[Closed] Winter tyres or SUV?

Winter tyres make a MASSIVE difference to handling in the snow/ice. Unless you actually need to be offroad I would upgrade your existing car!

My brother lived in Norway for 5 years and always had 2wd cars and winter tyres from October through to March and he thought they made a massive difference so he swears by them. he wasn't just pooling around town either, often big drives to ski resorts cross country. Of course 4wd is always better so 4wd with winter tyres the ultimate combo, but all 4wd systems are not created equal and you can get away with 2wd unless you're looking to have that go anywhere off road capability. Its cheaper to get a set of winter tyres than a new car so I'd suggest that.

Don’t really do any off roading and we bought the tourer for it’s practically, and massive boot size. I don’t need a new car and actually like this one.

It is seriously bad in the snow tho, undrivable id say. I have a little Toyota aygo which for obvious reasons had no issues and powered us through last winter as the tourer sat in shame.

Ive had no issue before with a Toyota Auris and VW golf both FWD but the tourer I was absolutely shocked at, not sure if it’s the size of it and sits on a normal civic chassis or just generally rubbish in snow.

All comments and advice welcome and of course if you have a tourer and have same issue or use winter tyres would be great to hear from you. Even if it’s another tourer and not a civic

cheers

Yeah a set of winter tyres is definitely the cheapest option and also spare wheels makes it easier.

i guess my worry is that the initial outlay would be around £1k for wheels and winter tyres and then to find out the civic tourer is still bad, tbh I’ve not had such a bad car to drive in the snow.

Just get steel wheels or used alloys. Also consider smaller wheels if you can fit them and then you could have comfier and bigger tyres - they will probably be cheaper.

If you intend to keep the car for a while  then the winter tyre/steelies option would be my choice rather than getting a vehicle you may not find is as practical for the majority of the year. Going on Mytyres I had a decent set of steel wheels and Bridgestone winter tyres for £580 for my Superb estate , they lasted four winters and I sold them with 5mm of tread for £250. Bearing in mind I wasn't wearing the summer tyres when they were on, the cost per year was well worth it.

The other thing it is not just in snow that they are better, if the temperature is below 7 Celsius than the compounds work better as well, particularly if wet.

Some of your current problems could be just driving style, especially with a diesel as it is much easier to drive a petrol car on snow with normal summer tyres. But it could also be that the current summer tyres are just especially bad in snow/cold weather.

My money would be on winter tyres. I can say 100% that a normal car on winter tyres will be better than an SUV on summer tyres. An SUV on winters will be better as it will have more clearance and stop you bottoming out and losing grip and an SUV with 4wd and winter tyres will obviously be even better at putting the power down. A 4wd SUV on summer tyres will be better at getting moving as it is only putting half the power through each wheel but  stopping will be no different to any other car on summer tyres.

I expect moving to an SUV will not only cost you £ but the running costs will be higher and the load space less. I'd either switch to Michelin Cross Climates all year round or pick up a set of steel wheels or cheap alloys and get some winter tyres. Don't get too obsessed with buying the best snow rated winters, for Britain you want something more aimed at icy slush and cold wet performance. The old Nokian WR-G2 was brilliant for the UK and outperformed more snow orientated tyres in cold wet and cold dry conditions.

Buy something from a decent brand and check out the Autoexpress tyre reviews. Also check your handbook for recommended winter tyre sizes. I suspect on your civic it will just be a case of going like for like but some larger cars (eg big german saloons) have a smaller wheel size with a slightly narrower and higher profile tyre for winter instead of their wide low profile summer tyres.

Need to look into the steel option more and the used alloys. I also don’t want to make the car look rubbish for 4/5 months.

The next car will be some forum of SUV but was hoping to keep the civic for another 2 year, as it’s only 2.5 years old now.

or maybe I just do the jump now as trade in is actually pretty decent will have lost £5.5k in 2 years, it was an ex demo car so bought it 6 months old pre registered

I’m pretty confident the Mazda will do the job on summer tyres as my friend had no issues.

ah the decisions

Buy a set of steel wheels and winter tyres and the only problem you have left is where to store the wheels you're not using. Buy a separate car for winter and you have to contend with insurance, tax, MOT and unknown reliability in addition to the initial cost of purchase.

There's a reason winter tyres are mandatory in countries that get regular snow, and it is not a government conspiracy or lobbying by tyre manufacturers.

another thing to remember is that winter tyres still dont make you infallible and still wont grip on ice. In my experience they hang on a little bit better and it's easier to get the grip back but only a studded tyre is going to grip in ice so take it easy with your new found confidence in the winter.

If you are in the UK then just put a set of Michelin CrossClimates on existing car and keep them on all year round. Perfectly acceptable performance.

I've had winter tyres on my wife's car and Crossclimates on mine. The winter tyres were a bit better in snow but the Crossclimates were fine. I'll be going for Crossclimates on both from now on.

I bought some  genuine Skoda Wheel covers for my steel wheels, I would say from a few feet away only car nerds would notice that they were not alloys.

I had to go the alloys route for my current car as steel wheels were not available in the correct size, a very decent refurbished set of genuine VW  wheels and Conti winter tyres did come to about the 1K mark but as above, I intend to keep the car for a while so cost will be spread over a while and the GTi alloys will be worth something at the end.

Cross climates are an alternative but for me I had a set of nearly new summer tyres on the car so it wasn't an option I wanted to pursue

Storing the wheels/tyres is not an issue, plenty room in my garage for these.

This is my first diesel car, the rest have all been FWD petrols, but never had an issue before even in the bad winter of 2010. The fact that it is diesel could be an issue as mentioned in an earlier post, however I tried lots of things in the tourer to get it going and failed, it wont even get up my driveway and its on a slight upright position but nothing major.

I am more than happy to keep the tourer as its nice and meets our families needs, but will need to research more into winter tyres on the tourers performance. Either than or I'm driving the little aygo in the snow again, my wife wont be happy she is car less!!

Will have a google on tyres and cheaper alloys/steels but first I need to find some other tourer drivers.

Im in the Uk, but in Edinburgh and stay on the outskirts and on higher ground where we do get snow fall and getting out of the street can proved a challenge at times.

I've also recently put 3 new summers on this so would be wasting these, but guess I need to weigh up the cost of wheels and winter tyres compare to all seasons and the loss of my current tyres

I wanted to switch to cross climates but they don't do them in my size. I can only get full on winters or full on summers. damn you 265x35x18 and 245x40x18 tyres!

Fit Michelin CrossClimate or Goodyear Vector 4Season tyres. The 4Seasons seem to get good reviews, and the price is reasonable as well. The only caveat is that their performance will be compromised in really hot weather like we’re having at the moment, but putting them on later in the year, and through normal summer conditions you’ll likely see a real benefit to having them fitted. My Octavia will need new fronts in the next couple of months, so I’m getting a pair of Vectors fitted, they’re going to cost around £70-80 or so, which I think’s reasonable.

Are these "fashionable" low profile tyres and wheels? If so, that's your problem right there. I lived in Balerno for years and just ended up using winters all year round (even more so now I'm in Aviemore). The Diesel vs Petrol thing is a red herring and I can't see why that particular car would be any worse than any others (LP wheels excepted). If you really are concerned about winter performance then get a car with thinner, smaller wheels. The SUV of itself won't help much either, unless you are similarly going to fit winter tyres.

Im in the Uk, but in Edinburgh and stay on the outskirts and on higher ground where we do get snow fall and getting out of the street can proved a challenge at times.

I work and travel all over Scotland and the crossclimates got me everywhere I needed to get to on a rear wheel drive bmw 3 series tourer last winter and on a berlingo prior to that.

Tyre size is 225/45/17 and the tyres were the ones that came with the car michelin's not sure on the exact details. I have recently put on a mid priced pirelli as they were offered a good deal at the time.

Not really looking to down size the car, i.e get a car with thinner smaller wheel, plus we have an aygo as a 2nd run around which was truly great in the snow.

If winter tyres is the answer Im happy with that, but I am just not sure as my experience with the tourer was awful.

Great to hear tyres helped your RWD BMW as that's a massive step, seen a fair few RWD having major issues last winter

Apparantly the Honda Civic has been the best selling car in Canada for the best part of 20 years. Whether this is the same model/version we get here you'd need to look up but if it is then they must be at least ok in winter. Maybe look at what tyres come on theirs compared to here?

I have a 7m rwd van that used to get stuck on flat damp grass and just spun it's rear wheels. I didn't take it out in the snow

<span style="font-size: 0.8rem;"> Stuck on winter compound tires and it transformed it into a surefooted in the snow vehicle. </span>

Alternatively buy an SUV and find it's still shite in the snow (which itiwill be if its on summer tires) n have to buy winters anyway

Winter tyres / all season tyres.

A 4wd will help you get going but won't stop or go round corners any better than a 2wd on summer tyres.

My Avensis was battering through half metre deep snow drifts on cross climates 5 months ago.

I’ve watched a few vids of civics in the snow, in the states and Canada and all were doing fairly well especially with the winter tyres.

no tourers tho, I had a civic years ago R reg and that was fine in the snow with summers.

i do think it’s a tourer issue rather than the normal civic. There are fairy new last 2/3 years so tracking down owners is a little difficult.

my only defense with the SUV is that my friend had is Mazda running out and about on winters during the winter (beast from the east) with no issues and he stays further out where the snow is worse than I get.

More than happy to give the winter tyres a bash. If I kept the tourer for another 2 years  so 2 more winters would you recommend getting another set of alloys or steels or just get someone to swap the tyres over onto existing alloys and back again in summer?  I am guessing £20 a change so 2 winters would be £320

Just read an article saying that the tourer civic will no longer be in production any longer, wonder if it is better to jump ship with this now

Use whatever tyres you have at the moment.  If next winter like the last few (not the last one) you'll be fine.  When they wear out change to crossclimates or vector4S.  If next winter starts to look bad pop down to Costco in Straiton and get some crossclimates put on then.

A 4wd will help you get going but won’t stop or go round corners any better than a 2wd on summer tyres.

Never forget this. Crashes are generally not caused by failure to get going.

We have a Freelander on Nokian Weatherproof and a Alhambra that runs proper winter tyres. Had no issues with either this last winter and didn't even need to get the snowsocks out.

Get winter tyres, nuff said. Or if you are really worried about cost (obviously not, as you are considering buying an SUV) buy all season tyres that you can run all year. Personally I run winters in the winter on my original alloys. I've had separate alloys but its just an extra expense.

I am concerned by cost, the only reason was that my next car will be an SUV, so it was to find out if winter tyres will do the job for now which it appears they will.

I menationed SUV as I thought it might be better to get do the change of cars now rather in 2 years if the winter tyres would not help.

So you just change the tyres over every summer and winter to the existing alloys? I think this would suit me better for a couple years I intend to keep the tourer.

Winter tyres make a pisstaking difference. My street in Edinburgh absolutely collapsed this year with just about nothing getting up it, so I drove over to the completely closed street next over and just effortlessly drove up it, passing a thoroughly stuck landy- I didn't even get to feel smug because I did nothing.

It helps if you have the sort of car that people buy winters for- I have a mondeo, which takes wheels off most fords but also jags and volvos, so there's millions of sets of alloys and steels with good quality, barely used tyres on, on ebay, where people have sold a car on. I got my first set of snowproxes for £100 on fugly volvo alloys.

Triggered!

An SUV with out winter tyres is NOT going to be better than a FWD car with winter tyres!

I have strong opinions on his issue, but no responsible human being with control of a car in any environment beyond the equator* should be without winter tyres. Ideally, an extra set of steel wheels with winters permanently mounted should be in everyone’s garage or shed.

Honestly, on planet Earth, I don’t think there is a people with a stupider approach to vehicle tyres than the British.

Ive no doubt that an SUV in summer tyres would be better than a FWD in winter tyres, the winter tyres will be best.

My issue is that I've not had any issues before in any of the cars I have previously owned on summers, until now with the tourer. My view was that my next car would be a SUV therefore changing to a CRV now would be better in summer tyres than my current car in summers.

I am happy to give winter tyres a go prob going to be approx £400 to test this, plus swapping back in summer £80 and if its still rubbish then I guess I look to swap next winter to an SUV

I live in the Borders with a commute to Edinburgh and the all season Vredsteins have been brilliant, even the snow socks didn't have to be fitted this year (with a recent diesel Ford Fiesta).

My dad recently bought a new Kia 4x4, and in comparison he had a nightmare this winter with summer tyres fitted - countless dodgy spins & slides.

My vote goes for you to try different tyres. Slap on some all seasons as it's less faff imo.

I live in Calgary and so see all combinations of setup. Not all summer tires are created equal and neither are winters so it might be that your current summers are just poor and not the cars fault per se. 4wd helps you to start but doesn't help to stop.  I like Michelin X-ice but think they are a Canadian model?

If you're running very low profile it can be cheaper and easier to size down and get a thicker tire. It also means you can run a bit lower pressure and get better grip.

4wd doesn't help you stop.

So although some people can move forward and maybe round a corner with summer tyres (sure they're summer and not all weather?) It is no substitute for winter tyres regardless of 4 or 2wd.

Basically get winter tyres whatever you're doing.

Part of it of course is "summer tyres"- our default choice should be something practical and allroundey. Summery tyres work best when it's warm and dry and you don't really care if you have 4% more grips, allroundy tyres work better when it's wet and crappy and you're more likely to want it, winter tyres more so.

I am tempted by the all season tyres as this does save the hassle of swapping. However I have recently put 3 new summers on the car about 3 months ago, one was replaced not that long before with a puncture. So they would be wasted.

A new set of alloys doesn't sit well with me for a couple years. However the cost to swap back and forth would be about £320, so couple hundred more and you can get alloys and then sell them.

Most of what I'd like to say is already posted above, we've a Civic hatch that runs all season tyres all year and it does fine. We had all seasons on a Ford Fusion (fiesta) and when you are scrambling it up an unmade track covered with compacted icy snow, and are able to pull into a gateway to avoid two proper 4x4s slide past using the hedge to keep them on the track, you can see how important tyres are.

I can't see why the Tourer would be much worse than the hatch, it might have different suspension on the back...*whisper*...it's probably more down to driving style!

Also, the SUVs you listed are probably the crappy hair-arsed attempt, where the torque limiter on the weedy lightweight rear differential is so low that the rear wheels cannot move the car by themselves (there are YouTube clips demonstrating this on the CR-V)

"Part of it of course is “summer tyres”- our default choice should be something practical and allroundey. Summery tyres work best when it’s warm and dry and you don’t really care if you have 4% more grips, allroundy tyres work better when it’s wet and crappy and you’re more likely to want it, winter tyres more so."

Nothing to do with moisture. Summer tyres have perfectly adequate tread for roads. It's all about temperature. Summer tyres work better in summer temperatures wether its wet or dry. In the UK most of us live over 90% of the time in temperatures that are suited best to Summer tyres. I stick with summer tyres all year round and for the handful of days where the temps are genuinely below 6 degrees I just drive a bit more carefully...but to be honest I've never really found a significant performance drop. Mostly our winter days might start off at sub 6 degrees, but a few hours into the day temps have crept up to higher temperatures...we very rarely get sustained periods of several days or weeks at sub 6 degree temperatures, and never months of sustained temps that low. Obviously probably different the further north you go, but here in the temperate East Midlands, our winters tend to be wet and mild so well within the summer tyre temp zone.

This is the first time I have had to even consider winter tyres, like I said before never had any issue before with any FWD hatchback on summer tyres, I even drove from Edinburgh to south east in a harsh winter in 2012 I think it was with no issues in a golf, but then again a golf is a true machine!

This was the first ever time a car has failed me in the winter.

The hill up to my street can be a true challenge with snow on the ground, but ever car I've owned has got up there apart from the tourer, complete fail.

Maybe it was just the wrong type of snow.

Data for Edinburgh suggests that there are 5 months where the normal AVE temp is less than 6 degrees  but only 4 months where it is safely in excess of 6.

If your commuting at typical commuting time (7am and 5pm ) then that number moves even further into favour of winter tires rather than .summer tires.

It' was almost unanimous advice from lobby groups that if you po not have one set of tires it should be winters. The advent of good quality All rounders means there's not really any excuse for ending up on summers in winter unless you regularly take your car to the edge on a track .....

<div class="bbp-reply-author">wobbliscott
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Nothing to do with moisture. Summer tyres have perfectly adequate tread for roads

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Adequate doesn't mean best, though. I've had sticky summer tyres and run them through wet autumns and I'd much rather have had something more allroundy like my hankooks.

If/when you do change the car and you want more traction why not go for a 4wd estate rather than an SUV? More room, more practical, more efficient, much better looking than any of the current crop of SUV's, more sensible. On winter tyres in the winter of course.

I did look at the 4wd estate cars and the VW passat was an option, however those plastic covers that go around the wheel arches are awful looking on the car, the passat was the best but just looks poor, the audi I thought looked particular bad.

I understand the need, but IMO they look awful and cheap.

I know the SUV have these but just doesnt look nice on the estates

I'd have to step up to the likes of a s line but its way over budget.

An SUV with winter tyres.

A car with AWD  (suv or otherwise)  with summer tyres means that if you crash you will be travelling faster.

An SUV will give you more snow clearance. AWD will give you better traction. Ultimately AWD ends in understeer just like fwd.

You have 4 brakes and 4 wheels just the same as  every other car so your grip and therefore ability to stop will depend on the tyres.

Dont let the marketing hide the physics. What you gain in snow clearance in an suv you may loose in agility over a 4x4 estate.. if you live somewhere where deep snow is a possibility regularly get an suv with the correct tyres. If you just want to play it safe for the odd occasion get an estate with AWD and fit the correct tyres.

Definitely the wrong type of snow.😀

Winter tyres will see you right. An SUV with AWD is a bit of a gimmick. (Proud owner of one.)

4wd estate with cross climates here. Ideal for typical west of Scotland conditions.

4wd doesn’t help you stop.

Not strictly true. Assuming you lift off before mashing the brake pedal, engine braking on all 4 wheels can be a significant advantage.

i put winter tyr on a merc c class... well, the car actually came with a set of winter wheels and tyres, and i used to put them on oct to march, just because i had them, and then one year i got caught in the snow..... my god, the car was a joy to drive, i could go anywhere i wanted and zero issues... and this was an auto rwd car...

really opened my eyes to the difference winter tyres can make

There is a reason for all the What Tyre For.... threads on the bike forum 😉

I would say SUVs are a red herring for most people when it comes to snow.  I’ve had a Jag for the last 2 winters and was seriously concerned about the rear wheel drive on the few snow days we do get - Huddersfield based so it’s pretty hilly!  Fitted winters and have had no problems even in fairly extreme conditions, when plenty of SUVs seemed incapable of getting going..  Also agree with the comments about getting going being only half the battle - used to have a Range Rover and first trip out in the snow was great fun....until I tried to stop!!!

Not strictly true. Assuming you lift off before mashing the brake pedal, engine braking on all 4 wheels can be a significant advantage.

So in the scenario where you want to stop on a perfectly flat road with nothing infront of you, you'll stop that little bit quicker.

Thanks for the comments and advice.

More than happy to go for either winter tyres or maybe opt for the all seasons to save the hassle of buying another set of alloys/steels or paying to have these swapped over onto the existing alloys twice a year.

I had another look over the VW Passat Alltrack and it is defiantly more suited to my needs, boot mainly being the key here. If you get the right colour it helps with the plastic trims. Wife is more SUV but think that is a standard thing!

I get the benefits of a winter tyre, its been proved and tested, however I can honestly say in over 20 years of driving I have never felt the need for a winter tyre, even during the harsh winter of 2010/2012 I think it was? It was only during last winter with the tourer I thought I need to either look at a new car or changing the tyres.

I would therefore imagine that anything that has AWD would do the job on summers, but I'd prob just opt for all seasons, as all previous FWD cars have been fine barr the tourer.

I like the tourer but just wonder if maybe its best to swap now, especially since they have stopped production of the car now.

modern tires supplied on vehicles are often Eco varieties.

These have some lovely compound that appears to be made from old laptop cases or something equally hard and ungrippy.

Give good MPG though.

As experianced with our new berlingo on some factory fit michelin tires that are near new. scary in the damp and cold when pulling away at junctions and supervague in cornering - that was the main reason i went to nokian winters on mine. Had it years ago on some factory fit pirelli p6000s as well - hard as nails did 40000 miles on them  before they died of perishing rather than tread wear - not confidence inspiring at all and useless in the snow.

so i wouldnt bet on a new AWD being any better on stock tires.

Not read the thread, and I'm sure it's all been said before, but get winter tyres regardless. If you don't want more than one set, run them in the summer too (I believe that is the RACs advice)

Come October, they make a huge difference, well before any snow or ice gets here.

When it does snow, they can enable a poor 2WD car to get going like an AWD on summer tyres. And it will stop and go round corners MUCH better.

I've been running winter's a few years now (currently an automatic RWD BMW, which has taken everything I've thrown at it - except that time the wheels were no longer touching the ground...). Had my parent's car out last winter in a very light dusting, and I was shocked. Actually scared me how it wanted to go straight on in every corner. You might be able to get from A to B, but on the basis of safety, I'm surprised it hasn't been made law to use suitable tyres, like in other countries. There is really no reason not too, unless a couple of extra decibels road noise bothers you.

I did try some highly recommended 'all-season' tyres before going full M+S snowflake jobbies, and to be honest found them no different from a summer tyre.

So in the scenario where you want to stop on a perfectly flat road with nothing infront of you, you’ll stop that little bit quicker.

Or, in a far more likely scenario where you have to descend a steep hill you’ll have far more control. Doubly so if you have and use low range.

Best not to try to be sarcastic if you’re going to post shite, eh?

Anyone recommend any good suppliers of steel wheels?

(For my 4wd SUV obviously.)

mytyre is where I looked, but tbh the steel wheel IMO will make the car look awful.

Just on another note, with Honda no longer producing the Tourer do you think its a better idea to trade it in now or in a couple year when I originally indented or will it make no difference in a trade in price?

when i looked it was cheaper to buy another set of alloys than it was to buy steel wheels.....

thankfully someone on facebook was selling a set that fitted my car so i got 4 steels for the price of 1

might not look as good as the alloys but i A. Cant see them from my seat inside the car and B. Its not a fashion parade its a car - no one really cares what the one your driving looks like.

Just another vote here for running winter tyres - reasons well documented in previous posts but in summary:-

Night and day difference in snow

Far better in british slimy wet cold winter roads

Much less wear rate over winter - 'normal' summer tyres wear much faster in the cold temps

Less overall cost of tyre ownership owing to above, even though extra initial outlay is required

Someone else mentioned it but it's worthwhile considering using a smaller diameter wheel with larger tyre sidewall height.  I use 15" on the winters with a taller sidewall and slightly narrower rather than 16" on the summers.  Your car should have a label or somewhere in the manual the approved tyre/wheel sizes for your car - stick to them and no probs with insurance.

I have a Subaru Legacy permanent 4x4 with low ratio box.  The winter tyres make WAAAY more of a difference than the 4x4. Other half used to have a nissan micra... OK on summers in the snow mainly owing to narrow tyres, but an absolute revelation on winter tyres.

When I looked it wasnt much more to get alloys over steels new, I understand that some are not bother if it makes the car look worse, but I wouldnt say I am wanting it to be a fashion parade just that IMO steels would make the car look really crap, some it would work on ok but just my one would look crap.

I have 17s on my car (SR) however in tyre searches 16s and 17s come up, I thin teh SE runs 16s, therefore I could get 16s alloys and the tyres for the 16s and much cheaper and more selection

Yep that too . My alloys are 16s and 4 of nokians for that were 400 quid.

I got 15 inch steels and bought the correct profile 15" nokians and the tires were 240 - add that to the 40 for the rims and it was much cheaper to have a spare set of steel wheels than to have the tires on the alloys swapped over.

my options then will be buy 16s alloys and some winter tyres, buy just winter tyres and pay to have them changed over, or sell the tourer for a FWD, SUV, ALLTRACK that is more capable that the tourer.

Is there any negatives to having a garage change the tyres back a forth, in my case this will be only for next 2 years, apart from the cost of having this done.

You should be able to pick up a used set of alloys for not much - I wouldn't imagine the tourer civic hasn't got different wheels to the other models and there's plenty of those about. If you want to go down the all season route then just get the tyres swapped and put the part worn tyres on ebay. If they're as new as you say there should be still 6-7mm of tread so you should be able to recoup some cash for them.

Personally I've got a spare set of alloys and winters for mine and the wifes cars. I picked up the alloys cheapish ~£100 for a refurbed set, sized down from 18 to 17 (and 16 on the wifes) and the tyres are cheaper for the smaller sizes and they give better performance in winter conditions as they aren't the low profiles of the standard wheels. When you come to sell the car, either use the winters as an added extra or sell them separately and get some of your outlay back.

Kinda weird thread here to which the OP is ignoring all the advice given.

Summer tyres are not great for harsh winters so get some winter tyres. It will transform how the car handles in cold weather not just snow. You don't even need new alloys just get a fitter to change them over twice a year.

Also "but then again a golf is a true machine" trolling?

BTW I see that you posted this question on pistonheads and got the same advice.

Im not ignoring all advice. I have said I have taken it all on and I am looking into the costs of winter tyre/alloys, the costs of just using a fitter.  I am also looking at the options of replacement car options.

I have taken on all advise, and it has been great, I am not sure how you can say I am ignoring all advise, but just for you, yeah ok I will go with winter tyres and a fitter.

my other post was targeted at the question regarding the car no longer in production, I really dont see the point in you bring that into this on.

I also do quite understand what you mean "Also “but then again a golf is a true machine” trolling?"

my options then will be buy 16s alloys and some winter tyres, buy just winter tyres and pay to have them changed over, or sell the tourer for a FWD, SUV, ALLTRACK that is more capable that the tourer.

Seriously, if you use just 1 set of tyres, it is RECOMMENDED that you go for winters in our climate.

No need to change anything. Run them all year round.

If you want the marginal performance gain during the summer, go for 2 sets.

Unless you're driving down farm tracks in a foot of snow, you don't really need anything else. I've had my BMW around hairpin bends on 20% gradients in a good few inches of snow. That's a car that is notoriously bad when it goes white outside. I live in a bad area for snow, and we had particularly bad snow fall this year (at least 18 inches) but it's not in the slightest phased by anything you will encounter on the main roads.

I also had an old Honda BTW. Completely different to what you have, but I guess the handling hasn't changed much. Understeer everywhere you go. Front end was like it was weightless. Winter tyres transformed it.

currently an automatic RWD BMW, which has taken everything I’ve thrown at it

Good to hear.  I'm about to do the same for mine, and as its white with dark satin alloys I'm going for Steels as it won't change the look much, especially covered in winter slush.  My used is mainly down south but long motorway journeys and a lot of winter A roads I'd like not to be stuck in with RWD.

Anyone go any opinions on tyres?  I'm using Mr Winter Wheels to buy and the two NRFLT options are Dunlop Winter Sport 5 or Pirelli Sottozero - £80 difference with the Dunlops being cheaper.

Goodyear Ultragrip and Bridgestone Blizzack have been fine.  Can't comment on the Dunlops or Pirellis though.

Just get a cheap set of 2nd hand 16" alloys instead of the steelies. They'll probably be cheaper too.

Not strictly true. Assuming you lift off before mashing the brake pedal, engine braking on all 4 wheels can be a significant advantage.

Most modern 4wd SUV's have a Haldex or similar on demand 'part time' drive to the rear wheels. They are designed to de-couple as soon as the throttle is closed. So the vehicle automatically becomes 2wd under deceleration.

Oh, and a significant percentage of the SUV's on the road are actually front wheel drive only, so if you do go for one, make sure it is a 4wd.

As above really and as I've previously posted on other threads, winter tyres are an absolute revelation in the white stuff and even in colder damper conditions yield noticeable benefits above summers.

I had winters on a relatively powerful 3.0l RWD car it was VERY capable in the snow. It went, stopped and turned really well. My proudest moment in that car was scooting past a Rangey Sport on an incline that was spinning on the spot with some big lary alloys presumably shod with summer boots. Obviously a Range Rover with winters would be a better combo than my RWD + Winters.

I fear that a lot of people with some of the more "lifestyle" SUV's (as noted above many of which are FWD) just assume they're going to be cracking in the snow and don't bother changing tyres? Or if the massive wheels and thus very expensive tyres means people are put off investing in a 2nd set..

I'm currently looking to get some winters for our new 320i. It's on 19's so will be looking at getting some 18" alloys and winters so I've got a full set. Just need to make sure you clear the calipers etc. and as noted above check the manual for compatible sizes if changing the size you go for.

used to have a Range Rover and first trip out in the snow was great fun….until I tried to stop!!

^this

The advantage of 4wd is minimal when it comes to stopping.

I think weight / momentum is a real issue with big 4x4's.

My old Yaris MK1 on winters would stop easily in all conditions. Unlike the 110 that slid into the ditch next to me.

The 110 could extract itself, but the driver was amazed why none of the outdoor centre staff drove 90/110/130's. We all drove Micra/Yaris/Ibiza/Panda on winters year round - and this was 8 miles of Highland singletrack road and a 200m climb up 1:6 driveway at end of it. For 6 months a year it was in shade, cold, icy and wet...or tyre deep in snow.

Any ideas where I can locate some 16" honda alloys, looked on gumtree and ebay but nothing for collection near by or either not suitable or 17s 18s, found these below link for £110 a each, but these seem to be the only 16s form honda re-sellers

https://www.hendyeshop.co.uk/16-orbit-alloy-wheel-08w16-tr0-604-33562-p.asp

Apart from a dent in my pocket every October and March for next couple years, being able to preserve the existing alloys for summer use, what else is a negative just getting a tyre fitter to swap over onto the existing alloys and back.

What about a local alloy wheel and tyre place? I know a good one but it's up in Newcastle.. The Honda ones will be expensive (per your link £110 for a 16") so maybe go for a decent quality aftermarket/replica?

OP - http://www.mrwinterwheels.co.uk

Click on the Honda logo...

Only you know how important it is to have alloy rather than steel wheels but when I took delivery of a brand new 4x4 on 15th December last year, first thing I did was fitted winter tyres in steel wheels (the week between Xmas and new year) and very glad I did. The tyres and wheels cost less than the cost of 4 tyres to fit the alloys that came on the car. Swapped the pristine wheels and tyres back on at Easter. Over the time we will own the car both sets of tyres will wear evenly so the only cost is the £36 the local garage charge twice a year to swap them over and store the wheels year round. No brainer.

This is my wife’s car. I drive a little Mazda 2 and swap winter/summer tyres onto the same set of alloys. Sometimes leave the winters on all year round. My wife convinced herself she needs a 4wd (works in the hope valley and sometimes encounters farm tracks). I’m sure a 2wd car with winters is fine in this country.

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/accessories-tyres/92866/michelin-crossclimate-tyre-review

tried mr winter wheel already but they only do 2006 - 2012 civics. Replica is an option but would rather a pair of Honda's I have seen on a civic, sometimes too hard to tell what replica's will look like.

Ive run a Defender 110 on BFG AT's (all terrain) and our Volvo V70 on Verdestien snow tyres.

The Volvo gripped better on compacted 'road snow' than the 110 - I was genuinely amazed by the Vredestines. It only lost out when 'snow bashing' as snow compacts under the sump cover. I never changed them in summer and they lasted pretty well .

Just buy some proper Scandinavian winter/snow tires when autumn comes.

Why not just fit cross climates on your existing wheels and run all year round ?