Tyres for south east winter

[Veyron_fan]

Hi guys

So it's that time if year when everyone starts panicking about the cold. Well not to disappoint, here's my request for help on the subject. Although it's not exactly the usual old "do I need winter tyres" thread.

So basically I've had my cupra 300 for a couple weeks and just by accident while I was reading up on potential next tyres, I came across the full blurb of my cars tyres that it came with, Pzero pz4s, and got a bit of a shock when reading about the use in cold weather.

Apparently they are not for use below 7°c, and just this week on a particularly cold day I was driving to work in the morning and it had to be around 0!

Now for my old peugeot 208 gti, I stuck on Michelin pilot sport 4 all year round and I never had a problem, that I know of anyway. Yet even these are described as "not designed for use in freezing or near freezing temperatures, driving through snow or on ice".

Now the car is 10 months old and I assume the pzeros are from the factory so they aren't exactly new anymore. Rears are fine, fronts are prob about half worn at a glance. Still some good life left in them, if driven nicely lol.

Bearing in mind I'm in the south east where it's not going to be arctic cold, would you guys still recommend I shell out for full on "Winter tyres" in the next few weeks, or go with a decent set of "all season" that will still be a lot better than the summer tyres that are on it?

Specifically I'm looking at the Bridgestone weather control a005's, which this review here, http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Article/2018-Auto-Bild-All-Season-Tyre-Test.htm , says are potentially a better option than full on winters for much of the UK.

Obviously it's not gonna be as good as a proper winter tyre when/if we get some actual snow. But tbh if it's snowing, or even just very cold/wet I don't expect to be trying to go particular quick anyway. I'd be happy to just poodle along with the rest of the traffic knowing that my tyres aren't going to start "cracking" from being used in the cold like the pzeros. Drove through the snow storms and ice last year on the pilot sport 4's without issue lol.

Should also mention that i have no spare rims so was potentially looking at having the tyres changed on the current rims. Which would be a lot easier if I can then leave on whatever goes on them throughout the winter months and not have to worry about changing back and forth should the temp suddenly shoot back up above winter tyre levels randomly.

Any help or even just opinions/experience would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

 

[Veyron_fan]

Ok so I think after well over an hour of research I've possibly answered my own question.

Basically it seems the Bridgestone weather control A005's are basically a summer tyre that's had the bare mimimum done to it to make it safe to use in cold temperatures. Has the worst snow and ice test results of all the "all season" tyres but still waaaay better than a summer tyre that was also tested. But on the flip side it was the best of all the tyres on both wet and dry roads, apart from the summer tyres.

 

[Stephenator280]

I go through the same thought process each year, and have actually spent the last hour or so looking at winter tyres and wheels!

I have a 280st, with 19 inch wheels (which I assume you too have), and one thing that is somewhat painful is the massive price hike in winter tyres as you transition from 18 to 19 inches. Were I to have 18 inch wheels, I suspect I would generally get winter tyres put on them.

But I suspect this year, like all years that came before I will come to the same conclusion that I can’t justify it. The fact that I have just forked our £600 on some new ps4s makes this even less likely. I too live in the south east (Cambridgeshire)

With regards to my experience, I have for the last winter at least driven with different tyres on the front and back, the stock potenza re050a on the back and pilot super sports on the front. I have had the potenzas on my s2000s and 335i in the past and have never really been a fan. In the cupra, especially when it gets cold (south of 5 degrees or so) the behaviour of both tyres is markedly different. The Michelin’s seem to have Better grip, especially in cold and wet and are a little more progressive, the potenzas give up more quickly and would kick the back out (if you
Lift off when on a roundabout, not that I do that of xourse). But, if driving normally, unless it is actually snowing I haven’t really had any problems.

Based on my (limited) understanding of how tyres work, the temperature limit (I.e 7 degrees) may not be strictly true for most summer tyres, but even then I think it applies to tyre temperature and not necessarily atmospheric temperature - so
Once you have been driving for a while the tyres will probably have warmed up quite a bit allowing the compound to become more elastic and provide better grip. I came across this video from the tyre reviews YouTube channel which provides a really good overview of a comparison between pilot sports 4s and pilot cup 2 tyres in UK winter conditions.

But, as you said if it is snowy or icy it’d be crazy to try to drive fast, and almost certainly impossible without the ability to put power down anyway do to the absence of any sipes in summer tyres, let alone a softer compound.

But, if you are still keen on getting the tyres, from the same YouTube channnel you may find the following useful

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[Veyron_fan]

Thanks for your reply mate.

I've also been sat researching for the last 2+ hours and still not 100% on what to do. If the pzeros were much closer to needing changing I'd just order some p4s's for next year and use the pzeros as my winter tyres and just sod any rubber cracking that might occur because of the cold.

However as the pzeros should still have some good life left, especially if I switch the fronts and rears, I'm leaning towards the option of getting a set of 4 Bridgestone A005's "all season" tyres put on and saving the pzeros from getting ruined.

It's trying to decide whether it's worth spending the money on a new set of summer tyres (p4s's) and having to live with sub par performance through the colder months, or spending the money on a set of A005 all weathers that should give better performance through the colder months and then stick with the pzeros for the summer.

I think I might just wait till the temp does start to get down properly and see how bad the pzeros deal with it. To be fair I've been out on them a couple times at night when it's been pretty cold and they weren't that bad. Who knows though, they might turn into plastic wheels when it gets properly cold lol.

 

[Veyron_fan]

Does anyone happen to know for certain how small a rim will fit on an 2018 cupra? Having a look at potential rims for a set of Bridgestone A005 all weathers online and after putting the car details in it's offering as small as 17's.

It's probably correct but knowing my luck I'll get some 17's and find they don't go on lol

Ty

 

[Bedlam]

Sorry but a SE Winter is not an issue (I was born there)
Just improve your driving skills to NE (Yorkshire.... Where I live now) skills

 

[Maypack]

Sorry but a SE Winter is not an issue (I was born there)
Just improve your driving skills to NE (Yorkshire.... Where I live now) skills

Got to say I agree with @Bedlam. Northern winters are a little harsher and with more inclined, narrow roads that are not as routinely gritted an improvement to NE and NW skills would be a benefit

 

[Veyron_fan]

Sorry but a SE Winter is not an issue (I was born there)
Just improve your driving skills to NE (Yorkshire.... Where I live now) skills

I have no problem driving through the winter on summer tyres. As i said in the OP i always just got on with the pilot sports year round. It's only the potential for screwing up my rubber that's making me think of changing. Well that and the potential for better performance through the very cold weeks on a set of all weathers that don't turn to plastic when the temp gets really low lol

 

[Bedlam]

I have no problem driving through the winter on summer tyres. As i said in the OP i always just got on with the pilot sports year round. It's only the potential for screwing up my rubber that's making me think of changing. Well that and the potential for better performance through the very cold weeks on a set of all weathers that don't turn to plastic when the temp gets really low lol

Really just a southern attitude then.....

 

[Yellow fr]

I’m in West Yorkshire I change my front tyres to winter ones when it starts getting and chance off snow as on the street I live on with out winter tyres on I can’t get up the steep hill to my road and park my car outside my house where it’s safe no gritters come anywhere near my street so if I want my car to be safe I need snow tyres and I also know I can get to where ever I want to go with them just on the front off the car I have never been stuck in the snow with winter tyres on I even had to pick my grandson up from his dads house up a road they was just about to close as to many accidents on and cars can’t get up or down but my little ford sport ka I had at the start off the year had snow tyres on I got up and back down the hill with no problem at all


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[Veyron_fan]

Today is the perfect example of why I'm looking at the all weather as opposed to the full winter. It was below 0 last week for several days in a row and well below the recommended 7°c of my pzeros. Now its over 14°c and has been over 10°c all week lol.

 

[Gokiwi64]

Uniroyal Rainsport 3's for me fitted to our Kia Sportage and the LCR , no issues in the snow (Kia pulling a 3600kgs horse trailer) or the LCR pushing it in heavy surface flooded conditions. But tyres are a personal thing what works for one doesn't work for another as our driving styles , competency and capability. I guess do your research form your opinion and try them (although this could get very expensive). - Just my 2pw

 

[Stephenator280]

Today is the perfect example of why I'm looking at the all weather as opposed to the full winter. It was below 0 last week for several days in a row and well below the recommended 7°c of my pzeros. Now its over 14°c and has been over 10°c all week lol.

What types of roads do you travel on? For me it’s mostly main roads, which would be gritted. My favoured driving road is a proper fen road (collapsing with aggressive camber wanting to push you off into a ditch) and generally covered in farm muck and never gritted. I tend to leave it alone sub 7 degrees or so and take main roads for my commute. Such that unless we are snowed in I have always managed to get by on my normal rubber.


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