Hi , just thought I would update our progress with the citigo. We decided to go for winter tyres although the winter weather has been relatively mild with the odd freezing morning and be roads .

So we procured the 14" steel wheels, continental winter tyres and arranged fitting

Skoda and other dealers weren't well priced and we ended up buying based on the following:

Skoda 14" steel wheels £150.00

Continental winter tyres 850s (175/65/14) £183.00

Fitting £40.00

So total spend around £373.00 which is around £200!!!! Cheaper than the best dealer price and they wanted to use cheapo winter tyres.

Feedback is the car looks and feels lower and more grippy in today's 3C weather over the 15" alloys with the factory continental tyres.

If anyone is considering it's defiantly worth it in our experience, just don't pay the retail price.

Edited 13 January, 201511 yr by Citigouk

Couldn't justify winter tyres this winter, for money reason (too preoccupied buying more important stuff like... eh... spoiler and diffuser)...

 

Good price though, definite food for thought for next winter! 

I couldn't pay that either due to the two holibobs we have booked this year. £370 is very good though. Well done. I would do it if we had heavier Winters for longer periods.

Driving the bus yesterday evening from Plymouth to Okehampton yesterday evening there wad a total white out in Okehampton. I managed to get back without problems but warned the bus behind me. Not looking forward to this morning's journey but at least it will be light asset 0830.

The good news is winter tyres are much more effective from <7C than all weather normal tyres, so added protection to our citigo in low temps and ICE. So you don't need to use them only for snow only!

 

 

 

http://www.continental-tyres.co.uk/www/tyres_uk_en/themes/van-tyres/winter-tyres/why-winter-tyres.html

 

There is a huge lack of awareness in the UK about winter tyres. Either motorists are not aware they exist or they think that the tyre can only be used during times of heavy snow or ice.

In fact, drivers will benefit from using winter tyres on slush, ice, frost and even wet roads. In fact any time the temperature dips below +7 degrees centigrade, you’re better off on winter tyres. 

 

Why?

Unlike summer tyres (everyday standard tyres in the UK), winter tyres do not harden at lower temperatures. That means they give you a much better grip on the road and the ability to stop in a shorter distance, increasing your safety on the road.

What’s the difference between a winter and a summer tyre?

The rubber compound of a winter tyre is very different to a summer tyre. It is designed specifically to work in temperatures under +7 degrees centigrade.

What happens to a summer tyre when the temperature drops is that the tyre compound loses its flexibility, making it less grippy in low temperatures.

Winter tyres are made from specially developed compound with more natural rubber so they don’t harden when it’s cold, which means increased grip on the road and greater safety.

On ice and snow winter tyres provide grip that no summer tyre can match.  A vehicle fitted with winter tyres will come to standstill on a snow-covered road (from a speed of just 30mph) after 35 metres – with normal tyres the braking distance required is a further 8 metres (43 metres). That is another two car lengths.

Safety during the winter months:

Drivers are six times more likely to have an accident during the winter months, with the numbers rising further when snow and ice add an extra hazard.

During the big freeze at the start of 2010, more than 3 million motorists had an accident and 45 per cent had two or more near misses according to a survey by Continental Tyres.

Nearly half of all accident claims are made during the winter months.

Motorists are unprepared for the wintry conditions when driving, and many are unaware that they can improve safety by switching to winter tyres.

Winter tyres are a legal requirement in other EU countries such as Austria, Germany and Finlandand many offer specific winter recommendations. There is however, no legislation or guidance in this country and most people aren’t even aware of winter tyres. There isn’t anything in the Highway Code on the subject.

When should I fit winter tyres to my car?

It is recommended that you switch to winter tyres in the UK between October and April.

If you are reluctant to change tyres and have nowhere to store summer tyres when they are not in use, you are better off using winter tyres all year round.

Winter tyres are as quiet and comfortable as summer tyres and, thanks to sophisticated compound technology, do not wear any more quickly.

There is a slight trade off with stopping distances as a winter tyre does not stop as quickly in the dry as a summer tyre, however, on balance if it is not possible to switch tyres in the winter, experts say you are better off with winter tyres all year round. This is because the  difference  in  stopping distances of summer tyres in winter is far greater than for winter tyres in the summer.

Watched a video on Skoda's winter tyres, they used two yetis in the video. Definitely looked effective. 

not convinced for the UK. Our temps range over 7C on a daily basis, we dont have ice covered roads, they are normally gritted, or melt above 2C.

we dont have snow covered roads, not in comparison to say finland who never clear their roads and temps stay below -15c.

 

I had an interview at halfords head office , and they were gearing up for a massive sale hype on winter types, purely playing on peoples fears not any real need.

Unless you live in the back roads of scotland where gritters never go, the benefits will rarely become available.

 

PS - winter tyres use way more petrol - so please put that into your sums.

not convinced for the UK. Our temps range over 7C on a daily basis, we dont have ice covered roads, they are normally gritted, or melt above 2C.

we dont have snow covered roads, not in comparison to say finland who never clear their roads and temps stay below -15c.

 

I had an interview at halfords head office , and they were gearing up for a massive sale hype on winter types, purely playing on peoples fears not any real need.

Unless you live in the back roads of scotland where gritters never go, the benefits will rarely become available.

 

PS - winter tyres use way more petrol - so please put that into your sums.

 

I live up a hill in Scotland, and I'd disagree with the first part. It's definitely not a patch on Finland, but I'd say it's still worth it for most of the central belt, we tend not to get much over 6-7c, and even main roads not the back roads are bad the second snow/ice/cold hits. The Scottish gritters are fairly atrocious. I often see them when the weather is 8-10 Celsius at the start/end of winter, but rarely during winter. And I'm talking, even on the major motorways (M8/M9)!

 

I'd rather compromise on MPG for a few months of the year (it goes down at this time of the year anyway) to gain road safety and better control.

I can't speak for England, because I've never been in England at winter, but I'd assume that winter tyres are a sensible move for a vast percentage of the population; basically most who are outside of cities - and by which, I don't just mean rural areas, but also suburban cul-de-sacs, and housing estates. And I'd suggest that my assumption is probably correct based on the number of people who purchase winter tyres in the UK, they're not all wasting money.

 

Also, when for a car, insurance and other car related things, I'm sure most would be willing to fork out that money even if it was just useful for one day of the winter. The cost of having an accident is far more expensive in most cases than £370, and a life is priceless. The point of winter tyres is to minimise that risk, and they do that on a daily basis, even within the UK.

I'm not convinced by the winter tyres. We don't fit special winter tyres on buses! Totally agree with you comment "life is priceless".

Not huge consumption difference between summer and winter tyres really. And we use even more softer winter tyres here in Finland. Now it's +4 c in Helsinki area and snow is melting fast, again. Global warming is reality. It gives you abnormal weather as well if I'm right. More snow and when it comes, plenty of it?

What I'm trying to say is, that we cannot live without decent winter tyres here in Finland. Based on that I cannot realise why anyone even try to drive on snow with summer tyres. You just cannot get anywhere as wheels are spinning all the time. It just more pleasant to drive with winter tyres on snow. And that's what my finnish friend who lives in UK says as well.

 

Auto Express test in Youtube:

 

Winter tyres v summer tyres

 

Edited 14 January, 201511 yr by Emil

every british winter averages below 7C.

 

they are not snow tyres. They out perform summer tyres in all conditions below 7C . I work for the emergancy services in Cumbria, I was on last night, we wouldnt even have got the ambulance up the back streets to peoples houses last night without winters, and would probably have struggles in the snow on the M6 like every one else (all the crashes were just stupid)

 

winter tyres are worth their weight in Gold, unless maybe you live in Devon/Cornwall...

 

dont make me bombard people with video proof!

 

and they don't cost ANY more, you are doing the SAME number of miles on ONE set of tyres.... you will be replacing your summers after double the time of someone who says it doesn't justify the cost ...... do the maths..

And I live in Devon lol.....

And I live in Devon lol.....

It does make a difference! our weather up here is very different to yours that should be taken into account

 

we run winters on our ambulances ALL YEAR, our independent tests showed it was better that way, over the period of the whole year, the fleet was better on winters than summers for overall performance... i.e how they stop in summer on wet with winter/summer tyres on ect was all taken into account..... plus how long the snow stays on the tops...

I totally agree and would have winter tyres if I lived up norf.

That'll be the day when we need winter tyres on the South coast [emoji6]

Never used them in 32 years of driving [emoji4]

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

All, your welcome to make your own informed decision if you feel you and your family need winter tyres.

Based in the wilds of east anglia, many roads are not gritted,cleared or even resurfaced and have lots of standing water which could form ice.

And the road position is getting worse not better with cut backs etc

My original thread was to inform what the actual cost could be to try and remove the potential cost argument and if a citigo owner was considering they will have a price target and not get legged up by stealer.

We went for the best winter tyres on the market and it would be easy to go for the Korean budget tyre option and save few more ££

With the citigo used as my child's transport I felt with the above worsening conditions and lack of road maintenance it was a wise choice to go for winter tyres.

I'm not convinced by the winter tyres. We don't fit special winter tyres on buses! Totally agree with you comment "life is priceless".

 

Maybe we should?

 

 

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2909497/Grit-bear-Motorists-warned-thundersnow-hits-Britain-4-inches-falling-places-36-hours-weather-woe-way.html

PS - winter tyres use way more petrol - so please put that into your sums.

 

I'm not sure what winter tyres you use but mine improve fuel economy.

 

Avon Ice Tourer's.

My original thread was to inform what the actual cost could be to try and remove the potential cost argument and if a citigo owner was considering they will have a price target and not get legged up by stealer.

 

 

This. Absolutely mate. Can't see what the problem is. 

The topic is really useful, to be honest could do with being pinned - a lot of useful information for anyone who's considering winter tyres this winter or future winters to prep their Citigo to a Citisnow! (Of course, we've covered how winter tyres work for more than just snow in this topic, I'm just being attempting to be... punny. 

 

 

PS - winter tyres use way more petrol - so please put that into your sums.

 

 

 

Not intending to enter in to this subject in any depth as I've done so too many times in the past - and each of us do what we feel is best (or, in the case of some individuals) cheapest.  And of course each of us have different circumstances,  priorities, financial constraints etc.

 

I happen to use Dunlop  "winters" in winter on my Yeti (on a spare set of Skoda steel wheels) and Goodyear "All-Seasons"  all the year round on our little i10.

 

But what I'm not happy with is someone, who doesn't have them fitted, stating, in a seemingly authoritative and knowledgeable fashion, that "winters use way more petrol".  

 

So I now ask that I, and other interested parties, be advised of the statistics and/or tangible evidence that prove beyond reasonable doubt that winter tyres categorically increase mpg when compared, presumably, with standard "summer" tyres....because that is what "stooz" is stating as a matter of fact...........not a personal opinion or a suggestion that it might be the case, but fact...apparently that "winter tyres use way more petrol".

I've been geting really annoyed with road gritting recently - I seem to be going to work just when the gritters are putting down a fresh layer. My year-old car was sandblasted by a gritter for the first time a few days ago, and every time I hear a grain of grit hitting the front/under the car, I just know there's a patch of rust which will be visible next winter :( Especially on exposed metal like the radiator & other engine parts.

 

So, yesterday I bought an underbody (gentle) nozzle for my pressure washer.

 

Personally I think there's an argument for not gritting so much, or perhaps looking at less corrosive compounds, or maybe lowering tax on winter compund tyres so that they can in turn spend less on gritting.

Edited 14 January, 201511 yr by smargh

 

Our temps range over 7C on a daily basis, we dont have ice covered roads, they are normally gritted, or melt above 2C.

we dont have snow covered roads, not in comparison to say finland who never clear their roads and temps stay below -15c.

 

Maximum air temperature might be over 7C on a daily basis, but most people commute early or late in the day when temperatures are much cooler. Met Office figures show that even in London, the average maximum daily temperature is 7C or less for December through February.

 

Goodyear suggest using winter tyres if ambient is consistently below -5C, and all-season tyres if ambient is consistently below 7C but above -5C.

But what I'm not happy with is someone, who doesn't have them fitted, stating, in a seemingly authoritative and knowledgeable fashion, that "winters use way more petrol".  

 

....because that is what "stooz" is stating as a matter of fact...........not a personal opinion or a suggestion that it might be the case, but fact...apparently that "winter tyres use way more petrol".

 

fair enough I dont have a vast amount of statistics - im going off a single case of I tried them. they werent great and my fuel use went up. It was meant to come across as an opinion not authoritative.

Ive traveled and driven in many snowy countries with my standard car on standard tyres, and winter tyres would be ace on snow, but on the few occasions its snowed in the UK, the depth caused the car to bottom out on the snow which makes the grip of the tyres irrelevant which was hilarious; my citigo would be too low to the ground.

 

My comment was purely my opinion on my experience - great in snow, bit irrelevant on purely cold temperatures I find in the UK - midlands based. everyones personal use is different.

I wasnt trying to cause a storm

 

Interesting point made "they perform better below 7c" - how do they perform above 7c compared to normal road tyres? ie how long do you leave them on for before deciding its not cold often enough to leave them on? or how much better or worse is braking in summer temps? the same?

 

as for purchase cost - seems like a good deal.

So I now ask that I, and other interested parties, be advised of the statistics and/or tangible evidence that prove beyond reasonable doubt that winter tyres categorically increase mpg when compared, presumably, with standard "summer" tyres....

 

One problem, as I see it, is that there isn't a standard summer tyre. It bothers me that people make comparisons between imaginary summer, all-season and winter tyres, as if any one specific tyre is fully representative of the category. For example, when people decry all-season tyres as being a jack of all trades, they seem to compare with the best summer tyres and the best winter tyres, but when people buy tyres they often don't choose the best summer or best winter tyre for their cars.

 

FWIW I found an improvement in economy when we swapped to winter tyres on our Octavia; it might be as much due to the winter tyres being narrower, or that the combination of steel wheel and winter tyre weighs less than the alloy wheel and summer tyre. Similarly there was an improvement in economy when we fitted all-season tyres to our Fabia, but that might also be due to the replacement wheel/tyre combination being narrower and lighter.

 

Interesting point made "they perform better below 7c" - how do they perform above 7c compared to normal road tyres? ie how long do you leave them on for before deciding its not cold often enough to leave them on? or how much better or worse is braking in summer temps? the same?.

 

Goodyear, which makes summer, all-season and winter tyres that generally perform well in brand comparative tests, say that summer tyres should only be used when ambient is consistently above 7C, that winter tyres should be used when ambient is consistently below -5C, and that all-season tyres should be used between. Continental, who don't make an all-season tyre, say that it in the UK it is safer to use a winter tyre throughout the year than to do the same with a summer tyre,

 

The thing is, though, that different tyres have varying strengths and weaknesses, with specific performance characteristics that tail off at different rates when used outside their design temperature range.

 

For a broad brush view, it seems that winter and all-season tyres tend to perform better than like for like summer tyres in the wet when ambient is below 7C. In the dry summer tyres seem perform reasonably well down to somewhere around 0C.

 

We've found that all-season tyres (Hankook Optimo 4S, Vredestein Quatrac 3) perform well all year round, so don't bother changing them. We've also found that our winter tyres (Vredestein Snowtrac 3) tail off as temperatures get into double figures. In our part of the country, (east Berkshire), the average maximum temperature is 7C or less in December, January and February, so I aim to fit the winter tyres towards the end of November then return to summer tyres in March or April.

fair enough I dont have a vast amount of statistics - im going off a single case of I tried them. they werent great and my fuel use went up. It was meant to come across as an opinion not authoritative.

Ive traveled and driven in many snowy countries with my standard car on standard tyres, and winter tyres would be ace on snow, but on the few occasions its snowed in the UK, the depth caused the car to bottom out on the snow which makes the grip of the tyres irrelevant which was hilarious; my citigo would be too low to the ground.

 

My comment was purely my opinion on my experience - great in snow, bit irrelevant on purely cold temperatures I find in the UK - midlands based. everyones personal use is different.

I wasnt trying to cause a storm

 

Interesting point made "they perform better below 7c" - how do they perform above 7c compared to normal road tyres? ie how long do you leave them on for before deciding its not cold often enough to leave them on? or how much better or worse is braking in summer temps? the same?

 

as for purchase cost - seems like a good deal.

I do wish people would stop thinking of winter tyre as only for snow. I think this probably comes from the sort of tyres our continental cousins use, i.e. Studded. These are for ice and snow whereas our winter tyres are for below 7C and get their improved performance from a different compound and tread pattern and are NOT defined as only for snow.

I have serious doubts about an increase in fuel consumption but even if it was proved what would you prefer, slightly worse MPG or vastly improved traction and BRAKING in poor conditions?

 

Fred 

Remember winter tyres are all but free.

 

Whilst you are running your winter tyres your summer tyres are sleeping in the garage - not getting worn.

 

Yes, there is the upfront cost of buying four new tyres but after that both sets now last twice as long.

 

Generally winter tyres are smaller too so the saving here offsets the cost of the steel rims that they are fitted too.

 

For the sake of an hour twice a year to swap them over then I'm not sure why you wouldn't fit them.

 

Generally people who have been in a tricky situation in harsh conditions or sat on a motorway all night have them, those yet to experience a loss of traction or underpant filling situation carry on oblivious to the benefits. IMO of course :sun: