What do you think of: All Weather/Winter Tyres?

[am1w]

Colin,

Wait for the Auto Express review on Winter Tyres this week. Out Wednesday.

Get the V rated ones.
Only one W rated Winter Tyre and that is the Michelin Alpin Pilot PA3 at £265 fitted!

Continentals or Michelins - 18" wheels, V rated:-.

Winter Michelins
The Michelin Alpin Primacy PA3s are V rated and have had very good reviews in North America.
http://www.rezulteo-tyres.co.uk/michelin-tyres/primacy-alpin-pa3-tyre/test-review-104691

Winter Continentals
http://www.rezulteo-tyres.co.uk/continental-tyres/contiwintercontact-ts-810-sport-tyre/test-review-15730

http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Tyre-Tests/#winter
http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Tyre-Tests/#winter

[Hartside]

Thanks Asker, I thought I knew about tyres until I entered this minefield! Autoexpress should make decent reading.

[am1w]

Thanks Asker, I thought I knew about tyres until I entered this minefield! Autoexpress should make decent reading.

It is. Don't I know it!

[rgb]

I've been looking at the mytyres.co.uk  link that was discussed last winter. Their 16" steel wheel plus vredesteins works out at under 600, so is very appealing. Did anyone opt for this? are 16" wheels really big enough?

[Ess_Three]

I've been looking at the mytyres.co.uk  link that was discussed last winter. Their 16" steel wheel plus vredesteins works out at under 600, so is very appealing. Did anyone opt for this? are 16" wheels really big enough?

If you value proper winter performance over looks, yes.
My old man runs 16" wheels on his Golf...there are many advantages on dropping to 16" wheels...the only real downside is looks.

[Ess_Three]

O you will slide beautifully with those B'Stones.
The reason I am going for all weather tyres is, I had a terrible time last winter with B'Stones on my Type R. I could not even mount a gentle ramp in the car park. So embarrassing. Never again. I also had a terrible time driving on the Continent. They were all over the place and I felt such a fool. Got some strange looks! 

All weather tyres are jack of all trades, mastrer on none.
They are not as good as a proper 'winter' tyre in the cold and not as good as a high performance 'summer' biased tyre in summer.
You cannot make a tyre with a compound and tread pattern optimised for 30+ degreec C dry days, and -10 degrees in snow.
It's not possible.

Do yourself a favour...if you NEED winter grip, get winter tyres.
Run winter tyres in the cold, and summer tyres when it's not. It's a far better solution than living with a tyre that's not very good at anything.

[am1w]

Ess_Three: You well?

Anyway, all the tyres I have mentioned are Winter Tyres.

[Ess_Three]

Ess_Three: You well?

Anyway, all the tyres I have mentioned are Winter Tyres.

Which wil be perfectly fine between Nov/dec and Mar/Apr...and tragic once the temperature warms up.
Do you southern fairies get low enough temperatures to make best use of the winter tyres?

Winter tyres in winter = superb.
Winter tyres in summer = awful.
Summer tyres in summer = superb.
Summer tryes in winter = awful.

...and yes, all good here thanks.

[am1w]

Do you southern fairies get low enough temperatures to make best use of the winter tyres?

But I am sure you Northern trolls do.

[Khare]

I think spending over a grand on tyres is stupid (if they're summer tyres then no, but winter tyres yes IMO).
Winter tyres are only REALLY needed for places like canada, russia and other countries which spend half a year buried under snow. I think you're better off with a good set of summer tyres with plenty of thread and taking it easy when the weather gets bad, I just can't justify a grand on tyres...It's money to burn that.