General Trekking or Winter Tyres dilemma

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General Trekking or Winter Tyres dilemma

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Jan 5, 2011
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Hello All,

I'm thinking about trading in my 60 plate 500 for a Panda soon and am really tempted by a Trekking.

I'm living in central Scotland and snow and ice can be a problem in the winter so the traction+ system would be useful but I wondered if buying a regular panda and buying a set of winter tyres might do the job.

Any advice would be welcome!
 
Probably yes, because dedicated winter tyres are better than M&S tyres.

Search out a few comparison vids on Youtube and you'll be convinced.

However, the M&S tyres are a pretty good compromise, and with the Trekking you get better ground clearance.

It depends whether you think the outlay on a set of new tyres (and wheels?) is worth it.

The vid I am thinking of compared a 4x4 Skoda Yeti on regular tyres with a 2x4 Yeti on winter tyres. Except for acceleration, slightly, the 2x4 on winter tyres trounced the 4x4, and the handling and, most important, braking, were in a different league. It's the tyres (y)
 
Thanks for that - I found the video.

It's a shame they didn't have a 4x4 with winter tyres and a 2 wheel drive with regular tyres for comparison (and to rule out the placebo effect tell the driver the car has winter tyres when it hasn't!!).

I've seen a couple of pre-reg lounge models for under £9000 which is quite tempting, but I prefer the styling of the trekking.
 
I'm considering a Trekking (or 4x4) for my next car as well. The advantages of the Trekking over the regular Panda seem to extend beyond the Traction+ system. You get a higher seating position, standard ESP and, perhaps most importantly (if the road tests are to be believed), a much better ride over potholes and badly surfaced roads. The only down side of the Trekking (and 4x4) for me is that you don't seem to be able to order a sunroof option.
 
If you are in rural Stirlingshire like us, the pothole issue is the clincher. We have the new 4x4 and it smooths out the craters brilliantly. Worth it for that alone. The winter tyres are more important than full 4 x 4, but that said we have used both on mk 3 and 4 pandas through the last heavy winters and even sailed past stuck range rovers ( on daft tyres!).... Great feeling!
 
Hello All,

I'm thinking about trading in my 60 plate 500 for a Panda soon and am really tempted by a Trekking.

I'm living in central Scotland and snow and ice can be a problem in the winter so the traction+ system would be useful but I wondered if buying a regular panda and buying a set of winter tyres might do the job.

Any advice would be welcome!

Hi inpromptuandy,

A real dilemma for you I am sure!

I can only speak from having fitted winter tyres to our old 500 and Panda, both of which are of course 2WD. They made the world of difference IMO, but I wouldn't say they have been subjected to really terrible conditions.

A quick search on mytyres.co.uk (click on Wheel and Tyre Packages on the left and complete the screen) shows a whole load of winter tyres + 4 steel rims for between £350 and £400 for a standard Panda TA (not the Trekking or 4x4).

IMO though, I think you should just go for whatever model suits you best. You can get winter tyres and rims sorted for any of the models, but you might end up regretting things if you don't buy the model you prefer.
 
I'm considering a Trekking (or 4x4) for my next car as well. The advantages of the Trekking over the regular Panda seem to extend beyond the Traction+ system. You get a higher seating position, standard ESP and, perhaps most importantly (if the road tests are to be believed), a much better ride over potholes and badly surfaced roads. The only down side of the Trekking (and 4x4) for me is that you don't seem to be able to order a sunroof option.

I found the standard seating too high (and I'm not overly tall at 1.76m) so
got the height-adjustable driver's seat. Actually it doesn't have a big range
so is slightly disappointing, unlike the leather steering wheel/gear knob option
which is well worth having, IMHO.

I like sunroofs (had them in all my previous cars) but I'm not really missing
one in my Trekking, as the big windows and good visibility compensate :)

As for the suspension, it's very well sorted, coping with rough roads,
speed bumps and potholes much better than anything else I've driven.

Having not yet tried any significant off-roading, I don't feel able to comment
on this aspect- but the car probably exceeds my capabilities :rolleyes:

The Twinair engine continues to amuse and impress me :devil:



Chris
 
I found the standard seating too high (and I'm not overly tall at 1.76m) so
got the height-adjustable driver's seat. Actually it doesn't have a big range
so is slightly disappointing, unlike the leather steering wheel/gear knob option
which is well worth having, IMHO.



Having not yet tried any significant off-roading, I don't feel able to comment
on this aspect- but the car probably exceeds my capabilities :rolleyes:

The Twinair engine continues to amuse and impress me :devil:



Chris

I too love the leather steering wheel, a big improvement over the standard one, however, I not so taken with the leather gear knob. I really don't like its corners. I may even order a plastic normal one to replace it.

As for off roading, I took the car over a mountain the other day. it does have a road over it, but is in an awful state of repair, as in bits missing!
I did on 2 occasions bang the underside of the car (there's a significant metal sump guard) and think that ground clearance is an issue. I thing the new 4x4 has 30mm less than the 2004 model.

I stuck the gopro to the side and recorded a bit if anyone wants to see it?
It's not great footage though but I did give the eld a workout again.
I've found that the eld does indeed work, but you have to spin the loose wheels a fair bit before it gets the message.

I would have thought the traction+ works in a similar way. You'll need a wheel to spin a fair bit before the system brakes that wheel forcing power over to the other wheel through the differential.
This may or may not help in certain situations?
 
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"The trekking and 4x4 models are fitted with winter tyres"

Are you sure? I thought they were M&S, which is a compromise tyre. Dedicated winter tyres operate properly below 7%, which is where the softer compound, with more silica, makes for better braking on dry roads, and the flexible tread and the sipes act to disperse the build up of snow and get rid of rain quickly.

Few manufacturers recommend winter tyres above this temperature, although some say they can be used in all weathers. However, winter tyres wear quickly on summer roads and never brake as quickly as proper summer tyres.
 
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"The trekking and 4x4 models are fitted with winter tyres"

Are you sure? I thought they were M&S, which is a compromise tyre. Dedicated winter tyres operate properly below 7%, which is where the softer compound, with more silica, makes for better braking on dry roads, and the flexible tread and the sipes act to disperse the build up of snow and get rid of rain quickly.

Few manufacturers recommend winter tyres above this temperature, although some say they can be used in all weathers. However, winter tyres wear quickly on summer roads and never brake as quickly as proper summer tyres.

Yes, they are definitely fitted with winter tyres
Continental cross contact winter
They are M+S rated and marked.

They have very good reviews but are optimised for cold weather.
http://www.continental-tyres.co.uk/www/tyres_uk_en/themes/4x4-tyres/winter-tyres/crosscontact-winter/conticrosscontact-winter.html

Agree with all you say about using winter tyres in the summer. When I 1st had my car I had a situation where I had to emergency stop from about 45mph. Dry road, well over 10°C
I found that the braking distance was pretty long, certainly a good few metres more than I think I would have done in my old 500 with summer tyres.
I've since bought summer tyres for the warm months, and I'm keeping the winters for the cold months. Best of both.
 
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Deeyup, how do we view the footage? Wouldn't mind a look. Is it on you tube?
 
I've not done anything with it yet. It's still in the sd card.
I'll trim it down and put it on YouTube.

It's not a lot though as I only put the camera on the last few mins.

Ok, thanks. I'll keep an eye out for it. Often look on Youtube for Panda reviews.
 
Thanks for all the comments.

I'm 90% sure that we're going to go with a pre-reg lounge as the discount is almost £2000 and get a set of winter tyres too.

Our nearest fiat dealers are all owned by Arnold Clark which worries me slightly as I've heard lots of horror stories.
 
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