Yeti Tyres

[octavia55]

Picked up our new Yeti 2.0 diesel DSG 4x4 elegance on friday, very nice car but was very surprised (and disapointed) to find it came with summer tyres (Dunlop SP1's). I was expecting a 4x4 SUV with an Off road button to come with all season M & S tyres, as my Nissan X Trail, Honda CRV and Freelanders came with as standard. I cannot understand why a manufacturer would not fit M & S tyres to an SUV, rather than summer tyres and loose 50% of the 4x4 advantage in mud and snow. Otherwise I like the car but just assumed it would came with all season tyres, but like the old saying goes " never assume".

[Yeti_Man]

Absolutely; never assume anything. Most people in the uk don't have to tackle mud and snow as a daily occurrence so there's the reasoning right there. The yeti is a crossover, a slightly raised hatchback format vehicle. Personally I'd not to be happy to deal with the compromises m+s rated tyres throughout the year so am pleased it comes with summer tyres as standard.

[BossFox]

The Yeti is a crossover, not an SUV I believe.  So it comes with normal tyres.

[JCP]

If Crvs and x trails really come with off road tyres it is pure waste for almost all their owners almost all the time. They are losing out on the best performance which comes from road rubber (not Summer tyres) for almost all their owners almost all of the time.

[octavia55]

I aggree that most of the time it will be used on tarmac, but i paid extra for 4 whhel drive and an off road button to give me better Traction when taken off road and in snow.

[oriki]

They supply the standard (summer tyres) regardless if it is 2x4 or 4x4

[Yeti_Man]

but i paid extra for 4 whhel drive and an off road button to give me better Traction when taken off road and in snow.

You should definitely have thought to ask the question then. Most people will specify four wheel drive for better traction on roads in bad weather conditions or to tackle basic off-roading tasks (such as going across grass with a caravan). The Yeti is more than capable of this on the tyres you have, in fact mines done more off roading on the Dunlops than its m+s rated set and I've never once got stuck.

[CFB]

You should definitely have thought to ask the question then. Most people will specify four wheel drive for better traction on roads in bad weather conditions or to tackle basic off-roading tasks (such as going across grass with a caravan). The Yeti is more than capable of this on the tyres you have, in fact mines done more off roading on the Dunlops than its m+s rated set and I've never once got stuck.

Famous last words?

[Llanigraham]

Here we go again!

 

A "winter" or "all season" tyre is not an off-road tyre as the M & S marking is totally different designation. The best tyre for most SUV's that get taken off-road would probablybe an All Terrain tyre, which is what I fitted to my Freelanders, and is not what Land Rover specified.

 

Out of the list of the other "SUV's" given none of them come with All Season tyres as standard. They all come with normal tyres. The only "SUV" that I know off that comes with an "All Season" tyre is the Fiat Panda 4x4.

 

Why don't manufacturers specify? Because most owners don't take their SUV's off road and wouldn't want the possible noise and wear increase.

 

And like Yeti_man I have never managed to get my car into any difficulties on the standard Kumho "summer" tyres I have fitted, and that includes lots of use in both mud and snow.

 

And I'm sorry, but I get the impression that the OP is another who thinks that getting a 4x4 will be the perfect answer when the weather gets snowy. Well sorry, but from experience that can often not be the case, as too many new 4x4 owners have no experience or training in the correct use of the systems they have.

[docc]

An interesting topic.  Speaking as the future (and slightly excited) owner of a mere 2WD 1.2 TSI Yeti which will probably arrive in the middle of winter, I'm curious as to how it's going to handle on icy, perhaps snowy, roads with its standard tyres.

 

I appreciate that winter tyres are always going to make a big difference, but that does involve a fair amount of hassle (and cost) - particularly given the sort of driving we do most of the time.  I'm assuming that the Yeti is essentially no better, and no worse, than a 'normal' Golf-type vehicle?  And that if we've managed quite happily with that on standard tyres, the Yeti will be much the same?

[Sporky McGuffin]

It may be a bit better than a Golf or similar as it has a bit more clearance and is thus a bit less likely to get grounded.

 

That said, a set of winter tyres will last you a good couple of years (mine are about to start their third tour of duty), and all the time they're on you're not wearing your summer tyres. The difference in grip is quite astounding.

 

If you can avoid driving on snow or ice then that's the best approach though.

[BossFox]

An interesting topic.  Speaking as the future (and slightly excited) owner of a mere 2WD 1.2 TSI Yeti which will probably arrive in the middle of winter, I'm curious as to how it's going to handle on icy, perhaps snowy, roads with its standard tyres.

 

I appreciate that winter tyres are always going to make a big difference, but that does involve a fair amount of hassle (and cost) - particularly given the sort of driving we do most of the time.  I'm assuming that the Yeti is essentially no better, and no worse, than a 'normal' Golf-type vehicle?  And that if we've managed quite happily with that on standard tyres, the Yeti will be much the same?

 

The 1.2 is not that good in the snow as they have quite wide tyres and not a lot of weight over the front end to generate traction.

My wife got stuck for an hour on our gently sloping drive, so our 1.2 (which does low miles) now runs on Goodyear Vector 4seasons.

It's now very capable in the snow/ice.

[octavia55]

Oh dear, i didn,t relaise opinions would be so split. I would have thought most people buy this type of vehicle because they want some sort of light off road performance, if not then there are much better alternatives for sole use on the road. I don't understand the comment about best performance from a road tyre, the standard yeti tyres are not UHP tyres as fitted to high performance cars and having driven a freelander with 200bhp and in the USA an Infinity MX37X with 330bhp and a Cadilac AWD all with M & S tyres as standard (Pirelli, Continental and Firestone) I can say I did not notice a lack of performance from the tyres on the road. In the USA M & S tyres are standard fit on most cars in the snow belt areas,

Perhaps if the UK followed suit the counrty would not come to a halt with 1" of snow.

I still can't help feeling that a soft roader marketed with all wheel drive and an off road button should come with tyres suited to light off road use.

[Sporky McGuffin]

They are suited to light off road use. Many of us have used our Yetis offroad with the standard tyres and been fine.

 

With the cars you mention all having M&S tyres, did you try the same model with summer tyres in order to make a fair comparison?

[Yeti_Man]

You are comparing the snow belt areas of the US to London?? Different requirements and whilst the Cadillac is very good on m&s rated tyres its even better with uhp tyres, especially in terms of sidewall strength, feedback and turn in characteristics. However, the Yeti is not an Lara high performance vehicle so again, you are comparing apples to bananas. oh and I'm unsure of where you are getting th idea it isn't capable on the standard road biased tyres, off road. It is. Several off road days and many off road occasions in Europe have taught me this.

[Llanigraham]

Working through the reply from Octavia55.

 

Oh dear, i didn,t relaise opinions would be so split.

Opinions are not split. I think it is more that some of us have a lot of experience with the Yeti and driving it off-road.

 

I would have thought most people buy this type of vehicle because they want some sort of light off road performance, if not then there are much better alternatives for sole use on the road.

You have to realise that the majority of Yeti's are not used off-road and aren't 4x4's, so the choice of tyre currently fitted by Skoda suits their needs very well, and is perfectly satisfactory. You have made the opposite assumption. eople buy cars for many different reasons, and the Yeti and the owners here have proved that in abundance. The Yeti has been bought because it is "quirky" and because it provides a high seating position with good load capacity, for example.

 

I don't understand the comment about best performance from a road tyre, the standard yeti tyres are not UHP tyres as fitted to high performance cars

The tyres fitted to the Yeti have to be a compromise and this they do quite well, but due to the current perceived need by the market for low profile tyres that is what they get. personally I tghink it is more a "fashion statement" but they work for me.

 

and having driven a freelander with 200bhp and in the USA an Infinity MX37X with 330bhp and a Cadilac AWD all with M & S tyres as standard (Pirelli, Continental and Firestone) I can say I did not notice a lack of performance from the tyres on the road.

In the European market the Freelander does not come with M&S tyres, and I think you are confusing that terminology being used. M&S used to be the definition for a knobbly "aggressive" tyre suited for mud use, but is now used as another term for "Winter" or Snow tyres. In their original definition they certainly did have poorer on-road performance. Nowadays their description would be Mud Terrain tyres. The less aggressive but similar tyres are All Terrain tyres. Neither are a "Winter" tyre as such.

By definition in Europe a "winter" tyre has to have a mountain and/or snow flake moulding in the definitions on the sidewall.

 

In the USA M & S tyres are standard fit on most cars in the snow belt areas,

See above for the correct European definitions.

 

Perhaps if the UK followed suit the counrty would not come to a halt with 1" of snow.

It doesn't "come to a halt" in general, and to be honest from experience it wouldn't matter what tyres were fitted the idiots that block it up now would still do exactly the same.

 

I still can't help feeling that a soft roader marketed with all wheel drive and an off road button should come with tyres suited to light off road use.

The tyres currently fitted are perfectly adequate for light off-road use, as many of us here have proved. I suggest you look at at the tyres fitted to UK Freelanders and all the other similar vehicles from Kia, Honda, etc and note that come with exactly the same basic tyres as the Yeti.

 

You state you live in London, so why do you think you need a 4x4?

[MarieK]

An interesting topic.  Speaking as the future (and slightly excited) owner of a mere 2WD 1.2 TSI Yeti which will probably arrive in the middle of winter, I'm curious as to how it's going to handle on icy, perhaps snowy, roads with its standard tyres.

 

I appreciate that winter tyres are always going to make a big difference, but that does involve a fair amount of hassle (and cost) - particularly given the sort of driving we do most of the time.  I'm assuming that the Yeti is essentially no better, and no worse, than a 'normal' Golf-type vehicle?  And that if we've managed quite happily with that on standard tyres, the Yeti will be much the same?

 

Well if you get snow this winter you will soon find out how good (or not!) it is with standard tyres.

I couldn't get my juke up the driveway on standard tyres, switched to winters and the difference was amazing.

So I have winters on my 1.2 yeti. 

Personally I'd rather have that 'hassle' than being stuck somewhere in the snow.

 

Having said that, we've had mild winters up here every year since I started using winter tyres 

[domhnall]

That's it Marie, you're going to get clobbered with an extreme winter now. I agree though, last year was very mild indeed compared with 2010 & 2011.

And to octavia55, the vast majority of yetis are 2wd only. Of the 4x4 ones, I suspect very few venture off road very much. Graham and co on here are honourable exceptions.

Sent from my MZ601 using Tapatalk 4

[octavia55]

I can assure freedom that uk freelanders come as standard with m & s tyres as standard as did my CRV AND X Trail. In most of Northern Europe any car car sold past November has to have winter tyres (snowflake symbol) or tyres with a M & S marking.

M & S tyres are not the knobbly ones and look very similar to summer tyres apart from different block patten and slipes at the edge of the tyre and a different compound. Ultimatley they will not be as good as low profile UHP tyres fitted to high performance cars in terms of sticking to the road. I have seen range rovers with rubber bands as tyres unable to move in a little bit of mud because of the tyres. At the end of the day it's houses for courses if you never intend to use the 4x4 and off road function then stick to high performance tyres, personally I didn't buy a Yeti to drive it like a sport car, if I wanted that I would have bought a caterham 7 but then you wouldn't take a 7 out in the snow.

[Sporky McGuffin]

if you never intend to use the 4x4 and off road function then stick to high performance tyres

 

I'm wondering how many more times it has to be pointed out that there are several of us who've used our 4x4 Yetis off road on the standard tyres before you acknowledge it.

 

Have you tried yours off road yet?

Edited 4 November, 2013 by Sporky McGuffin

[octavia55]

. I haven't tried my yeti off road yet and I am sure I will be surprised how good it will be on summer tyres, but there must be a reason all the other 4x4 manufacturers fit their cars with M & S tyres as standard. There must be a reason countries which get lot of snow insist their cars are fitted with winter tyres or M& S tyres. The reason is grip, which comes from the tyre compound and tread design. All I am saying I would have preferred to have traded some Tarmac handling for traction in mud and snow. Mercedes and BMWs behave a bad reputation in the uk for being terrible in snow, purely down to the uhp tyres fitted, they don't have problem in Europe when fitted with winter tyres ,so the tyres have a huge impact on the ability to keep going in adverse conditions. Which brings me back to the point of why you buy a SUV/crossover with four wheel drive, is it so it handles like a Ferrari or it's ability to cross a muddy field or keep going in snow?

[Llanigraham]

I can assure freedom that uk freelanders come as standard with m & s tyres as standard as did my CRV AND X Trail. In most of Northern Europe any car car sold past November has to have winter tyres (snowflake symbol) or tyres with a M & S marking.

M & S tyres are not the knobbly ones and look very similar to summer tyres apart from different block patten and slipes at the edge of the tyre and a different compound. Ultimatley they will not be as good as low profile UHP tyres fitted to high performance cars in terms of sticking to the road. I have seen range rovers with rubber bands as tyres unable to move in a little bit of mud because of the tyres. At the end of the day it's houses for courses if you never intend to use the 4x4 and off road function then stick to high performance tyres, personally I didn't buy a Yeti to drive it like a sport car, if I wanted that I would have bought a caterham 7 but then you wouldn't take a 7 out in the snow.

 

 

. I haven't tried my yeti off road yet and I am sure I will be surprised how good it will be on summer tyres, but there must be a reason all the other 4x4 manufacturers fit their cars with M & S tyres as standard. There must be a reason countries which get lot of snow insist their cars are fitted with winter tyres or M& S tyres. The reason is grip, which comes from the tyre compound and tread design. All I am saying I would have preferred to have traded some Tarmac handling for traction in mud and snow. Mercedes and BMWs behave a bad reputation in the uk for being terrible in snow, purely down to the uhp tyres fitted, they don't have problem in Europe when fitted with winter tyres ,so the tyres have a huge impact on the ability to keep going in adverse conditions. Which brings me back to the point of why you buy a SUV/crossover with four wheel drive, is it so it handles like a Ferrari or it's ability to cross a muddy field or keep going in snow?

 

Are you another version of OffNote, because this is getting boring?

 

Freelanders in the UK come equipped with either Goodyear Wranglers or there equivalent Dunlop or Michelin tyres. They are NOT, repeat NOT an M & S tyre!!

 

Can you please accept that several of us here have used our Yeti's off-road, sometimes quite severely, on the standard tyres and have had NO problems. The Yeti does not require anything special, and I suggest that until you have a bit more experience of off-roading your Yeti you accept our word for it.

 

I also suggest you learn to differentiate between "winter" tyres and specific "off-road" tyres. They are not the same thing.

[octavia55]

My dealer changed my dunlops to Goodyear all season before i picked the yeti up, all i had to pay was the difference in cost of the tyres, at that time a total of wait for it £7.50 in the end no extra to pay.

I have found that in the wet weather of late the goodyear all seasons do shift water very well, very little pull to the left or right when you hit a very large puddle, and the handling in dry warm weather is good as well will never go back to the dunlops. (hoping to find some mud soon to try it in but don't tell

The above post was posted by "Freedom" in 2011, is that the same freedom who has posted on this topic?

[Llanigraham]

Freedom is the paid membership of this Forum

Forum names appear in the light grey band.

[octavia55]

Sorry to disagree but my first freelancer was an 09 and came with continental cross contact m & s treys, my second was an 2011 and came with Pirelli scorpion m & s tyres. Go to the Goodyear website and they advertise the wrangler as an all season tyre designed for mud.