Winter tyre pressures

[Clive]

I've just bought a set of winter wheels and tyres for the Yeti from john999boy , and being new to the winter tyre malarky I'm not sure what pressures to use . They're 215/65/16 Goodyear Ultragrip 8 tyres , any recommendations would be appreciated.

 

Oh and thanks very much for delivering them to me today John , top bloke  :thumbup:

[eribaMotters]

I have just fitted my Nokian for the winter yesterday. You usually run them at 0.2 bar higher than "normal". I generally travel empty so have set my all at 2.4 bar.

 

Colin

[john999boy]

I used to have them at that pressure too.

[Ootohere]

& you set them in the kind of ambient temperature you are driving in, not in a heated garage / building.

[Clive]

Ta chaps , my normal pressures are 2.2 so I've put 2.4 in the winter tyres , just need the  to stop now so I can get them on the car  :S

 

Edited 6 November, 2016 by Clive

[ejstubbs]

I have just fitted my Nokian for the winter yesterday. You usually run them at 0.2 bar higher than "normal".

 

Same here.  I believe it does actually state this in the manual.

 

Hmm...turns out that it used to state this, up to and including in the May 2012 edition of the manual.  I can't find it in the May 2013 edition, or later.  Whether the advice was wrong, or they just decided to leave it out, is not clear.

 

I'm planning to fit a set of Michelin Cross Climates soon.  It's not clear to me whether these be run at 'summer' tyre pressures, winter tyre pressures, at different pressures in summer vs winter, or what.  ISTR that Michelin used to state the recommended pressures for their tyres on their web site.  It seems that they've now just fallen back on "check your manual".  Not particularly helpful, given that the advice in the manual appears to have changed over time!

 

This web site puts forward some hypotheses about why the old advice might be correct.  I'm not sure any of them are totally convincing, nor have I yet found any other source which might corroborate these ideas.  This other web site, on the other hand, says: "It is not necessary to inflate winter tyres differently than you would summer tyres."  The AA seems uncharacteristically unhelpful on the matter.

 

Anyone know of a definitive answer from an authoritative source (preferably more than one such)?

Edited 6 November, 2016 by ejstubbs

[Ootohere]

For running Michelin Cross Climate go to the Michelin websites, they did Winter Tyre advice for years.

Run the pressures that suits the vehicles tyre size & load carried at the time and and check the tyre pressures are correct as the weather changes or your use does.

You are only running on the roads which will be treated and under inflated tyres can heat up and wear, be that Summer or Winter or anytime.

http://michelin.ie/tyres/learn-share/care-guide/cold-weather-tips

Recommended tyre pressures in Fuel Filler Flap or Owners Manuals.

Edited 6 November, 2016 by Offski

[Expatman]

I was told to run winter tyres at same pressure as summer tyres. After three winters no problem. Increasing pressure just makes the ride bouncier.

[logiclee]

I have cross climates on the Octavia and run them 2psi above recommended pressure. At standard pressure I get a little more road noise and a bit more understeer than I would like. 

They seem to have softer sidewalls than standard summer rubber so a bit more pressure seems to compensate.

 

I've been very pleased with them.

 

Lee

[Ootohere]

Were you running them last winter through cold weather at 2 psi above the recommended pressure, or has this been during the summer and last winter?

[logiclee]

Were you running them last winter through cold weather at 2 psi above the recommended pressure, or has this been during the summer and last winter?

 

Yes, through last winter as well.

 

Grip on snow was nearly as good as the Goodyear Ultra Grip 8's I had on the Fabia and the Sottozero's I had on the Passat.

 

Grip on Ice is not as good as a dedicated winter but still far better than a summer tyre. 

 

Lee

[ejstubbs]

For running Michelin Cross Climate go to the Michelin websites, they did Winter Tyre advice for years.

Run the pressures that suits the vehicles tyre size & load carried at the time and and check the tyre pressures are correct as the weather changes or your use does.

You are only running on the roads which will be treated and under inflated tyres can heat up and wear, be that Summer or Winter or anytime.

http://michelin.ie/tyres/learn-share/care-guide/cold-weather-tips

Recommended tyre pressures in Fuel Filler Flap or Owners Manuals.

 

Now  that is interesting.  Your link includes this statement (emphasis is mine):

 

• If you set your pressures in a warm garage or workshop, add 0.2 bar (3psi) to the vehicle manufacturers’ recommended pressures. This will ensure that you compensate for the cold temperature and run at the correct pressures.

 

which seems to provide an explanation for the advice to add 0.2bar for winter tyres.

 

Since my car lives outdoors all year round, I don't intend to add the 0.2bar in future.

[Ootohere]

I ran Michelin Cross Climates for a while last winter on my Volvo at the recommended tyre pressures.

(i changed them to Tigar Winter (snow) tyres made in the Michelin owned factory and have had these on all this year.)

The Cross Climate are good enough, but just that, an all season that suits getting caught out in snow / ice, good in the wet, classed as a Summer tyre that gets 3 peak certification for winter.

Not much money and run all year, job done. All season tyres.

Edited 6 November, 2016 by Offski

[x19]

The Nokian website states winter tyres should be run at 0.2 bar above summer pressures. It also mentions that if they are set in an environment which is +20 deg.c and the external temperature is -10 deg.c they should be set at 0.3 bar above summer pressure.

[logiclee]

I ran Michelin Cross Climates for a while last winter on my Volvo at the recommended tyre pressures.

(i changed them to Tigar Winter (snow) tyres made in the Michelin owned factory and have had these on all this year.)

The Cross Climate are good enough, but just that, an all season that suits getting caught out in snow / ice, good in the wet, classed as a Summer tyre that gets 3 peak certification for winter.

Not much money and run all year, job done. All season tyres.

 

I'd agree but would add the all seasons I've tried in the past are pretty compromised in summer, the cross climates far less so and far quieter on hot dry motorways than Goodyear Vector 4's which weren't that good in snow either.

 

I've tried all seasons before but allways gone back to summer/winter combo. The Cross Climates are the first "All Seasons" I feel comfortable with.

 

Lee

Edited 6 November, 2016 by logiclee

[coldplug]

I use same pressure as summer tyres. However, if I get into very deep snow, I like to lower pressure 30%, so that tyre gets little bit wider at the bottom, so it sinks into snow less deep.

[Urrell]

if I get into very deep snow, I like to lower pressure 30%, so that tyre gets little bit wider at the bottom, so it sinks into snow less deep.

 

I thought it was generally accepted that a narrower tyre would bite thru snow more to give better grip.

[Ootohere]

Not many are out in Britain other than on roads that are opened after being ploughed, gritted and driven on. 

And considering many cant be bothered checking tyre pressures unless there is a TPMS warning, they are not into putting air back into 4 tyres. 

[coldplug]

I thought it was generally accepted that a narrower tyre would bite thru snow more to give better grip.

 

Hello,

Sure narrower tyres are better if you intend to sink down to the bottom of the snow and grip the road actually. It is just fine for small snow depth. But if snow depth is larger than your ground clearance then you basically can't reach the road with tyre and your front bumper start to plow the snow in front of the car which makes you stuck easy. Then it is better to not sink deep and stay as high as possible to avoid pushing too much snow with your bumper... In that case wider tyres are better choice.. I hope it makes sense

 

See here how I actually "float" above snow even if it is much deeper than ground clearence here:

 

 

Yes it was pretty hard packed so it wasn't too difficult to stay above it, but still, narrower tyres would sink much deeper and car would stuck with front bumper more easy.

Edited 6 November, 2016 by coldplug

[The Plumber]

As others have said Skoda seams to have stopped advising the addition of 0.2 bar for winter tyres in some of their manuals, although I note my Seat Rapid clone's handbook still includes this statement.

 

However I've stopped adding this extra pressure after getting very 'floaty' steering on a previous Octavia III when fitted with winters with the addition of the 0.2 bar, which went away once the pressures were reduced to summer tyre recommendations. Also I've noticed higher wear in the centre of the tread with more modern winter patterns, again summer pressures results in more even wear.

 

Likewise our V40's CrossClimates, which I've been very impressed with, are also run at the standard recommended pressures.

 

 

TP

[ejstubbs]

The Nokian website states winter tyres should be run at 0.2 bar above summer pressures. It also mentions that if they are set in an environment which is +20 deg.c and the external temperature is -10 deg.c they should be set at 0.3 bar above summer pressure.

 

Could you post the link to that, please?  I did look on the Nokian site but failed to find anything useful.

 

Strike that, I found it.  It seems to be saying much the same as the Michelin site, only in a more convoluted and less clear way.

Edited 6 November, 2016 by ejstubbs

[Urrell]

Could you post the link to that, please?  I did look on the Nokian site but failed to find anything useful.

https://www.nokiantyres.com/innovation/facts-about-tyres/tyre-inflation-pressures/

[Clive]

Winter wheels on , gosh my camera is rubbish 

 

 

[Cumbrian28]

While preparing to put the winter wheels on I notice that my FL Yeti now has different advice under the fuel filler flap. There is an "Eco" setting 0.3 bar above normal, I am not using this at the moment, but it does suggest that pressures above the nominal 2.2 are acceptable. I plan to add 0.2 to the usual summer pressures for my Nokians, as per the previous 3 winters. The Nokians don't appear to be wearing excessively in the centre.

[muddyboots]

Both the Michelin and Nokian pages linked to above, imply the "extra 0.2bar" people talk about is only needed if you're setting the pressures when the car is in a warmer environment (eg a warm garage) than it's going to be used in.

So if you're checking/setting pressures outside in typical ambient usage temps, and the tyres are cold, then normal pressures should be used as far as I can see.