Technical Winter Tyres & the 100HP

[Fluoxetine]

Further to the above post, I've now covered the best part of 1000 miles on the Snow Proxy's, and thought I'd post some impressions, especially given the icy conditions we've been experiencing over the past few weeks...

Firstly, they've massively improved the ride of the car - The car soaks up potholes and bumps far better...It's hardly Lexus-like in ride quality, but it makes it less tiring to drive long distances...

More importantly, in sub zero tempratures, the grip seems vastly improved over the Eagle F1's- I had noticed that if you were hamfisted with the throttle at low speeds, in cold / wet conditions, it would easily spin up an unloaded wheel...This trait seems less prevalent now...

Of course, there is a downside...The handling suffers in the dry...I drove 'enthusiastically' down a lightly traffic'd back road, I know well - It's either soft sidewalls, or tread block shift, but the car isn't as sure footed as before...I'm running them at 30PSI, so might bump that up a bit...No great shakes, and it was easy enough to adapt to the change...

Also, the car loses its 'squat' sporty stance, as the Snow Proxys are higher profile...Just spoils the looks ever so slightly...

I'll keep an eye on wear rate, but they'll be coming off in March, so hopefully get a few years out of them...Are they necessary? Hmmm - If the Panda had a good treaded summer tyre as standard, I probably wouldn't have bothered...But the Eagle F1's have no radial tread, and are pretty poor in the snow and ice...It's my only car at the moment, and I depend on it to get me to Aberdeen for work etc...

With that in mind, a £160 investment isn't too bad, given I've spent much more on track day tyres for previous cars, which have lasted a couple of thousand miles...

 

[Herts Hillhopper]

I think its worth adding a little comment. Although often called 'snow tyres', really they'd be better marked 'winter tyres'. Even in the dry, 'normal' summer tyres become 'hard' when the temperatures are low, and loose their normal 'stickyness' that provides dry-road grip. Winter tyres are made from a special compound (often containing silica) which grips well at low temperatures (best below 7C). This, coupled with a tread pattern that offers grip on snow and which resists clooging with compacted snow is why they work so well. There is a growing movement to persude drivers to use winter tyres in the UK, especially the north, as, even without snow, they make a car safer during the colder months. However, they will offer no real improvement in grip if there is sheet ice -- only studded tyres will do that.

 

[james_f]

I agree, we should be fitting winter tyres int his country and if changed over each spring / autumn then the overall costs aren't so high. But I guess, if you change your car every two / three years then maybe not so economical. Plus, think of the savings in not having to be in the bodyshop having it repaired and the insurance hassles etc etc

My only comments on Pandas int he recent cold weather is how poor the brakes are when cold, and the clutch can be stiff when cold too. All seems ok after a few miles, but initially these seem to be evident. Anyone else noticed a stiff panda when cold?

 

[babbo umbro]

When in doubt - or REALLY in doubt - look at the manual. 100HP handbook states:

"Available at common retailers: alloy rims 5.5J x 14ET32 with winter tyres 185/55 R14 80T (M+S)." Gives pressures for M+S as Front/rear 2.4bar/2.3 Medium load; 2.5/2.5 Full load.

Also indicates that standard 195/45 tyres can be fitted with "reduced size - 9mm" snow chains.

So it looks as though Fiat's thought about this already - bear in mind that there are many roads in Italy where snow tyres/chains are obligatory in winter conditions.

 

[laverda]

I have fitted 185/55 x 14 Hancook vintertyres on a set of Aez Icon alloys 5.5 x 14 with an ET of 30 on my Panda 100HP these aftermarket alloys are cheaper than a set of original steelwheels or alloys.
They fit okay , only problem is there is not much room for the balancing weights on the front wheels they are a close fit to the calibers , you will have to fit the weights on the the outside of the rim but that no problem on these alloys.
14 alloys is : 1755,57
15 original is : 1747,41 thats 0,47% in difference

 

[Herts Hillhopper]

...Also indicates that standard 195/45 tyres can be fitted with "reduced size - 9mm" snow chains...

That's curious – for the 185/65 R14 tyres of the 4x4 the handbook specifically says snow chains cannot be used (but chains can be used on the 165 width tyres of the base model 4x4). Must be a different wheel offset.
Pete

 

[Fluoxetine]

When in doubt - or REALLY in doubt - look at the manual. 100HP handbook states:

"Available at common retailers: alloy rims 5.5J x 14ET32 with winter tyres 185/55 R14 80T (M+S)." Gives pressures for M+S as Front/rear 2.4bar/2.3 Medium load; 2.5/2.5 Full load.

Also indicates that standard 195/45 tyres can be fitted with "reduced size - 9mm" snow chains.

So it looks as though Fiat's thought about this already - bear in mind that there are many roads in Italy where snow tyres/chains are obligatory in winter conditions.

You're 100% correct...

But I'm loath to buy an extra set of wheels & tyres, and wondered whether higher profile tyres would fit the standard alloys without clearance / speedo issues...

The answer is indeed 'yes' - In fact the speedo is actually more accurate according to the GPS...

Fitting 195/50/15's snow tyres to the standard rims is definitely a more budget conscious option, and one not mentioned in the 100HP handbook...

 

[Carlo Abarth]

Fitted 195/50-15 too. Handling in wet and snow is much better. Downside is that is scratches the inside of the arches sometimes with our coil-over setup... It's allready less scratching then in the beginning when the wintertires were just fitted, lol...

Fitted them with steelies: Pictures

 

[Fluoxetine]

Came in handy today...

 

[DavePanda100]

Fluoxtine, have you tinted the top half of your rear lights?

 

[Fluoxetine]

Fluoxtine, have you tinted the top half of your rear lights?

Hmmm...I hadn't noticed till you pointed that out, but they do seem to be tinted...

(Had noticed that the front indicator bulbs had been changed to the 'non orange' variety...)

Not me - I bought the car from a main dealer secondhand...