Winter tyres

[GainfulShrimp]

My Michelins are slightly noisier than the Pirelli P7s I had as stock on my Ecomotive, but quite a lot quieter than the Pzero Rossos I had on the FR. I find the Leon generally is pretty noisy for tyre/road noise - one of the noticeable differences between it and the posher VAG siblings. Doesn't bother me terribly though. I do notice the Michelins make a drone/whine noise if driving through prolonged stretches of standing water.
They're great on frosty mornings like today though.

 

[muddyboots]

Well, I checked and they're on the right way round
Checked pressures, were a tad high so have dropped them by a couple of PSI. Can't see that making a big difference though.

They really were noisy this morning, as soon as I got out of the driveway onto the road I noticed the drone immediately.

See if it's any different when I get the new Contis on the front, probably later this week.

Perhaps it is due to the missing rear half of the undertray Have bought a replacement, just need to find the inclination to get right under the car on cold muddy/gravelled ground!

 

[GainfulShrimp]

I read a review somewhere that praised some tyre or other for staying quiet over its life and not "getting noisy like every other winter I've tried". Can't remember where it was - probably tirerack.com - or which tyre was consistently quiet. But maybe the problem in this case is that the noise level crept up over a season or two (so you didn't notice it) and then switching back to these tyres makes the difference seem more pronounced?

 

[muddyboots]

Could be - soon find out when the new ones go on...

 

[Steve H]

Geeting Avon Winter Tyres fitted tomorrow. Does anyone have experience of using these? Putting them on standard Stylance alloys as finally managed to track down a set of FR 17's for the summer. Logic states that if they make more noise then you should have lower mpg is this true, anyone who has used winter tyres before noticed any difference? Altea aint the most quiet of cars in the first place.

Bring on the snow!!

 

[muddyboots]

The switch from 17" to 16" alloys in winter improves the economy for me, presumably because my 16" wheels are lighter.

 

[phantombantam]

Any other recommendations? Im trying to find some 225 45 R17's but nowhere seems to have any stock for my budget of £400


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[GainfulShrimp]

I doubt you'll find 4 x 17"s for <£400 especially at this time of year when demand is at its peak.

I would look into downsizing to 16" steel/alloy wheels. You might find that buying 4 x 16" wheels+tyres is actually cheaper than buying 4 x 17" tyres...

 

[GainfulShrimp]

My Michelin Primacy Alpin PA3s are slightly noisier than the Pirelli P7s I had as stock but much quieter than the Pzero Rossos I had on the FR. They are the most economical tyre I've used so far - they beat the P7s by about 5% and beat the Rossos by a huge margin (not a fair comparison though really as the Rossos are built for speed/performance rather than economy).

I'm getting around 68mpg average at the moment with the Michelin winters on.

 

[phantombantam]

Well maybe £460 to allow for fitting camskill got nowt left in my range


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[Steve H]

I'm getting around 68mpg average at the moment with the Michelin winters on. [/QUOTE]

How on earth do you get 68mpg Am lucky if I get 48mpg

 

[Jon TDI]

I've just bought 4 x used 16" steelies + 4 x 205/55 R16 Vred Snowtrac 3 for a little over £500 fitted.

That's less than I paid for 4 x 225/45 R17 Vred Wintrac Extreme earlier this year.

Glad I put the winter wheels on now. -1°C when I set off this morning & lots of icy patches.

 

[Chris Bartram]

Kumho Kw-27s are just under £110 now in 225/45-17V. They seem pretty good, but were only £85-90 when I bought a while ago.

 

[Chris Bartram]

I just meant don't chuck it round corners with the same confidence as summer tyres - the feedback with winters isn't as precise. Maybe there's a better word for it but squishier is how I'd describe the feeling.

I'd agree with that, comparying my Kumho KW-27 winters against the Conti SC3 summer tyres.

I read somewhere (possibly into my new Leon's manual?) that you should use +2 or +3 psi on the usual recommended tyre pressures for winter equivalents. I only partially followed this advice this year as my Ecomotive's recommended pressures are so high anyway: I'm running 42psi all round with my Primacy Alpin PA3s.

Yep, it's in the Leon manual.

 

[GainfulShrimp]

How on earth do you get 68mpg Am lucky if I get 48mpg

I have a 2nd gen / common rail Leon Ecomotive. That and hypermiling.

Next target is 850 miles from a fill-up.

 

[Steve H]

Just got Avon winter fitted, so far seems bit more grip on cold damp tarmac and the steering seems lighter. No increase in road noise but will find out on way home tonight, though will need to turn down stero first.

 

[GainfulShrimp]

You need to bear in mind that all new tyres need a few hundred miles to run-in... they won't be as grippy until the moulding residues are worn off the surface of the compound. This is especially noticeable if you've installed four at once, so drive carefully for the first few days until they've got some miles on them.

 

[Steve H]

Really noticed the extra grip on the way home though was a steady drive, but pulling out of junctions and on the steep hills there was no srabbling for grip. Noticed driving past the farms with all the mud on the road didnt effect them as much either. Seems quieter on the way home. There is less bite and feel on the intinal turn into a corner but settles down. Be ok when bedded in but will always loose a bit lof feel as the blocks move around abit. Be interesting to see how there perform in the rain? So far am happy with them, will put 600 miles on them between now and Sunday though , thats alot of diesel

 

[phantombantam]

Unable to downsize from 17 as I will be removing my seat sport 18" and using my original fr wheels for winters if I can find some. I have no garage so nowhere to store another set of wheels


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[phantombantam]

What about thse are they any good. reviews seem ok.

Avon
ICE TOURING ST
Size: 225/45 R17
Speed: H
Stock: Available
Load: 91

Will this load rating be ok for my leon fr?