Hello.

 

With the temperature dropping to around freezing over the while at night over the tops of the Pennines, I've had chance to give my new winter tyres a bit of a test.

 

Over the tops of the snake pass (A57) there has been some ice, and lots of large areas of standing water for my last few trips at night as well as large patches of slushy leaves on bends. Even though there's no snow, I can't even begin to describe how confidence inspiring these tyres are in these conditions. The difference between these and my summer rubber is quite incredible!

 

Looking at the long range weather forecast, it looks as though I won't have to wait too long to try them out in snow, so I'll pop back here to say how I get on. I find they benefit from having a bit extra air pressure in them as they feel quite squidgy otherwise so I add 0.3 bar over the recommended pressures and they appear to be wearing evenly at this pressure (I've done over 1500 miles on them already). 

 

I thought I'd share my experience as these tyres (Uniroyal MS Plus 6) are silly cheap, so they're probably overlooked by many as a poor tyre. they cost me just over £30 a tyre from Camskill in the summer. I think for larger sizes the same tyre is called MS Plus 66, they're still comparatively inexpensive. 

 

The only thing they don't help with is other drivers now holding me up as they tip-toe around the bends! 

Have the MS Plus 66 on our Monte Carlo in 195/55 R15 size and also supplied by Camskill at a great price. Car handbook recommends running winters at 0.2bar above that given for summer rubber, which is where we've set ours.

 

Uniroyal are also well known as specialists in rubbish weather tyres and in Europe are part of the Continental group, who produce some of the best winters under their own brand

 

 

TP

+1 for these tyres

 

Awesome value for money

How do these tyres shape up in the warmer months tho?

Warm dry tarmac is not their strong point, but love the wet

 

They out perform the ling-long summer tyres they replaced though, in all conditions

How do these tyres shape up in the warmer months tho?

With the recent unseasonable warmth we've been having (it's been 15-17degrees in the daytime here for some reason) they grip fine, but feel a bit 'squishy' for want of a better way to put it. As soon as the temperature drops below 10degrees again on the in car display, they feel much stiffer again.

 

For this reason, I probably wouldn't recommend them for all year round use.

 

Since fitting them, I've had a bit of ice (thanks to a burst water main down the road) and some slushy melting snow to deal with and they've been great. No proper compacted, or deep snow yet though. The biggest improvement I've noticed is the complete lack of wheelspin if I boot it from a standstill at a cold wet roundabout/short A-road slip road. 

If you're winters are feeling squishy you probably need more pressure

 

Generally winters need 10+psi over summer tyre pressure

Skoda state in the handbook 0.2bar (2.9psi) above the recommended summer tyre pressure for winters.

 

Also take into account the max permissible type pressure printed on the sidewall of the tyre itself, if your thinking of setting pressures for all up weight, rather than the normal load pressure.

 

 

TP

VAG seem to like under inflated tyres

 

If you stick to their stated tyre pressure you'll never get optimal grip out your tyres, summer or winter

If you're winters are feeling squishy you probably need more pressure

 

I already have an extra 0.2bar over the recommended pressures on the filler cap in there, for longer trips, I sometimes add a bit more to the rears, but don't like to add too much to the fronts thinking they'll be getting warm, and the pressure will rise eventually anyway.

 

By 'squishy', i mean they don't feel as responsive when cornering. I suppose 'woolly' would be a better way of describing how they feel in the warm temps. *I say tomato... you say...* 

 

It's not really a problem, for general driving. Just on fast twisty roads. It's one of those things to be aware of, and to get used to, more than an issue, I suppose. I imagine the same applies to most dedicated winter tyres. Snowflake certified all-season tyres would be a better choice for all year round use, I'd imagine. I do enough miles in the summer to justify two sets of tyres, and the associated reduction in rolling resistance they provide.

I already have an extra 0.2bar over the recommended pressures on the filler cap in there, for longer trips, I sometimes add a bit more to the rears, but don't like to add too much to the fronts thinking they'll be getting warm, and the pressure will rise eventually anyway.

 

By 'squishy', i mean they don't feel as responsive when cornering. I suppose 'woolly' would be a better way of describing how they feel in the warm temps. *I say tomato... you say...* 

 

It's not really a problem, for general driving. Just on fast twisty roads. It's one of those things to be aware of, and to get used to, more than an issue, I suppose. I imagine the same applies to most dedicated winter tyres. Snowflake certified all-season tyres would be a better choice for all year round use, I'd imagine. I do enough miles in the summer to justify two sets of tyres, and the associated reduction in rolling resistance they provide.

Thanks for this thread, it fits well with mine , as I'm trying too gain more independent info.

 

By 'squishy', i mean they don't feel as responsive when cornering. I suppose 'woolly' would be a better way of describing how they feel in the warm temps. *I say tomato... you say...* 

 

 

That's exactly what I thought you meant

 

Experiment yourself - get a compressor with a pressure gauge on and try increasing the pressure until the squishy-ness has gone and you've not made them skate

 

I have no squishy-ness, sharp actuate turning

 

I've also never had a problem with tyre pressure increasing due to speed and the tyre skating, even in +35 degree summer conditions

OK. Thanks. That's good to know. I'll try bunging a bit more air in there then. I'm still wary of putting too much in due to the state of the roads around here. I'm sure I'll find a happy medium though.   

I've a compressor, but the gauge isn't very good/accurate, so I use one if these to check the pressure. It's well worth the five beer tokens it cost.

After much experimenting, I've found +0.3 bar extra over the lightly loaded values works best for me, so that 2.6bar on the fronts, and 2.4 on the rears. feels much less squishy, even though it's been warm the last few days.

I thought I'd share my experience as these tyres (Uniroyal MS Plus 6) are silly cheap, so they're probably overlooked by many as a poor tyre. they cost me just over £30 a tyre from Camskill in the summer. 

 

£30 each is a damn good deal.

 

Camskill are quoting me £60-70 each at the moment on their website for Uniroyal MSPlus66 Uniroyal - 205/55 R16 94V XL TL winters.

 

Any advice as to how to get a better deal?

Any advice as to how to get a better deal?

 

 

I bought mine in July/August, (which prompted much amusement at my expense from friends and family). I notice now they're either sold out, or much more expensive. My tyres size will probably be in my favour as well, being 185/60/r14. I notice they've gone up nearly a tenner in my tyres size though... 

 

http://www.camskill.co.uk/m94b0s710p97629/Uniroyal_Tyres_Winter_Snow_Car_Uniroyal_MSPlus6_Uniroyal_MS_Plus_6_-_185_60_R14_82T_TL_Fuel_Eff_%3A_F_Wet_Grip%3A_C_NoiseClass%3A_2_Noise%3A_71dB

 

so that's an increase of nearly 33% compared to the price in summer. They're probably still worth it though. It's great being able to drive past everyone tippy-toeing over a snowy M62 summit as I did the other week (with care, obviously!). 

 

I actually did the same with de-icer. I got 5 big tins of Prestone de-icer in the summer for 97p a tin at Tesco. They're around £4-£5 a tin now. If I know I'm going to need something seasonal, I try to buy it as far out of season as possible to get the best deal. If I ever need to buy a tent, I buy that in winter