Winter Tyre Time!

cormie

Hi,
I started a thread or two last year when the ice hit looking for winter tyres. It seemed at the time it was too late to get any in Ireland at all. I know in Lithuania, they start ordering their winter tyres around this time so I thought it would be good to get a thread going to find a good source for those who have to travel a lot in what could be another icy winter.

From my research last year, the best tyre seemed to be Michelin X-Ice for the kind of snow and ice we get here in Ireland. It wouldn't be for inches and inches of snow or ice, but it would be a decent all round winter tyre that could be used throughout the rain, snow and ice season.

I can't find a supplier anywhere, I've been in touch with eiretyres and camskill and they can't supply them and I don't know of any similar alternatives that would suit the usage I'll be giving them (a few thousand miles over Winter, 90% motorway and national roads, 7% city and suburbs, 3% dodgy mountain regions).

If anyone can recommend an alternative or better still, somewhere who will supply 175/70 R14 88H XL Michelin X-Ice I'd really appreciate it

Looking for 4 of course

peasant

If you can't get the one you want, why not go for this one ...it won the ADAC test at the time

http://ssl.delti.com/cgi-bin/rshop.pl?details=Ordern&cart_id=48517442.124.23695&typ=1334900&ranzahl=4&Breite=175&Quer=70&Felge=14&weiter=0&kategorie=6&Ang_pro_Seite=20&rf=1&Transport=P&dsco=124&sowigan=Wi

GTE

They aren't full on Winter tyres but the Goodyear Vector 4 seasons and Hankook Optimo 4s (I think they are the names) have gotten great reviews for conditions like cold roads, ice and snow. They both have the snowflake mark on them which from research seems to be the e-mark of the winter driving tyre world in a sense. Its possible they suit the motorway at least as good since full on Winters seem to suit full on snow conditions if you get me.

Atlantic Dawn

Are you planning on permanently fitting them for the winter months or just sticking them on when the weather gets bad?
Would winter tyres be a bad idea during an average winter regards grip if there was no ice around compared to a normal tyre in normal winter conditions?

Matt Simis

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

Are you planning on permanently fitting them for the winter months or just sticking them on when the weather gets bad?
Would winter tyres be a bad idea during an average winter regards grip if there was no ice around compared to a normal tyre in normal winter conditions?

Not that I would advocate it, I got Winter tyres cheap near the end of Spring and put them on my 8series. They have proven to provide excellent grip non stop since then. Im sure they are taking excessive wear (though still look fine) driving near the 20c mark (at this point Winters shouldnt be used), but I wouldnt worry about using them in non-Icey weather (aside from tyre wear). To answer you second question, Winter tyres will handily outperform Summer (ie "normal") Tyres in even our mildest Winter. Winters are for below +7c temps, ie most winter days.

If/When I get Winters (I want to) for the other cars, I would be putting them in the end of October and leaving them there till Feb personally.

cormie

Thanks for the link peasant

bbk, would you know of anywhere that I could get each of the tyres you mentioned in 175/70 R14 88H XL at all?

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

Are you planning on permanently fitting them for the winter months or just sticking them on when the weather gets bad?
Would winter tyres be a bad idea during an average winter regards grip if there was no ice around compared to a normal tyre in normal winter conditions?

Yep, I plan on fitting them from as soon as the cold and rain hits to the spring I guess. Again, in Lithuania it's a legal requirement for them to be fitted between certain months (October to Feb or something like that) so I guess they are made for all kinds of conditions.

peasant

cormie wrote: »

would you know of anywhere that I could get each of the tyres you mentioned in 175/70 R14 88H XL at all?

The tricky bit the is the load index of 88. In that size that means re-inforced tyres, which narrows the choice a bit.

Btw the "H" is the speed rating. Any letter further down the alphabet will have higher rating and can also be used, just don't get a lesser rating

oh and the XL means nothing

cormie

Thanks for clearing that up peasant Yup, I was thinking that my choice may be limited with the reinforced requirement, sure it's probably not even available in the X-ICE. They seem to have disappeared off the planet anyway so I'll have a look at the one you linked to and perhaps if the ones bbk linked to come in 88 H+, I'll weigh up the 3

voxpop

Wasnt last winter a freak winter - i.e. isnt the normal winter just cold,wet and windy without the snow ? Trying to decide myself if its worth getting some winter wheels or if its a waste of money - living in south dublin burbs so not like I'll be navigating mountain passes or anything

Anan1

I was thinking of holding off on mine until October or so. Have the rims ready, though.

voxpop

well thats it - Id want to get getting the rims sorted now - if going for winter tyres. Not knowing much about winter tyres - do you just need a pair on the driving wheels or a full 4 ?

Anyone see those tyre socks - you wrap them around normal tyres and they provide grip in icy conditions.

Edit : Linky for the tyre socks http://www.autosock.co.uk/

cormie

They say there'll be more winters like that a comin'

I've a set of rims ready too, got them off another Astra owner who got Alloys himself so I can just pop them on an off at my convenience once I get the tyres fitted to them. May aswell get them sooner rather than later, sure it could start snowing here tomorrow for all we know

Anan1

voxpop wrote: »

well thats it - Id want to get getting the rims sorted now - if going for winter tyres. Not knowing much about winter tyres - do you just need a pair on the driving wheels or a full 4 ?

All four is better, if you only do one end then the other end will slide. Rims are cheap if you're not under time pressure - I got four OEM Subaru 16" alloys in excellent condition for €150.

R.O.R

http://ssl.delti.com/cgi-bin/rshop.pl?dsco=124&Cookie=tyreiedetails&details=Ordern&typ=R-158671&ranzahl=4&nichtweiter=1

Winter Van Tyres in your size, with a Higher load rating than required Cormie.

If searching for other tyres, have a look at winter camper van tyres. Should have the required load index for the weight. When I got off road tyres for vans, they were actually camper van ones.


***Edit

Is it for the Astra rather than the Transit? Should just be OK on car tyres as long as the load index is greater than 88. But the Conti's above seem fairly reasonable anyway.

cormie

voxpop wrote: »

well thats it - Id want to get getting the rims sorted now - if going for winter tyres. Not knowing much about winter tyres - do you just need a pair on the driving wheels or a full 4 ?

Anyone see those tyre socks - you wrap them around normal tyres and they provide grip in icy conditions.

Edit : Linky for the tyre socks http://www.autosock.co.uk/

I did a good bit of research last year and definitely go for 4. Stopping distance and handling will be much worse if you only go for two. There were a few videos in the last thread to demonstrate this.

cormie

R.O.R wrote: »

http://ssl.delti.com/cgi-bin/rshop.pl?dsco=124&Cookie=tyreiedetails&details=Ordern&typ=R-158671&ranzahl=4&nichtweiter=1

Winter Van Tyres in your size, with a Higher load rating than required Cormie.

If searching for other tyres, have a look at winter camper van tyres. Should have the required load index for the weight. When I got off road tyres for vans, they were actually camper van ones.


***Edit

Is it for the Astra rather than the Transit? Should just be OK on car tyres as long as the load index is greater than 88. But the Conti's above seem fairly reasonable anyway.

peasant wrote: »

If you can't get the one you want, why not go for this one ...it won the ADAC test at the time

http://ssl.delti.com/cgi-bin/rshop.pl?details=Ordern&cart_id=48517442.124.23695&typ=1334900&ranzahl=4&Breite=175&Quer=70&Felge=14&weiter=0&kategorie=6&Ang_pro_Seite=20&rf=1&Transport=P&dsco=124&sowigan=Wi

bbk wrote: »

They aren't full on Winter tyres but the Goodyear Vector 4 seasons and Hankook Optimo 4s (I think they are the names) have gotten great reviews for conditions like cold roads, ice and snow. They both have the snowflake mark on them which from research seems to be the e-mark of the winter driving tyre world in a sense. Its possible they suit the motorway at least as good since full on Winters seem to suit full on snow conditions if you get me.

Thanks for all the above recommendations so far! Yup, just the Astra ROR! Hmmm, decisions decisions. The load I'll be carrying wont be much anyway. With myself and the load I'll have, I'd say the total weight in the van would be less than 1.5tn anyway.

I'll want to go as fast as is safe to do so, will have to climb a few steep hills and venture around some bad areas but mostly it'll be motorway/main roads (of which I'll probably have to overtake some overly cautious folk too by the way).

Distance covered between the start of September and end of January will be over 15,000 miles. About 7,000 of this will be between December and January and 10,000 with November too.

R.O.R

cormie wrote: »

The load I'll be carrying wont be much anyway. With myself and the load I'll have, I'd say the total weight in the van would be less than 1.5tn anyway.

You'll need to make sure that the load rating (88 for instance) is enough for the axle rating on the van. While you probably won't be DOE ing the Astra with the winter tyres (would fail with insufficiently rated tyres) it might invalidate any potential insurance claims if under rated tyres were on the vehicle.

cormie

Thanks for the heads up. I checked that against the axle rating last year, on boards, of course: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=64591440

Photo included and everything

so 88 or above is fine for DOE etc so I'll definitely be getting the suitable ones for Winter too

So the type yourself and peasant linked to should be fine and I'll have to check the ones bbk linked to if I can find them

opinion guy

voxpop wrote: »

Wasnt last winter a freak winter - i.e. isnt the normal winter just cold,wet and windy without the snow ? Trying to decide myself if its worth getting some winter wheels or if its a waste of money - living in south dublin burbs so not like I'll be navigating mountain passes or anything

Personally I think we may get a few of these winters. Althou apparently the sun has fired up again so maybe not.

I think I'll go for chains or socks rather than getting winter tyres. I'm more interested in being able to climb hills in the snow than anything else - that was the only problem I had winter just gone.

voxpop

This is it - was it a freak winter or a sign of winters to come. Tbh last winter I was driving a FWD golf and it was slightly hairy at one or 2 moments but I never really had any drive problems. This year Im in a rwd 5er - I watched loads of those struggle up small hills, and dont want to end up needing a push to get out of the tesco carpark. :pac: Then again, I dont really want to spend 2/3 hundred on a spare set of winter wheels that may be no better than my current wheels unless the conditions get really bad - maybe a few weights in the boot is all thats needed ??

opinion guy

Audi dealer told me last winter they were thronged with queries about quattro's from BMW owners

dr.fuzzenstein

Anan1 wrote: »

All four is better, if you only do one end then the other end will slide. Rims are cheap if you're not under time pressure - I got four OEM Subaru 16" alloys in excellent condition for €150.

Be very careful with alloys in winter, the salt will destroy them.
Steel is the only way to go.
If you look around Germany in the winter you will see very few cars with alloy wheels. Most people keep two complete sets of wheels, alloy with summer tires and a set of steel rims with the winter tires, which are also mostly a lot narrower than summer ones for reason of grip.
Just watch some winter rallying and you will see the rally cars wearing some extremely skinny tires.

dr.fuzzenstein

voxpop wrote: »

This is it - was it a freak winter or a sign of winters to come. Tbh last winter I was driving a FWD golf and it was slightly hairy at one or 2 moments but I never really had any drive problems. This year Im in a rwd 5er - I watched loads of those struggle up small hills, and dont want to end up needing a push to get out of the tesco carpark. :pac: Then again, I dont really want to spend 2/3 hundred on a spare set of winter wheels that may be no better than my current wheels unless the conditions get really bad - maybe a few weights in the boot is all thats needed ??

In Germany once drove an old BMW 318i with winter tires on a snowy road and nearly needed a change of underpants afterwards, RWD cars will never be great in the snow unless you have winter tires AND a heavy load in the boot to increase the weight to the drive wheels.
Afterwards got a 4WD Daihatsu Applause (geeky but good) and you wouldn't even know there's snow, the difference in handling is worlds apart.

Anan1

dr.fuzzenstein wrote: »

Be very careful with alloys in winter, the salt will destroy them.
Steel is the only way to go.
If you look around Germany in the winter you will see very few cars with alloy wheels. Most people keep two complete sets of wheels, alloy with summer tires and a set of steel rims with the winter tires, which are also mostly a lot narrower than summer ones for reason of grip.
Just watch some winter rallying and you will see the rally cars wearing some extremely skinny tires.

True, but at €150 for four they were cheaper than steelies! I'd have preferred a bit narrower too, but couldn't get them - but they are 16" as opposed to the 17" on the car now. I'll be using these right through the winter as opposed to just in the snow, so I didn't want to make too many compromises on speed/handling.

Pique

Anan1 wrote: »

True, but at €150 for four they were cheaper than steelies! I'd have preferred a bit narrower too, but couldn't get them - but they are 16" as opposed to the 17" on the car now. I'll be using these right through the winter as opposed to just in the snow, so I didn't want to make too many compromises on speed/handling.

Hey Anan1, you're running a Forester too, ain't ya ?
I'm in a JDM SF5 S/Tb at the mo, running Bridgestone B500Si 16".

Did you have dedicated summer tyres on it last winter, and how did you find it ? Do I need to think about having a set of winters waiting in the shed ?

Anan1

Pique wrote: »

Hey Anan1, you're running a Forester too, ain't ya ?
I'm in a JDM SF5 S/Tb at the mo, running Bridgestone B500Si 16".

Did you have dedicated summer tyres on it last winter, and how did you find it ? Do I need to think about having a set of winters waiting in the shed ?

Nice car! Mine's still on the original Geolandars, which are kind of ok at everything. They'll be needing replacement shortly anyway, so the plan is to replace them with summer (3 season) tyres and have winters on the 16" rims. I had no problems climbing hills in the ice, but at €650 for a set of winter tyres/wheels that will last maybe 3-4 years I think it's useful insurance. My concern in the ice is not so much not being able to go as not being able to stop!

Matt Simis

opinion guy wrote: »

Audi dealer told me last winter they were thronged with queries about quattro's from BMW owners

And from Audi owners asking why their FWD Audi A4s with the Quattro / RS4 "kit" suck ass. Very few genuine quattro's here.

I'm surprised at the number of people who actually change their tyres for the winter. Its something that I didn't think people did in this country. I was under the impression that the normal all season tyres are well capable of handling the Irish winter.

Anan1

Chanel Shrilling Indigo wrote: »

I'm surprised at the number of people who actually change their tyres for the winter. Its something that I didn't think people did in this country. I was under the impression that the normal all season tyres are well capable of handling the Irish winter.

I wouldn't make any general assumptions based on just this thread! The way I look at it is although normal tyres will probably be fine, the extra couple of metres stopping distance over winters may be the difference between hitting something and not. I don't think the price of winters & rims would be as high as even a small shunt.

GTE

With regards to the All Season tyres I dont know of anywhere in Ireland that you can get them, though i would love to know myself but I believe eiretyres.ie stocks the Hankook Optimo 4S, and also the Goodyear Vector 4 Seasons which scored very close to but behind the Hankook.

Also, I thougt XL stood for reinforced, at least it did on the Hankook or Cooper site when I was looking up a tyre.

If the good winter tyres can handle some dry or wet motorway when there is no snow or ice in the winter months then you should be ok there. I believe though the All Seasons give better working range.

opinion guy

Matt Simis wrote: »

And from Audi owners asking why their FWD Audi A4s with the Quattro / RS4 "kit" suck ass. Very few genuine quattro's here.

Yeah I know. But have you seen the cost of adding quattro here ? Its nuts. If you want a quattro go North.

Anan1

Anan1 wrote: »

I wouldn't make any general assumptions based on just this thread! The way I look at it is although normal tyres will probably be fine, the extra couple of metres stopping distance over winters may be the difference between hitting something and not. I don't think the price of winters & rims would be as high as even a small shunt.

True, I was thinking the same myself that this thread probably is not a good representation of the general population. The fact people are finding it hard to get winter tyres shows demand is low. Its certainly something to think about anyway.

bbk wrote: »

With regards to the All Season tyres I dont know of anywhere in Ireland that you can get them

I would have thought normal tyres which most people use would fall under the all season bracket, with summer and winter tyres being specialist. I was obviously wrong. I have a decent knowledge of tyres in general but never looked at the summer/winter/all season aspect atall. More the grip, wear etc of different brands and models of tyre.

gerdee

I have an Audi Quattro, and the tyres need to be done in the next month or 2. I do about 12000km/yr. Do mainly town driving, but do occasional trips to Kilkenny/Kerry.

Would it be worth putting on the winter tyres?

Last xmas the car was grand in the snow/ice, so would it be more for peace of mind?

Any opinions will be greatly appreciated.

Anan1

gerdee wrote: »

I have an Audi Quattro, and the tyres need to be done in the next month or 2. I do about 12000km/yr. Do mainly town driving, but do occasional trips to Kilkenny/Kerry.

Would it be worth putting on the winter tyres?

Last xmas the car was grand in the snow/ice, so would it be more for peace of mind?

Any opinions will be greatly appreciated.

I wouldn't put them on your current rims, but it might be worth getting a set of winter wheels/tyres just for the winter.

gerdee

Anan1 wrote: »

I wouldn't put them on your current rims, but it might be worth getting a set of winter wheels/tyres just for the winter.

Thanks Anan1

GTE

Chanel Shrilling Indigo wrote: »

I would have thought normal tyres which most people use would fall under the all season bracket, with summer and winter tyres being specialist. I was obviously wrong. I have a decent knowledge of tyres in general but never looked at the summer/winter/all season aspect atall. More the grip, wear etc of different brands and models of tyre.

Well if you look for the Bridgestone ER300 tyre online. Its a rather popular touring tyre that probably sells rather well across the Island. Im sure those Pirelli P6000's that I hear lots about or the Michilen Pilot Sports aswell.

The thing is its always marked as a Summer tyre, as are most of the popular tyres sold in Ireland. I then read a blurb of the ER300 on tyre selling website and it said "like all Summer tyres, these are not suitable for near freezing conditions". Then more research showed me that most summer tyres "switch off" at about 5 to 7 degrees road temp. Which Im not too sure is really ever reached in our Winters, besides all the snow and ice we had last year. Im ignorant of the actual road temps during most winters, cant find them, but I think my view still has a good base.

So the question I asked myself is, are we actually driving much closer to the limit then we ever thought? Are the little skids, loss of grip in a corner, small accidents and worse contributed to by low grip levels of cold Summer tyres on Winter roads?

For me it makes more sense to have the All Season tyre since the operating temperature range is more favourable and the modern ones can take some ice and snow. So with the same driving characteristics that I would have had in the icy roads last winter the All Seasons would give me more distance to the limit then the Summer tyres would.

Thats my view on it anyway.

Im torn between getting those Bridgestone ER300's and the Hankook Optimo 4S tyres.

cormie

bbk wrote: »

Then more research showed me that most summer tyres "switch off" at about 5 to 7 degrees road temp. Which Im not too sure is really ever reached in our Winters, besides all the snow and ice we had last year.

I was keeping an eye on this last year and the "road" temperatures were all way below 5-7, they were in minus figures at the worst of times for sure!

http://www.nratraffic.ie/weather/default.asp?RegionId=0

I'm getting a bit confused here with all the options and seasonal choices. Bbk, for the usage I described my tyres getting here:

The load I'll be carrying wont be much anyway. With myself and the load I'll have, I'd say the total weight in the van would be less than 1.5tn anyway.

I'll want to go as fast as is safe to do so, will have to climb a few steep hills and venture around some bad areas but mostly it'll be motorway/main roads (of which I'll probably have to overtake some overly cautious folk too by the way).

Distance covered between the start of September and end of January will be over 15,000 miles. About 7,000 of this will be between December and January and 10,000 with November too.

What would you recommend I go for out of the two you know and then, would you know how these would compare to the tyres Peasant and ROR linked to at all?

Any feedback appreciated

GTE

cormie wrote: »

I was keeping an eye on this last year and the "road" temperatures were all way below 5-7, they were in minus figures at the worst of times for sure!

http://www.nratraffic.ie/weather/default.asp?RegionId=0

I'm getting a bit confused here with all the options and seasonal choices. Bbk, for the usage I described my tyres getting here:



What would you recommend I go for out of the two you know and then, would you know how these would compare to the tyres Peasant and ROR linked to at all?

Any feedback appreciated

To be honest Im in the confused boat too and this is my first dabble into things like this so I dont know the winter tyres well enough to comment.

But, using what I have read and pretending to be in your shoes if I had to drive through whatever was chucked at me weather wise I would prefer to have a great set of winters and summers and then switch over when needed.

I say a great set of winters because I would imagine the better ones could handle dry but cold motorway running without being out of their element and then if we get some very bad snow and ice they will excel.

For me and my car though, someone who can stay at home if the snow gets very bad Id go for the hankook all season tyre as that has scored very well in tests and also if I do have to drive through snow and ice at least I have an extra scope for safety.

If I were you it all depends on how well the winters can cope with cold dry motorway running incase we have one of those very cold but snowless winters.

Its a very grey area because the winter vs summer vs all season review videos are all in heavy snow and ice so its more of a question, would the all season be the better bet over winters? Do the winters only really work in heavy snow and ice and nothing more? Would all seasons be the better intermediate for the motorway and then when there is some snow and ice at least you can take it careful but know you have a better chance?

The answer I really dont know. There is too much selection and not enough solid info to base a knowledgeable opinion.

Also considering what you mentioned about road temps, I would cast serious doubts to whether the Summer tyres like the Bstone Er300 and others I mentioned would really be safe to use for those moments when we need to slam on or even just brake normally.

RandomAccess

voxpop wrote: »

This is it - was it a freak winter or a sign of winters to come. Tbh last winter I was driving a FWD golf and it was slightly hairy at one or 2 moments but I never really had any drive problems. This year Im in a rwd 5er - I watched loads of those struggle up small hills, and dont want to end up needing a push to get out of the tesco carpark. :pac: Then again, I dont really want to spend 2/3 hundred on a spare set of winter wheels that may be no better than my current wheels unless the conditions get really bad - maybe a few weights in the boot is all thats needed ??

Well, up here in Donegal the winters have been getting progressively worse for the last three years.
The black ice was much worse the year before last (two nasty crashes outside my house in the estate), but this year the snow and resulting slush was more long lasting/frequent than the other years. Plus down south the road frost was very bad every night last winter.

I think its really just a matter of time before something very bad happens. Last year I had a major brown pants moment coming out of the ridiculously steep exit from my housing estate, I braked at less than walking pace and the powdery snow didn't dig in as usual so I was moving at a glacial pace toward the main road with bugger all way of stopping the car with me having to yield to three cars coming my way, I had to let one car go past and then floor it to fit into the small gap between the next car.. I swear to fcuk thats not something I want to have to do again!

RandomAccess

Just noticed this on the Michelin X-ice product page, if you already have winter tyres it might be worth checking how far yours are from the end of their useful life.

NOTE: Snow platform indicators (the equivalent of "snow wear bars") are molded into the X-Ice's tread grooves to inform the driver when ice and snow traction will be reduced as the tire's tread wear reaches the point where the remaining tread depth becomes less effective in deep snow.

Matt Simis

cormie wrote: »

I was keeping an eye on this last year and the "road" temperatures were all way below 5-7, they were in minus figures at the worst of times for sure!

http://www.nratraffic.ie/weather/default.asp?RegionId=0

See the problem with knowing the road temps and knowing that Summer tyres are not designed to and will not work at these temps is it leads to frustration and ridicule from experts in the field, such as every single tyre retailer Ive asked.

Ive been laughed out of shops for inquiring about Winter tyres, they are "only for Germany" dont you know. Apparently selling the product doesnt mean they have to actually understand the product.

GTE

Matt Simis wrote: »

See the problem with knowing the road temps and knowing that Summer tyres are not designed to and will not work at these temps is it leads to frustration and ridicule from experts in the field, such as every single tyre retailer Ive asked.

Ive been laughed out of shops for inquiring about Winter tyres, they are "only for Germany" dont you know. Apparently selling the product doesnt mean they have to actually understand the product.

Its why Ill be going to eiretyres for my Hankooks. . Ok that and no one seems to sell them and if they did it would be more expensive

Very good point though.
Would you agree with my choice on the Hankooks or would you go for dedicated winters and summers?

Im finding it very difficult to actually get opinion on these tyres. The closest was from Canada on some board. Not quite here.

Question goes out to all the winter tyre users!

cormie

Oh I'm definitely after a set of both Summer and Winters myself. I'm not looking to save money by buying an all rounder that will be "ok" in all seasons. I'm looking to save money by buying different sets of tyres in that I'll be less likely to take a bump, get delayed etc

These are the Summer tyres I have on at the moment: http://ssl.delti.com/cgi-bin/rshop.pl?dsco=124&Cookie=tyreiedetails&details=Ordern&typ=R-119186&ranzahl=4&nichtweiter=1

I've 4 spare rims waiting to be dressed in the finest winter tyres for the same size for my use available to me.

Just quite confused as to which set that would be

R.O.R

RandomAccess wrote: »

Last year I had a major brown pants moment coming out of the ridiculously steep exit from my housing estate, I braked at less than walking pace and the powdery snow didn't dig in as usual so I was moving at a glacial pace toward the main road with bugger all way of stopping the car with me having to yield to three cars coming my way, I had to let one car go past and then floor it to fit into the small gap between the next car.. I swear to fcuk thats not something I want to have to do again!

I had a fairly similar experience earlier this year. Coming on to the Belgard Road from the small roundabout at Belgard motors. It's not a very steep gradient, and after having a bit of a moment on the roundabout (at about 10km/h) I was literally crawling. Pressed the brakes, all 4 wheels just locked and I proceeded to slide out on to the dual carrigeway.

Thankfully there was nothing at all coming and the fronts got a bit of grip to turn in the right direction, but it was damn scary.

Due to my car not having any grip at all in the snow, I was driving a Freelander which had Snowflake marked Mud & Snow tyres, that were fairly new, so sometimes the roads are so bad that nothing is going to help.

In hindsight, I probably should have had the hill descent control on and probably would have held it on the road, but I didn't think the slope was bad enough to warrant that at the speed I was going.

cormie

Any update yourself on this bbk? I'm still undecided, have you gone for a set yourself?

Anan1

Isn't it still a bit early in the year? I'll be ordering mine in October.

GTE

cormie wrote: »

Any update yourself on this bbk? I'm still undecided, have you gone for a set yourself?

Two of the Hankook All seasons are on the way from Eiretyres and by the time the other two wear down in Ill get another two just before the winter sets in.
They should arrive next week or there abouts. So I didnt go for the full on Winter set.

cormie

Anan1 wrote: »

Isn't it still a bit early in the year? I'll be ordering mine in October.

Sure you know me and my indecision It's already been two weeks since the start of this thread and I'm still undecided. Will order them as soon as my mind is made up and get them fitted once the cold hits

bbk wrote: »

Two of the Hankook All seasons are on the way from Eiretyres and by the time the other two wear down in Ill get another two just before the winter sets in.
They should arrive next week or there abouts. So I didnt go for the full on Winter set.

Cool, best of luck with them anyway, I'll be after the full winter set myself so just a case of which set

Anan1

I think i'm settled on these: http://ssl.delti.com/cgi-bin/rshop.pl?details=Ordern&cart_id=51833894.124.29701&typ=R-172353&ranzahl=4&Breite=215&Quer=60&Felge=16&Speed=H&weiter=0&kategorie=1&Ang_pro_Seite=10&Transport=P&dsco=124&sowigan=Wi

Part of my reason for waiting is that I want fresh tyres rather than ones that have been hanging around since last year.

BeardyGit

Cormie - Here you go:

http://ssl.delti.com/cgi-bin/rshop.pl?details=Ordern&cart_id=48517442.124.23695&typ=R-172448&ranzahl=4&Breite=175&Quer=70&Felge=14&Speed=T&weiter=20&Ang_pro_Seite=10&sort_by=preis&Transport=P&dsco=124&sowigan=Wi

Had a set on a small car here last winter and found them to be excellent. They're also well mannered on wet roads once the snow starts to thaw, something that's not always the case with a 'friction' type winter tyre (the other type is a studded type, which you won't want anyway).

I had trouble digging the car out of 18-24" of packed snow that built up on the driveway up in Roundwood, but once I managed to get the car onto the road they did a great job altogether.

Nokian tyres are a Finnish brand, although manufacturing has now moved to Russia, and the Finn's won't accept crap tyres with crap performance, especially from a home brand. I saw lots of small cars/hatchbacks and the like in the cities and rural Finland running the same tyres last Winter so they're certainly up to the job.

You'll wreck your head looking around at options and opinions and whatnot - I've used these and found them perfectly up to what I needed them to do.

cormie

RoverCraft wrote: »

Cormie - Here you go:

http://ssl.delti.com/cgi-bin/rshop.pl?details=Ordern&cart_id=48517442.124.23695&typ=R-172448&ranzahl=4&Breite=175&Quer=70&Felge=14&Speed=T&weiter=20&Ang_pro_Seite=10&sort_by=preis&Transport=P&dsco=124&sowigan=Wi

Had a set on a small car here last winter and found them to be excellent. They're also well mannered on wet roads once the snow starts to thaw, something that's not always the case with a 'friction' type winter tyre (the other type is a studded type, which you won't want anyway).

I had trouble digging the car out of 18-24" of packed snow that built up on the driveway up in Roundwood, but once I managed to get the car onto the road they did a great job altogether.

Nokian tyres are a Finnish brand, although manufacturing has now moved to Russia, and the Finn's won't accept crap tyres with crap performance, especially from a home brand. I saw lots of small cars/hatchbacks and the like in the cities and rural Finland running the same tyres last Winter so they're certainly up to the job.

You'll wreck your head looking around at options and opinions and whatnot - I've used these and found them perfectly up to what I needed them to do.

Thanks a lot for the suggestion, and I definitely agree with wrecking my head with all the options and opinions, it's already melted since last winter

I don't think 84t is up to the requirements for the strength of tyre I need for the Astra G though