really quick to whack it in reverse so the car doesn't lock up all by itself and rob you of your last bit of control.

If the vehicle has HDC then neutral would suffice - surely any self respecting 'numpty' would be able to do that?

Very nearly caught me out did that one!

But hey, at least granny can move off in her Yeti without cooking her clutch.....whoopee.

Tad condescending to Grannies - especially my wife

but if it does happen your car literally becomes a toboggan!

Yes Yeti's do make very good rearwards facing toboggans, particularly on Goodyear Excellence 225/50 WR17 tyres;

Tested in Dec 09

oh should also clarify the 180 spin that resulted in the down hill slide also cut the engine; so nothing worked other than unassisted brakes :S

TP

I wasn't trying to insult anyone, just giving my opinion on certain "features", albeit perhaps I expressed myself a bit controversially.

The HDC turning my car into a toboggan - if you read my comment - was because I tried it on a super-slippery hill for fun - to see how it would cope.

I don't see the advantage of hill-hold over using the good old handbrake - the Yeti still has one of those and it works fine.

I was under the impression that the Hill-Hold came on in neutral? My bad. However, I would prefer to just have to dip the clutch when the car starts

sliding backwards - I admit that's probably just because it's what I am used to. I think you can react to a backwards slide much quicker if you only

have to dip the clutch than having to reach down and take the car out of gear.

Another problem with HDC when sliding backwards, is it's linked to the off-road button....which often makes it more difficult to get up a slippery hill

so I leave it off. I'm not going to go find that button and press it within milliseconds because the car has started sliding.

It's probably just me, but I'd prefer to have at least the option of being in complete control in conditions like that....

No offence to grannies, I love mine to bits - but she can't drive to save her life.

All in all I love my Yeti and I think the features are very clever indeed - I just wish you could switch them off sometimes.

My understanding is that HDC should not lock any more than one wheel at a time, but "cycles" the braking, so should allow some control. I am surprised it locked all wheels.

And from an off-road perspective, which is what HDC is actually designed for, it is not for "numpties" at all, but is an excellent system to control speed without too much thought by inexperienced drivers, or where the driver needs to concentrate on other matters like avoiding ruts and rocks. In that situation it works very well, as many here can confirm.

The problem is we are "pushing" a system to go beyond it's designed parameters, when it is used on excessively slippery surfaces with inadequate tyres.

Hill Hold has been proven to work in many cases, especially because it stops excessive clutch slip by people who are not good at hiil starts. Again I don't have it, but did experience on the VW thing I had when mine was in the Bodyshop.....I didn't like it either!

You are very right...hence me binning the Dunlops that were nearing the end of their life anyway.

It didn't "lock" all four wheels as such, there just wasn't any grip from the rubber so the car just kept getting faster.

I need to learn to express myself properly. Hahahaha.

I think many of us occasionally forget the Yeti isn't a Defender 90. It is very capable for what it is.

we have had very bad weather in SW France in February - the frogs just do not salt or clear the roads - most of the roads were almost impassable in our part of the countryside for a couple of weeks - we have a Yeti Tdi 4 x 4 with 17" wheels - had a few nasty moments particularly sliding backwards downhill as the country road are cambered sharply towards the edge - we always got thru in the end - but it was not pleasant on a number of occasions, particularly if I had to stop on even a slight incline

Next year I will get some steel 16" wheels and winter tyres to give the car a chance

we have had very bad weather in SW France in February - the frogs just do not salt or clear the roads - most of the roads were almost impassable in our part of the countryside for a couple of weeks - we have a Yeti Tdi 4 x 4 with 17" wheels - had a few nasty moments particularly sliding backwards downhill as the country road are cambered sharply towards the edge - we always got thru in the end - but it was not pleasant on a number of occasions, particularly if I had to stop on even a slight incline

Next year I will get some steel 16" wheels and winter tyres to give the car a chance

You don't need to go to 16" wheels; winter tyres on your 17s will be fine.

You don't need to go to 16" wheels; winter tyres on your 17s will be fine.

I should only need them for a max of two months so I reckon the steel wheel option is fair value rather than swopping tyres around