Just fitted some Goodyear Vector 4 seasons tyres on some lovely Dezent alloys to my vRS and then took it to the garage to check the pressures. I cannot believe how much quieter the car is! It had Conti Sport Contact 2 tyres on it before. I didn't realise how much road noise they were making. Amazing difference.

Interesting.  My vRS has 225/40-18 Conti Contact 2s.  I am hoping the change to winter 225/45-17s will give an improvement in noise level and ride.  I am considering Nokian WR D3 or Bridgestone Blizzak LM-32 tyres on either Dezent RE or Enzo H wheels.  Any one have any experience of any of the wheels or tyres I am considering?

My winters (Nankang sv2 71db) are noisier, but then again my summers have a very low db (Vredestein Ultrac Cento 67db) rating and run whisper quiet.

My Goodyear winter tyres are considerably quieter than my Continental summers.

i cant hear mine for my music :P

Mine are Dezent "RL dark" 6.5 x 15 - make sure to get the plastic spacer ring to fit them central on the hub plus new wheel bolts with the right taper on the head; the bolts for Gigaro alloys are not quite the same

The nokian D3 I have just put on the Leon are noticeably quieter than the summer tyres but they are new whereas the summer tyres are close to being replaced.

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i cant hear mine for my music :P

Same here lol

i cant hear mine for my music :p

 

I can't hear mine for the Wife    :think:

+2 for the music! lol...

Interesting.  My vRS has 225/40-18 Conti Contact 2s.  I am hoping the change to winter 225/45-17s will give an improvement in noise level and ride.  I am considering Nokian WR D3 or Bridgestone Blizzak LM-32 tyres on either Dezent RE or Enzo H wheels.  Any one have any experience of any of the wheels or tyres I am considering?

 

Nokian winters would be the better choice; they are specialists in this type of tyre.

 

 

TP

Nokian winters would be the better choice; they are specialists in this type of tyre.

 

 

TP

You would think that but the winter tyre tests that rate the Nokian WR D3 highly are usually concentrating on grip and traction on snow and ice.

 

As I am retired my usual way of dealing with snow and ice is to stay indoors (and the car in the garage)!  I am more interested in the tyres performance on dry and wet roads at temperatures below 7C when 'winter' tyres are meant to give superior performance to 'summer' tyres.  Of course there is always the chance that I will be caught on snow and ice when away from home and needing to return - then the tyres' performance on snow and ice may well become a factor.

IIRC the D3 tyres did very well in the wet.

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So I've contacted my insurer about swapping to winter tyres

They're saying I have to fit like for like size wise

So the car is a vrs and instead of the recommended 195 they want me to put 205/40/17 on

Local Skoda dealers may have a promotion on for the proper size but now I can't fit 15" it means buying alloys or paying for the tyres swapping on and off

Is it worth the hassle and expense ,and would a 17" package perform?

Might just be easier to walk to work!

Winter tyres went on yesterday. Vredestein Snowtrac 3's on Dezent L Dark 15" rims (from Mytyres). The 15" wheels just clear the front calipers. Dark grey alloys look OK on a green vRS. 3rd season of use and still plenty of tread on the tyres. The Vredestein's certainly work well in snow and wet. Noticably quieter and more forgiving ride than my Continental Sport Contact 2 R17 summer tyres, which now need replacing. Will either go for Avon ZZ5's at £78 a corner or Michelin PS3's at £110. The Conti's pulled straight as a die whereas my Vredestein's are pullng slightly to the left (strange - I didn't notice that last winter).

Just a note about insurance. Direct Line are fine about swapping to winter tyres. I used to have to ring up every time I changed but now they have a note on my file and they don't require me to contact them. No change to premium. Also 185/55 R15 winter tyres are approved for use on the Fabia vRS.

So I've contacted my insurer about swapping to winter tyres

They're saying I have to fit like for like size wise

So the car is a vrs and instead of the recommended 195 they want me to put 205/40/17 on

Local Skoda dealers may have a promotion on for the proper size but now I can't fit 15" it means buying alloys or paying for the tyres swapping on and off

Is it worth the hassle and expense ,and would a 17" package perform?

Might just be easier to walk to work!

My winter set on my Reaction are 215/40 R 17 on 7" wheels just to fool folk. However if the snow settles thick I've got some 205/45 R 16 all-seasons with a good open pattern. Perverse?

With the lack of power I'm not concerned by wear - I just want to maintain traction.

Hell - its going to look cool in the snow compared to a stranded Monte.

IIRC the D3 tyres did very well in the wet.

 

Having used the Nokians on a couple of different cars, I agree! They wear quicker than some other winter rubber, but were superb in the wet as well as snow and ice.

Isn't this like comparing apples with pears?

 

If the tyres are different sizes and diameter, of course there will be a difference.

 

On the insurance issue, every insurer will ask different questions - I spent too long on the phone trying to arrnage renewal to know that what one insurer thinks is important, another doesn't even ask for.

On the insurance issue, every insurer will ask different questions - I spent too long on the phone trying to arrnage renewal to know that what one insurer thinks is important, another doesn't even ask for.

 

And this, other than the random pricing, is one of the most annoying things about the process.

So I've contacted my insurer about swapping to winter tyres

They're saying I have to fit like for like size wise

So the car is a vrs and instead of the recommended 195 they want me to put 205/40/17 on

Local Skoda dealers may have a promotion on for the proper size but now I can't fit 15" it means buying alloys or paying for the tyres swapping on and off

Is it worth the hassle and expense ,and would a 17" package perform?

Might just be easier to walk to work!

 

i fit same size winters - used to have the rubber swapped at the dealers every 6 months, - after about 4 tire changes the chrome edging began to get marked, so i went and bought a fresh set of alloys just for the winter rubber as i wanted to keep the same look, save the cost of rubber changes and keep the rims looking nicer for longer.

The winters perform  just as well in R17 as they would in R16 or R15. only difference being aesthetics and possibly small price difference.

http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/293424-winter-is-annoying-because/?p=3486923

 Daz ..there were 4x 205/40/17 nexen winguard sports for sale on here recently at a very decent price...... lots available in OE size , and they will work perfectly... £53 each brand new... http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Roadstone-Nexen-Winguard-Sport-205-40R17-84V-M-S-XL-/181188675311?pt=UK_Cars_Tyres_RL&fits=Tyre+Width%3A205|Aspect+Ratio%3A40|Diameter%3A17&hash=item2a2fafc6ef

I had Goodyear Rainexperts on my Octavia, went to Dunlop EcoBlue or something and the difference was huge. Much better grip too.