OK I know this is the wrong time of year to ask 
I have the chance to pick up some spare steel wheels for my VW Golf, that last year could not get off our steep sloping drive because of the snow.
I have a few questions & I know some of you here use them, so...
Is it worth buying some winter tires, for driving in the snow and I know this might sound silly, do I need a set of four or can I get away with just the two?
Its a standard 03 fwd VW golf btw.
Thanks, in advance for any advice...
Yes it's very much worth getting winter tyres, they make a huge difference. You must get 4 though, otherwise you'll turn in to corners front wheels turning fine and be pointing the wrong way very quickly.
coincidence!
just got off the phone with my tyre man. Last year I had him fit seom 16" general grabber AT2 to my landrover alloys and I have been concious that I really dont need them on there this time of year, so have just asked him to source me some steel rims to move the AT2s over to, and get me some faster rolling summer tyres for the alloys.
Waiting for a price.
I use them on our Kia Sedona and get away here in the UK with just the two.
Best time of year to buy them is probably now, when all the skiers are trying to get rid of theirs after having the winter break.
I bought mine from Ebay, a full set of Continentals and they cost me peanuts.
I bought mine from Ebay, a full set of Continentals and they cost me peanuts.
-ebay.de ones perchance ?
I fitted 2 steel wheels with winter tyres to the front of my passat for the past winter, and made a massive difference. not just in the snow but also for the wet roads.
Im sure its better with 4 tyres but i didnt fall of the road and still here to see the spring sunshine. If I see another 2 steel wheels cheap somewhere I will probably get them and get the winter tyres on them as well, if not Ill happily go into next winter with the same as this year.
Great advice, will go off and have a nose for 4 on ebay, thanks again
I'd agree with steveh's comments above, as when I bought my set last year they arrived as two pairs a week apart. My car is FWD so they were fitted first and made a huge difference but the handling and braking was 'interesting' to say the least.
I still have them on and apart from being slightly noisier, my mpg has gone down from an average of 36.5 mpg to about 35mpg which is what I would expect anyway as I went up to 215 to 225 wide as they were all I could get (my car has uncommon wheel size).
Still haven't made up my mind on whether to just run them all year or get a spare set and do the summer/winter swap. 
You could just move your car on to four season tyres when the current ones need replacing and get away from storage etc.
Four/All seasons used to get a bad press but the new breed are very very good UK tyres especially Hankook Optimo 4s Link They are as good as most winter tyres and they wear very well indeed. For this size they should get down below £60 on this site as we get further in to summer.
Kwik fit were the best place to get winter tyres at the start of last winter.
I just threw away some 16" steel rims because I now use four season tyres but I have two 15" rims that someone can have if you cover postage of £10.
I run with verdestien snowtrac2's all year - work a treat on my mondeo and focus estates.
I got two for the front of my Mondeo. It was discussed in HUGE detail on Pistonheads whether getting two only was a sensible decision or if it was guaranteed that you and everyone around you was doomed to die in a firey death in the snow.
Sensible logic is that two winter tyres are better than none but if you can afford it get all four. With two, the car will have more grip at the front than the back so drive accordingly.
My experience was that the car would oversteer if going round a corner too quick in the snow, not a surprise really, but I could get to places where I would have been stuck without having two on. When it wasn't snowing I never felt the back end breaking away and the front always seemed to have plenty of grip. Was the right decision for me at the time.
I will be buying another two matching tyres in the summer when the price is sensible again. £300 for the two I got was more than I wanted to pay (they were <£200 when I looked first).
You want to fit winter tyres to all 4 wheels.
I got some Nokian WRG2 last winter and my word they are amazing tyres.
They are normally in the top 10 tyres in winter tests but there are better ones out there for out and out snow grip but where they excel is they are truly usable in ALL conditions - including hot dry days and they last very well.
We did about 4k on them over winter and they still have the 8mm wear markers showing - most wear was encountered during a very warm March as I waited a bit late to take them off.
They are classed as an 'all weather' tyre with snow rating not an 'all seasons tyre' and to sum them up:
1. ice - I could easily drive on ice when everyone else was spinning. Yes I could still lock them up with no ABS on the car but I could instantly tell one wheel had locked up and could just modulate the brake to get control back. No drama.
2. snow - what snow? My dads car was stuck on his drive up north. I just pulled up and parked (on a hill) no problems. I actually aimed for snow mounds just for fun.
3. slush - melted snow etc that can be a real problem - none for these. They are aimed largely at slush.
4. dry roads - a little bit of noise from the blocky tread but so much grip, feedback and comfort they make my summer tyres in summer feel crappy and harsh.
5. wet roads - again 'what rain'. Almost no difference to the grip levels in wet conditions.
Only problem was as it got warm they did get a bit squishy but that is understandable with 8+ mm of winter tread (the sipes make the blocks move more) and they are obviously softer.
The comfort over bumps made my 13 year old peugeot suspension feel brand new and I got better MPG out of them (designed to be efficient).
The missus was glad when I took them off as my cornering speed is now about 10mph lower on summer tyres.
If you watch the prices closely (mytyres) they fluxuate a lot. Mine were £66 each all year then went up to £80 during the winter. One day they dropped to £50 each so I snapped them up. Next day they were £104 each. IMO they are perfect for the winters we have in the UK. You won't miss the slight lack of grip compared to the more expensive (double price) top marks winter tyres (conti and michelin) but the other benefits of dry, slush and wear performance are huge benefits.
Ps I don't work for Nokian or any tyre company. I just rate them very highly and won't run summer tyres in winter ever again.
stevemtb - Member
I got two for the front of my Mondeo. It was discussed in HUGE detail on Pistonheads whether getting two only was a sensible decision or if it was guaranteed that you and everyone around you was doomed to die in a firey death in the snow.Sensible logic is that two winter tyres are better than none but if you can afford it get all four. With two, the car will have more grip at the front than the back so drive accordingly.
That sounds like a recipe for savage lift off oversteer! 
andyl - Member
You want to fit winter tyres to all 4 wheels.I got some Nokian WRG2 last winter and my word they are amazing tyres
Those sound ideal. How deep are the sipes though? I presume they aren't the full depth of the rest of the tread?
Still better than the terror of going straight on in a corner 
4 is better than 2 is better than none.
They don't get all 4 down the valley in Thonon - seem to do alright.
The sipes go down to about 3/4mm as that is the point at which you should not use the tyres in winter. People on the continent usually let them run down to about 4mm in Winter and then keep them on in the spring/summer until they wear down fully. When the tread gets low the stiffness is better so running them in summer is not so much a problem.
They will probably get about 3/4 (sometimes 6 when they get changed due to age) winters out of a set and then use them up in summer or change them and then they end up on ebay in the UK.
The used ones you see on ebay from europe are normally at 4/5mm - ie when they are no longer deamed suitable for winter but British people don't know that and pay over the odds for worn out winter tyres.
Another thumbs up for Nokian WR G2s here. I'm just about to swap them for some summer tyres. They've been on since November and are down to the 6mm marker now so I'd rather save the tread for the winter.
Another one here that's tried and tested winter tyres on a FWD - you won't believe the difference and you will feel smug if we get heavy snow. Do it
Stoner - Member
Still better than the terror of going straight on in a cornerPOSTED 1 HOUR AGO # REPORT-POST
flowmtbguy - Member
4 is better than 2 is better than none.They don't get all 4 down the valley in Thonon - seem to do alright.
Having done a bit more reading, I'll still be avoiding winters on the front only, ta! 
No decent motoring organisations recommend putting the best tyres on the front. They say change them all, or put the best tyres on the rear axle.
Watch this from 1:20 onwards...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdtAm7RsTmE
+1 for Nokian
Grip on sheet ice was amazing.
Pirelli WInter Sotto 2 for me, just had them replaced with some toyo summer tyres for now as they were worn out.
Gripped and gripped they did.
We fitted contis to both our cars, my Octavia 4x4 and wor lasses fabia estate. The fabia was excellent, narrow wheels helped, never got stuck despite neighbours unable to get off the drive. The Octavia could manage on summers, but was more secure on the winters, much harder to unstick the rears in the snow.
That video's absolutely appalling though... "Look, if you just mash the pedal to the floor, you'll slide out of control!!one!". No s**t.
Northwind - Member
That video's absolutely appalling though... "Look, if you just mash the pedal to the floor, you'll slide out of control!!one!". No s**t.
Are you referring to the one I posted? (showing a fairly normal looking corner but taken too quickly and a braking lockup)
Anyhow I posted it primarily to show the spin under heavy braking when the winters were on the front only. Can't see how you can really disagree with the result it shows and i don't think too many normal drivers would be able to catch that in time (STW DRIVING SUPAR HEROS excepted, of course)
retro83 - MemberCan't see how you can really disagree with the result it shows and i don't think too many normal drivers would be able to catch that in time
I'm at best an average driver and I'm confident I could do better than that- in fact I did last winter, while driving around on cheap standard tyres in my non-ABS car. The braking test is "Look how badly these tyres work when you can't drive" Sure if your entire approach is step on the pedal and see what happens you're likely to have problems but that'll be the case regardless of what tyres you have on.
Winter tyres are brilliant. You feel so smug driving your 15 year old Toyota Carina past stranded 4 wheel drive Audis etc.
I've forgotten what make mine are, but they are wrapped up in the garage waiting for the first frost of the winter
Northwind - Member
I'm at best an average driver and I'm confident I could do better than that- in fact I did last winter, while driving around on cheap standard tyres in my non-ABS car. The braking test is "Look how badly these tyres work when you can't drive" Sure if your entire approach is step on the pedal and see what happens you're likely to have problems but that'll be the case regardless of what tyres you have on.
Well that's not the point I was making. I did fine on summer tyres too. Thing is that you know the performance is going to be drastically reduced, and can be prepared for that. (However, still I think fitting winters or at least all conditions is a good idea if you've got to do winter driving.)
Anyhow, the reason I linked the vid was about putting winters on the front axle only compared to all 4 wheels. Winters on the front might get you going along well, and work for 95% of the time. But personally I want predictable handling if I have to swerve, or brake hard to avoid something. You can't always engine brake to a stop!
Another vote for Nokians. I have W+ on my wife's Saab and WR G2's on my Passat.
I had similar experience to andyl. WR G2s are marketed as being ideal for slush, rain and mud as well as snow, which I thought was perfect for the UK. They were instantly much quieter than my previous Dunlops, and about 5-10% more economical (yes seriously, I was astonished). I did some more checking and they have come in near the top in fuel economy tests of SUMMER tyres.
Like all snow tyres they are a sort of agressive tread but the blocks also contain very fine cuts which don't really admit water but allow the rubber to flex a lot.
A 2WD car with winter tyres is far better than a 4WD with summer tyres. In Finland where I lived for a while everyone drove around in 2WD cars perfectly happily.
I was so impressed I put my money back with Nokian for some Nokian V summer tyres, and they are also ace. Oh and their MTB tyres are great too
Re wear, there are two wear markers on the tyre. One to let you know they are going to be sub-optimal in snow, and another to let you know the legal limit as normal.
Absolutely recommend winter tyres (still amazes me that they are so hard to get hold of over here) It took me 6 weeks to finally source a set last winter and in that time my car (a Jaguar XF) would not even move out of the flat drive (I swear to god the "snow" setting is nothing more than a switch with a light on it).
Further ABSOLUTELY don't recommend putting on less than a full set, while you may get away with a half set (more so on front wheel drive cars) if it does go pear shaped ... thats when you'll be thinking "buggar ... should have got the other two" Not only that but you might strike problems with your insurance if it does go wrong.
Also, when I asked about going to a smaller rim size (19" to 18"s to cut cost of winter tyres) was told my premium would go up by nearly £600 (doubled) as they were deemed non standard, they also told me that by fitting winter tyres the premium would increase by £215 as they were not recommended by the manufacturer (Jaguar actually do recommend the P-Sottozero I was looking at !) Needless to say went to another insurers.
Have a look at http://www.mytyres.co.uk. They will send tyres to a nominated tyre dealer who will fit them to your rims for a fee (I paid £10 a corner with balancing)
After fitting driving in the outside lane with the Defenders became the norm, and despite the sheffield snowfalls never gave it a second thought.
They are slightly noisier, didn't seem to make a difference to MPG (i have racks fitted 24/7 anyway so both noise and MPG are killed by them) and after 6k miles in three months still show minimal signs of wear.
Put 4 Vredestein Wintrac Extremes on my 5 series last November and took them off end of Feb time. Absolutely massive difference from the standard tyres. Mine has 245/35 R19 fronts and 275/30 R19 rears but I picked up a set of genuine BMW 16" wheels from ebay for £70 and then £400 for the 215 tyres. Car looked a bit odd on 16s rather than 19s but the drive in the snow made up for it. Definitely recommended!
molgrips - the sipes actually do take up water. They act like mini pumps when the tread is deformed against the road the sipe takes up water from the contact area and then it squirts back out when the tyre moves out of contact with the road.
Like little pipettes sucking up the water from under your tyres and squirting it back for the next car to skid on!
The sipes are what allow you to grip on ice, like little suction pumps.
I've been told by the tyre fitters at Costco that they do cheap deals on winter tyre sets in May/June time, and will fit them to spare steel wheels, so anyone with/thinking about winter tyres might want to investigate further - sadly, the bank balance is too low for the next few months!
got these on my punto
used them in anger this winter just gone going with the GF up to dalby to the guest house i even managed to pass a few 4x4's who had no grip on the hills
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