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.