General Which winter tyres are people going for

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General Which winter tyres are people going for

You could go for bigger wheels (and different tyres obviously) but unless you have a desire to there is no need. Most people on here who have winter tyres on their 500s have 14s. Possibly everyone actuually?
 
No it's just the 14 inch tyres are cheap, you can go with bigger wheels but the tyres are a lot more money.

I run 17's for summer and 14's for winter.
 
Ah, OK. Thanks for that advice.' My tyres' seems to be the place to buy them from. What's the pcd & offset for a 500?
 
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:yeahthat:
Example on here if you're looking for a complete set.
Preferred choice AFAIK is the Contis but they may not be available as a complete set (hopefully someone will correct me if I'm wrong).
Bought from Mytres about 4 weeks ago. c £346 ordred Wednesday delivered from Germany on Monday !

Item: Steel wheels with winter tyres (LK 4 x 98.00 x 58.00)Continental WinterContact TS 800 BSW 175/65 R14 82TFiat 500 0.9 TWINAIR 8V 312 875ccm
 
Bought from Mytres about 4 weeks ago. c £346 ordred Wednesday delivered from Germany on Monday !

Item: Steel wheels with winter tyres (LK 4 x 98.00 x 58.00)Continental WinterContact TS 800 BSW 175/65 R14 82TFiat 500 0.9 TWINAIR 8V 312 875ccm

Thanks for the update GoGas - I didn't look hard enough. Priced here at £87 each plus delivery. Looking at the new tyre label efficiency ratings - they've less rolling resistance than the Ultragrip 8s.

So what is the recommended winter tyre option this year in 14 inch for the 500 ?
 
Thanks for the update GoGas - I didn't look hard enough. Priced here at £87 each plus delivery. Looking at the new tyre label efficiency ratings - they've less rolling resistance than the Ultragrip 8s.

So what is the recommended winter tyre option this year in 14 inch for the 500 ?
Well, the Conti's tested well last year so they'd be my choice :)

Michelin's and Dunlops did well too.

http://www.adac.de/infotestrat/tests/reifen/winterreifen/2011_Winterreifen_Test_175_65_R14.aspx
 
Well, the Conti's tested well last year so they'd be my choice :)

Michelin's and Dunlops did well too.

http://www.adac.de/infotestrat/tests/reifen/winterreifen/2011_Winterreifen_Test_175_65_R14.aspx

Thanks for that very useful link Maxi. Translating the german bits which Google Chrome it looks like the Contis did well in the SNOW test but it does not impact on mpg.

http://dictionary.reverso.net/german-english/
Trocken DRY
Nass WET
Schnee SNOW
Eis ICE
Gerausch NOISE
Kraftstoffverbrauch FUEL CONSUMPTION
verschleb WEAR AND TEAR

P.S. A big thank you to Venters for cleaning up yestersday's posts. It opened Pandora's box for me and it's a personal relief that the lid is back on again.

EDIT: Edited for accuracy.:doh:
 
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Thanks for that very useful link Maxi. Translating the german bits which Google Chrome it looks like the Contis did well in the ICE test (y) but it impacts on mpg. Surprised at the poor result on noise and wear on the Michelins which wouldn't bother some.

The Dunlop SP Winter response seemed to have got a great result including do well in the WET test. It makes you wonder why it came 3rd.

http://dictionary.reverso.net/german-english/
Trocken DRY
Nass WET
Schnee SNOW
Eis ICE
Gerausch NOISE
Kraftstoffverbrauch FUEL CONSUMPTION
verschleb WEAR AND TEAR

P.S. A big thank you to Venters for cleaning up yestersday's posts. It opened Pandora's box for me and it's a personal relief that the lid is back on again.
Well, as I always say, no one ever got stuck in the rain on a bit of sealed road because their tyres weren't working. Snow and ice is a different matter however and I'd always get the tyres which are going to perform well on snow and ice and minimize the risk of you getting stuck.
 
Well, as I always say, no one ever got stuck in the rain on a bit of sealed road because their tyres weren't working. Snow and ice is a different matter however and I'd always get the tyres which are going to perform well on snow and ice and minimize the risk of you getting stuck.
BTW, the lower numbers indicate better peformance, not higher numbers so the Dunlop is actually not as good in the wet as the Conti
 
BTW, the lower numbers indicate better peformance, not higher numbers so the Dunlop is actually not as good in the wet as the Conti

My bad.:doh: Edited my previous post.:eek:
Since our weather is milder ICE is our enemy and the Michelin Alpins look like a strong performer. The Contis do look the best all round performer. Makes the Verdestein look a bit dated.:devil::)
 

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My guess is that a lot of these differences/improvements will be pretty marginal.

The problem is that people who test tyres (or cars, or washing machines) for a living have a vested interest in saying how the lastest thing is streets ahead of last year's, when I suspect that most people would not be able to tell the difference.

Of course, things do move on, but most changes are more incremental than revolutionary.
 
My guess is that a lot of these differences/improvements will be pretty marginal.

The problem is that people who test tyres (or cars, or washing machines) for a living have a vested interest in saying how the lastest thing is streets ahead of last year's, when I suspect that most people would not be able to tell the difference.

Of course, things do move on, but most changes are more incremental than revolutionary.

Look's like there's a big difference on the Wet & Snow tests comparing the Vreds & the Contis but the Verds are still better in the ice than the Contis. In reality the normal Joe Bloggs will probably never notice the difference.:)
 
My guess is that a lot of these differences/improvements will be pretty marginal.

The problem is that people who test tyres (or cars, or washing machines) for a living have a vested interest in saying how the lastest thing is streets ahead of last year's, when I suspect that most people would not be able to tell the difference.

Of course, things do move on, but most changes are more incremental than revolutionary.

Well, products do move on, but I'm certainly not chucking my Vredestein's in the bin just because there's something new on the market. That said this will be the Vredestein's last winter, can't remember what the tread depth is at the moment, but they're staying on through the spring and if they last long enough, into the summer till they're worn out.
 
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