First frosts yesterday up here on the east coast.  The winter tyres are just helping all round with leaf-covered, greasy roads and temperatures generally around 3-7degC.  Dunlops are tucked away - their tread is pretty slick in comparison to the Vredesteins.

 

No going back onto the Dunlops until April now - just in time for a trade-in for a FL Outdoor or Octavia VRs

November 3 - winters on today while it is reasonably mild and sunny. Horrible job when it is cold, wet and mucky even though I have a garage in which to do the change. Forecasting mid 40's this week so on balance right time to change.

I prefer to stay indoors when there is snow and ice forecast.

Decided with being busy over the next couple of weekends to winter tyre the Fabia's this afternoon; pleased I did as I found a good size nail in the centre of one of the summer tyres. Debatable whether I should repair or replace; it's at 3.5mm and over 4 years old but there should be another summer out of it on the back :wonder:

 

 

TP

Decided with being busy over the next couple of weekends to winter tyre the Fabia's this afternoon; pleased I did as I found a good size nail in the centre of one of the summer tyres. Debatable whether I should repair or replace; it's at 3.5mm and over 4 years old but there should be another summer out of it on the back :wonder:

 

 

TP

Thought you should put tyres with best tread on the back? Argument being that it is best to have a rear end slide than lose steering grip at the front.

Yes that was the idea but of recent it's been changed to the other way round and Skoda now state in the handbook to put the deepest tread on the front and keep swapping them round to even wear. Fronts currently have 5mm+ against the back with 3.5mm+

 

Taken the following from the latest Octy III handbook (to hand on the desktop   );

 

Changing wheels around
If significantly greater wear is present on the front tyres, we recommend replacing
the front wheels with the rear wheels as shown in the diagram » Fig. 190 .
You will then obtain approximately the same life for all the tyres.
We recommend that you change the tyres around every 10000 km in order to
achieve even wear on all tyres and to obtain optimal tyre life.

 

Storing tyres
Mark them previously used tyres so that you are able to fit them on again to run
in the same direction.
Always store wheels or tyres in a cool, dry and, where possible, dark place. Tyres
which are not fixed to a wheel trim should be stored upright.

 

Wear indicators
The base of the tread of the tyres has 1.6 mm high wear indicators installed.
These wear indicators are evenly spaced around the circumference of the tyre,
depending on the make » Fig. 189 - ?. Markings on the walls of the tyres through
the letters “TWI”, triangular symbols or other symbols identify the position of the
wear indicators.

 

Tyre age
Tyres age losing their original characteristics, even if they are not used. Therefore,
we recommend not to use summer or winter tyres that are older than
6 years or 4 years respectively.

 

 

TP

Yes that was the idea but of recent it's been changed to the other way round and Skoda now state in the handbook to put the deepest tread on the front and keep swapping them round to even wear. Fronts currently have 5mm+ against the back with 3.5mm+

 

Taken the following from the latest Octy III handbook (to hand on the desktop   );

 

Changing wheels around

If significantly greater wear is present on the front tyres, we recommend replacing

the front wheels with the rear wheels as shown in the diagram » Fig. 190 .

You will then obtain approximately the same life for all the tyres.

We recommend that you change the tyres around every 10000 km in order to

achieve even wear on all tyres and to obtain optimal tyre life.

 

Storing tyres

Mark them previously used tyres so that you are able to fit them on again to run

in the same direction.

Always store wheels or tyres in a cool, dry and, where possible, dark place. Tyres

which are not fixed to a wheel trim should be stored upright.

 

Wear indicators

The base of the tread of the tyres has 1.6 mm high wear indicators installed.

These wear indicators are evenly spaced around the circumference of the tyre,

depending on the make » Fig. 189 - ?. Markings on the walls of the tyres through

the letters “TWI”, triangular symbols or other symbols identify the position of the

wear indicators.

 

Tyre age

Tyres age losing their original characteristics, even if they are not used. Therefore,

we recommend not to use summer or winter tyres that are older than

6 years or 4 years respectively.

 

 

TP

Hmmm, but essentially for safety you want the better grip at the rear. I can see that to balance wear you should put the deeper tread at the front but that surely puts balanced wear ahead of safety?

Hmmm, but essentially for safety you want the better grip at the rear. I can see that to balance wear you should put the deeper tread at the front but that surely puts balanced wear ahead of safety?

 

Just the opposite in my view.

 

The front has most of the power most of the time, has to cope with steering and has the weight transfer to increase loading on the front tyre contact under braking.

 

Why would you assume better grip at the rear is safer on a modern abs/electronic controlled braking system?

Now then stranger! How long ago was that 6 years ago!? I destroyed what was left of them after winter by using them down at Santa Pod!

 

14.73 on a PD130 with 165bhp tho So they gripped well!

 

Yes must have been 6 years ago at least I reckon. Think I'd just got rid of the Ibiza and got the Passat ready for the house build....pretty sure I remember the distinct power-to-weight disadvantage I had when we left that layby

 

Then a year or two later you came to buy some Ibiza bits off me IIRC, after I'd bought the Ibiza back and subsequently took it off-roading.

Just the opposite in my view.

 

The front has most of the power most of the time, has to cope with steering and has the weight transfer to increase loading on the front tyre contact under braking.

 

Why would you assume better grip at the rear is safer on a modern abs/electronic controlled braking system?

Yes, that's the way I was brought up pre abs etc.  Best tyres on the front because that's where your steering and most of the braking are done.  I think it was Michelin who produced a report a few years ago stating that it was better to have the best tyres on the back so that in the event of a skid, there was less chance of a spin.  

 

Is that because modern drivers who have not experienced rear wheel drive have little experience of the rear end moving around on the road?

 

John

Hmmm, but essentially for safety you want the better grip at the rear. I can see that to balance wear you should put the deeper tread at the front but that surely puts balanced wear ahead of safety?

 

You could argue that it does improve safety, as by making sure you wear the tyres down evenly, you don't end up with a pair that have been on for too long so are aged and therefore less effective.

 

TBH I think the front/rear debate is fairly irrelevent these days because:

A) stability control will sort you out in an instant before things get too out of shape.

decent brand tyres that are half worn will probably out-perform some brand new SunnyLingLongTriangle cheap chinese ****e anyway; there's such a difference between good/bad tyres that this will have more effect than anything, especially if you've got a mixture fitted!

Yes must have been 6 years ago at least I reckon. Think I'd just got rid of the Ibiza and got the Passat ready for the house build....pretty sure I remember the distinct power-to-weight disadvantage I had when we left that layby

 

Then a year or two later you came to buy some Ibiza bits off me IIRC, after I'd bought the Ibiza back and subsequently took it off-roading.

 

Good memory sir! Did you finish the house? I am sure I dropped a facebook msg many years ago in relation to your Ibiza website.

 

Yeah, im old now so looking at similar barge type weapons I think next year

decent brand tyres that are half worn will probably out-perform some brand new SunnyLingLongTriangle cheap chinese ****e anyway; there's such a difference between good/bad tyres that this will have more effect than anything, especially if you've got a mixture fitted!

Exactly what Auto Express reported last week - in a controlled test using BMW Minis, when 4mm Contis had more grip than brand new 8mm YinYan Ditchfinders. Particularly in the wet.

 

The article also confirms that the reason modern advice is to put the tyres with the most grip (not necessarily those with the most tread - see above) on the back, is because it is deemed that the typical driver cannot deal with oversteer and understeer (front end losing grip first) is deemed easier to handle.