Fitting winter tyres to the Xantia.

[Norlander]

Thanks!
Goodyear Ultragrip 8 appears well-suited to likely conditions.

[MPV]

Nice table GB. Interesting that the Goodyear is not as good in the snow as the Conti, but better in the dry. I know Trocken is dry, Nass is wet, Eis is ice, Schnee is snow...what are the other catagories?

[GB]

Nice table GB. Interesting that the Goodyear is not as good in the snow as the Conti, but better in the dry. I know Trocken is dry, Nass is wet, Eis is ice, Schnee is snow...what are the other catagories?

Trocken / dry
Nass / wet
Schnee / snow
Eis / ice
Geräusch / noise
Kraftstoffverbrauch / fuel consumption
Verschleiß / wear

Lower numbers = better

BTW, Continental WinterContact have been THE snow/winter tyre benchmark for years!

Cheers,
GB

[MPV]

Cheers for that GB. Interetsing... looks like the Conti is better for noise, wear rate and fuel economy. Shame they are getting on for twice the price of the Goodyears.

[GB]

Cheers for that GB. Interetsing... looks like the Conti is better for noise, wear rate and fuel economy. Shame they are getting on for twice the price of the Goodyears.

Winter tyre prices have gone crazy this week.

Kwik-fit sells 215/55 16 for £131 fitted. E-tyres.co.uk were selling them for £137 only yesterday, today £202.

GB

[DickieG]

I can't help thinking that many people are building themselves up into a winter tyre frenzy thinking that we're in for another harsh winter, what if it turns out to be a non event

The other and far more relevant thing to take into consideration is that its all very well equipping yourself with winter tyres and snow chains but unless everyone does the same you still aren't going anywhere.

As for the added grip/safety argument if you drive according to the conditions and vehicles capability it really shouldn't make much difference unless you have someone run/drive across your path where additional grip for braking is required. The bigger issue is that people have got used to modern cars which handle and grip the road so well and don't make allowances in their pace/following distance or position etc.

Now then just how did people manage to get around in years gone by before winter tyres came along

[MPV]

I can't help thinking that many people are building themselves up into a winter tyre frenzy thinking that we're in for another harsh winter, what if it turns out to be a non event

The other and far more relevant thing to take into consideration is that its all very well equipping yourself with winter tyres and snow chains but unless everyone does the same you still aren't going anywhere.

As for the added grip/safety argument if you drive according to the conditions and vehicles capability it really shouldn't make much difference unless you have someone run/drive across your path where additional grip for braking is required. The bigger issue is that people have got used to modern cars which handle and grip the road so well and don't make allowances in their pace/following distance or position etc.

Now then just how did people manage to get around in years gone by before winter tyres came along

I'm watching the weather closely...it's on a knife edge at the moment between v cold and wet and mild. However, if the temp is below 7 Deg C you will still benefit from winter tyres. Once you have tried winter tyres you will never want to drive on summer tyres in winter again. In Germany it's the law if you want to take your car there after Dec 1st. It's all very well saying about driving to the conditions, but often you never know where the black ice is, or how well gritted a road is until it's too late. If you've got to do a journey of 200+ miles, do you want to go the whole way at 20mph or less? On summer tyres I've even skidded off the road on an icy bend only doing 10 mph! A slow motion nightmare where you're just a passenger hoping for the best. Winter tyres give you a fighting chance.

You only need one skid on black ice and that's your £300 excess gone and your no claims bonus on the line. Getting a spare set of wheels and tyres shouold not cost more than £500 and they will last several years for most people. Then you already have the wheels when those tyres wear out. When I'm driving around in the winter with my kids in the car I want to have the best grip available.

Last year I got along fine being the only car with winter tyres...I often had a complete lane to myself...the one with 4 or 5 inches of snow in it!

[Norlander]

The other and far more relevant thing to take into consideration is that its all very well equipping yourself with winter tyres and snow chains but unless everyone does the same you still aren't going anywhere.

True up to a point; but surely less applicable outside of town, in rural/hilly areas where gritting -- if at all -- seems to be rather more token than effective nowadays.
Or done so rapidly as to be concentrated on the verges and beyond.....

[dieselnutjob]

As for the added grip/safety argument if you drive according to the conditions and vehicles capability it really shouldn't make much difference unless you have someone run/drive across your path where additional grip for braking is required.

It depends. I never bothered with winter tyres until I got my 607. The 607 has much wider tyres than any car I've owned previously and I found it to be absolutely useless in ice and slush. I was finding that I just couldn't stop as quickly as most other cars. Winter tyres have solved that issue.

[Citroenmad]

I can't help thinking that many people are building themselves up into a winter tyre frenzy thinking that we're in for another harsh winter, what if it turns out to be a non event

The other and far more relevant thing to take into consideration is that its all very well equipping yourself with winter tyres and snow chains but unless everyone does the same you still aren't going anywhere.

As for the added grip/safety argument if you drive according to the conditions and vehicles capability it really shouldn't make much difference unless you have someone run/drive across your path where additional grip for braking is required. The bigger issue is that people have got used to modern cars which handle and grip the road so well and don't make allowances in their pace/following distance or position etc.

Now then just how did people manage to get around in years gone by before winter tyres came along

All valid points, I have been getting around fine in the snow of recent years, however it would be nice to have that bit more grip and reassurance. Plus it doesn't really much to add them as it saves my other tyres and wheels from wear so im not replacing tyres as often.

I got up the Tan Hill with my C5 on half worn Michelin Pilots last winter, I think its the highest inn in the UK and it was very very snowy! The only other people were in 4x4s, oh and a good few 2cvs Being prepared for winter is mainly effected by driving, some people don't appear to have much of an idea and spin up the wheels every time they pull away, just polishing the snow to ice.

More than anything im intrigued to how different they perform, no doubt they will be better in the rain as well as low temperatures. Its supposed to be -1 tonight here, maybe I should start thinking about getting my winter wheels and tyres mated and put on.

[daviemck2006]

I've never had winter tyres untill we put on to the wifes 206 last year. They made an enormous difference to it, but it had 195/55x15 pirelli p6 which were hopeless in the snow, car would not move and was uncontrollable when it did, probably too wide for a small car. We put on 185/60x15 vrediestein snow traq and they transformed it. The c5 i ran with normal 205/65x15 vrediestein hi traq summer tyres which had the same tread pattern as the snows without the sipes in the tread and it never put a wheel wrong. Still have the 185 snows on a set of wolfrace multi fitment alloys, so if her new mini is poor in the snow they will go on to it. I need two tyres for the 107 just now, because it has skinny tyres just going to go for normal tyres, probably vrediesteins as any new tyre should be better than the worn contis on it just now. Did try the wolfies on to the 107, they did go on but besause they are 7j and too high a profile I would not have been able to go round corners, started scuffing on 1/2 lock.

[MPV]

More than anything im intrigued to how different they perform, no doubt they will be better in the rain as well as low temperatures. Its supposed to be -1 tonight here, maybe I should start thinking about getting my winter wheels and tyres mated and put on.

Traditionally winter tyres have tended not to be so good in the wet, but the newest generation are much better - for example the goodyear 8 with interlocking grip blocks. Still, with whatever winters you have, you have to balance loss of wet grip with the low temperatures, where summer tyres lose grip anyway, due to their harder compounds.

[DickieG]

More than anything I'm intrigued to how different they perform, no doubt they will be better in the rain as well as low temperatures. Its supposed to be -1 tonight here, maybe I should start thinking about getting my winter wheels and tyres mated and put on.

Did I say that

[MPV]

More than anything I'm intrigued to how different they perform, no doubt they will be better in the rain as well as low temperatures. Its supposed to be -1 tonight here, maybe I should start thinking about getting my winter wheels and tyres mated and put on.

Did I say that

Quote of a quote...

[Deanxm]

Well i ordered my 4 Hankook RW06 winter tyres for the van, lets hope it will perform as well as a RWD van running half worn summer rubber with them on this year
Should have them fitted tomorrow or monday.

D