[Closed] Winter car tyres - any suggestions for good bad avoid?

First used Vredestein 30 yrs ago, I have no reason to change from them.

The 4seasons ones seem to get great reviews

Both brands you mentioned are decent, of the cheaper brands, Nankang are fine. We have a set of Firestones on my wife's car and they've been excellent. Without teaching you to suck eggs, winters are a different driving experience and you have to except you can't fly around like you may do.

OP from various threads all seasons seem to get the thumbs up for simplicity and decent enough performance

205 1.9 GTI with Carlos Fandango

Now you are showing your age 🙂 I had an equivalently spec'd mini (tyre wise not bhp wise) !

All season might be a good shout next time rear wheels get done.
And in fact for the fronts just in case (been caught out last year after swapping out winter tyres only to be caught in snow, late April / early May).

Thanks peeps.

But yes, winters will be for getting me there, securely rather than quick. I'm no longer in that much of a hurry!

I put cheap kuhmo's on my 120D , holy jesus they were f***** awfull. it instantly felt like the bushes in the rear were shot. To make things worse it was still turd's in the snow. 🙁

In the last 6 years I've used Nokian WRG2 winters, Vredestien Quatrac 3 and Hankook Optimo 4S all seasons and now Continental Wintercontact TS850P winters.

The Nokian winters were amazing, especially in the snow. The all season are a great compromise, for a low to moderately powered car, especially if you don't have the room or the cash to have two sets of wheels and tyres that you can swap.

I almost want it to get colder and start snowing to test the Contis out properly. They've been great in the few dry and damp near-freezing days we've had so far.

I'd avoid posting on here before the Driving Gods line up to tell you that you don't need them 😉

Nokian a3 or d3. Very good.

I've always got on well with falkens.

virtually any reasonable branded winter tyre will be well worth the outlay.
I got a set of goodyear ultragrip 9's last year and they have performed excellently in heavy snow.
One thing you may wish to consider is whether you get a directional or asymmetric tyre...

Michelin Xice 2 or 3 on both my vehicles. They don't do as well in deep snow as some others but for slick roads and smaller snow falls they've been fine. They don't rumble as much as more dedicated snow tires.

Can highly recommend the Conti wintercontacts. Have them on the both cars, no problems at all and snow performance fantastic. Also won Which tyre test.

I have Goodyear Vector 4 Seasons (all season tyres) on my Octavia 1.4Tsi. Good grip in snow. Also good in the wet all year round. Much quieter than the Bridgstone summer tyres they replaced. So much that the car went from tyre noise being a bit of an issue with the car to a non issue. I've had them a year now can't fault them.

Won the Auto Express all season tyre test this year.

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/accessories-tyres/92866/goodyear-vector-4seasons-gen-2-tyre-review

I'd avoid posting on here before the Driving Gods line up to tell you that you don't need them

Well in Norway you absolutely have to have them

I use Continental with metal studs on them

I've been using Black Circles budget winters for a while now and can't find a reason to fault them. Excellent value at about £50 a wheel for my s-max.

Michelin Crossclimate seem to be getting good reviews as a well performing all year round tyre.

I've had Pirellis and Nokians, both perfectly good. Might try the Michelin CrossClimates next though, and just leave them on.

I've just got a Saab 93-X which came with cheap Landsail tyres. I'd like to upgrade with something efficient for all year griptasticness without affecting mpg too much. Any recommendations?

Ta loves.

Trying to remember what came on the Volvo as they were absolutely crap everywhere. Snow, ice, wet, dry, fields. Definitely a budget line, probably why I can't remember the name.

Have had Vredestein and Goodyear at other times that have been perfectly good.

And the MX5 ran out of ground clearance at the front before standard Toyo T1 gave up pushing.

I have snowproxes on mine, purely because I got them cheap on a set of hideous alloys. TBH they're a mixed bag, the hard braking isn't as good as my old icebears, they can scrabble around a fair bit- though, still way better than my everyday hankook v12 evos. TBH they're too wide for a sensible winter tyre, I'm pretty sure that's the problem. Slower braking they're very good, for really nasty maneuvres, hill descents etc.

OTOH, forwards grip is hilarious. I tried pretty hard to get it stuck last year and found that the limit is the point where the bow-wave of snow that I'm pushing through crests up over the bonnet and covers the windscreen (and, not coincidentally, crushes the bumper, ah well). This is fairly ridiculous.

I wouldn't choose them again, or at least, I'd choose a sensible size. But they're good all round.

I've used Falken, Avon, Vrisden, Pirlli, Continental and Goodyear. I get the Goodyear & Continental ones on my company car paid for by work but the Falken ones are as good and are much friendlier on the pocket.

The only winter or all season tyres I've had that failed to live up to expectations were Michelin Alpin. Absolute shite, and also the most expensive; twice the price of Pirellis on the other car .

For the money in north america, nokian hakelepeta always rate highest.
Michelin xi3 next then contis new wintercontact si.
Ive used x-ice 2, extemewintercontact and new this year with no snow/ice yet the new wintercontact si.

The michelins have been superb, low rolling resistance long life and less noisy than cheap all seasons.
The contis are good from a price peespective but less direct, more noisy and a little less ttaction than the michelins.
I killed off a set of x-ice when they woukdnt have had another winter left over a summer and they peeformed better than the cheap all season in the warmer conditions imo.

Hankook 4s didn't last me long at all on the golf <12000 miles

The Toyo snow proxies I had before that lasted much longer > 20000

Bearing in mind I leave mine on the wife's car year round as she often drives at 6am and 8 pm when in our little corner of the world it's often in winter tire temperature world barring about 2 month.

She's now on maxxis all seasons and getting good wear out of them. Just rotated them round the car and they are hardly showing wear after 10k.

Fwiw I've always had enough traction with these tires for ground clearance to be the issue. I did have some really awful tires on my last 4x4 really aggressive all terrains . Minor damp and it was like having tea trays under the back wheels

However current bfgs are m+s and snowflaked. I suspect not even ground clearance will stop em 🙂

Did OP mean that pair only, meaning that winter tyres on front only?

Don't do that, get all four or if you absolutely can't afford four tyres you should put them on the rear.

Well according to ADAC this years best winter tyres are.

All season: Michelin Cross-climate and Vredestein. (nowhere near as good as real Winter tyres)

Proper Winter tyres: Michelin Alpin 4

Winter tyres suitable for high performance cars: Dunlop Winter sport.

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test short version.[/url]

I've used Michelin Alpin most Winters for years, simply excellent for getting up and down from the ski resort without chains. They work better in the wet than my Summer tyres even when it's warm.

Another vote for NOKIAN - i had the A3's on the 5 series - still got them but wont fit the new car 🙁 awesome tyres in the cold and snow.

@mmannerr - yup, pair of steel wheels + winter tyres up front.
Swap the alloys and general purpose tyres back on come April/May.

Haven't had any issues last couple winters, what's the reason I shouldn't do that?

I would have thought that if it was *really* a problem, garage would have given a caution TBH.

Been using Nokian WRG3 for a few years, got them as winter tyres but left them on year round. At the end of last summer they'd reached the end of their life so I put the old summer tyres back on (Pirelli P7). Got caught out with an early snowfall and dear christ I could really tel the difference. Pulled my finger out and got some Nokian WR D4 - £480 for 4* allow wheels and tyres from MyTyres. Ran them till April then went back to summer tyres. The winter tyres went back on last week

Plumped for the Nokian as they were the only winter tyres I could see with an a-rating for wet conditions - and in Manchester, it's much more likely to be wet than snowy

I have a quite powerful rear wheel drive Volvo which came with Michelin Cross Climate tyres on it when I bought it. I've been out intentionally trying to wheelspin it in the wet and I had to try really hard to get it to become unstuck. Bought new wheels with normal tyres on and I haven't changed them back - crikey the difference is amazing, they are like having greased tyres, slips and slides all over.
The CrossClinate tyres were just as good in slush, even with an auto RWD car like mine.
I know they aren't winter tyres, they are meant to be all rounders, but I'm seriously impressed and will buy them for my own car in the future.

[quote="timber"]Trying to remember what came on the Volvo as they were absolutely crap everywhere. Snow, ice, wet, dry, fields. Definitely a budget line, probably why I can't remember the name.Volvo (the manufacturer) fit Hakkapeliitta to most of their own fleet. And if you buy OE Volvo wheels/tyres you are more than likely to get them too. Sometimes we order so many that Nokian can't supply enough, so some cars get other brands.

I guess you had some horrible no name budget winters from kwikfit.

And as stated up there ^^^^ get a set. A pair on one axle might be ok for gentle driving around at low speeds, but the first time you end up doing anything like touching the brakes on an off camber bit or trying to stop to account for some other pillock, you'll be watching the car swap ends.

@kcal: I don't about your garage and it's knowledge on snowy and icy things but it is really not sensible to put better tyres on front. Do a proper test (swerve test) on snow and you'll see that when rear tyres loose grip neither you or the ESP can regain control. Having bad tyres on front is not ideal either but they limit your grip so you'll limit the speed. With better front tyres it is easier to get going but they don't help when you are trying to avoid accident.

I've 16" Nexen's on mine, put them on two weeks ago for their third winter (we live in rural Scotland).

They go on in November and come off in April when the 19" go on 🙂

Not had much snow the last couple of years, but feel safe/secure.

[img] [/img]

also RE the one axle thing. It works as a get you moving drive at a safe speed . its the perception of safe thats altered when your front axle is gripping fine so the speed creeps up and so you find your self doing the swerve test.

When i was a student i used to run winters upfront and just drive even more carefully than i do now with the 4 winters on

Around here they fit 4 winter tires and continue to drive as if it was a lovely summers day and wonder why their miracle tires didnt stop them going through the farmers wall.

cheers trail_rat. that's quite good!
aye, good friends have come unstuck with 4WD not equal 4 wheel steering or control. 8 pints didn't help 🙁

TBH if it's rubbish I'll not head out but might see what garage can do for another set of steel wheels.

What a grippping tread one could never tyre of this conversation it wheely is good.

Snow way I'd want to miss it

I had Nokian on the t4 and they were amazing. Nexens replaced not so good

[quote="Trail Rat"]Around here they fit 4 winter tires and continue to drive as if it was a lovely summers day and wonder why their miracle tires didnt stop them going through the farmers wall.Nothing to do with winter/not winter tyres.

That's just driving like an idiot.

That graph's pretty handy Trail Rat. I'd not really considered fitting all season tyres before, might think about it next time I need to replace

Interested to know how far south (within the UK) people fit winter tyres. Last year it didn't really get that cold over winter (I'm in North London), so winter tyres would have been quite a bit more hassle to fit and use. For example, my dad has some but didn't bother fitting them over winter, he lives round the corner

we had one morning's worth of snow and a couple of icy spells (though roads are fairly well gritted), but temperatures probably were 3-5C for a lot of it

Michelin Crossclimate or Nokian Weatherproof are where it's at. They aren't all-season tyres - they have a quite different construction. The manufacturers call them "all-weather" instead.

In testing, winter performance is competitive with the best winter tyres. Wet performance is also good, a good summer tyre will beat them in the dry.

Maxxis [s]minions[/s] all season work good on my van (on all year & wear rate is pretty good too)
Can't see me buying summer tyres ever again to be honest...

Put my Avon Ice Touring STs on a couple of days ago; third season on them. The front pair on my summer pair need replacing so it delays that expense by a few months!
Last winter was a waste of time. No sooner did I take them off in the spring then the temperature dropped to just above freezing for a couple of weeks!! Typical.

I'm still riding on 23mm slicks on my road bike; prob be best to put some decent tyres on that bike as that's where I'm most likely to stack in the winter!!

[img] [/img]

if that y-axis is true to scale then it would seem that winter tyres are pretty dangerous when the temperature is above 7degC.

anyone happen to know what OEM tyres Audi supply ? I have one coming in a few months and wondering about asking them to change to all-weather tyres. Or maybe live with them till they need replaced ? (not a company car, purchase on a PCP)

[quote=benp1 ]Interested to know how far south (within the UK) people fit winter tyres. Last year it didn't really get that cold over winter (I'm in North London), so winter tyres would have been quite a bit more hassle to fit and use. For example, my dad has some but didn't bother fitting them over winter, he lives round the corner
we had one morning's worth of snow and a couple of icy spells (though roads are fairly well gritted), but temperatures probably were 3-5C for a lot of it
I have the opposite problem. Having monitored temperatures on my commute, there wasn't any month in which the temperatures didn't drop below 7C at least once.

anyone happen to know what OEM tyres Audi supply

They are round black and made from rubber...

depends what performance is graded on.

perhaps performance when above 7 is brought down by the fact they will wear faster ?

Its well documented that in warm and wet conditions winters are worse than summers. and over all a bit wallowy

But thats a risk ill live with over spending 9 months of the year on the right side of the axis 🙂

if you live on the south coast and do all your driving in the day your milage may vary.

Michelin Crossclimate.

They really are great tyres.

Pros:
Exceptional in the wet (no wheelspin in 2nd in a 260bhp FWD hatch)
Very quiet
Good durability
A genuine 4 season tyre just fit and forget
Cons:
Not quite as secure as a full winter in really poor conditions
Lacks the ultimate grip of a summer tyre on warm dry roads

"Nothing to do with winter/not winter tyres.
That's just driving like an idiot."

Oh i agree.

I met a chap in a clio who had rammed into a snow drift on the road so hard his sump had lifted his wheels clean off the ground - and when i looked at trying to recover without damaging the car i asked how he ended up there ....."well i didnt think it would be an issue as i have winter winter tires" (was on brimmond for those that know the area)

Jam bo

My ex-FIL used to rally and takes his cars seriously (ex automotive engineer).
He uses winter tyres all year round now and reckons there's little degradation and wear isn't significantly greater.

i'm not disputing that all tyres have compromises and you pick which suits you best but that diagram is shit and misleading.

i had my graphics team run out and quickly get you another one drawn up jambo.

[img] [/img]

Vredstein Quadtrac5's here.

Ran Goodyear EfficientGrip summer tyres before, the Quadtracs feel just as good in the dry but much better in the cold/wet. No noticeable impact on fuel economy or road noise. Not tested in full on snow yet though.

As it stands, I can see myself sticking with the Quadtrac5's permanently.

so as long as it doesn't snow, summer tyres are better?

does it snow at 7degrees? I'm confused 😉

thats why they kept the first graph simple so as not to confuse delicate flowers.

[img] [/img]

[img] [/img]

and my favorite regardless of what the tire says on the side wall always remember .....

[img] [/img]

your graphics team aren't too busy at the moment then....

what happens if the car behind you has summer tyres on 😉

thats their issue - shouldnt be so close.

better to be the car infront with the winters on than the car behind the car with winters hitting the car with summers 😉

certainly for insurance purposes.

id be more worried about the number of cars running around at or around the legal limit than which season their tires are rated for.

I have a steel girder for a rear bumper.

Braking's important but going in the direction you want to go is just as important, your stopping distance doesn't help that much if you're going backwards across a lane of oncoming traffic...

Does seem to me that the newer all weather tyres are shifting the argument a bit? I mean, performance varies, some winter tyres are already good in the dry but that's not always the case. Reading reviews of the new stuff is the first time I've thought of maybe not replacing my winter tyres next time and just going with something balanced.

anyone happen to know what OEM tyres Audi supply

They are round black and made from rubber...

POSTED 41 MINUTES AGO # REPORT-POST

jolly good, that's me sorted then , cheers 🙂

The graphics are getting closer to reality.

Is there any rubber in the mix of modern tyres?

I have run Winter tyres all year round and think it's a better option than running Summer tyres all year round, but as I have a set of Summers I swap. Even at 40°C+ I didn't notice any difference in normal driving with the Alpins though I'd have probably lost a few metres in an emergency stop. My Summer tyres are Conti-eco-fuel-saving horrors which I'd like to change but they look like lasting as long as I'll have the car.

Winter tyres being crap in warm weather is true for Nordic tyre models but I believe they are not available in UK and Germany.

Does seem to me that the newer all weather tyres are shifting the argument a bit? I mean, performance varies, some winter tyres are already good in the dry but that's not always the case. Reading reviews of the new stuff is the first time I've thought of maybe not replacing my winter tyres next time and just going with something balanced.

Honestly Michelin Crossclimates are extrodinary. When anyone asks I start to sound like I've drank Michelin branded KoolAid, but they really are that good. For normal driving in the UK (not setting lap times at Cadwell Park in the summer or trying to drive up the Lairig Ghru in winter) they have no compromises and are the best performing tyres I've ever had for wet conditions.

Their main current drawback is they only make them up to 17"

Their main current drawback is they only make them up to 17"

I was just about to phone the dealer and negotiate a swop for new car till I got to that bit 😯

Reading reviews of the new stuff is the first time I've thought of maybe not replacing my winter tyres next time and just going with something balanced.

I'll never buy summer tyres again. The only minus point for my all seasons was they cost £10 or £15 a corner more than a top summer tyre. Maybe a shorter life. But 10k on them and plenty tread left. So I'll be happy with 20k. Anything better a bonus.

The advantages in cold wet weather when grip is an issue far outweigh a yard or two lost in dry summer emergency stops.

If you're likely to be driving in Scotland on your winters then having a decent set is worth a lot. Just like on the bike, there are many different winters so all of these graphs are a bit misleading and are very generalised. One design and compound may be excellent on dry snow in a German test but may be compromised on a slushy highland road at 0C.
If you are talking about the A9 in winter, then I'd want to be on one of the better tyres; you don't have to spend a fortune, Goodyear Ultragrip 8+ or 9 are excellent in my own experience and the better tyres from the likes of Vredestein, Nokian and Continental are equally good. If you're in Scotland, you could do a lot worse than phoning Ladybank/Target Tyres at Blairgowrie, where the local knowledge will be hard to beat.
We leave winters on year round on the Mrs' low-mileage Skoda Fabia; I've EfficientGrip Performance for the summer and Ultragrips in winter on the Passat.

I was just about to phone the dealer and negotiate a swop for new car till I got to that bit

Yeah, 225/45 R17 and 225/55 R17 are the two biggest sizes.

Apparently Michelin are thinking of releasing 18" versions but they are a tad reluctant as they feel that larger higher performance cars using 18 and 19" wheels would be better off on dedicated summer or winter tyres

Anyway Cont's will be OEM on the majority of Audis

Goodyear Vector 4 seasons come in a couple of 18 and 19" sizes.

http://www.mytyres.co.uk/tyres/goodyear/vector-4-seasons-g2.html

Driving up to a ski resort you get most of the snow types you're likely to meet in the UK in 15-20km.

Wet
Wet with a few crystals
Slush
Firm slush
Fresh wet snow
Fresh snow
Fresh dry snow
Polished ice where the sown has been blown off.

Depths depending on when the plough last went through or if the road is on the plough route at all.

Not many places better to test Winter tyres than France and Germany.

@ianc that's the trouble with bigger wheels specced on some car models. I don't recall what came on my car but we ran Conti's thereafter (may have been those from new but that was in 2007) and even the normal summer ones where great in UK and Alps snow.

thanks for info jambalaya. The spec says they are 225/55/17 but doesn't say any more, so I have mailed the dealership to see what they can tell me. It will sit in a shed or disused airfield most of this winter though, as I am taking deliver 1st March after company car is returned. The build tracker app thingy told me it left the factory and got put on a ship to the UK a few days ago !

I met a chap in a clio who had rammed into a snow drift on the road so hard his sump had lifted his wheels clean off the ground

Thankfully had a couple of shovels and some strips of carpet in the boot.
Took about 10 minutes to get it out.

[quote="mmannerr"]Winter tyres being crap in warm weather is true for Nordic tyre models but I believe they are not available in UK and Germany.Yeah, we had a really rapid thaw about 10 years ago. Went from -10 and 15-20 cm of ice/snow to +10 and bone dry roads in about 3 days.

The tyres would actually start to bobble up and leave bits of rubbery powder in the garage if i brushed them. The traction control light also spent a lot of time flashing as the tyre moved around. A lot.

Roundabouts at 30kph should not trigger the traction control light.

Most of the tyres i've had are actually illegal in the UK.

You can get bigger winter tyres, much bigger. Guy at work has his AMG C63 on 18 or 19" winter tyres, something like 40 profile.

The problem with the Michelin Crossclimate is exactly:

Their main current drawback is they only make them up to 17"

Nokian Weatherproof are very similar in performance and also an all-weather tyre but available in larger sizes and with XL ratings and the like.

@ghostly my Volvo was outside the dealership system, definitely some ATS budget thing the previous owner had put on.

Don't see the point of maintaining large wide tyres with low profiles for snow. Thin tyres cut through better and taller side walls allow lower pressures if required without smashing rims or for when you rediscover the kerb in the snow.

Need big tyres to fit over big rims to fit over big brakes........

Fair point, but more a pointer to go to the smallest possible rim size, rather than just stick with what is on there.
For big, Pirelli Sottozero go up to 21" I think.