GolfGTIforum.co.uk
Model specific boards => Golf mk7 => Topic started by: Phil 117 on 19 November 2013, 14:43
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So I have been doing some research today in regards to Winter Tyres, and have found many useful things, I still don't know what I'd need to do and get out and buy some. E.g, will they fit my car?
After watching this video (http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/car-news/66692/winter-tyres-4x4-grip-test-video) seeing a Ford Kuga with 2WD with Winter Tyres go so much further, I think I'm going to get some. I live on a Hill, and when it snowed before, I couldn't get up it. Touch wood, I've not had a prang yet, but as I'm now buying my own car and spending a decent amount of money on it, I want make sure I'm safe.
So, for those people who run winter tyres currently, do you mind answering some of these questions for a novice like myself?
1) Is it just tyres, or alloy's and tyres? When ever I see pictures or video's, usually the winter tyres are on different alloys. Is it just that it makes it easier to change?
2) 1 leads me onto cost. Looking around, Winter Tyres seem to be about £500 (ish) for a set of 4. If you then have to purchase alloys, it then taking this close to £1000. And then what is the cost of fitting?
3) Storage. Do I have to pay to have summer tyres stored in the winter and winter tyres stored in the summer. I have a garage I can put them in, but aren't they meant to be kept at the right temperature etc?
4) If i need alloys, what size? I see things like "7.5 Jx17" and "offeset 49". I have no idea what these mean. Is it so they clear the brake calipers?
5) How long do you run them for? As they are not just snow tyres, they are winter tyres, they are much better in the cold. So are these the sort of things you put on from November all the way through to February?
6) Life. How long will they last for. As these tyres are expensive, will they last 2-3 years, or expect them to last longer than that?
7) Will the speedo be calibrated correctly if a different set of alloys are going on the car?
8 ) Used ones on eBay. I am still on the hesitant side of these tyres due to cost. I have seem some on eBay much cheaper, as they are used. Usually they're for sale as someone has bought a different car they don't fit on. Is it worth a gamble paying for cheap ones, or just invest in some new ones?
9) And finally, where do you get them from? Do places do alloy & tyre pack, or you have to buy them separate?
Thank you very much in advance. I literally have not a clue. I can barely add oil or washer fluid. When it comes to technical stuff, I hate to say I know absolutely nothing. So an idiot proof guide would be much appreciated!
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Right here's my take on it.
1) I have two sets of wheels so that I can change them over myself. I will get 3 winters out of my tyres, so at and average of £10 a corner to swap a tyre, over 3 years that's £240, or the price of a decent set of second hand OEM wheels.
2) If you buy second hand wheels, the cost of tyre changing is recouped. You can only wear out one set of tyres at a time, so winter tyres don't actually cost any extra to buy/run. If anything you will save money as summer tyres will wear faster in winter.
3) I keep mine stacked in the garage wrapped in bubble wrap. As long as they are not left in direct sunlight and lay on their sides, they'll be fine. Some tyre dealers do offer storage, but I prefer to have my things where I can see them.
4) 7.5 J is the width of the wheel (7.5 inches) and 17 is the diameter, again in inches. The offset or ET, is the distance from the center line of the wheel to the hub mounting face. The smaller the number, the further the wheel sticks out.
5) Mine went on last week and I'll keep them on until the daytime temperatures are consistently above 7-8 degrees, so probably late February.
6) All depends on your driving style and mileage, but as I said earlier, I expect to get 3 winters or around 20,000 miles from mine.
7) As long as you keep the overall diameter of the tyre the same, the speedo will be fine. 205-55-16, 225-45-17, 225-40-18, 235-35-19 are all, give or take a few mm, the same overall diameter.
8 ) I've bought used tyres in the past, and whilst they are initially cheaper, they will need replacing sooner.
9) Mytyres do wheel and tyre packages which will come ready for you to bolt to the car, or like me, you can buy used wheels and sort your own tyres. Hindsight is a wonderful thing and all that, but it's much better and cheaper to do all this in the summer.
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1) Is it just tyres, or alloy's and tyres? When ever I see pictures or video's, usually the winter tyres are on different alloys. Is it just that it makes it easier to change?
It is easier if you have a set of wheels for each... makes it easier swapping them over. But you could just buy a set of tyres the correct size and have them swapped over every few months... I'd go with the wheels and tyres option...
2) 1 leads me onto cost. Looking around, Winter Tyres seem to be about £500 (ish) for a set of 4. If you then have to purchase alloys, it then taking this close to £1000. And then what is the cost of fitting?
sounds about right... you don't have to have alloys, you could get some steel wheels for the winter. Think fo the cost savings of not using your "summer" tyres for half the year. In the end there is an initial investment. When you sell the car you can sell the winter wheels/tyres to offset the loss... How much value do you put on the extra safety..?
3) Storage. Do I have to pay to have summer tyres stored in the winter and winter tyres stored in the summer. I have a garage I can put them in, but aren't they meant to be kept at the right temperature etc?
Storing them in the garage should be fine, what you need to is keep them out of direct sunlight and the worst of the freezing weather
4) If i need alloys, what size? I see things like "7.5 Jx17" and "offeset 49". I have no idea what these mean. Is it so they clear the brake calipers?
I would go as close to the size your running normally as possible. It appears you can go down to 17" on the GTI PP, and possibly 16" with the correct offest on GTI and GTD... You're correct the offest is required to clear the brake calipers and/or suspension components
http://www.worldoneperformance.com/blog/2009/07/22/how-do-wheel-offsets-work/ (http://www.worldoneperformance.com/blog/2009/07/22/how-do-wheel-offsets-work/) explains offset... Someone will be along shortly to tell you what a reasonable offset for the Golf is or you could search this forum, I'm surer it has been discussed... But if you take a wheel off somewhere on them is likely to be stamped ET and then + and a number, this is the offset...
5) How long do you run them for? As they are not just snow tyres, they are winter tyres, they are much better in the cold. So are these the sort of things you put on from November all the way through to February?
While the ambient temperature around or below +7C. Summer tyres become much less effective below this temperature..
6) Life. How long will they last for. As these tyres are expensive, will they last 2-3 years, or expect them to last longer than that?
It depends on how many miles you do, how you drive etc. In their normal operating conditions (see above) about the same as normal summer tyres (or a little less as winter tyres are generally a softer compound)
7) Will the speedo be calibrated correctly if a different set of alloys are going on the car?
Yes, if you go for wheels/tyres of the same size and profile. If you go for a smaller wheel diameter you will need a higher profile. This site can help you calculate the required sizes: http://www.etyres.co.uk/tyre-size-calculator (http://www.etyres.co.uk/tyre-size-calculator)... You don't need to get them exact e.g. changing from 235/40 R18 to 235/45 R17 shows a rolling circumference difference of -0.3%
If you do change the size of the wheel (if you change the wheels at all to a non-OEM design or manufacture) then you should inform your insurance company. Many are not interested but some will make a small charge... You wouldn't want them not to pay out because you were running a "modified" car...
8 ) Used ones on eBay. I am still on the hesitant side of these tyres due to cost. I have seem some on eBay much cheaper, as they are used. Usually they're for sale as someone has bought a different car they don't fit on. Is it worth a gamble paying for cheap ones, or just invest in some new ones?
Personally, I wouldn't buy used wheels or tyres...
9) And finally, where do you get them from? Do places do alloy & tyre pack, or you have to buy them separate?
Have a look at some of the threads on here, there are plenty of threads where posters have said where they bought appropriate packages from...
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Agree with the above.
I bought a second hand set of genuine R32 18s and then bought a new set of Vredestein tyres.
On my 3rd year with them and they are an excellent combo.
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Thank you both for giving such detail with those.
As you said, it's just the cost of the alloy's really as your saving life in your summer tyres. You just see the big upfront cost.
Does it matter if there 17 or 18 inch alloys? I presume so long as you get a bigger profile on the 17's, it should be fine.
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I'd go for 17's as the taller tyre sidewall will be a little more forgiving, plus they will be cheaper.
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I'd go for 17's as the taller tyre sidewall will be a little more forgiving, plus they will be cheaper.
Dubber, what are you thoughts on 16's? Will it just make the car look rubbish?
I'm thinking of these. Can get the alloys & some Nokian WR D3 (seem to be a good set of tyres). I can get them fitted for under £700 which doesn't sound too bad.
Tyres: http://www.tyreleader.co.uk/car-tyres/nokian/wrd3/205-55-r16-91h-400196
Alloys: http://www.tyreleader.co.uk/alloy-wheels/dezent/td/6.5x16-5x112-et46-57.1-87430?car=24500
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I think 16" alloys would look rubbish. It's a vanity thing, but it wouldn't be obvious to the casual observer that you had winter tyres fitted, so the car would look wrong with really small alloys. Especially aftermarket ones.
16" steels however would give the car a purposeful, rugged winter look and would be even cheaper.
http://www.mytyres.co.uk/cgi-bin/skw.pl
(EDIT) for some reason that link is all in German, but I'm sure you'll find you way around the mytyres web site.
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Hmm...
So I thought I'd ring round my local dealers, and VW are doing 16" Asben Alloys with Pirelli Winter Control Tyres. They don't look the best tyres, and 16" AND £1015 fitted.
One of my local dealers has however offed me this, which I think is quite. Just wanted to see if this a good price?
They have a set of 17" Singapore's' which are optional on the GT, and 18" ones are standard on the GTD look exactly the same. He said they've got a spare set as they upgraded the alloys for a demo so had these spare.
With Continental Winter Contact TS830P tyres, they would fit them for £700.00
That doesn't seem to bad, it's just the continental's are the 2012 model, and have now been replaced with TS850's.
Do you think I should go ahead with that?
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I'd bite his had off at that price, considering that the wheels alone retail at around £500 each :shocked:
Look after them, and you'll be able to get a reasonable amount of money back for them by selling them on when you change the car.
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16" might not look bad with a black alloy wheel, if the whole seen wheel (inc tyres) looks black.
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Right. I've took the plunge and bought them.
I think £500 an alloy might be a bit much (saying that, can't find them online anywhere).
But looking at VW accessories, for a set of 17" alloys (blaze), they are £880 for a set. Then you need tyres... So £1,300 all in
Even though there not the 2013 tyre, for £700 you can't go wrong. Got a Alloy Bag chucked in.
They're probably laughing as alloys are free to them, and Tyres are £100 each probably, but still a good deal on my end I think.
Thanks for the help and advice!
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I think £500 an alloy might be a bit much (saying that, can't find them online anywhere).
I needed to buy a new Vancouver for my Mk6. All the local dealers including TPS were quoting in the region of £500 inc VAT. Luckily Lee (evo) came to the rescue with some serious discount.
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the thing with winters you will wonder what all the fuss is then one day you will realise how well they perform and will be a true convert
my daily always runs winters but this year in March i got caught in the M25 chaos in Kent in my mk6 and can see it was the most butt clenching driving experience i have had, in reality it coped as i kept trundling along and never came to a stop
you just have to consider that others do not have them on though
i've got some Hankooks on their way for the wife's car and looking forward to seeing how they perform as on 18s
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Would either of these be ok for my GTi with Performance Pack brakes?
7x17" 5x112 et54 ?
7.5x18" 5x112 et45 ?
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you just have to consider that others do not have them on though
I had to stop going the back road, over the mountains, to work. Too many 'near misses' with other cars traveling too fast for the conditions and their tyres.
Just remember, even though you have winter tyres on - and they work very well on show and even ice - you still can't drive as you would normally. I had a couple of near misses where I was going at normal speeds, which was too fast on winter tyres for the conditions :embarrassed: Having said that - they would have been certain crashes on summer tyres.
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I had a bit of a cross country road trip today, most of it on wet, greasy leaf covered roads. It just goes to show that winter tyres are not all about snow and ice. The car was so much more surefooted than it was last week on the similar journey with 4-5mm Conti Sport Contacts.
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Not seen the English version for this appear yet but Winter Wheel Collection 2014 for the oem whores, useful for tyres sizes and ratings etc
http://www.volkswagen-zubehoer.de/pdf/preisliste/winterkomplettrad_programm_2014.pdf
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Would either of these be ok for my GTi with Performance Pack brakes?
7x17" 5x112 et54 ?
7.5x18" 5x112 et45 ?
ET 54 is way too much. In order to have enough clearance with the calipers, it should below 49, but that's a guess. You should ask about the exact dimensions of the Brooklyns (as well as the inside diameter) because they are standard fit for the PP here, so they...well, fit!
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Ooooooo oooooo I am liking the 18" motorsport winter alloys ... :laugh: :rolleyes:
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No problem then :smiley: but if you're upgrading your brakes (an Alcon BBK is highly recommended, I tested that in the mk6 GTI) your rims should be ET 45-47 : :wink:
Happy times coming indeed!!!
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Try oponeo.co.uk £812 delivered 17" alloys with nokian tyres :cool:
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I put winter wheels/tyres on last year and am definitely converted.
However I was reading the other week that winter tyres have to be renewed when the tread gets to 4mm as the risk of aquaplaning greatly increases. So they may not last just as long as the summer tyres.
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I was talking to my tyre man yesterday when I took my original wheels in for a set of new "summer" tyres, ready for spring.
He was telling me that he has one customer with a A6 3.0 Quattro who would get through a set of "summer" tyres in 12,000 miles. A few years ago he fitted a set of winters at this time of year and left them on through all of the next year. He got 24,000 miles out of them, so now runs them all year round.
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If car is being built end of November, will VW put winter or summer tyres on the car in the factory?
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If car is being built end of November, will VW put winter or summer tyres on the car in the factory?
Nope but wishful thinking.... just the normal sports tyres as per usual. :cool:
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Do you think it's worth wearing the Winter tyres down to france and back. It's probably about 3,000 worth of tread I'll use, and the average temperature of the place I'm going is 8 degrees?
Looking online, it seems they work best 7 degrees and below.
Summers or winters? First week in December
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Winters.
Keep your "summer" tyres tucked away until the spring. They'll be more life in them left for you to enjoy next year.
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Fellas,
Here are some fots of my 16" winters
(http://[URL=http://s1362.photobucket.com/user/spenaldo/media/photo_zps674ad758.jpg.html][IMG]http://i1362.photobucket.com/albums/r684/spenaldo/photo_zps674ad758.jpg)[/URL]/img]
(http://[URL=http://s1362.photobucket.com/user/spenaldo/media/image_zps42589d42.jpeg.html][IMG]http://i1362.photobucket.com/albums/r684/spenaldo/image_zps42589d42.jpeg)[/URL]/img]
(http://[URL=http://s1362.photobucket.com/user/spenaldo/media/image1_zpse3be3478.jpeg.html][IMG]http://i1362.photobucket.com/albums/r684/spenaldo/image1_zpse3be3478.jpeg)[/URL]/img]
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S*&t, im a bit of a foto biff, will try again!
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(http://i1362.photobucket.com/albums/r684/spenaldo/photo_zps674ad758.jpg) (http://s1362.photobucket.com/user/spenaldo/media/photo_zps674ad758.jpg.html)
(http://i1362.photobucket.com/albums/r684/spenaldo/image_zps42589d42.jpeg) (http://s1362.photobucket.com/user/spenaldo/media/image_zps42589d42.jpeg.html)
(http://i1362.photobucket.com/albums/r684/spenaldo/image1_zpse3be3478.jpeg) (http://s1362.photobucket.com/user/spenaldo/media/image1_zpse3be3478.jpeg.html)
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I was looking for someone who had fitted 16" steels, as this is exactly what I want to do.
Where did you get your set from if you dont mind me asking?
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Love the steelies! They look brilliant :smiley:
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Can you get some that fit the PP brakes? How much? Mmm
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How durable are the steels? They look like they have lots of nooks and crannies and sharp edges that would be difficult to clean and suseptible to rust. Knock on weights look untidy too. I prefer a tidy set of second hand alloys as they seem to be easier to look after.
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How durable are the steels? They look like they have lots of nooks and crannies and sharp edges that would be difficult to clean and suseptible to rust. Knock on weights look untidy too. I prefer a tidy set of second hand alloys as they seem to be easier to look after.
This is not about looks but practicality...
The big advantage of steel wheels is it if you hit something in slippery conditions hey tend to bend (and you can fix them ( at least temporarily) with a mallet... Alloys are prone to cracking or breaking in similar conditions... They shouldn't rust unless you scratch them, there shouldn't be any sharp edges they're properly finished...
But... Each to their own
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Corgi has it spot on!
Im in the Forces over here in Germany and it is a legal requirement to have the correct tyres for the road conditions, this set cost me 418 Euro fitted, quite cheap but we do have the luxury of TAX exemption.
Most cars have steelies on, it does come down to a personal choice and obviously, the cost.
Come the snow time, alloys, steels they will all get minging due to the road conditions.
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I get that, but in this country we don't really get that much snow, so risk of damage is pretty minimal and as most car "enthusiasts" will try to keep their cars clean throughout the winter, the wheels won't get chance to get minging.
I bought a set of secondhand OEM alloy wheels to fit my winter tyres to on my Passat. If I take off the value of the nearly new Continental "summer" tyres that they came with (which I can use next year) they cost me £120. I'll do my best to keep them clean and tidy and I'll get that money back by selling them when I sell the car.
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I get that, but in this country we don't really get that much snow, so risk of damage is pretty minimal and as most car "enthusiasts" will try to keep their cars clean throughout the winter, the wheels won't get chance to get minging.
I bought a set of secondhand OEM alloy wheels to fit my winter tyres to on my Passat. If I take off the value of the nearly new Continental "summer" tyres that they came with (which I can use next year) they cost me £120. I'll do my best to keep them clean and tidy and I'll get that money back by selling them when I sell the car.
I was answering the question you asked about the steel wheels and why you might fit them instead of alloys... I didn't express a preference for which was right.
Each to their own...
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Please don't think that I am disagreeing with you Corgi.
Generally when I see a steel wheel that is a few years old, it looks shabby. I am guessing that it's down to the style of it and the relatively sharp edges where the holes are formed, meaning thinner paint. I also understand the utilitarian benefits of been able to hammer it straight if it's been bent against a kerb. On a nice car, they are just not for me.
I'm lucky enough to work for myself from home, so I don't 'have' to drive in the worst conditions if I don't want to. That makes it easy for me to look after my wheels and run the risk of damaging them.
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I ran steelies on my mk6 GTD for three winters, they stood up to the conditions pretty well considering the amount of snow we got over those three winters. I flogged them to a friend and we had a good look over them before agreeing a price, not a mark on them, quite durable wheels. Only decided to change because I was going to have to replace at least two of the tyres at the end of winter and I fancied putting alloys on the mk7.
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Pics of my Winters in another thread
http://www.golfgtiforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=261704.0
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One thing I did notice vidman2, is that you have an extra parking sensor on the rear wheel arch, I have not got one one mine?
Has anyone else spotted it?
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One thing I did notice vidman2, is that you have an extra parking sensor on the rear wheel arch, I have not got one one mine?
Has anyone else spotted it?
When you add Park Assit option you get extra 4 sensors, on each corner of the bumpers :cool:
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Cheers for that, I was about to send a "snot-a-gram" to my dealer!
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Cheers for that, I was about to send a "snot-a-gram" to my dealer!
Made i chuckle!! :grin:
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Corgi has it spot on!
Im in the Forces over here in Germany and it is a legal requirement to have the correct tyres for the road conditions, this set cost me 418 Euro fitted, quite cheap but we do have the luxury of TAX exemption.
Most cars have steelies on, it does come down to a personal choice and obviously, the cost.
Come the snow time, alloys, steels they will all get minging due to the road conditions.
I've just had another thought about this. In countries where it is a legal requirement to fit winter tyres, fitting them to steels will make it obvious at a glance from those with authority that the wheels, therefore assuming the tyres as well, have been changed. Seeing a car with standard alloys on in winter may attract un-necessary attention.
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Good job I put my winter tyres on :grin:
(http://thumbsnap.com/s/wHzWIk6i.png)
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Good job I put my winter tyres on :grin:
(http://thumbsnap.com/s/wHzWIk6i.png)
Epic picture Phil :cool: :cool:
J
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Hi everyone, First post as to busy reading everyone elses.
Just put the new winter tyres and alloys on and thought would share with you all.
(http://i1370.photobucket.com/albums/ag262/goprotoys/DSC01656small_zps18b11622.jpg) (http://s1370.photobucket.com/user/goprotoys/media/DSC01656small_zps18b11622.jpg.html)
Sorry the summer tyres are dirty but did wash them before putting them to bed.
(http://i1370.photobucket.com/albums/ag262/goprotoys/DSC01660small_zpsae05ec9f.jpg) (http://s1370.photobucket.com/user/goprotoys/media/DSC01660small_zpsae05ec9f.jpg.html)
A little more grip I think.
Video here showing change over day.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJbO0T0KFHY&feature=c4-overview&list=UUfU-F0XCsPHlAxAw2ua0ryA
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You made a 5 minute video of your wheels being changed over? :shocked:
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You made a 5 minute video of your wheels being changed over? :shocked:
Devotion :cool:
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I'm going to make one of me filling up with diesel next time I get some.
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I'm going to make one of me filling up with diesel next time I get some.
Make sure its Nitro+ ortherwise you don't get kudos :wink:
J
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Good job I put my winter tyres on :grin:
(http://thumbsnap.com/s/wHzWIk6i.png)
What winter tyres are you using? Also how much were they?
Looking at getting a set for when i get my GTD