i have the goodyear vecter 4 seasons on the front only and i have had no trouble in this snow.

would reccommend them

i will be getting another 2 when the summer tyres on the back need changing

I've always been under the impression that this was a No NO I could have afforded a pair of tyres but following a new CH boiler, block driveway and car port over 4 months funds are a bit tight!

Fred

matthew

I have a 1.2TSI with 17" alloys and Goodyear Vector 4 season tyres.

Though a lovely car most of the year the performance in the snow is very disappointing.

There is very little traction, even with the 4 season tyres, so even small slopes are a problem.

I put it down to:

Lack of weight in the front

Wheels too wide

Performance of tyres over hyped.

In comparison, a Ford Fusion 1.6TD on mid range Kumo winter tyres (16" alloys) I was driving a few years back went like a tank.

Been out lately in the white stuff-- we have over a foot of it lying now. Took a little photo of spook near the Roman Wall yesterday--then the battery died on the camera!

It's got rif wheels and Avon Ice Touring ST tyres

Edited 23 January, 201313 yr by yetiscot

I have a 1.2TSI with 17" alloys and Goodyear Vector 4 season tyres.

Though a lovely car most of the year the performance in the snow is very disappointing.

There is very little traction, even with the 4 season tyres, so even small slopes are a problem.

I put it down to:

Lack of weight in the front

Wheels too wide

Performance of tyres over hyped.

In comparison, a Ford Fusion 1.6TD on mid range Kumo winter tyres (16" alloys) I was driving a few years back went like a tank.

The trouble is that 4 Season tyres are a poor substitute for real winter tyres. My 1.2 Tsi Yeti with Nokian winter tyres has got me everywhere in the snow and ice. Neighbours with regular tyres are slip sliding around just trying to get out on to the main road whereas I have had no trouble at all, car seems to drive as normal.

Our Yetis are poles apart! You have a 4x4 on winter tyres and I have a 2wd on summer tyres with the least powerful engine. It was really embarrassing when the Kas and Corsas in my work car park tootled off and I was stuck in the not-so-aptly-named Yeti! It is costly too not being able to get to the office. Phoning the skoda garage tomorrow to check out prices of changing tyres.......

Did you get the winter tyres? If so, are you now getting around as least as well as the Ka and Corsa?

The trouble is that 4 Season tyres are a poor substitute for real winter tyres. My 1.2 Tsi Yeti with Nokian winter tyres has got me everywhere in the snow and ice. Neighbours with regular tyres are slip sliding around just trying to get out on to the main road whereas I have had no trouble at all, car seems to drive as normal.

That seems to go against the reports of several members on here. The Goodyear Vectors are getting excellent reports.

Nokian WRG2's all round on our tdi 4x4 Yeti on 16" winter wheels. No problems with the snow at all. These tyres seem to stick to the road very well, indeed inspiring confidence. Only recently realised that these tyres are not snowflaked marked! I bought them a couple of years ago after they were recommended on this forum. So far - no regrets at all.

If driving abroad at this time of the year would these tyres be acceptable to the police as they are not snowflaked?

Did you get the winter tyres? If so, are you now getting around as least as well as the Ka and Corsa?

Thanks for asking. I am still prowling round this post trying to work out the best option. I spent 3 hours with a snow shovel yesterday and have cleared the driveway, packing the snow round our stone gate posts to act as a barrier if I skid. The postman ventured half way up the farmtrack before admitting defeat but I have hope for tomorrow. I had a local company come out to quote for tyres and they had to walk up to get to me so their collection service isn't an option yet! They didn't like the idea of going down to 16" though. As the roads 60yds away are completely snow-free now I am beginning to debate whether to get snow socks to put on front 2 wheels to get up and down the farmtrack and all season tyres fitted to all 4 tyres. Don't know how much hassle it is getting socks on and off. It is lots of hassle walking 4 miles there and back to shops everyday!

The trouble is that 4 Season tyres are a poor substitute for real winter tyres. My 1.2 Tsi Yeti with Nokian winter tyres has got me everywhere in the snow and ice. Neighbours with regular tyres are slip sliding around just trying to get out on to the main road whereas I have had no trouble at all, car seems to drive as normal.

That seems to go against the reports of several members on here. The Goodyear Vectors are getting excellent reports.

I don't see any contradiction here.

We have two cars on Goodyear Vector 4 Seasons, two cars on winter tyres, and one car on summer tyres. The gulf between the 4 seasons and the winter tyres is almost as big as the gulf between the 4 seasons and the summer tyres.

In this weather 4 seasons are good compared to summer tyres, and poor compared to winter tyres. The other day one of the cars with 4 seasons would not go up the gentle hill outside our house, while a similar 2wd car on winter tyres went up with no wheelspin.

The Goodyear Vectors are getting excellent reports.

Well they may well work well with narrower wheels, with more weight on the front or with 4 wheel drive, but in my limited experience they do not work so well with 17" wheels with the light 1.2 petrol engine.

I do feel more in control, than I would with summer tyres, manouvering on the flat or down hill but there is very little traction uphill.

I could only get as far up a modest local incline as a Ford Ka on normal tyres driven by a woman.

Most embarassing.

I only make these points because several here are undecided as to how to proceed, as I was 12 months ago, and still am after that episode.

So narrower wheels and winter tyres may be a better option but I suspect the light front end may still be a problem.

Either that or don't take your Yeti out in the snow.

Edited 23 January, 201313 yr by Jons3y

I could only get as far up a modest local incline as a Ford Ka on normal tyres driven by a woman.

Most embarassing.

OK I have read the differences between 4 WD v 2 WD, winter tyres v 4 season tyres, 16" tyres v 17" tyres BUT what difference does it make that it was driven by a woman!?! Grrrr.

I could only get as far up a modest local incline as a Ford Ka on normal tyres driven by a woman.

With front wheel drive, reversing up the hill usually works.

Winter tyres? All-Season tyres? What's the best compromise?

All being well, it should be a couple of years at least before I have to replace tyres. In the meantime, I'm stuck with the OEM summers (Conti 2's), which I don't rate for snow. There is no possibility of second sets, neither wheels nor just tyres. In recent posts (various threads) doubt has been cast on the capability of 'all seasons' tyres in snow, but there has been some support for running winters throughout the year. When the time comes, which should I be pricing? (Brisk grandad - unless gran's with me ...)

BUT what difference does it make that it was driven by a woman!?!

It was one more variable to add to the mix.

I thought she did well to get that far.

Winter tyres? All-Season tyres? What's the best compromise?

The best compromise depends on you: your location, your circumstances. It may depend, for example, on how high up you are in the Chilterns. It may depend on whether you have the luxury of saying 'I've no need to go out for a few days' when the weather turns frosty or worse.

As a brisk driver like you, I suspect that if I were (still) driving in the Chilterns and a second set of tyres was not an option, I'd make do with summers and stay at home in the snow. (Here speaks one who has left a lot of tyre rubber on the bends on Stokenchurch Hill.)

Edited 23 January, 201313 yr by r999

...how high up you are in the Chilterns.... The tops

...the luxury of saying 'I've no need to go out for a few days' ... If a man's gotta go...

...I'd make do with summers and stay at home in the snow... That would hurt!

...(Here speaks one who has left a lot of tyre rubber on the bends on Stokenchurch Hill.) Still possible, despite the M40

My (highly non-expert) understanding, having ploughed through various threads, links to road tests, etc. is that 'summer ' (ie ordinary, as fitted) tyres are not so good in winter, even with 4x4, especially where stopping distances (notably on ice) are concerned. Winter tyres, however, wear out more quickly in the summer, and also require a longer stopping distance when on warm road surfaces. All season tyres (Continental 4Vector seem to get a good press, with one or two dissenting voices as would be the case with almost any item/product) would appear to be a sensible compromise for those who (i) don't have an 'exciting' driving style, (ii) don't want the expense/storage issues of changing sets of wheels twice a year, and (iii) still want a bit more capacity for tackling occasional bad road conditions than would be offered by the standard fitted tyres.

Conclusion - when I need new tyres (very soon, with 23,000 miles on the clock, unless I'm tempted to upgrade my beast to the L&K!), I'm pretty certain I'll go for the Conti 4Vectors.

No doubt some will say that's entirely wrong!

I think from comments so far, 4 seasons tyres perhaps work best on 4x4 Yetis like mine and Bobdog's. Judging by the vid I mentioned earlier, mine doesn't offer that much traction compared to full winters, but enough for me not to slide off the road or get stuck spinning on hills. For me, this bout of snow has been a proving ground as to whether it's worth sticking with the 4 seasons, and not having 2 sets of wheels and tyres. I've also been interested in seeing how they grip with borderline tread on the front. I am going to put the new front tyres on, as they don't grip as well as the rears.

For me, on my 4x4 Yeti, 4 Seasons tyres work. They're ok in all weathers and varying surfaces from snow to floods, from hot tarmac to gravel and mud. They're not the best at any of them - if I wanted that then I'd get 2 sets, and have the best I could afford for summer and winter. I might still go down this route - the more I look at that video the more envious I become!

If 4 season tyres aren't offering the grip your car needs, then you'll have to invest in winter tyres, which admittedly isn't a cheap lesson to learn.

Dont forget that when it's time to put the brakes on, 4 wheel drive is irrelevant - a 4x4 is just the same as a 2wd when braking in cold conditions. If the tyres aren't gripping properly, then it's all too easy for the rear of the car to lock up & try to overtake the front - as several have experienced on summer tyres in winter.

And, winter tyres are not just for snow. Virtually all winters perform better than even the best summer tyres at any temperature below 7 degrees C. It's a no-brainer, even with the small amounts of snow we tend to get around here.

Edited 24 January, 201313 yr by speedsport

Depends how you define a 'no brainer'. We have - I suspect - more frequent and more challenging driving conditions here in the Yorkshire Dales than you in Cheshire, and yet relatively few drivers around here fit winter tyres, and those who venture out without them encounter relatively few problems (evidence based on my neighbours - mostly elderly and with everyday vehicles). I have no doubt that winter tyres do make driving in poor conditions much easier but - as with most aspects of driving - at least as much is down to the attitude and driving style of the person behind the wheel. I have seen sensible drivers cope admirably in appalling conditions without any kind of aid (in the days long before ABS, ESP and all the rest) while hotheads of all ages and genders have been left looking very silly. The cliche - true, as are all cliches or else they wouldn't achieve that status - that 'a bad workman blames his tools' applies to driving as much as to anything else.

I'm pretty certain I'll go for the Conti 4Vectors.

No doubt some will say that's entirely wrong!

You might have trouble finding those, as the Vector 4Seasons are made by Goodyear, not Continental.

Winter tyres are a new notion in the UK and many people have spent many years learning how to make progress in winter and have become proficient at doing so.

I've been driving since 1970 and until last winter had never tried winter tyres. What persuaded me to try was a very difficult journey home on rutted and icy snow whe I watched a family drift into a ditch a couple of hundred yards ahead of me and found my own progress extremely difficult. The guy who went off was-like me- doing 10mph and trying to avoid lorry ruts tipping him down the camber.

I now realise that tyres which retain much of their grip in freezing conditions are simply better.

You might have trouble finding those, as the Vector 4Seasons are made by Goodyear, not Continental.

I'm getting old ...

What do you mean, getting...........................