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Terrible Snow Grip
- Thread starter Dyscontinued
- Start date
sod that sheffboy i'd rather walk, or better still Sledge !!!
Lol.
I have a designer paper bag I wear over my head.
GSD3's + snow=zero traction.
My missus has to park at the top of the road and walk down the hill to where she works, and an unattended tennis ball wouldnt even roll away!
My missus has to park at the top of the road and walk down the hill to where she works, and an unattended tennis ball wouldnt even roll away!
Threee words - Vredestein Ultrac Sessanta
+1..........i've yet to find a weather condition these don't perform well in!
now that i have been out on the snow and icey roads quite a few times on the Vreds......have to say, these are fantastic at finding some grip
granted probably not as much as a set of winter specific tyres but as these are primarily a summer tyre they pretty good
![[B)]](/forums/styles/seatcupra/oldforumsmileys/shades.gif "Cool [B)]")
i live at the top of a hill and everybody else in my road seems to have been leaving their cars parked up at the bottom after failing to get up the hill (apart from the 4x4's or my neighbour with an S3).......i however have managed to get up every day
I found the GSD3s were ace in the dry, ace in the wet, utter gash in the snow though! The 'V' pattern just does nothing to grip in the snow.
I've got a set of 205/55 R16 Goodyear Excellences on just now and i had no problems at all in the snow either in Aberdeen or down in Edinburgh.
I did most of the driving out and about over xmas and new year - my folks' Vectra (2.2 Auto Elite) has the same tyres in 215/50 R17 and that was no bother either. Also had no issue with the F1As on my Volvo V70 (diesel and auto) - they're 225/45 R17 and it just kept on going. Although the guy across the road with his V70 on ditchfinders a.k.a. P6000s was going nowhere!
I've got a set of 205/55 R16 Goodyear Excellences on just now and i had no problems at all in the snow either in Aberdeen or down in Edinburgh.
I did most of the driving out and about over xmas and new year - my folks' Vectra (2.2 Auto Elite) has the same tyres in 215/50 R17 and that was no bother either. Also had no issue with the F1As on my Volvo V70 (diesel and auto) - they're 225/45 R17 and it just kept on going. Although the guy across the road with his V70 on ditchfinders a.k.a. P6000s was going nowhere!
leesmith
Guest
so if i wanted winter tyres i guess i could just get some on the fronts?better traction and just drag the backs around.
uh yeah I guess so - so long as you don't mind the idea of going sideways every time you use the brakes...
leesmith
Guest
the only reasons to go to 16" steelies on winter tyres are:
cheaper rims for a 2nd set, and the tyres will be cheaper
i stuck 225/45/17 winter tyres on my starfish and have had no problems.
skinny summer tyres are better than wide fat summer tyres on snow
but with winter tyres it doesn't matter
cheaper rims for a 2nd set, and the tyres will be cheaper
i stuck 225/45/17 winter tyres on my starfish and have had no problems.
skinny summer tyres are better than wide fat summer tyres on snow
but with winter tyres it doesn't matter
Managed to get hold of a pair of Verdesteine wintrac extremes (225/45/17) at £100 a piece. Just had them fitted to rims and my do they grip!! Went down a horrible side road and front end grip was amazing. Just need to remember that the rears are not so good in these conditions, despite have 8mm of tread. At least I can actually get momentum now.
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dsh28
Guest
grip lack of
hi guys just to let you know its not the power of your cars or the make of the tyres but the width and height of your tryes if you look at wrc rally cars when they do the rally of finland you will notice that they have very tall and skinny tryes if im right i belive they are something like 145+75+15 they provide better grip and are less deflected by the snow hope that helps
hi guys just to let you know its not the power of your cars or the make of the tyres but the width and height of your tryes if you look at wrc rally cars when they do the rally of finland you will notice that they have very tall and skinny tryes if im right i belive they are something like 145+75+15 they provide better grip and are less deflected by the snow hope that helps
They also have special rubber that works at low temperatures (and wears quickly) and sometimes run spikes aswell.
Not really practical for a road going car however, although I do agree that the skinny tyres will aid the traction.
I have kept exactly the same alloys as my summer tyres so that if I were to be involved in an accident the insurance company couldn't turn around and say that I didn't have the right size wheels/ tyres on the car at the time.
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Just an update
About 3 inches of snow this morning and not a problem on any of the hills or getting traction. Only thing I have to remember is the backs are not as good in these conditions so keep it very steady on the corners. However if it does step out I have the traction to give it a bit of power and pull it back in.
A pair for the rears is the next step but as every where is out of stock it will have to wait for a while.
Not really practical for a road going car however, although I do agree that the skinny tyres will aid the traction.
I have kept exactly the same alloys as my summer tyres so that if I were to be involved in an accident the insurance company couldn't turn around and say that I didn't have the right size wheels/ tyres on the car at the time.
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Just an update
About 3 inches of snow this morning and not a problem on any of the hills or getting traction. Only thing I have to remember is the backs are not as good in these conditions so keep it very steady on the corners. However if it does step out I have the traction to give it a bit of power and pull it back in.
A pair for the rears is the next step but as every where is out of stock it will have to wait for a while.
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Just resurrecting this thread about snow and winter tyres, I found a few tyre tests that discuss the best tyres for European winter conditions. These are slightly biased to snow conditions which we don’t see to often in the UK (Scotland will see more though) however the cold wet grip these tyres provide should not be discounted. Although not all brands are covered the top ones in the tests happen to be the major manufacturers (Conti, Dunlop, Mich)
I have found tests on 225/45R17 (Cupra tyres)
http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Article/2010-European-Winter-Tyre-Test.htm
And some for 245/45R18 (which may help)
http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Article/2010-Auto-Bild-Performance-Winter-Tyre-Test.htm
I have just brought some other winter tyres for the rear of the Cupra to complement the Vredstein Wintracs. These are called Infinity Winter Hero and cost me £80 a piece which is comparable with summer tyres. However the movement from them compared to the Vreds is awful and the grip is only just there in the dry. In the wet I might as well be running slicks because there is nothing there and I am controlling the car with the front. I am concerned with these tyres and contacted the supplier who has offered me a refund. Maybe because it’s not cold enough yet (still just creeping into double figures) or the tyres haven’t bedded in fully (350 miles on the backs) I am just not sure. Either way I have yet to get these tyres to work and will be getting rid of them in a week if no improvement is made.
I have found tests on 225/45R17 (Cupra tyres)
http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Article/2010-European-Winter-Tyre-Test.htm
And some for 245/45R18 (which may help)
http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Article/2010-Auto-Bild-Performance-Winter-Tyre-Test.htm
I have just brought some other winter tyres for the rear of the Cupra to complement the Vredstein Wintracs. These are called Infinity Winter Hero and cost me £80 a piece which is comparable with summer tyres. However the movement from them compared to the Vreds is awful and the grip is only just there in the dry. In the wet I might as well be running slicks because there is nothing there and I am controlling the car with the front. I am concerned with these tyres and contacted the supplier who has offered me a refund. Maybe because it’s not cold enough yet (still just creeping into double figures) or the tyres haven’t bedded in fully (350 miles on the backs) I am just not sure. Either way I have yet to get these tyres to work and will be getting rid of them in a week if no improvement is made.
I bit the bullet this year and have ordered vredestein quatrac 3 from a forum member. Should be arriving this week. Will get them onto my original rims and get the ultraleggera's cleaned and stashed for the winter.
snow!!
i was driving earlia in the snow
and my car spun 360 but my car stalled and my epc light came on
now its taking forever to start lol
any ideas?
i was driving earlia in the snow
and my car spun 360 but my car stalled and my epc light came on
now its taking forever to start lol
any ideas?
Hows everyones leon in the snow?
I must say im pleasantly suprised! During the summer the TC was a headache, as soon as there was a hint of traction lost the car would slam the power like fuel had stopped injecting lol it did my tits in!!!! But..... in this snow its awesome!! A little bit of over excitement is rectified instantly and the car is nailing the snow like a plow, that and the fact im a couple of inches off the floor lol. I expected it to be a right handfull, especially after the remap etc. Hows everyone finding there babies in the snow???
I must say im pleasantly suprised! During the summer the TC was a headache, as soon as there was a hint of traction lost the car would slam the power like fuel had stopped injecting lol it did my tits in!!!! But..... in this snow its awesome!! A little bit of over excitement is rectified instantly and the car is nailing the snow like a plow, that and the fact im a couple of inches off the floor lol. I expected it to be a right handfull, especially after the remap etc. Hows everyone finding there babies in the snow???
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