All year winter tyres.

armstrongracer · 07-10-2014 10:03pm #1

Due to circumstances I'm forced to take a years contract in Cork which means a weekly commute from Dublin to Cork, so 2,000km/month with a 4.30 am start on a Monday morning. The Costco specials that the previous owner fitted to my Saab 9-3ttid caught me out last Friday and I nearly aquaplaned off the Naas road, all whilst a knob was tailgating me about 6" off my bumper (don't ask!). I would quite like to watch my kids grow up so need to replace the fronts sharpish.

Money is tight and I need tyres that work well in winter, are long lasting and won't compromise fuel consumption. I've done some research and these two seem to fit the bill:

Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymetric 2 (235/45/17 Y94)
Uniroyal Rainsport 3.

The prices on Camskill for these two are way better than Eiretyres, if I went for the 97 rated Rainsports to counteract the soft tyre walls the difference between Eagles and Rainsports is the cost of fitting. The standard Y94 rainsports come in at €201 delivered.

Any advice as to what to get, euro ratings are swinging me towards the Goodyears but opinion seems to rate Rainsports as being the perfect Irish road tyres.

CJhaughey · 07-10-2014 10:40pm

The tyres you mentioned are summer tyres, Maybe biased towards wet performance with the Uniroyals but neither will work that well at low temps.
I don't want to start a war but some claim that winter tyres <7ºC are not necessary in Ireland.
I may agree but I also know that Winters grip tenaciously when the weather gets very cold, but tend not to last very long once temps climb over 10ºC on dry roads and at speed.
So you really need either two sets of tyres or put up with possibly accelerated wear with Winter tyres in warmer conditions.
I balance the cost of Winter tyres against the cost of increased risk of accidents with summer tyres in cold conditions.
I ran Nokian All Weather + for the last two years because while I wanted winter type pattern I also wanted good durability.
These last me 20k miles a set, with good rotation, basically a year.
I have heard that the Hankook H730 are a good all season tyre and work reasonably well in low temps as well.
I was in a similar position to you last week and ended up buying Continental TS850's for this winter.
You could also try getting a set of steel rims and fitting narrower higher profile tyres in a smaller diameter that still fit over your brakes.
They will be cheaper and can be changed for summer tyres once the weather returns to double digits.
As always its a compromise but if you are serious about safety don't compromise buy two sets and use the right tyre for the season.
Your mileage would suggest that its a sensible move.

bazz26 · 07-10-2014 11:49pm

Some options here:

http://www.oponeo.ie/tyre-finder/car/all-weather-tyres/235-45-r17

CJhaughey · 08-10-2014 12:24am

Brand new steelies and Premium winter tyres cost less than those tyres.
Here
Your alloys stay good for the summer, no salt corrosion.

08-10-2014 12:28am

I would get the Goodyears, drive to the conditions as required, dub to cork return trips shouldn't be too hard on tyres unless you are accelerating and braking hard.

biko · 08-10-2014 1:57am

Find reviews www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Tyre/
For instance Uniroyal, my own fav brand, www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Tyre/Uniroyal/Rainsport-3.htm

Btw, you may want to view this

VeVeX · 08-10-2014 9:48am

armstrongracer wrote: »

Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymetric 2 (235/45/17 Y94)
Uniroyal Rainsport 3.

The prices on Camskill for these two are way better than Eiretyres, if I went for the 97 rated Rainsports to counteract the soft tyre walls the difference between Eagles and Rainsports is the cost of fitting. The standard Y94 rainsports come in at €201 delivered.

Any advice as to what to get, euro ratings are swinging me towards the Goodyears but opinion seems to rate Rainsports as being the perfect Irish road tyres.

I've recently replaced Michelin Pilot Sport 3 with Uniroyal Rainsport 3's on my S3. Goodyear F1 asymmetric 2 are pretty close to Michelins in terms of performance.

Firstly the most noticeable and praiseworthy characteristic of Uniroyal Rain Sport 3's is the comfort levels, they soak up bumps and undulations in the road exceptionally well, better than the Michelins. They are quiet and fantastic for straight line acceleration and braking in wet or dry conditions.

Where it becomes obvious that the Uniroyal's are not comparable with Michelin Pilot Sport 3 or Eagle F1's is handling, cornering and heavy braking. The Michelins were massively better in wet or dry cornering and heavy braking. The Michelins also offered much sharper responsiveness of steering and feedback through the wheel.

My Appraisal -

Uniroyal Rainsport 3 - Mid-Range touring tyre - perfect for drivers who want exceptional safety in the wet conditions and comfort.

Michelin Pilot Sport 3 - Premium sports tyre - perfect for drivers who want class leading wet weather performance coupled with exceptional handling and responsiveness.

ardmacha · 08-10-2014 10:37am

The Bridgestone A001 is All Season and has good wet grip. It may not be the max for fuel consumption though. I had summer bridgstones which were plain useless in snow, this one is decent in snow, grips just as well in the wet and isn't noticeably different in the summer.

VeVeX · 08-10-2014 11:23am

ardmacha wrote: »

The Bridgestone A001 is All Season and has good wet grip. It may not be the max for fuel consumption though. I had summer bridgstones which were plain useless in snow, this one is decent in snow, grips just as well in the wet and isn't noticeably different in the summer.

Bridgestone don't make the A001 in 235/45R17.

Even if it were available I'd take my chances with a Uniroyal or Goodyear summer tyre on the Dublin/Cork commute rather than selecting an all season tyre that will be inferior for 10 months of the year.

Toyotafanboi · 08-10-2014 11:51am

I have have "goodyear vector 4 seasons" tyres on the corolla all summer. they claim to be a 4 season tyre but the thread pattern is clearly cut like a mud and snow tyre... it was a long hot summer and to be honest thread wear was minimal, i only done around 1000 - 1500km's per month but there was certainly no more wear than i was expecting, grip is "ok" not sure if it's the **** dynamics of the car (04 corolla) or the tyres but there is a lot of under steer in the dry.

i was like yourself, when i bought the car is had ditch finders on it and those tyres came up (part worn) at a good price.

ardmacha · 08-10-2014 1:04pm

VeVeX wrote: »

Bridgestone don't make the A001 in 235/45R17.

Fair enough.

VeVeX wrote: »

Even if it were available I'd take my chances with a Uniroyal or Goodyear summer tyre on the Dublin/Cork commute rather than selecting an all season tyre that will be inferior for 10 months of the year.

This is one perspective. My view is that in good dry conditions you'll probably get stopped anyway, if you are driving responsibly. So the better performance in good conditions is not that beneficial, when you really need a tyre to do the business is in the wet and/or winter conditions.

heffoo · 08-10-2014 2:11pm

Had the uniroyal rainsport myself by far my favourite tyre, great in wet weather. Even the snow in 2010 they were great. Great handling in summer and winter months, I personally couldn't fault them.

biko · 08-10-2014 2:13pm

I'm a big fan of Uniroyals too, had them on my beamer through the harsh winters of 09 and 10 and they were no bother in the snow.

They may feel a bit floaty because the sidewalls can be a bit soft, I just added some air and it was fine.

VeVeX · 08-10-2014 5:41pm

ardmacha wrote: »

This is one perspective. My view is that in good dry conditions you'll probably get stopped anyway, if you are driving responsibly. So the better performance in good conditions is not that beneficial, when you really need a tyre to do the business is in the wet and/or winter conditions.

That's exactly my point, a summer tyre will outperform the comparable all season tyre 99% of the time in a moderate climate such as our own. It makes much more sense for summer tyres to be used throughout the year on Irish vehicles.

Summer tyres are better than all season in the wet. What's more likely rain or snow?

The only scenario where an all season tyre will be better is snow. Also Bear in mind the vast majority of all season tyres do not even qualify to be classified as cold weather tyres.

ardmacha · 08-10-2014 6:23pm

VeVeX wrote: »

Summer tyres are better than all season in the wet. What's more likely rain or snow?

According this
http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Article/2012-Auto-Bild-All-Season-Tyre-Test.htm

this is not the case for that particular tyre, whose performance in the wet was comparable with a summer tyre.
Snow isn't very likely, but an inability to move is a major issue!

armstrongracer · 08-10-2014 7:34pm

Thanks for your answers folks, some really good suggestions there.

I'm tending to agree with VeVeX, and go for good quality summer tyres that perform well in the wet. Steering feel is very important to me and sportier tyres give that. I have 25+ years of motorsport experience behind me and have the skill set to deal with summer tyres in cold conditions. The nine month compromise that you get with pure winter tyres would wind me up too much, also I can't see the need for snow capability living in Phibsborough and commuting to Ringaskiddy using motorways and A roads, if I lived near the Sally Gap it would be a different story. If it snowed heavily I wouldn't go out, pure and simple, even if I had snow tyres. The last time it snowed badly in Dublin I couldn't believe the moronic driving I was witnessing. The best tyres in the world won't stop a taxi driver in a beaten up Octavia from sailing through a red light with everthing locked up and smacking into the side of you. Is cadence braking taught over here?

VeVeX · 09-10-2014 10:42am

ardmacha wrote: »

According this
http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Article/2012-Auto-Bild-All-Season-Tyre-Test.htm

this is not the case for that particular tyre, whose performance in the wet was comparable with a summer tyre.
Snow isn't very likely, but an inability to move is a major issue!

The results of that test goes against Goodyear's own findings for wet weather performance on the comparable summer vs. all season tyres in that size, 175/65R14.

175/65R14 isn't exactly a benchmark size. Its commonly fitted to small hatchbacks like the Peugeot 206 and Toyota Yaris etc. Not exactly a hotbed for performance tyres or a good tyre size to make comparisons on.

challengemaster · 09-10-2014 10:52am

armstrongracer wrote: »

Money is tight and I need tyres that work well in winter, are long lasting and won't compromise fuel consumption. I've done some research and these two seem to fit the bill:

Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymetric 2 (235/45/17 Y94)
Uniroyal Rainsport 3.

As mentioned, both are summer tyres but more than that - both are very grippy tyres. That impacts on fuel consumption and how long they last. I've gone through a set of Eagle F1's in 15,000 miles.

CJhaughey wrote: »

Maybe biased towards wet performance with the Uniroyals but neither will work that well at low temps.

Funnily enough, from first hand experience I think the Goodyears are better than the Uniroyals at wet performance.

VeVeX wrote: »

I've recently replaced Michelin Pilot Sport 3 with Uniroyal Rainsport 3's on my S3. Goodyear F1 asymmetric 2 are pretty close to Michelins in terms of performance.

I'd have classed the Eagle F1's above everything else on the market based on my experience with them. MPS3's are more expensive too.

VeVeX · 09-10-2014 11:01am

challengemaster wrote: »

I'd have classed the Eagle F1's above everything else on the market based on my experience with them. MPS3's are more expensive too.

I wouldn't disagree with anyone's opinion or experience regarding either tyre. If you've tried both and the Goodyear's work better for you great. Both are excellent tyres.

challengemaster · 09-10-2014 11:03am

VeVeX wrote: »

I wouldn't disagree with anyone's opinion or experience regarding either tyre. If you've tried both and the Goodyear's work better for you great. Both are excellent tyres.

Agreed

whomitconcerns · 09-10-2014 11:15am

i have the goodyear asymmetrics and have found them excellent in all conditions March-November. Also have vredestein wintacs for winter..worth it balanced out against cost of a small bump!

armstrongracer · 09-10-2014 5:47pm

Kind of agree with both of you, tyre feel is subjective and confidence is frequently more important than what the tests say. When I raced motorcycles I could never get on with one particular manufactures tyres and it wasn't about grip, people were winning with the tyre I hated. I ran Goodyear F1's on an M3 about 10 years ago, they were faultless apart from one very nasty aquaplaning moment on the Athlone bypass but that was more down to fat tyres and standing water.

All year winter tyres.

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