winter tyres or smaller wheels or what!

forgotmyname

Smaller wheels may not fit over your brakes and dont forget fitting non standard wheels may void your insurance
if they dont cover modified cars.

Lithian

amandada wrote: »

I thought I could just get snow tyres on the front (drive) wheels but after calling a few places I'm now totally confuzzled as to what to do.

I was advised against just getting them for the drives wheels because of the difference in traction I'd get between front and back-and I understand this theory, but being a natural born cynic, is it a huge issue, or a manageable one and the tyre man wants more cash out of me?

Video here from 5th gear explaining why you want grippier tyres on the rear http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5YsQ_a_ijA Its talking about the wet really but will apply to cold icy conditions as well.

The idea is that if you lose front end grip most people panic, ease off the accelerator and the car finds grip without much fuss. If you lose rear end grip unless you are expecting it and/or are Jason Plato then you spin backwards through a hedge (or a bus stop full of school kids)

Problem now is if you only fit winter tyres to the rear you lose the ability to propel yourself in the snow which is the whole point of this exercise so really we need 4 corners done.

mikey72

Even two tyres stop situations like these, on four summer tyres.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PApZm9-rwFc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvaBvyUl5Xo&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fg9W0dwcnx8&NR=1

sunshinetours

Narrower width and taller profile tyres will generally perform better in the snow itself so if you are buying new wheels (I would if you have regular alloys that will take a beating on the twice yearly chanding otherwise) I would definitely go smaller wheel diameter. I change from 19" to 17" which is the smallest I can go to on mine.
Generally smaller tyres are also cheaper

If you go that route you will certainly need all 4 which has to be preferable if budget permits. the only additional overall cost is really the second set of wheels and possibly a cost to change them over each autum/spring if you can't do yourself. You will not be using your regualr summer set so saving on them

Lum

Make sure 16s will physically fit on your car, check my measuring the gap between the inside of your wheel and the highest point on your brake callipers, should be a little over half an inch as a minimum.

If so, go with the 16s the winter tyres will be cheaper and having a higher profile is a good thing with winter tyres.

We've done exactly this with my GF's 200SX. It runs 17s for the rest of the year (245s on rear, 215s on front) and 16s for the winter (205 on all four). Mine runs 16s all year round, so not a problem, but I switch from 225 to 205 for the winter.

What car is it? Someone might know if you can fit 16s or not.


Edit to add: Also the prices of winter tyres are rising daily. The ones I got for my GF have gone up £22 per corner since yesterday, which was already increased over the price I paid last month.

red_eye

amandada wrote: »

Like a lot of drivers my thoughts are turning to winter tyres

My car is less than USELESS on snow, and being in Scotland, we do get a fair bit of it.

Current tyres are 225/45 17

I thought I could just get snow tyres on the front (drive) wheels but after calling a few places I'm now totally confuzzled as to what to do.

I was advised against just getting them for the drives wheels because of the difference in traction I'd get between front and back-and I understand this theory, but being a natural born cynic, is it a huge issue, or a manageable one and the tyre man wants more cash out of me?

One of the suggestions is to get smaller (16" or even 15" if I can get them) wheels and tyres as that will bring the price right down. Has anyone else done this?

Help!!! I really don't know the best way to go with this and don't want to get caught short

for snow you need a thread pattern with wide spaces between the blocks to clear snow and a large aspect ratio to drop tyre pressure look at rally cars in wrc see what they use for snow, but with a 225/45/17 you will struggle to find a tyre/ wheel combo that will not drasticly affect your speedo

having a set of steels with snow tyres is a good idea but only if your in the sticks and no one clears the snow as once you get on the clear road it will rip the thread blocks to bits

mikey72

My winter tyres have done November to March last year, with no appreciable wear. Standard width for the car, standard apect ratio.
They're going on again this year shortly.

vaio

red_eye wrote: »

for snow you need a thread pattern with wide spaces between the blocks to clear snow and a large aspect ratio to drop tyre pressure look at rally cars in wrc see what they use for snow, but with a 225/45/17 you will struggle to find a tyre/ wheel combo that will not drasticly affect your speedo

having a set of steels with snow tyres is a good idea but only if your in the sticks and no one clears the snow as once you get on the clear road it will rip the thread blocks to bits

Well, my winter tyres have a gap between tread blocks of 6mm and my summer tyres have gaps of 8 & 11mm.

My winter & summer tyres are the same profile, diameter & width and run at the same pressures

Winters on dry warm (>8-10 degrees) do wear slightly faster but used in temperatures they are designed for (<8 degrees) then they don’t have excessive wear, if anything they wear less than my summer tyres. The idea that use on clear cold roads will “rip the thread blocks to bits” is just nonsense.

sunshinetours

Some winter tyres are M&S marked which generally have more agressive tread patterns and larger sipes I believe for clearing the snow from the tread easier. Not all winter tyres are M&S tyres as well

ab7854

Why not just invest £60-£80 in some snow socks. I got some of the material (rather than metal) ones and they're truly brilliant in the snow. I live up in the hills at the back end of Oldham and my Fiesta (195/45/16R) was useless, so I just bought some as a cheap alternative to winter tyres and literally my car was going up hills when 4x4's were stuck halfway. They take 2 minutes to put on and take off so when you get to roads cleared of snow it's best to take them off but as an emergency "get me home" thing they're amazing.