Winter Tyre suggestions?

[Wardy]

You're misinterpreting the phrase, but let's not get into an off-topic discussion.

 

I'd recommend winter tyres from Vredstein, Pirelli and Michelin, because I've run them myself and would happily buy them again. 

 

That's a personal recommendation, pure and simple. Nothing more, nothing less. I'm not on commission and the person asking is under no duress to act on anyone's recommendation.

[billywhiz040480]

Cheers guys there is some very good info there, I'm leaning towards the Nokian WR D3's as I've been reading some great reviews plus they are very reasonably priced. Slight mistake made in tyre size as the wifes car has 205/55/16's fitted not 225/45/17's, they are the ones I took off mine when I bought my BBS CH's doh!

Right, can I get away with only 2 for the front or do I have to buy 4?

[Wardy]

At least 205/55/16s are cheaper

 

You need to fit them to all four wheels, not a good idea to fit them just to the driven wheels. The rear of the car would then have a lower grip level.

[Guest]

2 or 4 Winter Tyres?

http://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=K7xXDMkVFlE&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DK7xXDMkVFlE%26feature%3Dyoutu.be

Sorry its not hyperlinked

[billywhiz040480]

2 or 4 Winter Tyres?

http://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=K7xXDMkVFlE&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DK7xXDMkVFlE%26feature%3Dyoutu.be

Sorry its not hyperlinked

Wow....well then I think that answers it!

To be honest I guessed that would have been the answer, I said to the misses we will need four due to lack of rear end grip but when I told her how much she was like "wtf I only need two fronts".

Edited 20 November, 2013 by billywhiz040480

[Wardy]

"You can't put a price on safety"

[billywhiz040480]

"You can't put a price on safety"

I'm showing her ur post now, that should hopefully hit home being 38 weeks pregnant!

[Wardy]

Bit of a cliche, but it's true, especially when you're talking about tyres

 

And all the best for the new arrival, when the time comes

[Guest]

Don't know if you saw this one. They don't mention actual brands, so it is up to you to determine what is a premium brand!

Personal experience, I'm more than happy with Nokian. For the last 3 years had 225/50/17 WR G2's fitted to the Scouts Proteus alloys. This year I went for 205/55/16 Nokian D3's on steel wheels.

[Rab-k]

For the past three winters I've run on Nokian WR G2 XL, 205/60 R15 95H M+S, on 15" Skoda Avantgarda steels with the Avantagrda wheel trims, and wouldn't change them for anything.

 

[silver1011]

Don't know if you saw this one. They don't mention actual brands, so it is up to you to determine what is a premium brand!

 

 

They could have used two identical cars. I'll have the one with the front fogs please, the extra weight over the front wheels might offer a slight advantage

 

It shouldn't come as a suprise that a tyre two or three times the price performs better, but does it perform two or three times better?

 

A more useful test would be mid-range vs. premium as this is where I reckon the most value for money can be had, to find a mid-range tyre that out performs a premium tyre for a lower cost.

[Lady Elanore]

On the subject of 2 winter tyres versus 4, I'm pretty sure this question is linked to people thinking of winter tyres as Snow Tyres and then, as tyres to get you going in snow. They are at least as much about stopping and steering (probably more so in reality). Putting just 2 on your driven wheels only increases your chances of getting into 'real' trouble, at least if you have no traction on OE tyres you aren't going to get yourself into a slide etc if you are already stuck.

 

The imbalance it causes, especially with a FWD car are horrendous. I have first hand experience of this with OE tyres on a Fiat Turbo I used to own. I had the boost wound up to around 150bhp (it cost £25 in those days, just a valve and a couple of bits of cheap hose) and decided the original 175 tyres might not have quite the desired amount of purchase for the job So like a numpty (actually not 'like' a numpty, I actually was a numpty) I put some wider, stickier tyres on the front. After going a little too fast into a bend I discovered what happens under a touch of mild panic braking going into a bend (I was young and foolish). I recommend that the front tyres should never have a lot more grip than the rears! :(

Edited 20 November, 2013 by Lady Elanore

[Tom Tallon]

Wardy

 

Whats a disagreement between colleagues. Between all the contributors here, Billy seems to have been able to come up with a result he's happy with! Good for him.

 

Cheers

[Black_Sheep]

Research into anything should contain pulling information from multiple sources and balancing out the facts and opinions contained within....

 

I then decided to buy a premium brand because as said above, I  believe that those manufacturers have more money to throw at R&D and therefore develop a better product that can handle the various conditions we find in the UK.

 

Whilst broadly in agreement with your post, a number of brands that would not be considered 'premium' are owned by the established tyre companies and therefore the R&D money (and thus technology) will eventually filter across the group:

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tire_companies

 

I have used tyres by Kleber and Semperit in the past and they were perfectly fit for purpose.

[Perc]

you may as we'll use top quality summer tyres rather than dangerous winters.

 

 

NOOO NO NONO. Any winter tyre will perform better than any summer tyre. But there are good winter tyres, and brands I consider worthless. I like Nokian myself. I would never buy off-brand winter tyres. Other good options are Continental and Goodyear. 

 

Right, can I get away with only 2 for the front or do I have to buy 4?

 

Of course you need all four. 

[billywhiz040480]

Of course the car needs four tyres to work smart ass lol, I was asking could I get away with two for the drive wheels but evidently not having watched those videos!

Edited 20 November, 2013 by billywhiz040480

[Tom Tallon]

Sorry Perc must take issue with your assertion.

 

Remember some of us are living in Ilfracombe or Westward Ho not Helsinki. A shocking winter tyre (and a number of these have been assessed as such in recent tests) at 7 degrees C will not be half as effective as a top quality summer tyre with lots of tread in wet weather at these temperatures . Remember the UK in southern latitudes can go in and out of cold or temperate weather thoughout winter. Weather in Newcastle today roughly 6 degrees C in spite of dire warnings of blizzards and traffic disruption.

 

Tom

[Perc]

I was talking about the fact that you obviously need four WINTER tyres. I wouldn't ever mix and match tyres, especially not when talking about summers/winters. I've driven cars with a pair of dangerously shoddy tyres and a pair of good ones. My first car back in '00, being one of them. All four were winteer tyres of course, but the previous owner had cheaped out and only renewed two of them. A mk3 Escort. With the good ones up front I could steer and brake, but I accidentally got it sideways more than once. And not the good kind of sideways like in a Sierra, but the kind of sideways where you soil yourself because you suddenly find yourself staring at oncoming headlights through your side window. 

 

I even tried swapping the good ones to the rear axle. This gave me great directional stability but the braking distance of a train, and terminal understeer at any speed. I swapped them back later that night. 

 

 

And summer tyres regardless of type and pricetag, are useless as soon as the first snow falls. They're just not made for it. Not the thread, not the compound. That's what I was NOO NO NO NOing about. Of course, if your idea of winter is +6C and rain, then I wouldn't bother at all. But if you do get snow every now and then and want to stay safe, yes by all means, get proper tyres. And all four of them. 

 

 

edit: Helsinki? What do you take me for? A southerner? :P

Edited 20 November, 2013 by Perc

[Ultrasonic]

NOOO NO NONO. Any winter tyre will perform better than any summer tyre.

 

On snow I's sure you're right, but are you certain for the rest of the time? I'd be interested in any sort of comparative tests results you know of?

 

The best I've found is the following, which shows summer tyres outperforming winters at 7°C on wet and dry roads.

 

http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Article/All-Season-Tyres-How-Do-They-Stack-Up.htm

 

I would love to see comparisons at lower temperatures of good summer tyres and 'bad' winter tyres.

 

(I understand the idea of even the cheapest winter tyres hopefully having a rubber compound that stays softer at lower temperatures which should improve grip, but actual comparative data would still be interesting, to see what the differences actually were.)

[zacherynuk]

I find it interesting that without exception those of us who run cold weather / winter capable tyres swear by them.

 

I have yet to read a negative review, in any regard, yet people who don't run them argue they are not worth the cash.

 

I think a high silicone / soft compund is far better suited to the UK that a performance high density tyre all year round, we're driving a skoda ffs. on the road. with other people.

Edited 21 November, 2013 by zacherynuk

[ruiatalmeida]

billywhiz040480:

 

This is an advice from someone that lives somewhere - Luxembourg -  where it snows quite a lot (and you should listen to Perc's advise - he will have far greater experience of running in snow than anyone in the UK) buy winters (or M&S) all round, does not really matter which of the brands you go for but the advise always stands - go for a brand that is known. About the durability of the tyre it depends tremendously on the way you drive - if you push it or if in your region the temperatures are not as low as where I live using the same car with the same driving style etc will result in big differences in tyre wear. 

 

I only use M&S tyres and they work a treat - not going to talk about brands - they are fantastic when it snows and provide proper security as well when it is just raining - they reduce any aquaplaning by a great margin. Also remember, you are investing in yours and your family security/safety but always drive with care, independently of what tyres you decide to run because, even if you do invest in it there are many people on the road that do not and accidents do happen even to the most careful of us. 

[Perc]

 

On snow I's sure you're right, but are you certain for the rest of the time? I'd be interested in any sort of comparative tests results you know of?

 

A summer tyre will easily outperform a winter tyre in summer conditions, which means anywhere above +5°C or so. The soft, flobbery characteristics of a snow tyre is just not ideal in those conditions. But it's nowhere near as bad as a summer tyre on snow or ice. A summer tyre on snow is like bambi on ice. A winter tyre in summer conditions is just "less than ideal".

[Wardy]

Ideal operating conditions are upto 7deg C. Does get a bit 'spongy' beyond that yes.

[rogerzilla]

I had some cheap Nankang SV-2 tyres on an MX-5 and they did the job just fine.  Not the best made, so big balance weights needed, but they kept me moving in an otherwise hopeless-in-snow RWD car, braking on snow was astonishingly good and they had no impact on fuel consumption.  The statement should really be "if it snows, any winter tyre is better than any summer tyre".

[Fake elvis]

Just had some hankook w310 winters fitted today (4 of) at Preston Tyre (very pleasant, and good price) they are soooo quiet compared to the Dunlop fast response that I had fitted previously. I noticed that the rears had worn on the edges on one side, I assume that this is the bushes needing replacement? Anyone have an idea on costs for this? Looking forward to snow now! You can't beat the feeling of some new boots on the car!