Winter tyres

[Ceefeesh]

I can recommend a set of Michelin Crossclimate+ which I bought from Blackcircles when they had the 15% off flash sale on. You could run them all year round but i'll be going back to my Brescias with PS4S's in the spring.

I like your centre caps. Where did you source them? 

[rwleigh]

I can recommend a set of Michelin Crossclimate+ which I bought from Blackcircles when they had the 15% off flash sale on. You could run them all year round but i'll be going back to my Brescias with PS4S's in the spring.

I like your centre caps. Where did you source them?

They came as standard on these wheels but you can buy them.

Here for example: https://www.kunzmann.de/shop/en/wheels-wheel-hub-cap-chrome-red-vw-golf-7-genuine-volkswagen.htm

[Ceefeesh]

👍

[itavaltalainen]

I can recommend a set of Michelin Crossclimate+ which I bought from Blackcircles when they had the 15% off flash sale on. You could run them all year round but i'll be going back to my Brescias with PS4S's in the spring.

Silly question but if you’re running two sets of wheels why go for crossclimate and not proper winters?

[Daz Auto]

So looking to see if anyone can shed any light on this, I have a mk7.5 dsg with all new very cheap tyres the dealership put on and under load I get absolutely no traction what so ever, with winter approaching and living in scotland who knows what weather we will get this year, question is has anyone experienced the benefits of using winter/all season tyres with a dsg on snow/ice

Thanks paul

Hi Paul and welcome to the forum.

How did you notice the poor grip?

The subject of winter tyres is often debated on car forums.

From reading you post, you have realised the first and most important (most obvious) thing - grip comes from your tyres!

TLDR: (In my opinion) The safest option for a GTI is dedicated summer and winter tyres. That's what I use. Check out tyrereviews.co.uk for the latest recommendation on the best tyre options.

The guy who does the tyrereviews.co.uk videos is now recommending a summer and all-season combo, as the best option for the south of the UK. The latest all-season tyres appear to perform much better on snow and ice.

As far as I am concerned tyres are the most important part of any car. Because of past experiences - a few accidents where tyres may have been a contributing factor - so I do a fair bit of research when choosing tyres.

You don't 'need' a second set of alloys. You can just swap tyres. Though there are pros and cons to both options. If you decide to swap tyres on the same alloys, then I recommend you get a set of tyres bags. My VW bags cost £25 for the set of 4. They might cost more now.

My wife's safety is a top priority too. She is getting a new car soon. However, her car is not going to be anywhere near as powerful as the my GTI. Her car is due to arrive in January. We will immediately change the tyres for a full set of Goodyear Vector Gen 3s - a top performing, winter focused, all season tyre. Those tyres should give good grip in the widest range of conditions. Importantly - being 'winter focused' they should also provided good grip on ice - if the reviews are correct. This might be an option for you to consider too. Then you can decide if you need summer tyres.

Many people opt for the Michelin Cross Climate. It is a summer focused all season tyre. However, comparatively it does not perform as well on snow and ice. Though considerably better than a proper summer tyre. I recommended a set of these for my parents car. However, they live on a main road that gets gritted.

The problem is - above 7C, a summer tyre will provide noticeably better grip than the best all season tyre. So that is why I have opted for swapping the tyres on my GTI. The part of the UK that I live in the temps are usually below 7c, in the mornings and evenings, for 4 or 5 months of the year. Recent winters have been mild. However, just 2 years ago, after one cold night and some black ice, there was a car in the ditch 500 yards from our house.

I did a pros and cons list - second set of alloys vs just swapping tyres, a few years ago. There are advantages and drawbacks to both options. I don't worry about the bead being damaged. Tyres are designed to be fitted and removed many times. The biggest worry will be finding a fitter that you trust to look after your alloys.

[mcmaddy]

I can recommend a set of Michelin Crossclimate+ which I bought from Blackcircles when they had the 15% off flash sale on. You could run them all year round but i'll be going back to my Brescias with PS4S's in the spring.

Silly question but if you’re running two sets of wheels why go for crossclimate and not proper winters?

I've got exactly the same set up and I'm in North East of England. The cross climates are better for my weather conditions than a full winter especially now with home working more prevalent.

[Paul70]

I can recommend a set of Michelin Crossclimate+ which I bought from Blackcircles when they had the 15% off flash sale on. You could run them all year round but i'll be going back to my Brescias with PS4S's in the spring.

Silly question but if you’re running two sets of wheels why go for crossclimate and not proper winters?

I've got exactly the same set up and I'm in North East of England. The cross climates are better for my weather conditions than a full winter especially now with home working more prevalent.

Me too I opted for this set up, cross climates have a great feel and offer improved security during the winter months, they have performed really well during g the annual trip to the alps on all kinds of surfaces. A dedicated winter would be my choice if I lived in the highlands or comparable, but in Hampshire, I personally think they are a better choice as the car drives really well with the cross climates and I am not sure a dedicated winter would drive as well.

[rwleigh]

Silly question but if you’re running two sets of wheels why go for crossclimate and not proper winters?

Because I live in England, not Austria. As Paul says above, I feel they're a better choice for me personally as well.

They do seem to suit the GTI really well, I'm very pleased with my choice. Just hope we get some snow now. 

[itavaltalainen]

I used to run proper winters when I lived in the UK (Worcestershire, Oxfordshire, so not exactly highlands)... did have some all seasons on less powerful cars but was never really happy with their performance, even in UK winters.
Obviously they are better than running summers all year, but they're always a compromise, even if there is only low temperature but no snow/ice.

I chose the 'performance' setup of the Nokian winter tyre range - the WR A4 with an asymmetric tread. They are more wet weather focussed than some of the other winter tyres out there.
Still managed the German / Austrian alps when I went there for my winter holiday.

Mind you I did a lot of driving when I lived in the UK (40k miles p.a.) and a lot of it during unholy hours of the day and across tue whole country more or less.

[Daz Auto]

Michelin Crossclimate plus are not a good performance tyre or a good extreme weather tyre. They are a good summer focused compromise and a perfect tyre for my 70 something parents.

Also if my wife is going to work in dark cold winter mornings down an ungritted road, I want her car to have a tyre that is not reviewed as having "weakness on snow and ice." The whole point of changing the tyres on her new car is to ensure ultimate safety in all road conditions. Summer or dry "performance" is not even a consideration for her.