I have started a discussion on how good winter (i.e., low-temperature) tyres are on muddy roads and wet grass over on the Mk3 forum, but it has occurred to me that Scout owners are the people who are probably most knowlegeable about driving on mud and wet grass, and the best tyres for doing so.  I hope I don't get shot for cross-posting!

I am considering buying a 'stealth' 4x4 (non-Scout) Octavia estate, which I hope will be good for coping with an (occasionally soggy) grass airfield, possibly when towing a glider or a trailer, as well as coping with muddy lanes, roadside verges and field gateways (I am not looking for an off-roader and I don't want an SUV).  I hope 4WD will be also be an advantage in snowy or icy condtions.

And I know that suitable tyres are even more important than 4WD, thank you, so please don't post just to tell me that all over again!  Obviously, I wouldn't be considering a 4x4 unless I planned to fit suitable tyres!

But I am aware that a winter tyre and an M+S tyre is not necessarily the same thing.  Some tyres may be good at both, but I know that some excellent winter (for low temperatures / snow / ice) tyres are not as  good as others on muddy roads or on wet grass; and that some excellent "mud" or M+S tyres have no advantage at all in cold / snowy/ icy conditions.  I would like a tyre which is good for both!

There are many reviews comparing how well special winter tyres cope with ice, snow etc., but I have never seen a  review of these tyres which also indicated how well they coped, and how they compared, on mud or wet grass.

Do any readers here (particularly Scout owners) know of any such reviews or tests, or have any direct experience of such tyres, and be able to give an account of their findings please?
  
 
 

The simple answer is the more conditions and surface's you try and cover with one tyre its always going to be a compromise ,I have towed with my scout all year round on wet grass, snow ice farm tracks and with a 1300kg caravan  all with standard tyres and haven't had a problem,

 this year I have brought some winter tyres and steel wheels only because the wife is doing about 600 miles a week in some remote locations I brought NEXEN wingaurd sport's

not because I read good review's they were just available at the time,

 

hope this helps   

Basically look at the tread patterns. My wife has Falken winters on the Grand Scenic which are basically a road tyre tread pattern with winter sipes and rubber (still very good by the way).

 

For mud use you'll want something more aggressive, a good V like a tractor tyre. I had Cooper ST/3s previously which were great in mud,

 

This year I'm on Goodyear Ultragrip 8s which look equally as handy with deep diagonals from the centre of the tyre.

It'll be grand whatever you choose in the vast majority of situations!

 

Niall

Started out with the standard Dunlops on my Scout which were OK in Summer but hopeless in winter. Last few years I've had Maloya Swiss winter tyres which performed well and I ran them into the summer this year because the Nokien eNTyres (all season) which I'd replaced the Dunlops with are hopeless in the wet. The Nokiens went back on for the summer as I had some high speed driving across Germany and they performed well on dry gravel in Latvia. This winter I'm running Avon Ice Touring which I am very pleased with on damp, wet and leaf strewn muddy country roads.

Best summer tyre I've had was BF Goodrich G Force which I had on my Mk1 4x4 which performed amazing in snow concidering they aren't a winter tyre. I see BF Goodrich do a winter G Force which would be interesting.

Problem you have to balance is how often do you really need to drive wet grass v dry summer motorway!

Nokian WR A3 winter tyres are pretty good in mud, as I found when I took the wrong entrance into Petworth House the other day by following all the 4x4s arriving for a hunt

 

I wasn't even in the Octavia - I was in the MX-5

Second year for me with Good Year ultra grip 8s on 17" winter wheels on the VRS cr.

Work well for me - better traction on the 2 wd Vrs than some of my gliding colleagues on the wet muddy airfield were getting in their 4wds.

20 years ago I drove out of a very muddy field (Newnham Park, Plymouth, just after the mountain bike world cup race)  in a Nissan Micra.  The Range Rover in front had to be pushed by three big blokes.  A 4x4 on street tyres is useless in mud; the Micra managed it by being ludicrously light and not embedding itself too deep, I think - although at one point I had to drive in reverse to get better weight transfer!

Best cars I have used in snow on stock tyres:

1988 1.0 nissan micra - light as a coke can on thin tyres - It was red too and cost me £ 850.

1998 2.0 Impreza AWD - Subaru 4x4 so no contest

2004 2.0 Forester AWD - Subaru 4x4 so no contest

 

Worst cars in snow on stock tyres

VW Polo 1.4 - Didn't get to main road so I then switched to Subaru.

Skoda Octavia 2.0 - Winter tyres solved the problem

 

My Octy now has Avon winter tyres on.

Our new 4x4 Outlander has Nokian 4x4 tyres on as the stock tyres were Continental road slicks.

 

In my experiences if you put winter tyres on your 4x4 octy you will be good to go in mud.

I've used Dunlop SP WinterSport 4D on my Scout for the last 2 winters & found them extremely capable, including mud & wet grass. Mine have seen some testing off road use on farm & forestry sites but so far (touch wood) have never failed to get me through.  Good V shaped pattern & self clearing capability that's effective on snow & mud/wet grass. Looking at tracks after driving across a wet field its possible to see a distinct tread pattern with little strips of mud that have been ejected from the edges of the tyres.  The summer rubber leave a smooth track & progress is more reliant on the 4 motion wizardry & appropriate use of the throttle but still not had to resort to a tow rope.

 

 

Another vote for Wintersport 4D - see http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/215362-show-us-your-winter-wheels/?p=2576011

Good open pattern and they have performed really well in all conditions I've exposed them to including snow, slush, muddy tracks and waterlogged and hilly camping fields.

They weren't quite as good as I'd hoped on my old BMW 3-series estate (almost got bogged down on a car park ramp and I thought I was going to have to reverse and take a run at it), but it's a minor miracle to merely get around in a BMW when it snows.

I drive the http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Tyre/Goodyear/Vector-4Seasons.htm all year round, They have proved very good in all road conditions and only recently did I try some offroad stuff - bypassing 18" of flood water buy driving up and around on very boggy mud / grass roundabout.  They behaved very well indeed - bearing in mind I am in a VRS.