I am approaching my first winter in the granite city, my tyres will be dead in a month or so, so given that I have a 4×4 (well kinda)* will I need winter tyres tooo?
And/Or recommend me a tyre 205/70 15, and an ABZ tyre outfit..
Well fwiw i have a frontera on bfg all terrains ( overkill for a crv) and ive passed quite a few “real” 4x4s so dont be too worried about the crv reputation – its a better rep than a frontera 🙂
Winter tyres are ace, and not just in snow, I took great satisfaction pulling a freeloader out of a swampy pitmedden with my old focus Let’s offroad! I don’t think most people would believe the difference it makes in snow… Last winter I went for random drives in the snow in my mondeo, just seeing how far into the hills I could get, I ran out of ground clearance a few times and ended up snowploughing along with cascades of snow coming over the bonnet, could hardly believe the places I could get it.
Oh aye, don’t rule out buying used wheels and tyres, lots of people buy a second set then end up with them spare when they sell the car. I got a full set of ugly alloys and lightly used snowproxes for less than I’d have paid for a single tyre, never mind fitting, and it’s far more convenient to just swap wheels when needed.
Where are you mostly driving? Around town or out in the sticks?
I drive a terrible car in snow (on paper – Focus ST) but never once have got stuck or not got where I want to go with normal tyres…I say it’s more about how you drive to be honest.
Won’t be buying any this year either, and I do have a 30 mile commute to work every morning…
We have some ‘all year’ tyres on the Touran (Hankook Optimo 4S) and they were the shizzle in last winters snow and ice – yet also worked well and did not wear out in the summer.
Yaris wears a cheap pair of winter tyres (Conway something) that are better in proper snow, but not as good in the ice.
They are being changed on Monday, and I expect some Hankooks to be on there. Yaris does far less miles, so not bothered about increased(ish) wear in summer.
West end to bod winnae need em but if you are heading out to the trails youll likely want em.
Strictly speaking i dont “need” them but having them means i dont need to sit in th ehorrendous traffic with everyone else who doesnt have them – deeside road – anderson drive – haudagain – dyce
Just go the backroads.
Ms uses the dualer to get to town and works in town – if he needs the, ever the rest of us are screwed and the tires or 4wd i wont be going to work – ill be more worried about how im gonna get food.
I drive a terrible car in snow (on paper – Focus ST) but never once have got stuck or not got where I want to go with normal tyres…I say it’s more about how you drive to be honest.
No it isn’t. How you drive has a bearing (and there are some truly shocking drivers out there) but M+S tyres make a huge difference and will get you places that ‘all weather’ tyres won’t and in much greater safety.
Re ‘cheap Far Easts’ – I’m going into my third winter with GT Champiro’s on my own car, which cost me £59 a corner and they have been excellent. I also drive a lot on Michelin Alpins at work on a Ford Focus and TBH wouldn’t spend the extra money.
Although safer remember they are not some magic bullet – they do not give your seat ibiza magic diff lock powers ( towed an ibiza out of the road side last year when a schoolrun mum in her 4×4 didnt want to get it dirty by moving over onto the verge. )
Ibiza driver said ” i thought id be ok i have winter tires on”
They also still have traction limits most noticably under breaking – as the audi s5 driver found out last year when he overtook me on a steep downhill and parked the car on the outside of the bend on top of the banking.
Just took a wheel to Aberdeen Tyres (based in Torry) for a puncture repair on Tuesday, friendly service and good price of £12.50 for repair and re-balance. They are happy to fit tyres you provide if you find just what you want online. I plan on using them again next time I need new tyres.
They also still have traction limits most noticably under breaking – as the audi s5 driver found out last year when he overtook me on a steep downhill and parked the car on the outside of the bend on top of the banking.
I shouldn’t really but…… 😆
Similar incident happned to me, except the guy didn’t make it as far as the bottom of the hill and used the drystone dyke as a brake!
Matt_outandabout, snap, have got a touran and yaris too.
The Sillets tyre guy likes his bikes, but he does do car tyres as benz confirmed. It’s worth going there just to witness him change all four tyres on a car in around 15mins. That’s jack the car up without any fancy schmancy hoist or lift, remove the wheels, change the tyres, balance the wheels and re-attach them all in about 15 minutes. Don’t try and talk to his wife, just pay.
Winter driving in the ‘deen is outstanding – everything melts and freezes continuously.
Civic Type-R living in the sticks near Oldmeldrum – winter tyres FTW. So long as I waited for the tractor to come round to clear the drifts, I made it in every day. The Civic was crap in the snow on summer tyres – fantastic with the winter ones.
You can make all kinds of claims about it all being the driver – but you’d not get up the hill next to my house in a Civic without winter tyres on!
Turriff tyres were really good for me a couple of years ago – cheap alloys and tyres. Never looked back!
FWIW I did 2 winters in Aberdeenshire and didn’t bother with winter tyres. Don’t think you get them to fit a Kawasaki GT750. Still, I suppose fitting them’s probably easier than learning to drive to the conditions
Aye good luck getting your gt750 out the road from my house. Driving skill only gets you so far it doesnt turn you into a laws of physics defying god , neither do tires but, the right application of both can be the difference between me getting out of the house in winter and sitting at home twiddling my thumbs for a couple weeks – or months in the case of my old house where the drive iced up solid for 3 months ( a 2 mile farm track drive way)
Everyone except my neighbour and landlord had a 4×4 so no one was interested in clearing the track. Ended up hauling my neighbours car out from the house and it was parked at the bottom of the drive till spring.
The car at the bottom of the last photo went down with its wheels locked almost all the way – the farmer ploughed it yes – but its as slick as the part top photo underneeth.
It amazes me that people will spend a fortune on summer tyres with a tiny bit more grip for summer when you dont need it, but suggest that winter tyres might give more grip when you really might need it and its like you’ve said they have a tiny nob