General winter wheels and tyres

[RobW]

just bought a set of genuine Fiat Bravo 17"s from ebay bargain BNIB these are the silver fully painted type so won't suffer corrosion unlike the vulnerable polished face on the sport alloys

on the look out for winter tyres now, undecided whether to go for 4 season tyres or full cold weather tyres

Vredstein look good, or might give the Marangoni winters a go

 

[JFL]

i never bothered with winter tyres.... managed it over snakes pass in the winter fine when the road was closed a few hours after

 

[dave]

just bought a set of genuine Fiat Bravo 17"s from ebay bargain BNIB these are the silver fully painted type so won't suffer corrosion unlike the vulnerable polished face on the sport alloys

on the look out for winter tyres now, undecided whether to go for 4 season tyres or full cold weather tyres

Vredstein look good, or might give the Marangoni winters a go

there are so MO's on ebay with a photo of your 500

 

[RobW]

i never bothered with winter tyres.... managed it over snakes pass in the winter fine when the road was closed a few hours after

'managing' and being in control and safe are very different things

winter tyres are a requirement in much of europe and once you have tried them you won't look back

the difference between racing slicks and wets in a F1 race is a good analogy

years ago tyres were more of an all round tread pattern but now many tyres are very performance orientated and utterly usless on snow

also the rubber compound of normal tyres literally stops gripping the road chemically at 5 to 7°C

 

[RobW]

there are so MO's on ebay with a photo of your 500

yea i sold the 500 6 weeks ago mate

 

[JFL]

i would of said i was safe and in control

guess its all down to the driver and how they drive

 

[dave]

or luck

 

[Hellcat]

Mine will be getting some for winter. Thinking even a cheapish brand of winter tyres will be better than a set of good summer tyres once the temperature drops below that magic 7 degrees. Since I leave for work around 8am and dont get back until 7pm then that puts a lot of my driving in the cold. It was 7 degrees this morning in fact... 27 degrees according to the car at lunchtime :spin:

 

[Hellcat]

Right you lot!

No excuses now. The 15" alloys from a mk1 Bravo will fit our Bravo's, including the 150 sports. I think the 165 has the same size brakes so it should be good too. Loads out there so a great source for some winter wheels.

I believe 195/65R15 should be the correct size.

Here's the photos.

 

[cata82]

Rob, i think you should skip the all season tyres and go for the winter ones. At very low temperatures the summer tyres fell like they've turned into "plastic", due to their harder rubber compound that makes them durable in the hot days.

All season tyres are a really bad choice, especially if you have winters with under 0 degrees celsius and with some snow in the mix.

 

[RobW]

Rob, i think you should skip the all season tyres and go for the winter ones. At very low temperatures the summer tyres fell like they've turned into "plastic", due to their harder rubber compound that makes them durable in the hot days.

All season tyres are a really bad choice, especially if you have winters with under 0 degrees celsius and with some snow in the mix.

yep came to the same conclusion, winter rubber arriving today

 

[Jazzist]

The Bravo is absolutely brilliant in snow with Continental Winter Contact tyres fitted

Driving past loads of muppets abandoning their cars/riding on summer rubber at the moment.

 

[RobW]

fitting my winter wheels/tyres at the weekend

anyone looking for winter tyres hurry as stocks are very low/run out

 

[rsjharvey]

I reached for the snowchains this morning but am thinking that winter tyres maybe a much better option in the longer term. With the Bravo Mk1 wheels, is the PCD the same or do you need different nuts to get them to fit? Would also be interesting to hear what people think about the different brands and models of winter tyres.

Just for the record, my Goodyear Eagles were c*#p and worse than the Michelins I had on during last years poor weather...

 

[RobW]

I reached for the snowchains this morning but am thinking that winter tyres maybe a much better option in the longer term. With the Bravo Mk1 wheels, is the PCD the same or do you need different nuts to get them to fit? Would also be interesting to hear what people think about the different brands and models of winter tyres.

Just for the record, my Goodyear Eagles were c*#p and worse than the Michelins I had on during last years poor weather...

have used Toyo Snowprox for the last few years, just about to go on are Michelin Alpin that i previously had on an Alfa and i remember them being good

i just bought some Marangoni Meteo HP for my partner so will report on those too

 

[dave]

what gives best grip in snow new non snow tyres or snow tyres with 4mm of tread left?

 

[RobW]

what gives best grip in snow new non snow tyres or snow tyres with 4mm of tread left?

worn winter tyres still 100% better than new summer tyres as the tread pattern in summer tyres is too open tread pattern

particularly if they are something like Conti Sport Contact or Michelin Pilot Sports

winter tyres work best on snow with tread more than 5mm though;
they come new with 11mm tread, summer tyres usually start life with 9mm

 

[Jazzist]

PS: ADAC's tests are your friend, choose the size closest to yours to see the relevant ranking/review:-

http://www.adac.de/infotestrat/tests/reifen/default.aspx

For mine I saw this and got the top ranked TS830:
http://www.adac.de/infotestrat/test...R16.aspx?ComponentId=29880&SourcePageId=31821

 

[dave]

worn winter tyres still 100% better than new summer tyres as the tread pattern in summer tyres is too open tread pattern

particularly if they are something like Conti Sport Contact or Michelin Pilot Sports

winter tyres work best on snow with tread more than 5mm though;
they come new with 11mm tread, summer tyres usually start life with 9mm

i was going to get the ones in classifieds advertised as Good condition with a lot of tread left.



but i asked seller to measure and he emailed this

Tyre number 1
1st measurement = 5mm /6 - 32nds
2nd measurement = 6mm/ 7 - 32nds
3rd measurement = 5mm/ 6 - 32nds



Tyre number 2
1st measurement = 3mm/ 4 - 32nds
2nd measurement = 4mm/ 4 -...
3rd measurement = 3mm/ 4 (just less than)




Tyre number 3
1st measurement = 2mm/ 3
2nd measurement = 4mm/ 5
3rd measurement = 2mm (just less than)/ 1




Tyre number 4
1st measurement = 2mm (just less than)/ 1
2nd measurement = 3mm/ 4
3rd measurement = 2mm/ 3






The measurements in RED are red on tha gauge



The second measurement in black is the 32nds measurements - as per the first set of measurements
So I didn't ave 2 repeat it ova & ova...


Measurements were taken from top to bottom with each tyre & each individual measurement
1" from the edge in the centre & 1" from the inside edge

sound like they are worn out then for snow tyres

 

[flyingscot]

Rob, i think you should skip the all season tyres and go for the winter ones. At very low temperatures the summer tyres fell like they've turned into "plastic", due to their harder rubber compound that makes them durable in the hot days.

All season tyres are a really bad choice, especially if you have winters with under 0 degrees celsius and with some snow in the mix.

I wouldn't be so dismissive of all seasons in all the UK. Sure a pure winter tyre will be excellent in snow and out do it but all-seasons have their worth.

I am running Nokian All-Seasons in Glasgow and find them a very good choice for the conditions. Sure they get a reputation of 'average at everything' but I'd say they actually occupy a segment where they are good- better than summers.

Glasgow gets what 3-5 days with snow on average. Mostly we are cold frosty mornings and nights or cool and wet. The last 2 years have been heaviest snow in years. If I lived in rural Aberdeenshire or up the hills I may consider winter/summer swap but for a car that is central belt based didn't see it necessary.

My Nokians have oils which keep the tyre working at low temperatures, are designed for rain and can cope with snow. An all-season to me is therefore perfect tyre for conditions- ensure I have good wet and cold grip in winter can handle snow and manage with dry, warm days.

I had no issues in the last few days and certainly was not one of the ones getting pushed out the car park or stuck on the road, few envious glances at them! Of course winter tyres are no substitute for technique too!

Sure my tyres would not stop as quick on snow or handle turns as fast and neither would they perform at hooning down country lanes in summer like Toyos or Eagle F1s. But they'd still beat those cheap Chinese brands hands down- indeed most accidents happen in Winter and Wet weather that's when I want grip not during summer sunshine when I'll cope!

For me a good Vredestien, Nokian, Michelin or Good Year etc all season it will work well if you get cold conditions but only occasional days of snow in winter which is what large parts of UK need.