Winter Tyres

[juan27]

Bizarre though it may seem as the heatwave just ratchets down a little, I have been thinking about winter tyres for my 245.  After selling my 17" winter wheels used on my Mk2 VRS last year I ran my VRS 245 through the winter on summer tyres, but the Beast from the East experience has me thinking of getting winters again (I do live out in the sticks with hills involved in most of the ways out of the village).

 

I was thinking of 18s this time, but any thoughts on tyres?  Most 225/40x18 winter tyres are a V speed rating, do I really need to stick to the same rating as the summers?  Any thoughts on brands?  I'm leaning towards Vredestein Wintrac Extreme S at the moment.   Is there anything cheaper that doesn't involve unacceptable compromises?

 

I hope this won't degenerate into a big for/against winter wheels thing (again).    

 

[brettikivi]

I wouldn't worry about the speed ratings in the UK. If you're not going to Germany for skiing, you're not going to be doing more than 120km/h anyway.

 

If you can find the 18s at a decent price, go for it. I would have thought 17s to be cheaper, but tyre pricing is a fickle thing.

 

 - Bret

[Black_Sheep]

The higher speed ratings generally have a higher load index rating too - if you have the combi/estate version and carry heavy loads during winter then you should consider this too.

 

The higher load index means that the tyre walls are thicker/stiffer and therefore (disclaimer: my opinion!) are better on bends/under heavy braking when driving on winter tyres.

 

Wintrac extremes are v good all-round tyres - only complaint is that they are a bit noisy (and thus fuel economy would not have been as good as a tyre with lower rolling resistance). I ran them for 3 seasons on my Mk2 Octy VRS / Leon Mk3 FR in Germany - good in snow and on autobahn. Wear was very good too, especially compared to the considerably more expensive / ADAC highly recommended Bridgestone Blizzaks I was running on the Mk3 VRS!

Edited 9 August, 2018 by Black_Sheep

[Wardy]

Wintracs are good, have run them before. Would also recommend Pirelli SottoZero and my current weapon of choice - Michelin Alpin A5s. Probably the best I've ever used, but perhaps that's as much to do with the continual development of tyre tech and compounds from all the bigger players.

 

A V-speed rating is probably quite common for that tyre size; I'd probably stick with those. I have H-rated with the Yeti currently, on a 225/50/17.

 

There's probably truth in the sidewalls being stiffer in a higher rated tyre, all I'd say is that I don't want the sidewall to be overly stiff on a winter type, to help get the tyre and tread gripping and 'keyed in' to the surface.

[pist0nbr0ke]

I ran Wintrac Extremes in 225 40 18 on mine for the last two winters, no complaints.

 

Although mine is 4x4, I haven't found them squirmy or understeery in just damp, greasy conditions like I have with other winter tyres. Good VFM I would say.

 

To be fair, Michelin Cross Climates seem to get very good reviews if you only want one set of wheels. (I prefer to have two sets - my winter wheels are much easier to clean when the roads are sh***y, and I lessen the risk of damaging the summer wheels. )

[Warrior193]

My understanding regarding speed rating is that providing the tyre rating is not less than the maximum attainable speed of the vehicle, everything will be OK. Tyres should run  cooler in winter anyway, even with the softer compound.

I particularly like the Michelin Alpin 5s I have been running for the past 2 years (on 16 inch steels) but the only previous winter tyres I have run was the Dunlop SP44 many moons ago, as on my avatar. 

[Esseesse200]

I use nokians for my 18’s in winter and have done for years. They last about 4 seasons and they work beautifully both here and on the autobahns 

[Gabbo]

I dont think you can go wrong with any premium branded winter tyres.

I've always had ContiWinterContact 850 because the TCS (RAC equivelant in Switzerland) always do a winter tyre report each year.

Every year the Contis are at the top & so the all the garages stock them making the price conciderably cheaper than other equivelant tyres from Pirelli, Bridgestone etc etc

 

I went for 17"s for my vRS & have no complaints but with a vRS you have to be careful with clearance over the calipers as not all 17" wheels will fit.

Mine needed low profile weights and leaves only a few mms clearance to the caliper.

[ScoutCJB]

Vrederstein Wintrac Extremes were and still are a very good tyre - I ran them on my A4 Quattro in 2012 however that particular design is a few years old now.  The Extreme S was the replacement and in the last few years of tyre tests (that Autobild and similair organisations do annually)  they dint do as well as the competitors.  Dont get me wrong, they will be far better than 'summer' tyres and the likes of Wanli, Fortuna, Rotall, Falken etc . 

 

The Continental Winter Contact 860 won the last few years and is £14 a tyre more - Ive run them on 2 different cars and they are a good, reasonably quiet, well wearing tyre.

[flybynite]

As above. Conti Winter Contact TS860 on mine for last 2 years and they are a very impressive tyre. TS850 and TS830 still used on other machines and they have got better every generation. For winter tyres in the UK you need tyres that are good when it is cold and wet, not just on snow. 

 

It is not speed that kills tyres it is heat. Speed is only one of the ways you can put heat in a tyre. You can put damaging amounts of heat into a tyre without going over the speed limit. The more powerful the car the easier it is to do that. That is one of the reasons why cars have different speed ratings when limit is 70.

 

Because the compound in winter tyres is softer than summers it moves more and generates more heat. If you get a warmish dry day in the winter and decide to press on a bit you will be putting a lot of heat in the tyres.  V-rated tyres are listed for mine so that is what I use, especially for winter tyres as they stay on the car for warmer periods in the winter.

 

As ever you need to consider where you drive, when you drive, how you drive and whether you have to drive if conditions are less than ideal for the car. Then do some research and pick the tyre that best suits those needs. Everybody's needs are different which is why there are and will always be different opinions on this.

 

 

 

[fabdavrav]

Michelin Alpin A5 in 225/45R17.....nice & comfy..& on TD Pro Race five spokes for easy clean & no snow buildup...

[Ootohere]

Best stick with the higher Speed Rating with the winter tyres if you are in the south and doing most of your driving there or on the Continent and maybe fitting the tyres on Oct / November and they are on until March / April because there will be many many days and nights where the Winter Tyre is not needed compared to the few days in half the year you will benefit from them being fitted.

If you are just changing wheels / tyres as severe weather hits or road conditions require then maybe go with the lower speed rating.

[Sangrail]

I used to have 205/55r16 Michelin Alpin on my Octavia 1, but have just had Dunlop Winter Sport 5 205/60r16 put on a spare set of alloys for my current Mk3 Scout. AFAIK both kinds are H (131mph) rated.

The Dunlops seemed to do well in the latest German ADAC test - hence the change of brand.

[logiclee]

I've swapped winter/summer on all our 3 cars since 2006. Only use premium brands all been fine.

 

But a couple of years ago I tried Crossclimates on our Mk2 Ocatvia. In summer I've not noticed any difference and in winter they perform 90% as good on snow as a full winter.

 

So good enough for the English winter with the odd drive across the peak district.

 

As my other tyres wear out I'll be fitting cross climates across all our vehicles.

 

Whether they are good enough in summer for someone who likes to drive a 245 at 10/10ths I couldn't say but good enough for anyone who enjoys good handling and the odd spirited drive on UK B roads.

 

Lee

[juan27]

Thanks for all the responses....summer tyres on the VRS245 are Y speed rating which limits my choices if sticking with that for 225/40 X 18 winters.

[BigEjit]

I used these reviews to decide 'how much of a winter tyre' to pick for a second set of wheels instead of replacing the tyres on Xtremes. Went for Goodyear Vector 4 season in 18" as its slightly firmer than a full winter and able to handle mild winter weather without being too squishy but still delivers snow performance. 4x4 on the Vrs helped with the decision too. Worked a treat in foot deep snow last March.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[DavidY]

10 hours ago, logiclee said:

But a couple of years ago I tried Crossclimates on our Mk2 Ocatvia. In summer I've not noticed any difference and in winter they perform 90% as good on snow as a full winter.

...

As my other tyres wear out I'll be fitting cross climates across all our vehicles.

I've been using Crossclimates too, which also seem to be lasting well.

It seems like a good compromise without the hassle of changing from summers to and from winters.
I definitely plan to fit them again next time.

[WallMeerkat]

Had crossclimates on my old Saab, had them fitted to my wife's Leon, and last weekend fitted to the Octavia.

 

Only the ones I got are now crossclimate+, which seem to be a different compound?

 

On the Leon they're lasting well and it was like a mountain goat in the bad snow last winter.

 

A good compromise I reckon between a summer tyre and the occasional wintry weather we get, even last winter being bad it was a week here and there rather than months at a time like Scandinavia get.

[rob_e]

@juan27 i have a full set of 18"s in the garage with goodyear winters on.  i'm in the process of ordering a new car which will most likely take me away from vag products, in which case (if the new one will be here before winter) i'll be selling mine.  

some pics here: 

 

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/lotus-gt/albums/72157629244138357

 

pm if you're interested (i'm oxford btw)

[juan27]

Interesting about the Cross Climate+, they seem like the ideal tyre for a typical UK winter where most of the time its just a bit colder. Tempted to try them on my  winter wheels.   Y speed rating and a pretty good price from Camskill.   

 

Edited 16 August, 2018 by juan27