Snow.

[silver1011]

I don't need convincing, I've already made the move!

 

 

[Bignij]

In a previous existence, our fitters and electricians drove Transits from home various parts of Northern England to military bases in other various parts of Northern England. We bought them winter tyres and they were instructed to swap them first week in November and then back over when the daffodils started dying off.  They used to relate tales of bemused expressions on 4x4 drivers’ faces when they used to see a 2wd Ford Transit go sailing up hill and down dale effortlessly when they couldn’t get anywhere. 

[Bignij]

4 hours ago, silver1011 said:

I don't need convincing, I've already made the move!

 

 

Your car looks to be the same colour as mine. Road salt gey. 

[silver1011]

Yeah, it's pretty rough out there on the roads!

 

 

[zamitaka]

Haha, you made my day with your comments  I'm going to change my "road salt grey" colour today at the carwash  

[Yogi-Bear]

2 hours ago, zamitaka said:

I'm going to change my "road salt grey" colour today at the carwash

 

Am I the only one who washes off cr@p like that at the end of the day? Or is it just because I'm still suffering from 'new car syndrome' and by next winter I won't care what colour it is? And please don't start on about going to the carwash - you'll have the detailing brigade on you like a bad rash .

[silver1011]

I'd do the same but I already get funny looks from the neighbours from the frequency and duration of my car cleaning / fiddling / adjusting activities 

[zamitaka]

43 minutes ago, WiggosSideburns said:

 

Am I the only one who washes off cr@p like that at the end of the day? Or is it just because I'm still suffering from 'new car syndrome' and by next winter I won't care what colour it is? And please don't start on about going to the carwash - you'll have the detailing brigade on you like a bad rash .

Driving an 8  years old car, and looking forward to the new one, cleaning the old one is not in the top 10 of my priority list

[Bignij]

45 minutes ago, WiggosSideburns said:

 

Am I the only one who washes off cr@p like that at the end of the day?

Probably. I wash mine when time allows rather than the colour of it.

[BoxerBoy]

Mine get washed based upon condition. Not time.

 

Some neighbours wash their 2 white cars every weekend morning. Whether they are dirty or not.

 

Mine get washed twice a week sometimes in this weather. Once a month if they're lucky at other times.

 

I find Tesco's jet wash is good value for £1 at the end of a dirty day / trip.

Button 2 followed by button 4.  No nasty scratchy brush.

 

Was gutted recently to find a Morrisons where minimum price for a jet wash was £3.

I couldn't use all 7.5 minutes. Car did look much better.

 

When weather is nice I even dig out my bucket to complement my jet wash and foam.

[Yogi-Bear]

4 hours ago, silver1011 said:

I already get funny looks from the neighbours from the frequency and duration of my car cleaning / fiddling / adjusting activities

 

They're just jealous.

[BoxerBoy]

Easter Monday jaunt in sunny Scotland. At least 3 seasons if not 4.

 

I pushed the Snow Mode button when I met this.

[zamitaka]

You're making me jealous ... Can't wait for bear to arrive and hit the mountains together

Edited 3 April, 2018 by zamitaka

[MarkSk0da]

I had proper winter tyres for my old Octy and have also bought them for my XE after I got stuck halfway home last winter! They are definitely worth their weight in gold below 7 degrees... BUT for the Kodiaq the best news is that there's a better option for most people... Michelin Crossclimates are now available in 4x4 sizes. They are perfect for the UK climate (unless you live in Northern Scotland perhaps). Not quite full winters but can be kept on all year round, regardless of temps. They even claim decent summer braking performance and better than all season performance. Only need one set of wheels and don't need to keep changing them... I'm a winter tyre convert but am getting Crossclimates ASAP for my Bear... why have to store a second set of wheels when one will do the job?... 

 

Seems these guys have already tried them...

 

https://www.kodiaqforums.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=1249

 

Don't believe me? Watch this... 

 

 

For decent prices on Crossclimates, try http://www.tyreleader.co.uk

Edited 24 January, 2019 by MarkSk0da

[silver1011]

The CrossClimate is an all-season tyre, so nothing new. The only difference is Michelins marketing budget.

 

I run all-seasons on my Superb, but found that the CrossClimates are more summer biased, so went for Goodyear's Vector 4seasons which are more winter biased, and cheaper than the CrossClimates.

[Guest]

I appreciate and understand it is not always necessary or financially viable for everyone to swap over but there are a few added benefits to doing so that appear to be overlooked.

 

Whenever I swap over from my Cold Weather to General tyres I get a four wheel alignment carried out (most garages don't tend to charge for the wheel swap!). This gives me a chance to get the brakes and so on inspected more thoroughly than they are currently done by Skoda who now seem to conduct a 'wheels on' inspection. It also reduces the chances of the wheel bolts seizing*. 

 

The initial cost of purchasing two sets of tyres (or steel wheels and tyres as I have done) is offset by the extended life of both sets of tyres. 

 

My current Nokian CW tyres have seen me through at least 6 winters, and between them and the general tyres, 70-80,000 miles. 

 

The OE Dunlop SP01's were replaced at around 55k and still had loads of tread left. 

 

The current Goodyear Efficient Grip Performance have so far lasted 50k and still have 4-5mm of tread left. 

 

The Nokians will be getting replaced next winter as they are now at 4mm (minimum tread depth for CW tyres to operate effectively) and are showing slight signs of cracking. 

 

All in all I consider that good value for a set of tyres that I got for £340 (the steel wheels were extra) seven years ago. 

 

*there has been two occasions where the wheel bolts were difficult to remove (one of which required a replacement locking wheel nut as it had been gnarled to bits). Both were after they had been tightened by Skoda. 

Edited 25 January, 2019 by Guest

[moondevil]

22 hours ago, MarkSk0da said:

I had proper winter tyres for my old Octy and have also bought them for my XE after I got stuck halfway home last winter! They are definitely worth their weight in gold below 7 degrees... BUT for the Kodiaq the best news is that there's a better option for most people... Michelin Crossclimates are now available in 4x4 sizes. They are perfect for the UK climate (unless you live in Northern Scotland perhaps). Not quite full winters but can be kept on all year round, regardless of temps. They even claim decent summer braking performance and better than all season performance. Only need one set of wheels and don't need to keep changing them... I'm a winter tyre convert but am getting Crossclimates ASAP for my Bear... why have to store a second set of wheels when one will do the job?... 

 

Seems these guys have already tried them...

 

Don't believe me? Watch this... 

 

 

For decent prices on Crossclimates, try http://www.tyreleader.co.uk

 

I just checked out that site you recommended and nearly spit my beer over my laptop! 

 

Can I suggest trying http://www.camskill.co.uk ? Tyreleader want £216 per corner, Camskill is £153. 

 

Used them several times for off-road / winter tyres. Always good service and delivery.

 

Edited 25 January, 2019 by john999boy

[MarkSk0da]

Nice, that's an excellent price!

[MarkSk0da]

On 24/01/2019 at 22:03, silver1011 said:

The CrossClimate is an all-season tyre, so nothing new. The only difference is Michelins marketing budget.

 

I run all-seasons on my Superb, but found that the CrossClimates are more summer biased, so went for Goodyear's Vector 4seasons which are more winter biased, and cheaper than the CrossClimates.

 

Nice, I'll take a look at those too thanks...

 

However, MCC are not the same as all-season, I've done a fair bit of research and they've got a pretty interesting composition:

 

https://www.evo.co.uk/features/15600/michelin-cross-climate-vs-winter-and-all-season-tyres

http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Article/2017-All-Season-VS-Winter-Tyre-Test.htm

https://www.whatcar.com/advice/owning/whats-the-best-all-round-tyre/n1161

https://www.honestjohn.co.uk/wheels-and-tyres/michelin-crossclimate-is-the-first-summer-tyre-that-can-safely-be-left-on-all-winter/

 

See also:

 

 

 

[Ootohere]

Language that gets confusing translated to English & American English.

 

All Seasons are the Summer Tyres Skoda fit to cars imported to the UK for all year so all the seasons.  Pretty crap ECO tyres.

 

All Weather, Winter Tyres, Rain Tyres, Summer Tyres are terms that make more sense than 'All Seasons'   Jack of all trades and master of none.

 

As it is the Michelin CrossClimate with 3 peak marking and winter certification can be all that some need.

 

Michelin say 'CrossClimate vs, Winter, Summer & All Season tyres, so that is them not calling their tyres 'All-Seasons' for different markets.

 

 

Edited 28 January, 2019 by Skoffski

[Dr_Pepper]

Being the sort of person who deliberately ignores weather warnings so that I can have a quick 'play' in the snow, I tried out snow mode in the peak district last weekend. Apart from making the steering much firmer I didn't notice any difference in the amount of slippage on my summer tyres.

Edited 28 January, 2019 by Dr_Pepper
H

[SurreyJohn]

On 25/01/2019 at 01:38, Fin69 said:

<snip>

 

Whenever I swap over from my Cold Weather to General tyres I get a four wheel alignment carried out (most garages don't tend to charge for the wheel swap!). This gives me a chance to get the brakes and so on inspected more thoroughly than they are currently done by Skoda who now seem to conduct a 'wheels on' inspection. It also reduces the chances of the wheel bolts seizing*. 

 

<snip>

 

You are lucky, in London and Surrey tend to want £15-20 to swap wheels, and then charge for alignment on top.   

 

 

[Ootohere]

Lucky for Scotland as well IME that 'most garages do not charge for a wheel swap'. 

Most charge that i know and rightly so, as do Tyre & Exhaust centres.

[silver1011]

3 hours ago, MarkSk0da said:

However, MCC are not the same as all-season, I've done a fair bit of research and they've got a pretty interesting composition:

 

What have Michelin done different?

 

I'd assumed it was all down to the tread pattern and rubber compound, which manufacturers have been playing around with for years with varying levels of success.

 

Have Michelin done something different with the CrossClimate?

[Guest]

25 minutes ago, Skoffski said:

Lucky for Scotland as well IME that 'most garages do not charge for a wheel swap'. 

Most charge that i know and rightly so, as do Tyre & Exhaust centres.

Budget didn't charge, nor did Infiniti Braehead, nor Park's and Henry's Skoda, nor Taggarts Jaguar Motherwell. 

 

The only time I've had the wheel swap as an added cost is Pro-grip in Falkirk. 

 

 

It looks like it's not just the sheep that get fleeced in the NE of Scotland, George