Autumn/Winter tyres

[cfcmick]

As we get nearer to the cold/damp/wet etc. etc. weather, I am looking to get some new tyres for my spare set of alloys.

I have TD 1.2 with Yokahama Prada Spec2 boots on for my summer setup.
(Believe me these tyres are absolutely shocking in the rain )

I'm after some rubber to put on my OEM alloys for the dark gloomy winter days.

So...
Has any one got any recommendations for a half decent tyre that is going to offer me some sort of grip in the days ahead of us.

I have some Dunlop Sport on the OEM alloys at the moment which didn't seem too bad in the bad weather when I first got the car. these need replacing.

I would prefer if you could give me a personal recommendation on tyres that you have used/using in the past/present.
Not what you have been told by Nobby at the local tyre bay

I have heard Continentals mentioned before for good wet grip which I will look into, but any other suggestions and opinions would be well appreciated.

Thanks in advance

 

[Leigh15]

I ran Good Year Ultragrip 7+'s on one of our A3's last year - they were great and in faact putting the Good Year Eagle F1 GSD3's on after them felt awful!

Loads of grip, quiet and absolutely awesome in icy and snowy conditions.

I'm going to try Dunlop SP Wintersport 3D's on the other A3 this year - they're very well respected on the continent and came 2nd in a test by the ADAC in Germany (well respected motoring organisation) - the ADAC actually rated the Continental Winter Contact TS830's 1st, but looking at the scoring the Continental's were better in actual snow and the Dunlop's better in rain and ice. Based on the weather we generally get in the UK (and in particular rural Wales for me) I think the Dunlop's will probably give the better balance for me.

(The Good Year's came 4th)

 

[GainfulShrimp]

I can heartily recommend Michelin Primacy Alpin PA3. I used them on my FR last winter (downsized to 205/55 R16 and bought them pre-fitted to basic black steel wheels) and will be putting them on my Ecomotive when the weather turns consistently cold. They offer decent enough performance on snow/ice in their category - i.e. not best in class but much better than any summer or all season tyre can manage - but also excellent performance in dry and wet when it's cold. From my reading around, I think they're a good compromise for our typical winter weather. I'm tempted to try the ContiWinterContact TS830s when it's time for a change, or indeed the Dunlops that Leigh is going for.
The Vredestein Wintrac Xtremes are also very popular and seem to get rave reviews.

Any winter or 'cold weather' tyre will give you much more grip and shorter braking distances when the temps get below 7°C... that's when the compound of a summer tyre will start to harden and give poor performance. Winter tyres also tend to have a 'self cleaning' tread design and hundreds of sipes to give massively greater biting edges in snow/ice - conditions where summer tyres just fill up with ice and then effectively become slicks.

Interestingly, most low rolling resistance tyres will perform better in the bitter cold than 'max performance' summer tyres, because the silica in their compound means they stay softer at colder temperatures. But you won't get the special tread design or siping that gives winter tyres the edge in snow and ice.

 

[rllmuk]

Loads in the search:

http://www.seatcupra.net/forums/showthread.php?t=144819
http://www.seatcupra.net/forums/showthread.php?t=236585