So I fitted all season tyres…

have run Goodyear Vectors on my last 2 cars. Perfectly happy in various winter conditions. Good mpg, quiet, long lasting. Almost all the time summer tyres would be fine.

I’ve just put these on our little runabout and they’ve been great so far. The combo of reviews and price were great but the lifespan rating is what really sold it for me. I hope they last that well. They’re much quieter than the kuhmo summers the previous owner fitted, better in the wet for sure, probably the same summer performance.

Proper test yesterday in the snow and they were a flippin’ brilliant. Easily as good on the snow as the full winters I’ve had before.

a couple of hundred quids worth of tyre scrapped because I used sealant

Is that a thing, then ?

This is the second winter on CCs, flipping heck this last week has reminded me how good they are. Deep snow, refrozen snow and today thick bullet proof ice on a steep hill. All no problem whatsoever.

I have a tyre well for an emergency wheel but the car only came with goop. I bought a full size spare, it fits in just but I’ve lost a bit of boot space. Annoying but you barely notice.

So many good tyres about now

What a time to be alive!!

Is that a thing, then ?

If it’s latex free  sealant then no. But if it’s the luminous coloured gloop you get with most OEM spare kits then yes it will write a punctured tire off.

I wouldn’t be without at least a space saver ever. Only thing car sealants ever worked for me with is dodgy valves. Any car stopping punctures I’ve ever been around when sealants been involved has just lead to sealant coming out the hole and making a mess.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve put a spare in every car I’ve owned and will continue to do so but I’m struggling to believe that this stuff (esp OEM) can write of a tyre rather than just the same concerns that any episode of rolling to a halt on a flat might raise.  What does it do ??

I went out to my car to find flat tyre this morning. I grovelled about in the snow and swapped to the (non all season) spare, and found a screw right through the shoulder of the punctured tyre. No way reparable. I have managed to find a part-worn tyre that is an exact match with an identical level of wear for £55, and will have this fitted when it arrives.

My all-seasons coped no problem with a snowy Alps trip, although I had chains in-case. I have never had to use chains with full winters, and to date, I haven’t had to use them with all-seasons.

I did try to access the upper carpark (Labeled Reserve 4×4 et Vehicules Equipe) at the Ecudets Chair at La Rosiere, after 20cm+ of snow, and didn’t make it up the ramp. That was from standing start immediately at the bottom of the ramp, so more user error. The car was fully laden with everything for a week holiday too. Maybe reversing up might have worked? I was certainly able to reverse back down safely from my failed attempt.

I’m struggling to believe that this stuff (esp OEM) can write of a tyre

Sealant is temporary you must get the tire repaired. ~100miles or so.

Repairing involves cleaning and use of adhesives.

Only your tires now contaminated with an adhesive that doesn’t want to be cleaned off.

Most of not all garages will refuse to repair if they see sealant has been used.

Voila written off tire.

From kwik fit, but son suffered this fate of no one would repair

I do it when the tyre is getting near end of life. Holts Tyre Saver will seal slow punctures (likely a shot valve) for a surprising length of time.

But yes, sealant is a nightmare to remove as anyone that’s ever tried to clean out a tyre will know.

I grovelled about in the snow and swapped to the (non all season) spare, and found a screw right through the shoulder of the punctured tyre. No way reparable.

Not true, it’s just most tyre fitters aren’t qualified to do it. If you can find somewhere that can do it it might be do-able, usually places that deal with HGVs, tractors and the like.

I did think about firing some anchovies lubed up with vulcanising solution into the hole, letting it cure, then trimming off the excess, but would I be confident to drive at motorway speeds with the kids in the car…?

Thing is, if a repair fails you initially get pretty much the same puncture back, the patch isn’t made of semtex. The patching/reaming process causes just a tiny amount of extra damage and any repairable tyre is always in the “small hole” category anyway.

On the other hand, any puncture can escalate. And that gets you into pretty much unknowables- how likely is the repair to fail? I’ve heard a lot of good recommendations of the “repair screw” types but never used em. Much easier if you could just get inside it and fit a mushroom, I trust a mushroom repair as much as I trust the tyre itself but that leads back to “needing a pro” and that takes it out of your hands a bit. Or knowing a convenient local drifter with all the kit can be handy 😉

[TroutWrestler]

TroutWrestler

Free Member

I did think about firing some anchovies lubed up with vulcanising solution into the hole, letting it cure, then trimming off the excess,

Intrusive thoughts like that are why not just anyone can repair shoulder punctures.

I did think about firing some anchovies lubed up with vulcanising solution into the hole, letting it cure, then trimming off the excess,

Never really tested the Cross Climates on my wife’s car much in the last two years but they are sure footed when we do gat an occasional sprinkle of snow. However, my son was pulling people out of snow on the snake pass last night with all seasons in a rear wheel drive BMW so they do work. Pulled out a few delivery vans.

Wish we had them on my wife’s car last night. She was down in Tavistock looking after her mum and taking her to respite care. The journey over Dartmoor to the A30 was apparently rather hairy although she made it OK.

Update: They actually came in handy!

My wife couldn’t get up the icy hill on which we live in the FWD Hyundai, but managed in the Merc with a tiny bit of spin at the bottom.  Result.  Of course, if she wasn’t paid by the day she’d have stayed home.  Half of one tyre has probably paid for itself!