Winter tyres
- Thread starter Tan
- Start date
Tan, Although not a user myself, my friend - who drives extensively in the UK and Europe because he won't fly - has used them for the past couple of winters (on a Mondeo 2-WD and now a Yeti 4-WD) and reckons that they really do make a significant difference on ice and snow. Much more sure-footed. Jeff
pauljmcnulty
New member
Winter tyres aren't snow tyres, but they're a massive improvement on normal tyres in lower temps, particularly the wet weather. In this snow they've been a whole lot better than the normal tyres on our Legacy as well, but not a patch on the neighbour's Disco 3 we were out in yesterday. They are good, and worth it IMO, but not a miracle solution for getting an unsuitable car through treacherous snow.
My boxster has had the winter tyres for 2 seasons . The car is useable so far in the worst conditions . Very sure footed and better than 4 or front wheel drive vehicles we have or have had with summer tyres!! In other words come snow I take the boxster with winter tyres out in preference to any of the other cars as they don't have winter tyres
( though I may now be able to persuade Linda to have them on her car !!
( though I may now be able to persuade Linda to have them on her car !!
I have winter tyres on my Cayman, and have been impressed with them in the cold, and especially in the snow this last couple of days. You still have to be careful in the snow, but I have felt perfectly comfortable and in control. Of course, I don't know what it would be like in the snow with normal tyres, but it is definitely better on wet or dry roads when the temperature gets close to freezing.
Thanks for the feedback guys, the next question is which brand to go for? I am tempted to only go for an "N" rated tyre, but I am open to other recommendations for non "N" rated tyres. The current wheels are 18's running Pirelli P Zero N4's, should I just replace the existing tyres like for like size wise or look for new wheels in a 16" or 17". Thanks again Tan
Continentals seem to come out top for the mass market but the German car magazine Auto Bild conducted a 225/40 R18 sports winter tyre test last year in which the Goodyear UltraGrip 8 Performance tyre just pipped the Michelin Pilot Alpin 4 ( http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Article/2012-Auto-Bild-Sports-Winter-Tyre-Test.htm ), although an equivalent Continental tyre wasn't included in the test group. I had a note recently from my PC. They are offering winter tyre and wheel sets from £1500, so it might be worth contacting them to enquire about their deal. Jeff
I have Vredstein Wintrak Extreme on mine. (Not N rated).
John H
New member
I have Semperit (Made by Conti) winter tyres on both our small Audis and it transforms them in snow and ice. I wouldn't be without them now, worth every penny. I luckily picked up a set of N rated Conti winter tyres on eBay cheap, which are now on my Cayman. I have yet to try them in really bad conditions, but even in the cold and wet I reckon they are worth the money. The overall handling of the car feels a tad "softer" on the winter tyres, and the steering a bit less precise, but the car feels planted and surefooted. Definitely worth the effort, and don't forget that if you use them on a cheaper second set of alloys, your shiny summer alloys will last a hell of a lot longer. Salt eats alloy wheels! []
]Hope you got them and they work well. We have them fitted on our eclass (265bhp) and they make a big difference. Yesterday, my wife felt the wheel wobble a bit but stayed on the road, the bmw following didn't stay on the road and ended up hitting a lamp post. Same stretch of road, she also spotted an audi a5 in the ditch, back wheels in the air. So for us definitley the right decision and bit of a convert now. See also autocar test with 2 yetis http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-video/winter-tyres-vs-4x4 Jon
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