I'm considering fitting all-season tyres to an Octavia VRS Mk3 220. Whilst I understand they'll provide more grip during the colder months, what kind of loss in performance am I likely to see in the summer? is it even noticeable?

 

What all-season tyre would you recommend for this car? I had read someone complaining that Michellin CrossClimates ruined the handling of their Octavia, has anyone else experienced similar?

In the UK in UK Summer Weather on UK roads at UK NSL's they all perform just great, in the sun or rain or even cold of a Summers day.

Safe tyres for All-Season or All-Weather or what ever they are called, Winter & Summer Certificated but not full 'Winter Tyres or Snow Tyres.

 

In the parallel universe some live in of Private Roads with Unlimited Speed Limits of 70 MPH Motorways & Dual Carriageways with bends and curves and Alpine Passes when people use the cars available max BHP / Torque seemingly they find the tyres not up to their liking. 

 

 

 

Edited 23 November, 20187 yr by Offski

Generally speaking winter tyres work best below +7c (not 0c as some mistakenly think) compared to summer tyres

 

All seasons vs summer is different, some of the new generation ones have speed ratings of 140+ mph

If you were belting down to Spain with temperatures over +25c then summer tyres are best

Between about +10c and +20c, not that much difference summer vs all seasons, (summer/winter bias varies by brand)

but you will lose a bit of grip with all season on hot days

 

In the UK all seasons will be best compromise

Going to have lot more mornings below +7c than hot days where temperature hits high 20s (or higher)

 

 

Edited 23 November, 20187 yr by SurreyJohn

1 hour ago, Offski said:

In the UK in UK Summer Weather on UK roads at UK NSL's they all perform just great, in the sun or rain or even cold of a Summers day.

Safe tyres for All-Season or All-Weather or what ever they are called, Winter & Summer Certificated but not full 'Winter Tyres or Snow Tyres.

 

In the parallel universe some live in of Private Roads with Unlimited Speed Limits of 70 MPH Motorways & Dual Carriageways with bends and curves and Alpine Passes when people use the cars available max BHP / Torque seemingly they find the tyres not up to their liking. 

 

 

 

Thanks, thank video was very helpful, it highlighted that some all season tyres are more summer/winter bias than others, and I think what I'm looking for is summer bias all season tyre, something like the Vredestein Quadtrac 5 (according to the video).

Thats what suits some in the North of the UK it seems.

And there is the thread in this section on the Bridgestone that some are going for.  the A005.

A member has posted about them in the Octavia Mk3 Section as the Dealership in Scotland fitted those to his new 245 vRS before hand over.

 

 

 

Another question, some all season tyres have a wet rating of C, and summer tyres have a wet rating of A, I'm confused, as that seems to indicate to me that summer tyres are better in the wet?

13 minutes ago, TheBinarySheep said:

Another question, some all season tyres have a wet rating of C, and summer tyres have a wet rating of A, I'm confused, as that seems to indicate to me that summer tyres are better in the wet?

 

The testing doesn't represent real world as it is at one temperature, results are likely to be different at other (lower)  temperatures,  Summer tyres will always be better at higher temperatures

in the real world (in UK) some puddles are lot colder than test temperature, generally the further north you are, more you should increase your winter weighting

Some of those at A are also borderline (just above border with B ) so on the scale not massively different

 

 

Edited 23 November, 20187 yr by SurreyJohn

That depends on the temperature when tested. For consistency there will be a specified temperature for the rating tests which probably suits summer tyes better. Tyres aimed at cold temps become more compliant as the ambient temps rise and become more squishy. So a summer tyre will be better at 20'C in the wet than a full winter tyre.

 

It totally turns around though at freezing point as summer tyres harden up and can't form to the road surface as well as a winter tyre. Hence why summers slide around more in the wet.

 

And to fill the transition gap between the two, All seasons were developed.

I had crossclimate+ tyres fitted to my Octavia in April.  They performed without issue during the summer, they've been fine in the rain and great on the cold roads we've had lately.

 

Prior to these tyres, I've always run mid-range on my previous cars, Uniroyal, Hankook, Avon, Falken, all of which performed admirably but you definitely noticed a drop off in grip when it got colder, not dangerously bad but a difference you needed to be aware of and adjust your driving style accordingly, I've not noticed this drop off with the CCs, the level of grip has remained good/consistent regardless of the temperature.

 

Considering I was paying £80-£85 for a mid-range, I managed to get the CCs for £95 each, it was a no-brainer, even with the prospect of the CCs lasting for longer. 

3 hours ago, Offski said:

Thats what suits some in the North of the UK it seems.

And there is the thread in this section on the Bridgestone that some are going for.  the A005.

A member has posted about them in the Octavia Mk3 Section as the Dealership in Scotland fitted those to his new 245 vRS before hand over.

 

 

 

Thanks.  I'll keep an eye on the feedback as I may consider fitting these to my 300PS car.  The stock 19s came straight off for fitting 18" AllSeasonContacts after delivery soI will need to use both sets of Contis up; but by all accounts the car eats them anyway.  Will test over winter with my 18s and then decide between 19" A005s and PS4s (+ CWTs) - chalk and cheese.

Edited 23 November, 20187 yr by Jeeves

3 hours ago, TheBinarySheep said:

Another question, some all season tyres have a wet rating of C, and summer tyres have a wet rating of A, I'm confused, as that seems to indicate to me that summer tyres are better in the wet?

That's fair. The tyre "information" labels are all self-certified so you can't actually compare the data across brands.

I've ordered some Bridgestones to be fitted next week for £357.

4 hours ago, TheBinarySheep said:

Thanks, thank video was very helpful, it highlighted that some all season tyres are more summer/winter bias than others, and I think what I'm looking for is summer bias all season tyre, something like the Vredestein Quadtrac 5 (according to the video).

I've been using Quatrac 5's for the last year and swapped them from my last Superb (150 TDI) to my current one (280 TSI).  

 

I was using them on snow/ice within days of fitting and they were great.  Just as good as the GY Ultragrip Winter tyres I had used previously.  For Summer use they've actually surprised me, I thought that's where I'd really notice the compromise but even with the high temps we had this Summer and stints of spirited driving in the 280 they've been much better than I expected.  They are no doubt much better than the stock P7 Pirelli's that came from the factory.  Not as good as a really sorted Summer tyre, e.g the GY Eagle F1's but they wouldn't be able to handle the deep snow the Vredesteins did.  So IME the compromise is outright dry grip when driving hard but 90% of the time they are more than capable across all conditions and roads. 

 

Now I'd really like to try some Michelin PS4's but now I've experienced the the convenience of a single set of tyres/wheels that work pretty well, 365 days of the year I'm not sure that extra grip, reputation and performance would swing it for me.  Unless of course I have a spare £800 in the Spring and the PS4's could be a 'stop gap' before buying more Vredesteins.

 

We've also fitted Goodyear Vector 4 Seasons Gen 2 to my wifes Golf GTi and they've already proved to be great in the snow and much better than the Conti Sport Contact 5's for every day driving.  They are meant to be a Winter biased all-season tyre, which is perfect for where we are.   

 

Edited 23 November, 20187 yr by penguin17

Had Cross Climates on our Mk2 Octavia for a couple of years and to be honest there is no difference between them and a premium summer in everyday use.  Fair enough if you buy ultra grippy stuff like the PS4 and drive at 10/10ths on a dry summer day you may say the CC's lack a bit of turn in bite but 99% of people wouldn't notice.

They offer good grip in winter and are great in snow but are not as good on frozen compact snow and ice as a full winter.

 

As I drive a lot through untreated roads in the early morning in winter I've fitted Goodyear Vector 4 Gen2's on our Mk3 Octavia. They feel absolutely fine but you can tell on a dry road there is a lack of intital bite on turn in compared to a sports summer tyre but once in a corner they are as good. 

Not had chance to try these in winter conditions yet but all the reviews suggest they are better than the CC's in these conditions.

I've recent fitted 4 A005 to my Fabia and after only 300 miles I'm very pleased with them see my post in this forum

I am thinking about fitting all seasons to my Yeti and had a quote from an independent mobile fitter of Goodyear Vector 4 seasons gen2 @ £100 a corner fitted. Or Michelin Cross Climate @ £110 each fitted  Size 225/50-17 which is the best deal? 

For Fort William and area it would be Goodyear Vector 4 Season that would maybe be the better tyre regardless of price.

 

Or i would go Continental Winter Contact TS860 for a Yeti in and around Fort William if you can get your size.

1 hour ago, Highlander19 said:

I am thinking about fitting all seasons to my Yeti and had a quote from an independent mobile fitter of Goodyear Vector 4 seasons gen2 @ £100 a corner fitted. Or Michelin Cross Climate @ £110 each fitted  Size 225/50-17 which is the best deal? 

 

I have both tyres fitted to different Octavia's. 

 

I do the peak district often and found the Cross Climate a little to much Summer bias for that run.

 

For Fort William I'd go with the Goodyear's.

Going back to the original question, unless you drive like you are on a racetrack, unlikely to notice any difference between summer and all season when 10-20c

 

You will notice the poor performance of the summer tyre below freezing 

 

You will loose some grip from all season at 20-25c upwards, and the all season will wear tiny bit faster on very hot roads

 

Quite simply there is no tyre that is good from -15c to +35c therefore select based on your local temperature range, obviously a Londoner will need a more summer biased tyre than a Scot when winter grip is important and 25+c rare

 

 

On 24/11/2018 at 15:44, Offski said:

For Fort William and area it would be Goodyear Vector 4 Season that would maybe be the better tyre regardless of price.

 

Or i would go Continental Winter Contact TS860 for a Yeti in and around Fort William if you can get your size.

 

On 24/11/2018 at 17:07, logiclee said:

 

I have both tyres fitted to different Octavia's. 

 

I do the peak district often and found the Cross Climate a little to much Summer bias for that run.

 

For Fort William I'd go with the Goodyear's.

 

As above, the general consensus is that the GY's are the 'Winter biased' 4 season tyre which are still capable as a Summer tyre.  For anything more extreme in the Winter months then something by Nokian or a dedicated Winter tyre may be best.

 

We opted for the GY's for my wifes Golf GTI and they've been excellent so far; I've even had the chance to test them in light snow, on rural roads.  No issues whatsoever.  I was in the same predicament before buying them and after reading quite a lot of reviews I came to the conclusion the GY's are better for where we live and the type of usage the car has (dog taxi, for more remote walkies!) 

16 hours ago, SurreyJohn said:

Going back to the original question, unless you drive like you are on a racetrack, unlikely to notice any difference between summer and all season when 10-20c

 

You will notice the poor performance of the summer tyre below freezing 

 

You will loose some grip from all season at 20-25c upwards, and the all season will wear tiny bit faster on very hot roads

 

Quite simply there is no tyre that is good from -15c to +35c therefore select based on your local temperature range, obviously a Londoner will need a more summer biased tyre than a Scot when winter grip is important and 25+c rare

 

 

Great advice 

The 'Simply Clever' thing is that any 'Mobile Tyre Fitter' or Tyre Fitter in a Tyre & Exhaust Centre North of Perth should know what All Weather, All Terrain or Winter Tyres should work best for a Customer in their area for the use they will e needing them for.

Sadly many do not.

Offski, I know the tyre fitter very well and initially I asked him for price for Vredestein Quatrac 5. he suggested both Michelin CC and Goodyear Gen2  as the best performance all season tyres, but to go away and have a look and decide which would suit my needs, this is why I came to the forum to tap into the wealth of knowledge that lurks here. so far i have received good advice and am now swaying towards the Goodyears mainly because of Glencoe and rural Aberdeen shire which normally get more snow and lower temperatures.

4 hours ago, Offski said:

 

Sadly many do not.

 

And even more will just sell you what they make most profit on.

@Highlander19  Did you ask what he fits or his partner has on their vehicle?

 

Can i sway you to check out proper All Weather tyres and the Continental WinterContact TS860.

They are fine in Scottish Summers and even heading south.

 

I used them because when the Snow Gates are open i want through, and sometimes when not open.

For proper snowy times i have on Winter Tyres.  This year i am Running Snow tyres all winter on my daily drive.

 

 

 

Edited 26 November, 20187 yr by Offski