Winter tyres

[RobT]

Thus my questions are:

- Do you think 16" is the correct size for 'winter wheels', or doesn't it matter?
- Can you buy Seat wheel trims/covers, which look reasonable, from a dealer for not very much?
- Would "Dunlop SP WINTER SPORT 3D 205/55 R16 94H with rim protection" be a suitable tyre?
- Any other suggestions?

Sorry for resurrecting an old thread.

the size of the tyre depends on what car you have - so long as the external diameter is similar to what is fitted as standard, you wont be far off - whether a 16" will be ok depends on your brake clearance

I run those tyres on my Bora and they suit the car very well - they are the stock size.

I run my winter tyres on steelies and have no hub caps - personally I like the **** kicker look in the winter black car with black steelies looks a bit NASCAR

 

[rllmuk]

The winter sport 3d has just gone down to £160 a corner, weirdly. Rest of the prices seem unchanged...

 

[rllmuk]

So I swapped over the Eagle F1s for Vredestein Wintrac Extreme tonight in the dark and I'm utterly gob smacked at the difference. I know it has only been a few miles but I went for a drive afterwards and despite the fact the temp was hovering between 1-2 degrees C it was like driving on a summers day with the Eagles. Obviously I don't expect them to compare on the twisty B roads round here but going through town it was simply amazing. Even tried a fast get away and aside from a bit of squeal there was no wheel spin and ESP to be seen.

I honestly never expected the difference to be so profound - these just make summer tyres in the winter seem plain dangerous.

 

[Willie]

So I swapped over the Eagle F1s for Vredestein Wintrac Extreme tonight in the dark and I'm utterly gob smacked at the difference. I know it has only been a few miles but I went for a drive afterwards and despite the fact the temp was hovering between 1-2 degrees C it was like driving on a summers day with the Eagles. Obviously I don't expect them to compare on the twisty B roads round here but going through town it was simply amazing. Even tried a fast get away and aside from a bit of squeal there was no wheel spin and ESP to be seen.

I honestly never expected the difference to be so profound - these just make summer tyres in the winter seem plain dangerous.

Yup, it is a bit of a ureka moment.
But trying to pass this onto other in Britain seems very difficult.

 

[GainfulShrimp]

I completely agree. Can't believe most people haven't heard of winter tyres. I'm really enjoying having them on my Leon so far.

 

[Pheo]

Don't think I can afford them this winter, and I have new (budget) tyres on the vehicle at the moment (put on by the old owner).

Will look at getting a set of steel wheels next yr when these have worn down some.

 

[Willie]

Don't think I can afford them this winter, and I have new (budget) tyres on the vehicle at the moment (put on by the old owner). Will look at getting a set of steel wheels next yr when these have worn down some.

tyres are cheaper than panel/bumper work. Get it done

 

[alibali45]

This was the video I was thinking of:

youtube.com

Thats immense!!! Definately getting me a set of winter tyres after seeing that! Im sitting at my gf's house now when ment to be at work but cant go due to the hilly cul de sac i live on is a combination of sheet ice covered by snow. Watched a couple of people go up slding about all over the place. Im not even going to attempt it, i love my car to much and my £1K insurance excess just aint worth it!

 

[alibali45]

Anyone know if i can put smaller wheels on my 1M LCR without any issues?

 

[rllmuk]

You can but there are very few 17s that fit over the Brembos, better idea is to get 18" winter tyres as the wide tyre is no barrier to progress in snow!

 

[Pheo]

Has anyone worked out if Winter tyres improve your grip in wet and cold weather, not when you're actually on ice?

 

[Poverty]

for the whole 7 days of icy/snowy weather we get in the UK I wont bother.

 

[Craig Senior]

Winter tyres are designed to work better if the temp is below 6 degrees.

Most of the reviews I have read say how much better they are in the cold & wet than the summer tyres.

They tend to get used from late Nov to March

They are winter tyres not snow tyres.

 

[rllmuk]

I'm with Craig Senior. Winter tyres are night and day over Eagle F1s in winter conditions.

I find povertys' post amazing - users of this site will spend thousands making their car the best it can be but when it comes to the four things making contact with the road when the temp is below 6-7 degrees people will happily drive around on something not designed for the task.

 

[Haddock]

for the whole 7 days of icy/snowy weather we get in the UK I wont bother.

lol - maybe in London

 

[alibali45]

thanks for the replies ppl! yea im thinking about getting another set of used OE LCR alloys and wrapping them in vredestein wintrac extremes! Then mother nature can throw what she wants at me without any/less hairy moments!

 

[Poverty]

lol - maybe in London

yes that is true. Always forget about the rest of the UK being different!

 

[Haddock]

Had a bit of a play about this morning, nothing really hard going but should give an idea of how much extra grip is available with winter tyres:

http://freespace.virgin.net/chris.buckle/leon_snow.mp4

Chris

 

[Hugo Nebula]

OK, so I think I'll go for some winter tyres. What's the best way to go about it? I am not that bothered about the looks for the winter months, so I would be happy enough with steel wheels (also not likely to get as damaged by the salt as alloys).

• What size is best? Mine at the moment are 16"s, which are the smallest standard size for the Leon. Can I go to 15"s?
  
• Where's the best place to get four steel wheels? The dealers? A tyre dealer? A scrappie?
  
• What's the best width to go for? Is it better to keep the original width (205mm), or narrower?
  
• What are the best tyres?

Any opinions welcome.

 

[PhatPhil]

Just bought some Wintrac Extremes today (225/40/18) as my Goodyear GSD3 F1s are terrible in the winter.

Will post up my thoughts in a couple of days