Winter Tyres!

[S@m 156]

Right, i have just finished refurbing my wheels and at the moment i am running Michelin PE2's which i am very very happy with.

 

But, it being August , i thought now was the time to get a deal on some winter tyres to put on my spare set of SMR's ready for when it gets cold and salty out there. I have had a little nose around the forum and seen Avon Ice Touring mentioned, as well as Conti Winter contact, Dunlop Winter sports etc. However, information is thin on the ground so i'm basically asking for personal experiences/recommendations on winter rubber whilst the demand is low and i can (hopefully) get a deal!

 

So, wade in! Any information is appreciated.

 

Sam

[bertie_bas 3]

snow proxes are good.....

[jeremy_spoke_in 2]

I have a set of Kumho KW tyres for the winter months up here in Scotland. Even if its just a bit forsty the extra grip is very noticable. And in the deep snow of 2010/11 i never got stuck and that was up to a couple of feet on untreated roads. Wouldn't go back to running Toyo Proxes in winter ever again.

 

Good idea to buy now, i got mine for about £50 a corner.

[Cameron 16]

I used Conti Winter Contact and they were awesome!

[Anthony 1,003]

To be honest, you'll likely find any branded winter tyre a significant improvement over even the best summer tyre in the depths of winter, even without the considerations of snow.

 

I ran Michelin Alpin's on my 306 for the last couple of winters and found them surefooted and no real downsides at all. Never had any issues getting stuck in the snow despite living at the top of an untreated hill, but then again, I've never had much issue with summer tyres either given that I live in the South where we lack any "proper" snow - I'm sure it's more of an issue in the middle of Wales or the Scottish Highlands.

 

The big advantage of winter tyres is grip in cold conditions really - the improvement in snow is merely a bonus.

[S@m 156]

Well, last time they closed the road over the beaconsdue to snow, i ignored the policeman and gave it a shot anyway - Uniroyal rainsport 2's and i made it whilst range rovers (with big rims ) where stuck and sliding backwards. This year however, i am looking to preserve my newly refurbed wheels, so winter rubber is just an added extra really.

 

But since snow is only a day or two a year i'm far more interested in a low temp grip then snow performance to be honest.

 

Cheers for responses so far.

 

Sam

[welshpug 1,657]

I've got Alpin's on C5 wheels ready for winter use, they're actually still on the back of the 205 as I haven't got round to fitting another pair of PE2's

 

 

Great on the front even in fairly deep water, will drift on when pushed but not snappy at all

[S@m 156]

Looks like i might get a quote on some Alpins then. Part of me was thinking about getting (my beloved ) uniroyal RS2 on one axle and michelin Alpins on the other then i can swap which is on the front or the rear based on conditions. I suppose it depends on the prices.

 

Cheers for the input Guys.

[Turbo7379 3]

I've used winter tyres this past 3 winters on my 406 HDI daily driver & I would highly recommend them. I fitted a full set of verdestein quatrac 2's which are an 'all season' tyre & I found them to be excellent all year round. Great in the dry, wet & snowy conditions.

 

Only downside is wear if you keep them all year round (less than 10k miles!). For the second winter I the front tyres were done & I was forced to swap the rear tyres onto the front & fit a pair of ordinary hankook tyres on the back as the price of winter tyres was crazy at the time (November). The combination of winter & summer tyres worked ok in most conditions apart from when it was snowing - the 406 behaved like a rwd!

 

But the proof of the value of winter tyres was proven to me on one particular day Nov 2010. I set off for a 80 mile trip to marshal on a rally on tarmac roads in a forest park. The journey there was 'entertaining' but I got there ok. We followed a gritter into the rally stage as there was a good coating of snow & ice on the stage! It didn't thaw all day but the rally ran ok without major incidents. But it had snowed heavily everywhere else & I was faced with an 80 mile trek home! But I was amazed at the grip the verdesteins offered, despite not being a proper winter tyre. I was gliding by everything else on the road, all struggling in the deep snow - even 4wd jeeps, etc were going nowhere.

 

In preparation for last winter I decided to buy another pair of winter tyres in August. I tried all the local tyre depots but they couldn't even give me a price for winter tyres, never mind get them, too early in the year they all said. I ended up getting them from http://www.mytyres.co.uk/. I was able to get a pair of the top rated continental wintercontact delivered to my door cheaper than I could buy 1 of the same tyre locally the previous winter! Obviously last winter there was little snow but the tyre performed well in all other conditions & was reluctant to switch back to my summer tyres in march.

 

As a final point don't be tempted to try gravel rally tyres on snow. I tried a set of set of chunky rally tyres & on fresh deep snow they are fantastic - cutting a track for themselves through the snow. But on everything else (packed snow & ice) they are dangerous, offering no grip whatsoever, so be warned!

[flipperthebushkangaroo 2]

snow proxes are good.....

 

+ 1 for snow proxes, had a set fitted to the MX5 for last winter (got them fitted from blackcircle) and the improvement was increadible, It drove with assurance even on packed and compressed snow (ice really) the previous year i had not even been able to get out of our street in the same weather.

They also greatly improved handling in the wet.

Roddie

[S@m 156]

With regards to Snow proxes; the price is right but given that they have the word 'snow' in their title its putting me off somewhat since i only see snow a couple of days a year. Are they specifically snow tyres or are they winter tyres? If its the latter then perhaps Toyo should rebrand them Winter Proxes! How do they cope with dry but cold and often gritted roads?

 

Thanks for all input so far guys.

 

Sam

[flipperthebushkangaroo 2]

Was still driving the MX 5 on Proxes in may!!!! In fairness i don't really push the car, but drive it fairly quickly and enjoy the corners and they maintained a steady and reassuring grip in all weathers. Remember this car is rear wheel drive so they may act differently on FWD i suppose?

 

Roddie

[u47sb2 27 2 Cars]

I've had winter tyres on my diesel Honda barge since last October. Starting to get low in tread now, and grip has become shocking but they've done 18,000 miles which is more than the last set of summer tyres!!! Wear in summer months isn't always bad.

 

If my 1900 gets another MOT I'll treat it to a set of snow proxes for this winter.

[McDude 33]

I had a set of Avon Ice Tourings which I sold along with some 106 SR Rallye steelies when I thought I was going to sell my 205.

 

I've since moved house and now keeping the 205 is my plan and I'm going to get another set of 106 steelies and some more winter tyres. Not sure I'd get the avons again, nothing wrong with them but in tests I've read since the Continentals and the Vrederstiens come out best.

 

Footnote - nothing looks cooler than a white GTi on 106 Rallye Steelies with some winter rubber

[CopperBottom 1]

Was just about to start a new thread until i found this.

 

Im looking into winter tyres at the moment, but curious to know what sizes you guys are running 185's or 195's?

[S@m 156]

Well, i haven't bought mine yet, but they will be 195/50/15 since thats what i run in the summer, and its a cheapish common size.

 

Sam

[Alan77 78 1 Cars]

My brother had Michelin Alpins on his 106 for the past couple of winters. An amazing tyre, not just for snow, the grip and amount of water they shift in the wet is astounding. They were quite hard to source in November IIRC. People are buying them earlier and earlier, like you are planning to do...

[S@m 156]

Yeah, thats part of the problem - no stock yet at my usual tyre place.

[BlueBolt 156]

I know that in an ideal world I would be having the winter tyres all round, but I don't live in an ideal world, I'm worried I may only be able to afford two winter tyres at the moment... Would this be a problem do you think? Obviously to run them on the front of the car...

[Turbo7379 3]

Yeah, thats part of the problem - no stock yet at my usual tyre place.

 

Try here. http://www.mytyres.co.uk/

Do it soon before the prices go up!

[cybernck 402 1 Cars]

If you can get Sava Eskimo HP - they should be pretty cheap and they're very good.

 

Running with winter fronts and summer rears is dangerous in snow (feels like driving a RWD car ),

but at least you have front end traction and grip, while with four summer tyres you have nothing .

[CopperBottom 1]

eBay is looking good for winter tyres. There are Snowproxes for 320 a set and Yoko's winter tyres for 270 delivered (normally £81 a tyre on black circles). Im going to order the Yoko's as that seems to be a very good deal and they get a very good write up

[B1ack_Mi16 67]

Here you can see some tire names from a winter tyre test last year over here.

 

I suppose you won't understand much of what it's saying, but you get the picture of the tire and the name at least. Test winner at the top, beeting the Michelin X-Ice XI2

 

http://www.naf.no/Alle-saker/NAF-eksperten/Forbrukertester/Dekktest/Vinterdekktest-2011/Piggfrie-dekk/

[Alan77 78 1 Cars]

Here you can see some tire names from a winter tyre test last year over here.

 

I suppose you won't understand much of what it's saying, but you get the picture of the tire and the name at least. Test winner at the top, beeting the Michelin X-Ice XI2

 

http://www.naf.no/Al.../Piggfrie-dekk/

 

Takk for det!

[S@m 156]

If you can get Sava Eskimo HP - they should be pretty cheap and they're very good.

 

Running with winter fronts and summer rears is dangerous in snow (feels like driving a RWD car ),

but at least you have front end traction and grip, while with four summer tyres you have nothing .

 

Worry not, i'm used to sideways snow action so summer rears should be fine. Last year i travelled down many a closed road with all summer tyres - against the advice of the police closing them - dodging stuck land rovers as i went - never got stuck myself.

 

Will check out those Sava Eskimo's though. Ta.

 

 

eBay is looking good for winter tyres. There are Snowproxes for 320 a set and Yoko's winter tyres for 270 delivered (normally £81 a tyre on black circles). Im going to order the Yoko's as that seems to be a very good deal and they get a very good write up

 

Those prices seem a bit high! Even on camskill you can get a set of snow proxes for £196 - usually my local tyre place can beat them by a few quid. Can't see the yoko ones anywhere to compare though.