Hi

I am new to this, thread.

Do you really need to change all 4 wheels to winter tyres? As most of us has front drive Skoda's, would it be possible to change just the front wheels to winter tyres??

I know this is a new thing in the UK to change to winter tyres, but do we need to change all 4 wheels??

Steve

But surely you want grip from all 4 wheels?

Change all 4. If the rear has no grip you will spin when you brake.

But

If the drive is coming from the front, and most of the braking come from the front!!!

I'm sure I read somewhere that if you were only going to replace two wheels then do the rear as it stops your back end sliding.

Anyway got 4 new 16" alloys with Goodyear Ultra Grip 9's on, ready to put on around November time.

Cost me just under £600 from www.mrwinterwheels.co.uk

Hi

I am new to this, thread.

Do you really need to change all 4 wheels to winter tyres? As most of us has front drive Skoda's, would it be possible to change just the front wheels to winter tyres??

I know this is a new thing in the UK to change to winter tyres, but do we need to change all 4 wheels??

Steve

If you like seeing the back end of your car overtake the front when you brake going downhill on snow or ice go for it and just fit 2.

FYI

I live in a part of the UK (Cambridge), where if we get an inch of snow, that's a lot. Plus it causes travel chaos.

But I as travel to France a lot, and last year I was snowed in for a couple days with over a foot of snow - I have never seen a foot of snow before!!

I had to wait for the next door farmer to clear the road with his tractor. We don't get the council snow ploughs in rual Normandy!

But I still wonder that as all the power goes to the front wheels, most of the braking comes from the front wheels. The back wheels only follow where the fronts go!

Do you fit snow chains on all 4 wheels? Sorry this is serious question. I don't know as I have never had any dealings with them.

I am sure I will now find out.

Steve

http://www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/safety/winter-tyres-and-snow-chains.html

If you go to a country where you must have winter tyres, you will be done for just having two.

 

As said above, if you only have them on the front, you will likely spin when you brake and/or corner.

 

Regarding snow chains, if you're in conditions that require them, you are not going to be driving very fast anyway. I have comfortably done 40 on winter tyres in the snow and wouldn't try cheaping out with just two. I know someone who did and had to be pulled out of a field by a tractor as they went around a corner and came off backwards.

Yep, snow chains are for use in DEEP snow, you are lucky if you are going more than 20 mph in those conditions. You only need chains on the driven wheels.

 

Winter tyres (notice not snow tyres) must be fitted as a full set. They are for when temperatures are below 7 degrees; be that clear roads, rain, slush, snow or ice. 

When the temperature drops below 7 degrees the rubber on summer tyres hardens giving less grip, the driver feels the loss of grip and slows down allowing for safe driving.

 

If winter tyres are fitted onto the front two wheels only, the driver cannot tell when the rear tyres have reduced grip and in corners can drive in excess of the speed the rear tyres can provide grip allowing the rear end to spin around the front.

Ok

Thanks for the advice, you have sold it to me. 4 is the way to go. If you don't ask the silly question, you don't get the correct answer!

Thanks guys.

Ok

Thanks for the advice, you have sold it to me. 4 is the way to go. If you don't ask the silly question, you don't get the correct answer!

Thanks guys.

 

You've made the right choice. Many years ago when I was young and broke I would buy a banger for as little as possible and drive it until it wasn't worth fixing, then do it all again. I had bought a Ford Orion for £300 and it had tyres that were both old and the cheap/nasty sort. Fine in the dry, but in the wet it wanted to go straight on at all speeds, zero front end grip. I bought a pair of Uniroyal Rainsport tyres (iirc) and put them on the front, and the very next day in a deluge I hit the brakes (still pointing it in a straight line) and knew instantly that I was in deep trouble. When I actually reached the roundabout I did the full 360, but somehow got around the island and finished up at the exit on the far side pointing in the right direction, which would have looked great in a film except that I'd stalled it and was too shocked to react for about 10 seconds afterwards. I am eternally grateful to the two cars waiting to join the roundabout on my left, who waited and gave me the space to dance alone. I am convinced that they should have had enough space to pull out in front of me and be gone, but obviously spotted the lack of control and lack of stopping ability hurtling down the road towards them.

 

Having learnt the hard way about lift off oversteer, that car became great fun in the wet on an empty road at 15mph, but anything over 25mph was nothing other than frightening! Needless to say it didn't stay that way for long.

Thanks Greek42 for your support

Now I need to think about which one my "fleet" I need to fit winter tyres to!

To be honest, I can't see me using my vRS in bad weather - to much money invested in it!

So do I fit them to the wife's Roomster, or my Monte? Which I assume will be the same size wheels and tyres !!

Anybody running 205 50 R17 as winter tyres?

Anybody running 205 50 R17 as winter tyres?

 

I've just ordered a set of Dezent TD Graphite wheels for my vRS (17" 7J ET48 5x112) finished with a set of Conti Wintercontact TS 850P 205 50 R17 93V

From the information I could gather, 205 50 R17 is a homologated tyre size for the Octavia 5E  & gives identical rolling radius to the original 18" wheels.

It was also the standard tyre size offered by most of the online tyre websites when I selected the Octavia & 17" wheels.

Will post a picture when they arrive.

I have also ordered the Dezent TD, but in 16" and not the graphite! I will be using my existing 205 55 R16 winter tyres that I had on my previous car. Interestingly they are coming from Poland and are currently in Holland according to the tracking number.

I've just ordered a set of Dezent TD Graphite wheels for my vRS (17" 7J ET48 5x112) finished with a set of Conti Wintercontact TS 850P 205 50 R17 93V

From the information I could gather, 205 50 R17 is a homologated tyre size for the Octavia 5E  & gives identical rolling radius to the original 18" wheels.

It was also the standard tyre size offered by most of the online tyre websites when I selected the Octavia & 17" wheels.

Will post a picture when they arrive.

This what I am intending to buy. I might go for the lower priced Nokian WR D3 though but definitely 205 wide

Got to take one wheel in for repair as it's got a damaged rim, just hope mother nature doesn't throw a complete U turn & decide to snow in the next two weeks. 

Confused over rims so need help

Hand book says 6J x 16 Depth  48 mm 205/55/16

 

But the rims I've seen state offset 48 mm and Bore 57.1 (as well as the 6J x 16).

 

Are Octy IIIs 5 x 112?

 

So are these OK (or does anyone know cheaper ones)

http://www.oponeo.co.uk/steel-wheel/magnetto-wheels-mw-r1-1851

Wheel size: 6,00Jx16 Spacing: 5x112 Offset: 48.00 Central Bore: 57.1
 

Yes them wheels will fit the octy 3

Yes them wheels will fit the octy 3

Ta

Or for completeness, they will fit all octy 3, bar the vrs.

Or for completeness, they will fit all octy 3, bar the vrs.

Ta +1

Or for completeness, they will fit all octy 3, bar the vrs.

Yes that right that why I've had to buy 18" alloys and tyre for my octy vRS

17s fit on the new VRS.