snow tyres

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allanmc
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snow tyres

Post by allanmc »

Hi thinking about fitting a set of winter tyres to my Xantia when the snow comes, saw some on My Tyres Goodride 195-60-15 £44.70 each what do you think
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Post by HDI »

This is something I did last winter, out of shear necessity !! I was struggling to even get out of my drive, also the road to my mums place was impassable !
Banged on some part worn Fulda winter tyres bought off ebay and the difference was like night and day ! I could almost drive like on normal roads !
The biggest surprise though was how much it improved grip, braking and handling in dry but very cold conditions, and of course when cold and wet.

I was truly amazed !
My advice would be to get some additional wheels so the change from summer to winter tyres and back again is easy and convenient.
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Post by Citroenmad »

Interesting this should turn up, as im looking into them at the moment. Best to start early as they were like hens teeth over the winter months :lol:

I have a spare set of C5 16" steel wheels, im looking to get some winter tyres fitted to them so I can run those wheels through the winter. Ill be sticking with my C5s standard tyre size of 215.55.16 but with winter tyres.

HDI, you say you got part-worn winter tyres but what tread depth are winter tyres of use untill? I presume they have a higher tread wear depth so to keep them effective in the bad weather.

It is a lot to do with the rubber compound with winter tyres as well as the chunky tread depth, however getting part worns with 4mm must restrict performance.
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Post by Xaccers »

I bought snow socks, haven't needed to use them yet though.
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Post by HDI »

Surprisingly the tread isn't any deeper and only marginally more open. It is mainly the compound that makes the difference and apparently the crucial temperature where they begin to have a significant advantage over summer tyres is +12 Deg C.
The ones I bought had about 5-6mm tread left and will still be ok for another winter.
Also, I only changed the front tyres and despite many people warning me of adverse handling problems I can honestly say it never became evident.
Previously I had never even contemplated changing tyres in winter but it will be my normal practice from now on.
Now using '00 Xantia LX HDI, pov spec :(
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Post by DickieG »

Xac wrote:I bought snow socks, haven't needed to use them yet though.
Why not?
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Post by Xaccers »

DickieG wrote:
Xac wrote:I bought snow socks, haven't needed to use them yet though.
Why not?
Well, I've never gotten stuck on snow/ice where I couldn't get out, and then spring arrived and the snow vanished.
Even with really icy conditions where other cars (and one really daft Jag) had trouble, just by taking it easy I've so far always been able to edge slowly onto better ground, or aim for soft snow which tends to give better traction.
Even on the day Danielle and I tried to get into London to see War of the Worlds, we turned back not because we were having difficulty driving, but because so many others were and jamming up the roads.
I'd rather be safer than sorry and at least have a bit of a chance should I need it, than be stuck with front wheels just slipping.
The site I got them from was doing a deal, so I got a stretchy tow rope and collapsable snow shovel thrown in for next to nothing.
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Post by DickieG »

Apologies Xac but it appeared rude not to ask the obvious question :lol: :oops: :lol: Should I ever go on Mastermind (more chance of winning the lottery) in the words of Basil Faulty my special subject will be "The bleeding obvious"
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Post by dieselnutjob »

I have a spare set of rims for my 607 with winter tyres on
I never bothered with other cars but the 607 has wide tyres and they were truly awful in snow and slush.

I have ice touring sts that I got fairly cheeply on the front and used 4mm michelins on the back

they are fantastic
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Post by Xaccers »

DickieG wrote:Apologies Xac but it appeared rude not to ask the obvious question :lol: :oops: :lol: Should I ever go on Mastermind (more chance of winning the lottery) in the words of Basil Faulty my special subject will be "The bleeding obvious"
:)

I love driving in the snow and ice (once the idiots who can't have crashed off the roads, or can't get off their drives).
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snow tyres

Post by allanmc »

Thanks for the input guys I already have a spare set of wheels and 2 part worn snow tyres but want to fit 4 this year and wanted to know what you thought about these Goodrides from My Tyres
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Post by Rhothgar »

I was going to use My Tyres last November / December and I was looking at the cheapest option which was the Star Performer SPTS AS.

Don't be fooled that it is summer and that they are cheaper. Tyres have gone up in price recently. They are now listed at £49.20. In late November /Early December they were £36 a piece.

Whatever you do though, and this is a balancing act if you're tight for money, and leave it until it snows as others have said.

It didn't take Mr Tyres long to bang £20 on the price of each tyre.

In the end, I got mine of a chap in Exmouth who had used them for 100 miles only (2 trips from home to work in Taunton) for £100

With my courier, it cost me £30 because I insured one set for £250 just in case they went missing.

As for performance, absolutely astounding even on these budget ones!

I regularly have the experience of Sylvia's brother driving us to and from the airport in Austria when we go home to visit family and the first time on snow and icy roads scared me senseless to be honest.

I couldn't believe the speeds he was driving up the mountain passes on snow and ice but that comes with his experience of driving daily to and from work over winter.

The reason they grip so well and not many people notice it unless they are observant is not only the use of silica rubber and wider grooves. Each block of tread as we know it has 3 hairline grooves in which breaks each block into 4 blocks essentially and the energy, remarkably, is dissipated by the rapid movement of these blocks and the massive increase in contact area as snow presses up into the extra grooves.

My own experience of driving on them is that I found them to be very confidence inspiring.

You need, naturally, to get a feel for them as you take your first tentative steps on snow but you are reassured very quickly.

When we drove to Austria on 23rd December last year, everything was going swimmingly until 60 minutes into France and then the SatNav reported upto 40 minutes delays in a matter of minutes as we were driving along.

As we neared the problem area, it soon became apparent that this was because the snow had come down thick and fast and there was a coating of easily 4 inches and the outside lane of the Autoroute was not being used.

I tentatively moved onto the outside lane and proceeded gradually past the long slow line of traffic on the nearside lane.

Along that part of the journey and it was easily 100 miles of snow covered road (not all single file for the most part), I witnessed 4 cars leave the road in pretty precarious positions, facing the other way, halfway up embankments, etc..

On the other side of the Autoroute, the Conseil Generale had put a ban on lorries driving at night in the conditions has had happened earlier in the month and there was approx. 20 miles of lorries parked up in the outside lane, lights off, asleep with a police car sitting at the front to prevent lorry drivers ignoring the ban. This has to be one of the strangest sights I've ever seen on a motorway. The silhouettes of the lorries against an aura of light possibly caused by the headlights of the odd car travelling down their 'offsides'.

Whatever you end up paying is money well spent.

I didn't know what to expect by buying the cheapest but the design is where the increase in safety comes and the correct attitude even though the additional grip is there.

I would imagine it would be nigh-on impossible to tell the difference between a budget winter tyre and a top-of-the-range tyre unless you were driving long distances or on a race track testing its limits though I may be wrong.

Hope this is of some use to you.
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Post by Rhothgar »

Just read dieselnutjob's reply.

Be wary of well used second hand tyres!

I think 4 mm. is the legal minimum in some countries (certainly Austria) on the continent just in case you're thinking over going overseas too.

Presumably the limit in the UK would still be 1.6mm and perhaps DickieG could confirm this.

I would imagine there would be a huge drop off in grip if they are allowed to go below 4mm. anyway.
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Post by DickieG »

Rhothgar wrote:Presumably the limit in the UK would still be 1.6mm and perhaps DickieG could confirm this.
Yes that's correct, 1.6mm tread depth around the full circumference of the tyre and across the centre 3/4 section which in English means you can have each outer section being below 1.6mm but there must not be cords showing. This allows for tracking and under inflation issues. BTW Police work on a minimum of 2mm tread depth on their own vehicles.
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Post by daviemck2006 »

We have 2 sets of wheels for the wifes 206. In summer 195/50/15 tyres, in winter 185/60/15 vredestien snow tyres on an old set of wolfrace alloys. they were bought off the bay at this time last year, 4 tyres for £18, local seller, saw them before I bid. 6mm on one pair, 4 on the other. Changed the car completly, it was undriveable in the snow on its pirellis, like no snow there on vredestien. C5 was on vredestien summer tyres last year, they were good in snow too, now on michelin energy savers on front which do not have the grip of the vredestiens in the wet, a bit worried about the snow coming this winter.
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