Winter tyres - a diesel app

[Husbandofstinky]

Can't remember if it was on this thread or I read elsewhere but Summer tyres wear much quicker during the winter months. I assume that this is all down to temps.

Due to the cost I'm having a bit of grief with the credit card company - fraud unit etc in India. My tyres also wanted a utility as proof of ID. Its good to know that there are measures in place but its still a PITA.

Apart from the rims Lee, winter rubber is a darn site more expensive too. I can get F1's for under a £100 each for the Seat but the Dunlops are about £150 a corner for the Winters (V XL).

Some people I know think I'm mad.

 

[muddyboots]

HOS -> Have you got your tyres on yet ?

We've just bought a Zafira CDTI 150 that the wife will be driving all year round.
It comes with 17" alloys as standard, but tomorrow I'm picking up a set of 16" steels with trims (and summer tyres!) for £50 to put some 205/55/16 winters on (this is a size that Vauxhall fit to other Zafira models and they say it can be used on ours too).
Thought I'd give the Nokian WRG2's a go, generally well reviewed everywhere, not bang at the top of the tree like the 3Ds etc, but the 94V/XL version is cheaper than 3Ds etc with lesser ratings. The Zaf is surprisingly heavy (>1600kg) so wanted something that's got some sidewall strength...

As the wife ferries herself and laddo around each day, is several months pregnant, and we live at the top of a blooming great hill (and I spent every snowy morning last year with a shovel, clearing the drive at 6am so she could get up it) - I feel happier knowing she's less likely to get stuck anywhere, and with the stock 17" wheels on summer tyres there's a fair chance she would have.
We intend keeping the car for 5+ years, so in the long term all it's costing is the price of the wheels (not much more than I'd pay to get a set of winter/summer tyres swapped on the same rims).

Ordered from Mein Kampf too, but no messing with utility bills as I've bought from them before

By the way, Vauxhall suggested I should have the Zaf reprogrammed with the new tyre size so the ABS/ESP doesn't get confused. However, 225/45/17 and 205/55/16 have practically identical circumferences (802 revs/km vs. 804 revs/km) so I can't see it being needed - you'd get more variation than that due to tyre wear and pressure changes !

 

[Husbandofstinky]

The Nokians did have a good write up too but as an alternative I think I would have bought the Vredesteins Snowtrac 3 as the cheaper alternative. In the whole scheme of things I'd go with the best tyre at the time of findings.

Anyway, I haven't got the tyres on yet - hopefully today or tomorrow. I had a delivery problem with the Pug as two random wrong sized tyres came with the original order. Right sticker on it but wrong tyres. With all the grief I had before I thought here we go. No chance. The original batch turned up a week ago today (they were due this Monday gone). I took delivery but rang through to some 'frau' the same day. Everything was confirmed by email. Supposedly two to three working days to collect plus standard 5 working days delivery for the 're ordered' two. The two incorrect tyres were collected 10.00am Monday morning and the replacement pair were delivered AM Wednesday.

All I can say is that it was bluddy quick and efficient despite the hoops.

One piece of useless info, I had tried to get a local supplier/fitter to get hold of them (not my usual one but a place I've heard good stuff about). According to 'Dunlop UK' the Pug 195/55/15's had ceased production two years ago in 3D's. 'Watch out for old stock' he said. The ones that turned up were manufactured 4009.

To be honest I can't wait to get them on now its started to turn cold - every little helps as they say.

 

[muddyboots]

The Nokians did have a good write up too but as an alternative I think I would have bought the Vredesteins Snowtrac 3 as the cheaper alternative.

I did consider the Vredesteins. After spending far too much time online reading about the Nokians, I came to the conclusion that the Vredestein Snowtracs were a full-on performance winter, aimed more at the snow end of the market, and the Nokians WRG2's are more of an all-season tyre but with exceptionally good winter capability (better than some full-on winter tyres) that are suited to the typical UK winter.
I think the Vredestein equivalent would have been the Wintrac as opposed to the Snowtrac, but for the same speed/load rating, the Camskill price for the Wintracs was dearer than the mytyres price for the WRG2s, and as the WRG2s seem to get good reports all round the world and in most of the tyre tests, I thought I'd give them a go.

I'd still pay extra for the 3Ds or similar again for my use when the current 3D's wear out, as I have to cover many more miles across roads in the middle of nowhere that are not only wet/icy every day but usually become next to impassable several times each winter, and I drive a bit more enthusiastically in better conditions than my wife does

 

[Husbandofstinky]

Maybe it was the Wintrac I was referring to??? I know one of the Vredestein tyre was aimed more at full on winter - couldn't remember tbh. There's also the quadrac too.

I've just come in from having the tyre's fitted and have been out for over 3 hours now from the office. It took a long time loading up two cars, old tyres off, new tyres on and then change the summer wheels to the winter ones... change cars do it all over again. Go home and put the wheels back in the garage and sort the boot out of the cars again.

What a faff. Glad they're on now though.

 

[muddyboots]

WRG2's arrived yesterday; hopefully will get them mouted on the spare rims for the wife's Zafira either tomorrow or Saturday - good timing, as we're forecast heavy snow for Monday !

 

[Willie]

I went for the Vreds Wintrac extreme.
I was all set for going for the Michelin PA3 but te cheapest I could find them in 235-40-18's for the Audi was £225.
I've never scrimped and saved on tyres but this was just too much to justify.
At £155 fitted the Wintracs seem good so far, first snow today.

Also one reason I'm very glad I bought the Wintracs over the PA3's was I hit a MASSIVE pothole the other day, bent my alloy and bust a 300 mile Wintrac.
I was sick as a dog over this but would have been sicker paying £225 for another PA3

 

[Husbandofstinky]

I've never scrimped and saved on tyres but this was just too much to justify.
At £155 fitted the Wintracs seem good so far, first snow today.

I know exactly what you mean.

The old boy down the road noticed the tyres on the Seat the other day and said 'new tyres? how much did they cost? £60, £70 a piece.?' He almost fell over when I said they were about £160 a piece for the Seat.

Considering what job tyres have to do its amazing how people just ignore them, lack of maintenance, cheap chinese rubber.... Whilst they were fitting the tyres on Friday the chap fitting them mentioned it and said he was amazed how many people with S-line Audi's come in and have the cheapest rubber fitted just to save a couple of quid.

Tyre performance between the budget (chinese stuff) and premium tyres is just so pronounced its ridiculous.

 

[tony19b]

Well we've had the first serious snow and ice here over the last couple of days and boy am I glad I fitted winter tyres a few weeks ago- the difference in traction and grip is remarkable. They are Kumho KW23s (couldn't get hold of the Vredesteins I really wanted).The Tolly breezes up hills where I got in big trouble last winter on the summer Bridgestones. Definitely a good investment as I hope to get two winters out of them. Suddenly winter driving is fun! (unless you're stuck on the M20).

 

[Willie]

Well we've had the first serious snow and ice here over the last couple of days and boy am I glad I fitted winter tyres a few weeks ago- the difference in traction and grip is remarkable. They are Kumho KW23s (couldn't get hold of the Vredesteins I really wanted).The Tolly breezes up hills where I got in big trouble last winter on the summer Bridgestones. Definitely a good investment as I hope to get two winters out of them. Suddenly winter driving is fun! (unless you're stuck on the M20).

Yup, i had the eureka moment three years ago, now find it baffling tgat EVERYONE doesn't fit these. I'm loving passing so called 4WD vehicles

 

[muddyboots]

Well, about 4 or 5 times in the last few days, I've got through where most other cars (bar "serious" 4wds like Discos, and small old hatchbacks with very very narrow tyres!!) have got stuck.

Already got the Dunlop Wintersport 3Ds on the Passat for their second winter, and yesterday morning I fitted the Nokian WRG2's on the Zafira - a fun job in several inches of snow and sub-zero temps. All in 205/55/16 size, 94V XL ratings.

The Dunlops on the Passat have got me through several times in the last few days. Was driving home from Matlock in very heavy snow on Saturday night (after collecting an Indian takeaway), and managed to get up the loooong steep hill to our village where everyone else was stuck as the snow was falling so fast. The important thing was I got home and the food was still hot

Went out in heavy/deep snow yesterday afternoon in the Zafira and so far so good with the Nokians, pulled nicely up the same long/steep hills to our village with minimal wheelspin where everyone else was getting stuck again or turning round as the snow came down heavy again mid-afternoon.

I know they won't be invincible, but they've done a fantastic job so far in some pretty bad snow & ice conditions.
It's such a satsifying feeling driving steadily past other cars that are stuck !

 

[Husbandofstinky]

That's what I keep trying to say to myself and Stinky 'treat the roads as you would with standard summer tyres on' Just trying to keep a lid on the extra confidence as you know it'll bite back when you're not expecting it.

In these conditions she's dropped her work Civic for the Pug although she's not running around much after Cameron. She was mightily impressed with the grip levels too. A happy wife - Hallelujah.

You just got to remember that these tyres are not much better (only marginal imo) than summer tyres with the ice.

 

[Viking]

I went to a house yesterday to fix his heating and drove down the drive to his house. He met me at the bottom of the hill and said I was daft to do so, as he could only just get out with his Range Rover. Fixed the boiler, loaded up the van and just drove off up the hill. The look on his face was priceless.

Toyo Snowprox.

 

[Craig Senior]

Can I join your gang?

After thinking about it for long enough I've ordered som e Vredestein Wintrac Xtremes which should hopefully get fitted at some point tomorrow.

Can't quite stretch to an additional set of wheels at the moment so I'm just getting them swapped over.

Wednesday will no doubt be the start of the warmest, driest winter since records began now

 

[muddyboots]

Can't quite stretch to an additional set of wheels at the moment so I'm just getting them swapped over.

It's worth considering what you'll pay to have tyres swapped around twice a year; in the long run a second set of rims could well work out cheaper...

 

[Craig Senior]

It's worth considering what you'll pay to have tyres swapped around twice a year; in the long run a second set of rims could well work out cheaper...

I'm going to keep an eye on and see if any thing comes up as it would be easier to have 2 sets.

 

[Husbandofstinky]

There must be some steelies or alloys you could find on the net. It might even be worth ordering some new steelies from a main dealer (I don't think they are that extortionate).

At a good £10 per corner that's going to be at least £80 a season to change.

 

[muddyboots]

I'm going to keep an eye on and see if any thing comes up as it would be easier to have 2 sets.

Last winter, I put the winter tyres on the original 16" Passat alloys, and kept my eye out for something else for summer.
Eventually spotted a mint set of 17" "Solid" alloys, as fitted to the Skoda Superb (last shape Passat like mine, with different badge), complete with a good matching set of Michelin tyres, for a bit over £200. Tyres lasted me a good few months so worked out well cost-wise.
They look great and I run those in summer now, and just switch back to the originals in winter.

Winters are 205/55/16, summers are 225/45/17.