GolfGTIforum.co.uk
Model specific boards => Golf mk7 => Topic started by: AGB on 05 December 2022, 10:10
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Hello Folks
Wondering if I may tap into your wisdom and experience.
I'm looking at putting winter appropriate tyres and wheels on to the TCR - currently running OE spec Pirelli P-Zero 19s and looking to go to 18s but debating tyre choices.
I was looking at Michelin PS4 but it seems that their Cross Climate (https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/product-group-tests/92863/best-all-season-tyres-2022-tyre-brands-reviewed-and-uk-prices-compared/michelin-crossclimate-2-2nd) is potentially a better tyre.
I was wondering if anyone can comment or do you have recommendations from other manufacturers? I see the AutoExpress review puts Hankook in first place which I have no direct experience of - always thought they were budget and not so great.
Currently also looking at wheel options and am lost in choice. Probably something from OZ Racing, BBS or VWR. I'm looking for a robust wheel with a simple spoke pattern that won't be too intricate to clean but if it's motorsport designed, assumption is that hitting kerbs on track will be factored into the design. Sometimes potholes spring up like weeds where I live and when they're full of water, it's an inevitability that I'm going to hit one at some point.
Thanks in advance for your opinions. :cool:
Alex
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I’ve no personal experience of winter tyres but if looking for a good all season tyre rather than an out and out winter tyre, then Michelin Cross Climate is probably a good choice. I’d not fit PS4 if you’re looking for something that’s more suited to winter road conditions - I’ve always considered the PS4 to be a summer tyre (I have them on my Polo GTI+).
Might be worth having a read of the Tyre Review winter tyre test;
https://www.tyrereviews.com/Article/2022-Tyre-Reviews-Winter-Tyre-Test.htm
As for alloys, I’d definitely steer clear of anything diamond cut. Forum member @Ceefeesh has just fitted a set of 18” Borbet Y spoke in matt titanium with Michelin Crosx Climate+ tyres to their mk8 GTI. They fit the criteria of a simple spoke design that would be easy to clean and Borbet are a well known reputable brand (they make OEM alloys for some car manufacturers including VW).
There are some pictures of the wheels fitted on the car on page 3 of the discussion topic at the link below;
https://www.golfgtiforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=289008.20
18” BBS SR alloys in Himalaya Grey might be another option - reply #328 in the discussion thread at the link below;
https://www.golfgtiforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=288000.msg2655034#msg2655034
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Assuming that the only difference between the GTI TCR brakes and the GTI PP/R brakes is that the TCR has drilled disks?
If so, certain 17" wheels will fit.
On our PP during the cold months, we run the VW Dijon wheels (17"x7J, ET49) with 225/45 Michelin CrossClimate+ tyres, but we tend to get mild winters here (Lincs). If we lived up North, then I would run proper winter tyres.
For pics of this wheel on a Golf:
https://www.motorauthority.com/news/1089904_2015-volkswagen-golf-r-preview-drive-on-ice
Note that VW also make a narrower Dijon wheel (17"x6J, ET48) as a specific winter wheel set. I have no idea if these ones will clear the bigger brakes.
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Hi, I run a GTD on 19s in the summer and Cross Climate 2s in the winter on 18s. As soon as the temperature drops you can notice a difference with the cross climates. Below are two youtube videos that you may find interesting. The first is an Audi A3 on cross climates, the second is a Golf R on Michelin Alpin Winter tyres.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YO0zyQh2l3M
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGCukBY2haA
Regards,
Dave,
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Is this a planned necessity purchase Alex or just an attempt to keep the sh!tshow economy afloat by buying stuff?
If you see a fair bit of snow that you actually go out and drive in rather than take a day off work, or you plan on taking the family to Ukraine on a cheap road trip then proper winters will be essential.
Essential for those specific couple of days in the year.
Generally winters in Southern England are fairly tame and the odd day of snow merely involves the whole South East to run around the house panicking then immediately phoning work to say they won’t be in. Schools close because the H&S snowflakes are scared someone will graze a knee in the playground and half the teachers will use the handy excuse of being “unable to make it in” anyway. So most people stay home, build a snowman and watch Netflix. The small fraction of people left will attempt to drive their Corsa/3 series/Tesla on Chinese summer tyres and immediately get stuck halfway up a hill blocking the road.
With the best winter tyres in the world fitted there’s still no getting past roads rendered impassible by nobs on summer tyres stuck sideways across the highway.
Therefore my scientific deduction is Cross Climates are the best investment for Southern-ish England.
Winter tyres won’t handle so well aquaplaning at 60mph in 10°c torrential rain which is a more likely scenario in the southern half of the country between October and April.
Cross Climates should handle it all and cope with getting to the corner shop for a pot noodle on the day you actually have snow and phone in work.
Wheels? I’d go for BBS SR’s as they look robust and suit Golf’s in an OEM style.
Motorsport wheels are aimed at light weight not pothole absorption.
I took delivery of my Clubsport in December and immediately fitted TCR replica wheels for the precise reason that I’d not be gutted if a pothole took one out. In fact they’ve been on the car nearly two years now and are (I think) still ok after hitting numerous potholes that were invisible thanks to being full of water. I hit a beauty last week on an unfamiliar road that damn near gave me whiplash such was the impact (at low speed too) during a rainstorm. I’ll find out whether there was actual wheel damage later this week when it’s going in for a service. Not that it’s of any relevance here.
You might well be able to buy wheels as individuals which helps if one gets bent/cracked by a pothole. My old Pretorias were treated like royalty, never went near a pothole and covered extremely low mileage but still ended up with kinks. I’ll stick to cheapies from now on in personally.
So my vote is BBS SR in 8x18” ET45(ish) on Cross Climates.
My actual choice will be keeping my summer tyres on as it mostly just rains where I live, and using cheapo wheels as I’m a) broke b ) boring and c) cold, lazy and disinterested in mods nowadays
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If you are anywhere near Durham, then these wheels/tyres could be worth a look:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/185284044188
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I have Continental TS 870 PS winter tyres and have run a set of winters tyres (and wheels) in the UK since about 2014. Over which time I've had Continental TS 830P and then 860 on 17" wheels. Now the latest iteration 870 PS on 18" wheels.
Granted I've seen the wheel swop date due to the magical 7°C getting later and later. Used to be late October, but in the last few years it's been very late November. I usually make the decision to swop when my early morning commute is consistently below 7°C for about a week or so.
Driving about 30k miles a year my daily commute in the winter months sees me leaving home about 7 am and leaving work at 5.30 pm. During which the UK temperatures on my commute would generally be 4 to 5°C (or a few degrees less in the mornings) as I went up and down the Midlands, much of it cross country on B-roads.
Granted if you decide to drive like a loon round corners you can feel the tyres squirm (technical term :nerd:) compared to summers, but then that's to be expected. But I don't and I'd rather have the overall grip reassurance in cold and wet or frosty/icy conditions. In wet weather conditions I've not had any issue with them in terms of braking. In my opinion I also find they're better when the road is greasy compared to summers. I would echo GolfDB's comment but in a winter tyre usage, when the temperature drops you can tell the difference.
My Continental 860s were due for renewal this year after 4 winters' use. I did think about whether to go with all-season tyres this time around, as I know they've come on a long way in terms of performance. I watched a few videos and reviews. However in my case I decided to stick with winters. That may change in the future if the UK continues to get milder winters and I don't drive when it's generally still pitch black for my morning commute.
I think you have to make the decision based on researching the tyres, but also what's right for your driving. When you drive in the day, what types of roads you drive, the distances you drive and where you are in the UK.
The Michelin CrossClimate 2 does look to do really well in testing and reviews. I've not driven on all-season tyres so can't comment on them. But I think that whichever you pick, all-season tyres or winters, point is they'll perform better than an equivalent summer tyre if the mercury remains under the 7°C.
Winter wheel wise I have the 18" BBS SR Himalaya Grey. All the reasons you've stated, a simple design and easy to clean, importantly they're not diamond cut which can take offence at gritted roads :grin:. I wanted something durable and not easy to crumple in the face of nasty unexpected pothole.
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I run Brescias w/ Michelin Pilot Sport 4S' in Summer and Belvederes w/ Goodyear Ultra Grip+ in winters. For reference my PS4S' are noticeably awful at the current 4-8 degree temperatures at 3mm depth and I don't have confidence in them for attacking any corners with any great gusto.
You will be disappointed with how the car looks on 18s regardless so you might as well just get a set of standard vw alloys and save some money in my opinion.
For Winter tyres you need conditions that are consistently below 7 degrees. Summer tyres are similar in they they perform best in heat (12+ degrees imo), then All-season really do 0-12 degrees best but can be used all year.
As mentioned above the Michelin Climate 2s are actually extremely good for winter, and are able to sort of keep up with fully dedicated winter tyres in the latest tyre reviews and will be my choice once my winters wear out, I would do it sooner but they're on 6mm, so I can get another winter.
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I’ve no personal experience of winter tyres but if looking for a good all season tyre rather than an out and out winter tyre, then Michelin Cross Climate is probably a good choice. I’d not fit PS4 if you’re looking for something that’s more suited to winter road conditions - I’ve always considered the PS4 to be a summer tyre (I have them on my Polo GTI+).
Might be worth having a read of the Tyre Review winter tyre test;
https://www.tyrereviews.com/Article/2022-Tyre-Reviews-Winter-Tyre-Test.htm
As for alloys, I’d definitely steer clear of anything diamond cut. Forum member @Ceefeesh has just fitted a set of 18” Borbet Y spoke in matt titanium with Michelin Crosx Climate+ tyres to their mk8 GTI. They fit the criteria of a simple spoke design that would be easy to clean and Borbet are a well known reputable brand (they make OEM alloys for some car manufacturers including VW).
There are some pictures of the wheels fitted on the car on page 3 of the discussion topic at the link below;
https://www.golfgtiforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=289008.20
18” BBS SR alloys in Himalaya Grey might be another option - reply #328 in the discussion thread at the link below;
https://www.golfgtiforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=288000.msg2655034#msg2655034
Cheers, great advice. I should have been less vague - I meant wheels to use in winter versus specific winter tyre compounds. Not cold enough where I am in the South East for that!
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Assuming that the only difference between the GTI TCR brakes and the GTI PP/R brakes is that the TCR has drilled disks?
If so, certain 17" wheels will fit.
On our PP during the cold months, we run the VW Dijon wheels (17"x7J, ET49) with 225/45 Michelin CrossClimate+ tyres, but we tend to get mild winters here (Lincs). If we lived up North, then I would run proper winter tyres.
For pics of this wheel on a Golf:
https://www.motorauthority.com/news/1089904_2015-volkswagen-golf-r-preview-drive-on-ice
Note that VW also make a narrower Dijon wheel (17"x6J, ET48) as a specific winter wheel set. I have no idea if these ones will clear the bigger brakes.
I will add the option to my list. Not sure the 17's will look right. I'm used to liquorice thin tyre walls, I think I'd take a while to adapt to the sight of it! I'm SE and I meant winter tyres as in a better compound not pure winter compounds. My fault for not being clearer. Thanks for the reply, really helpful. You've given me food for thought with that shot of the Golf R on ice...
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Hi, I run a GTD on 19s in the summer and Cross Climate 2s in the winter on 18s. As soon as the temperature drops you can notice a difference with the cross climates. Below are two youtube videos that you may find interesting. The first is an Audi A3 on cross climates, the second is a Golf R on Michelin Alpin Winter tyres.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YO0zyQh2l3M
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGCukBY2haA
Regards,
Dave,
Thanks Dave. Will watch them but your use sounds a bit like mine. How is cabin noise on the Cross Climates? Any noticeable difference?
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Is this a planned necessity purchase Alex or just an attempt to keep the sh!tshow economy afloat by buying stuff?
If you see a fair bit of snow that you actually go out and drive in rather than take a day off work, or you plan on taking the family to Ukraine on a cheap road trip then proper winters will be essential.
Essential for those specific couple of days in the year.
Generally winters in Southern England are fairly tame and the odd day of snow merely involves the whole South East to run around the house panicking then immediately phoning work to say they won’t be in. Schools close because the H&S snowflakes are scared someone will graze a knee in the playground and half the teachers will use the handy excuse of being “unable to make it in” anyway. So most people stay home, build a snowman and watch Netflix. The small fraction of people left will attempt to drive their Corsa/3 series/Tesla on Chinese summer tyres and immediately get stuck halfway up a hill blocking the road.
With the best winter tyres in the world fitted there’s still no getting past roads rendered impassible by nobs on summer tyres stuck sideways across the highway.
Therefore my scientific deduction is Cross Climates are the best investment for Southern-ish England.
Winter tyres won’t handle so well aquaplaning at 60mph in 10°c torrential rain which is a more likely scenario in the southern half of the country between October and April.
Cross Climates should handle it all and cope with getting to the corner shop for a pot noodle on the day you actually have snow and phone in work.
Wheels? I’d go for BBS SR’s as they look robust and suit Golf’s in an OEM style.
Motorsport wheels are aimed at light weight not pothole absorption.
I took delivery of my Clubsport in December and immediately fitted TCR replica wheels for the precise reason that I’d not be gutted if a pothole took one out. In fact they’ve been on the car nearly two years now and are (I think) still ok after hitting numerous potholes that were invisible thanks to being full of water. I hit a beauty last week on an unfamiliar road that damn near gave me whiplash such was the impact (at low speed too) during a rainstorm. I’ll find out whether there was actual wheel damage later this week when it’s going in for a service. Not that it’s of any relevance here.
You might well be able to buy wheels as individuals which helps if one gets bent/cracked by a pothole. My old Pretorias were treated like royalty, never went near a pothole and covered extremely low mileage but still ended up with kinks. I’ll stick to cheapies from now on in personally.
So my vote is BBS SR in 8x18” ET45(ish) on Cross Climates.
My actual choice will be keeping my summer tyres on as it mostly just rains where I live, and using cheapo wheels as I’m a) broke b ) boring and c) cold, lazy and disinterested in mods nowadays
Thanks for the reality check Exonian! :grin: No, this is not a necessity purchase and I'm not charitable enough to keep the economy going. If the organised crime syndicate that is my local dealer offers me a GT4RS, I may reconsider but this originates from the state of our roads which seem to be the worst they've been since we've lived in Suffolk. Farm traffic, construction vehicles and poor maintenance have all taken their toll and a bit more tyre wall as buffer is what i'm looking for. I'm frequently forced into going to the very edge of the roads by idiots who don't know how wide their Range Rover is but that's a topic for another day.
Regarding your pothole, I had similar in Cambridge, hit an invisible water filled pothole that triggered the dashcam into thinking we'd had an impact it was such a violent impact. I was doing 28mph according to the dashcam. You have my sympathies and hopefully you're not in for a costly repair. It buckled the wheel and destroyed the tyre in my instance. To be honest, I've been running around on Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres for the last 5 years in the CSS and never had a problem. Issues with aquaplaning are greatly exaggerated IMHO but I drive appropriately for conditions.
VW are thieves when it comes to pricing - a single Pretoria is now £1200 or thereabouts and the wheels are brittle and prone to damage as you mention.
The BBS SR look like a good option and I think I should have clarified that I meant tyres for winter not winter tyres. We don't get cold enough where we are and I don't go into an office so can avoid the need to drive in snow.
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If you are anywhere near Durham, then these wheels/tyres could be worth a look:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/185284044188
Always the way with eBay, the best deals are never where you want them. I'm the other side of the country just about but a good suggestion. Ta!
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I have Continental TS 870 PS winter tyres and have run a set of winters tyres (and wheels) in the UK since about 2014. Over which time I've had Continental TS 830P and then 860 on 17" wheels. Now the latest iteration 870 PS on 18" wheels.
Granted I've seen the wheel swop date due to the magical 7°C getting later and later. Used to be late October, but in the last few years it's been very late November. I usually make the decision to swop when my early morning commute is consistently below 7°C for about a week or so.
Driving about 30k miles a year my daily commute in the winter months sees me leaving home about 7 am and leaving work at 5.30 pm. During which the UK temperatures on my commute would generally be 4 to 5°C (or a few degrees less in the mornings) as I went up and down the Midlands, much of it cross country on B-roads.
Granted if you decide to drive like a loon round corners you can feel the tyres squirm (technical term :nerd:) compared to summers, but then that's to be expected. But I don't and I'd rather have the overall grip reassurance in cold and wet or frosty/icy conditions. In wet weather conditions I've not had any issue with them in terms of braking. In my opinion I also find they're better when the road is greasy compared to summers. I would echo GolfDB's comment but in a winter tyre usage, when the temperature drops you can tell the difference.
My Continental 860s were due for renewal this year after 4 winters' use. I did think about whether to go with all-season tyres this time around, as I know they've come on a long way in terms of performance. I watched a few videos and reviews. However in my case I decided to stick with winters. That may change in the future if the UK continues to get milder winters and I don't drive when it's generally still pitch black for my morning commute.
I think you have to make the decision based on researching the tyres, but also what's right for your driving. When you drive in the day, what types of roads you drive, the distances you drive and where you are in the UK.
The Michelin CrossClimate 2 does look to do really well in testing and reviews. I've not driven on all-season tyres so can't comment on them. But I think that whichever you pick, all-season tyres or winters, point is they'll perform better than an equivalent summer tyre if the mercury remains under the 7°C.
Winter wheel wise I have the 18" BBS SR Himalaya Grey. All the reasons you've stated, a simple design and easy to clean, importantly they're not diamond cut which can take offence at gritted roads :grin:. I wanted something durable and not easy to crumple in the face of nasty unexpected pothole.
This is all really helpful advice and all are factors I've been thinking about. I'm not doing a fraction of the mileage you're doing so the value equation is entirely different for me.
I'm not driving like a loon, certainly not on a lot of the roads around here. Nothing dissuades you of the idea more than coming round the corner in the face of an agricultural vehicle with a selection of impalement options. I think stopping distances and grip - the grease you talk about is what I was hoping to get out of a tyre change more than anything else.
What's put me off doing it before is the narrow window of use - you're then tasked with managing the storage of the tyres and making sure they don't get flat spots and all of that. Not a problem but for a short period of value with pure winters, it doesn't make sense. Hence the question to the group to see what everyone was doing and if they had recommendations. I was thinking that if I got 4-5 months on the winter season tyres and the balance on summer, that would be fine but I'm not sure.
You're right, tyre technology has come on a lot in the last 10-15 years and there is a huge amount of choice. I've read a fair few reviews but quite a lot of subjective opinion with it and while it makes for great pictures going and thrashing a car around an ice like in Northern Sweden, it's not quite the same as the conditions in which I'll be relying on them!
I'll check out the Continentals. Thanks for the detailed reply again, much appreciated.
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This is all really helpful advice and all are factors I've been thinking about. I'm not doing a fraction of the mileage you're doing so the value equation is entirely different for me.
I'm not driving like a loon, certainly not on a lot of the roads around here. Nothing dissuades you of the idea more than coming round the corner in the face of an agricultural vehicle with a selection of impalement options. I think stopping distances and grip - the grease you talk about is what I was hoping to get out of a tyre change more than anything else.
What's put me off doing it before is the narrow window of use - you're then tasked with managing the storage of the tyres and making sure they don't get flat spots and all of that. Not a problem but for a short period of value with pure winters, it doesn't make sense. Hence the question to the group to see what everyone was doing and if they had recommendations. I was thinking that if I got 4-5 months on the winter season tyres and the balance on summer, that would be fine but I'm not sure.
You're right, tyre technology has come on a lot in the last 10-15 years and there is a huge amount of choice. I've read a fair few reviews but quite a lot of subjective opinion with it and while it makes for great pictures going and thrashing a car around an ice like in Northern Sweden, it's not quite the same as the conditions in which I'll be relying on them!
I'll check out the Continentals. Thanks for the detailed reply again, much appreciated.
If you’re worried about flat spots on tyres in storage, if the tyres are fitted to a second set of wheels you can store them on an inexpensive wheel tree. I’ve got one that sits in the corner of my garage and it takes up very little space, and most wheel trees also come with a cover that keeps everything clean while in storage.
I also put my stored wheels with tyres in a set of VW style wheel bags before putting them into storage on the ‘tree’. With the ‘tree’ cover over the whole assembly, they’re clean and ready for use when needed.
(https://i.postimg.cc/0Qx57GDV/7-F1950-F1-81-F4-4-B08-909-B-255836075-BA5.jpg) (https://postimages.org/)
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This is all really helpful advice and all are factors I've been thinking about. I'm not doing a fraction of the mileage you're doing so the value equation is entirely different for me.
I'm not driving like a loon, certainly not on a lot of the roads around here. Nothing dissuades you of the idea more than coming round the corner in the face of an agricultural vehicle with a selection of impalement options. I think stopping distances and grip - the grease you talk about is what I was hoping to get out of a tyre change more than anything else.
What's put me off doing it before is the narrow window of use - you're then tasked with managing the storage of the tyres and making sure they don't get flat spots and all of that. Not a problem but for a short period of value with pure winters, it doesn't make sense. Hence the question to the group to see what everyone was doing and if they had recommendations. I was thinking that if I got 4-5 months on the winter season tyres and the balance on summer, that would be fine but I'm not sure.
You're right, tyre technology has come on a lot in the last 10-15 years and there is a huge amount of choice. I've read a fair few reviews but quite a lot of subjective opinion with it and while it makes for great pictures going and thrashing a car around an ice like in Northern Sweden, it's not quite the same as the conditions in which I'll be relying on them!
I'll check out the Continentals. Thanks for the detailed reply again, much appreciated.
If you’re worried about flat spots on tyres in storage, if the tyres are fitted to a second set of wheels you can store them on an inexpensive wheel tree. I’ve got one that sits in the corner of my garage and it takes up very little space, and most wheel trees also come with a cover that keeps everything clean while in storage.
I also put my stored wheels with tyres in a set of VW style wheel bags before putting them into storage on the ‘tree’. With the ‘tree’ cover over the whole assembly, they’re clean and ready for use when needed.
(https://i.postimg.cc/0Qx57GDV/7-F1950-F1-81-F4-4-B08-909-B-255836075-BA5.jpg) (https://postimages.org/)
I don't think I've seen a wheel tree. I've generally only seen the wall mount racks. That's a good suggestion and feels quite festive. Intentional? :grin:
How stable are the wheels on it? Can you adjust the spread of the feet? My floor is a little slippy - it's a latex paint finish and I've noticed that it's quite easy to slide things on it. Where it would go is quite close to an expensive mistake...
I've solved the flat spot problem before with Race Ramps Flat Stoppers (https://www.raceramps.com/car-storage/ramps/p/flatstoppers/) but that's on the GT4 with wheels on the car. Good product if you ever lay your car up for a period.
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I run Brescias w/ Michelin Pilot Sport 4S' in Summer and Belvederes w/ Goodyear Ultra Grip+ in winters. For reference my PS4S' are noticeably awful at the current 4-8 degree temperatures at 3mm depth and I don't have confidence in them for attacking any corners with any great gusto.
You will be disappointed with how the car looks on 18s regardless so you might as well just get a set of standard vw alloys and save some money in my opinion.
For Winter tyres you need conditions that are consistently below 7 degrees. Summer tyres are similar in they they perform best in heat (12+ degrees imo), then All-season really do 0-12 degrees best but can be used all year.
As mentioned above the Michelin Climate 2s are actually extremely good for winter, and are able to sort of keep up with fully dedicated winter tyres in the latest tyre reviews and will be my choice once my winters wear out, I would do it sooner but they're on 6mm, so I can get another winter.
Thanks Will. I don't plan on attacking corners in winter or getting intimate with the hedgerows. :grin:
The Pirellis and Cup Sport 2s on the cars are fine but I'm not going round corners in the way I would in summer but I thought the PS4s were supposed to much better in those conditions. I saw a Chris Harris interview on YouTube (think this is where I am getting the quote) and he was talking about the death of the hot hatch and the new Honda Civic. Think they mentioned the transformative effect of PS4s. I may be misquoting as I was doing dishes at the time and had it on the TV in the kitchen. I'm sure there'll be a Collecting Cars tyre along in a minute too!
I'm not bothered about aesthetics with the smaller tyres, this is more practically driven. Although being able to easily get a wheel woolie in the wheel arch could be a new novelty!
I feel all season is the choice to go for but it's the brand. I think the Cup Sport 2s are rated from 8 degrees if I recall which is lower than I expected.
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Just adding this to the thread as it might be helpful for others. Porsche Club of America do some really useful technical briefings, one they did which I saved out was on tyres (yeah, they spell it tires) but it has lots of useful information. I think I have an updated one but can't find it, concepts still similar.
https://www.pca.org/sites/default/files/Michelin-Tire-Technology-Steve-Calder-TTW-2018.pdf
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I don't think I've seen a wheel tree. I've generally only seen the wall mount racks. That's a good suggestion and feels quite festive. Intentional? :grin:
How stable are the wheels on it? Can you adjust the spread of the feet? My floor is a little slippy - it's a latex paint finish and I've noticed that it's quite easy to slide things on it. Where it would go is quite close to an expensive mistake...
I've solved the flat spot problem before with Race Ramps Flat Stoppers (https://www.raceramps.com/car-storage/ramps/p/flatstoppers/) but that's on the GT4 with wheels on the car. Good product if you ever lay your car up for a period.
Ha ha; no, no festive intentions :grin:.
Mine is pushed right into the corner of my garage so it’s pretty stable. I have accidentally nudged it with my car and it’s stayed in place. Not sure if you can get them with adjustable / extendable feet - I dare say they are available.
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I don't think I've seen a wheel tree. I've generally only seen the wall mount racks. That's a good suggestion and feels quite festive. Intentional? :grin:
How stable are the wheels on it? Can you adjust the spread of the feet? My floor is a little slippy - it's a latex paint finish and I've noticed that it's quite easy to slide things on it. Where it would go is quite close to an expensive mistake...
I've solved the flat spot problem before with Race Ramps Flat Stoppers (https://www.raceramps.com/car-storage/ramps/p/flatstoppers/) but that's on the GT4 with wheels on the car. Good product if you ever lay your car up for a period.
Ha ha; no, no festive intentions :grin:.
Mine is pushed right into the corner of my garage so it’s pretty stable. I have accidentally nudged it with my car and it’s stayed in place. Not sure if you can get them with adjustable / extendable feet - I dare say they are available.
I might sell this to my wife as a robust Christmas tree stand and then repurpose it because it's the responsible thing to do. :evil:
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Thanks Dave. Will watch them but your use sounds a bit like mine. How is cabin noise on the Cross Climates? Any noticeable difference?
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Hi AGB,
There is no noticeable difference in road noise at all. Once the temperature drops down to around 7 C or less they really do come into their own and do appear to be all season. I would happily run them all year. The first video in the link will dispel any doubts, rain or shine, or up a snow packed steepish track. The second video is simply awesome and shows what a full winter tyre can do. The video borders on what some may consider reckless in parts, but it shows just how important the tyre choice is. I have come to the conclusion that the crossclimate is right for bad weather i generally see where i live.
What i never seem to understand is why traffic police fly around in their RWD BMW 330d cars on summer tyres in winter with all the risk that carries. You would not see me driving a high powered RWD car in winter on summer boots.
Regards,
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Thanks Will. I don't plan on attacking corners in winter or getting intimate with the hedgerows. :grin:
The Pirellis and Cup Sport 2s on the cars are fine but I'm not going round corners in the way I would in summer but I thought the PS4s were supposed to much better in those conditions. I saw a Chris Harris interview on YouTube (think this is where I am getting the quote) and he was talking about the death of the hot hatch and the new Honda Civic. Think they mentioned the transformative effect of PS4s. I may be misquoting as I was doing dishes at the time and had it on the TV in the kitchen. I'm sure there'll be a Collecting Cars tyre along in a minute too!
I'm not bothered about aesthetics with the smaller tyres, this is more practically driven. Although being able to easily get a wheel woolie in the wheel arch could be a new novelty!
I feel all season is the choice to go for but it's the brand. I think the Cup Sport 2s are rated from 8 degrees if I recall which is lower than I expected.
I'm not attacking them either but it started to kick at the rear going 25 on a roundabout, which is fun in a BMW but not in a front wheel drive Golf :grin:
What i never seem to understand is why traffic police fly around in their RWD BMW 330d cars on summer tyres in winter with all the risk that carries. You would not see me driving a high powered RWD car in winter on summer boots.
Regards,
330d's are mostly XDrives now
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Hi Willni,
Interesting that the 330d are now mostly xdrive. I am reminded of accident about 5 years ago involving a South Yorkshire Roads Policing officer who was tragically killed (as well as a member of the public) when driving a RWD 330d. The incident was investigated by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) and left no stone unturned. I remember reading the report into the incident on the IOPC website. About a week before the accident 3 SYP traffic officers (all driving 330d) had been involved in a pursuit. All of them had emailed their boss about the handling of these cars (one was actually an xdrive) complaining about the back end kicking out on wet roads with some snow.
The IOPC discovered that issues had been raised about the handling of the 330d xdrive estates back to 2014. BMW were summoned to MIRA to oversee extensive tests involving different cars on different tyres.
It was been handled by very senior officers at SYP. Numerous near miss reports had been filed by traffic officers and all were the xdrive cars, not the RWD ones. Around 2015 SYP reverted to purchasing only RWD 330d cars to reduce the risk from xdrives. I don’t know if that is still the case. There was some mention of summer and winter tyres, saying that under 7c winter tyres were better.
Incidentally they also tested an Audi A4 quattro and found it did not generate the same levels of oversteer as the BMW in the wet.
I think I will stick to my FWD GTD on cross climates for winter driving, at least I can feel what the front tyres are doing through my hands.
Regards,
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I run Brescia and PS4'S s in summer and 18" Serrons with cross climate 2's in winter both best tyres you can get for the seasons tbh.
Have ran Nokians and other winters in the past but Michelin much better.
Black circles have 15%off cross climates Atm
May be selling the Brescia's soon as swapping MK7.5 GTI to a mk8 not decided what to do with them yet.
May post them on here for sale if I do.
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I run crossclimates in the winter on my 18's and PS4S's in the summer on the 19's.
I agree with davo, best combination.
Here's my winter set up doing its job...
(https://i.postimg.cc/FRHKtcNM/winter-wheels.jpg)
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A bit off topic, but why are most available tyres XL? If you rarely carry any load, why would you want XL tyres?
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Don't quote me but I'd imagine it's to do with tyre pressures and speed rating i.e for a better safety margin to prevent blow outs at greater speeds & to provide extra support for running higher tyre pressures. As pre-facelift Mk7's have lower tyre pressure guides and the facelifts are quite high by contrast.
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I think XL tyres have stiffer sidewalls which means less flex when under load in the corners, unfortunately the payoff can be a harsher ride especially combined with a sport suspension setup.
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Don't quote me but I'd imagine it's to do with tyre pressures and speed rating i.e for a better safety margin to prevent blow outs at greater speeds & to provide extra support for running higher tyre pressures. As pre-facelift Mk7's have lower tyre pressure guides and the facelifts are quite high by contrast.
Also, higher tyre pressures will mean lower rolling resistance which will mean lower CO2 emissions.
It wouldn’t surprise me if VW’s recommended tyre pressures increased when WLTP was introduced back in 2018.
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My 2016 PP has 19" wheels and the pressures are 40psi all round, which is crazy high.
I have also noticed the centre of the tread wearing unevenly.
I am currently at about 38psi which gives a better ride and sharper turn-in. The tyres grip better rather than skating over the road surface.
My theory on the XL tyres is that it is to save the manufacturer having to offer two different tyres in the same size and pattern, so it saves them development costs.
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It's to do with axle weight of the vehicle and the fact it can carry five passengers and luggage. Just for info my 2013 gtd had 36psi on the tyre sticker, my 2016 GTi pp had 36psi on the sticker and my 2020 TCR also has 36psi on it.