2011 Winter Tyres - What are you opting for?

[bubbles1]

I've just bought some goodyear ultragrip 8's a new version of the highly rated ultragrip 7 so expecting great things. Bought from camskill for the other half's vw beetle as she's out every day in all weathers with her job. These are in a 195/60/16 (£86) and will fit my Ibiza if i need to do some serious winter driving like going to the nurburgring in january.

Yes camskill have had some seriously crap availability over the summer but these Goodyears appeared like magic so i snapped them up!

 

[matt l]

Have a look here and put your car in...

http://ssl.delti.com/cgi-bin/skw.pl...=&dsco=110&sowigan=Wi&csuchen=1&syt_d=&ch_x=1

trying that but i dont know which one of these my car is

or even if its on that list

 

[joolsvern]

I'm thinking of having a set on the front only, probably just end Nov to end Feb so if/when it snows I can get around easier than last year. I only do 10K max a year and in all fairness I managed to get around the local estates back roads even though they had permanent snow/ice for weeks at a time, was just a little slow and hair raising at times as I was on F1's on front and Kumho sport on back.

Any suggestions for 16's, cheap as possible appreciated.

 

[tonashp]

ill be using the van if its snowing again, cant risk crashing the car. crashing the work van doesnt affect me that bad, unless it goes bad, crash + oxy acetylene, wont end well

 

[invisiblekid]

I've just ordered 4 x Goodyear Ultra Grip Performance 2.

 

[RSgeoff]

Well I've had my Yokohama AD08's fitted to the front and they're superb. The front end grip is transformed.

Here's hoping for a warm winter !!!

 

[/dev/null]

How much quicker do these wear than normal tyres? I'll be getting 2 new ones for the front soon and wondering whether to get these on instead. I'm not going to get steels or take them off again after winter, just want to use them in the place of normal tyres. Is that a bad idea? How do they perform in say spring conditions? I'm doing about 30k miles a year so don't expect them to last into next summer.

 

[Fishy]

You'd be better off getting all season tyres over winters. They are a fair bit softer than the usual rubber.

Fish

 

[GainfulShrimp]

I'll be swapping to my winters whenever I can be bothered over the next few weekends really. Above 15°C, summers are often better (but modern winters won't disintegrate in warmer temps). Between 7-15°C, there's not much difference in performance between good summers and good winters. Anything below 7°C, winters offer significantly better performance especially in the wet. And obviously below freezing and/or in snow, summers can be truly awful depending on road conditions.
As the weather is beginning to turn, I reckon it'll be consistently below 15°C soon now and won't be many weeks until it's often below 7°C.

As for models, I think if I needed to buy again this year, my shopping list would be (in order of decreasing preference):

1. Conti Winter Contact TS830
2. Goodyear Ultragrip 8
3. Dunlop SP WinterSport 4D
4. Michelin Primacy Alpin PA3 (or Alpin A4)
5. Vredestein Snowtrac 3
6. Any other winter tyre from a good brand

There's a great video somewhere posted by someone on here (Muddyboots?) of him using TS830s to drive up a hilly road with deep snow... and then another of him digging the car out when he drove straight into a big drift moments later!

 

[Craig Senior]

You'd be better off getting all season tyres over winters. They are a fair bit softer than the usual rubber.

Fish

I was struggling to find winter tyres for the Smart last year as they aren't common sizes so I finished up fitting Vredestein Quadtrac 3s to it. These are classed as an all season tyre but also carry the snowflake symbol. I was a bit wary of what they would be like in the snow but figured that they would certainally be an improvement over the wide Conti sport contacts fitted to the standard alloys. As it turned out they were extremely good, plenty of grip on loose and packed snow.

I did consider fitting some to the Kuga and running them all year but ended up getting one with 19" alloys and they aren't available so have aquired a set of 17's for winter tyres again.

 

[GainfulShrimp]

In case anyone else is a treehugging, fuel-saving scrooge like myself and cares about mpg etc, I'm pleased to tell you that winter tyres aren't too bad for fuel economy. They use high silica compounds to give flexibility at low temperatures and that has the nice bonus of giving low rolling resistance. However, the special tread design and siping (little zig-zags to give loads of biting edges) means that winters are a bit less efficient than the best eco-tyres, but there's really not too much in it. I don't notice much difference in mpg between by (eco) summers and winter tyres.

 

[predo]

well after swapping tyres over on my single set of alloys last year, this year I decided to get second set of alloys and got these for a grand total of £100... very good condition

these are 16" Audi wheels


I've now also bought Dunlop SP Winter Sport 3D in 205/55/16 size based on experience from last year with Dunlop M3's (which were brilliant)...

so now just need to put the tyres on the wheels and I can't wait for the first snow ;-)

 

[AndyVTR]

Not specifically winter but MOT is due.

225/40/18 Mich PS3 @ Kwik Fit online, £302 fitted.

 

[GainfulShrimp]

Not specifically winter but MOT is due.

225/40/18 Mich PS3 @ Kwik Fit online, £302 fitted.

I assume you're talking about Pilot Sport 3? Are you keeping those for winter?

 

[AndyVTR]

Yup.

 

[Viking]

Not specifically winter but MOT is due.

225/40/18 Mich PS3 @ Kwik Fit online, £302 fitted.

I hope that's for a pair.

Edit: Yes it is, although only W speed rated and 88 load index.

 

[AndyVTR]

Yep, bargain I thought.

 

[AndyVTR]

Nope, 92Y XL. Not even Buzz can manage 186mph.

The PS2s they're replacing have done 20k on the back and another 20k on the front!

 

[RSgeoff]

Well I've had my Yokohama AD08's fitted to the front and they're superb. The front end grip is transformed.

Here's hoping for a warm winter !!!

Winters looking good so far - tonight has to be the hottest night of the year !!

 

[dmkay_80]

I'm putting the Vredestein Wintrac Extreme's on the standard 18" cupra alloys. Don't think you could get any smaller wheels on for the clearance for the brake calipers.

You can fit fr 17's over the cupra brakes. Thats what I use.