Winter wheels

[monkeyhanger]

Winter tyres? Just don't drive like a tw*t in the snow and ice.

[mcmaddy]

Speaks volumes that the VW winter wheels on 17" rims uses 205 width tyres. You are better off with narrower tyres in the winter especially in snow and slush! Do you see cars in scandinavian countries running wide winter wheels?

[mcmaddy]

Winter tyres? Just don't drive like a tw*t in the snow and ice.

Exactly 

[Ess_Three]

Winter tyres? Just don't drive like a tw*t in the snow and ice.

Wow. Tremendous reply.

[Ess_Three]

Speaks volumes that the VW winter wheels on 17" rims uses 205 width tyres. You are better off with narrower tyres in the winter especially in snow and slush! Do you see cars in scandinavian countries running wide winter wheels?

Is this from experience on a Golf?
I've tried 205 wide and 225 wide winters on 16" and 18" wheels and could find nothing between them...both meant I could get out of the driveway where summer wheels meant I was stuck.

I agree that the 20mm narrower width *should* make a difference, but in my experience it doesn't...except to comfort by virtue of the taller sidewalls.

You pay your money and make your choice...
The main difference is the fitting of winter tyres in the first place...which when not driving like a tw*t means I can go about my business regardless of the weather, up to the point that the front spoiler behaves like a snow plough....as opposed to being stuck in the driveway.

[monkeyhanger]

I've never been stuck in Snow in my Scirocco, obviously not venturing anywhere I wouldn't attempt without 4wd.

I've found the traction even on normal tyres is as good as you can expect from a fwd car. Winter tyres are a huge storage pain (for the rest of the year) as well as an additional expense I have found I can do without. For the couple of days (couple of weeks at most) that we see snow I have found it pretty easy to cope if you are prepared to exercise extra caution and carry a shovel just in case.

If I lived in Austria i'd be fitting winter tyres (not least because they are mandatory), but here in the UK the ability to drive on a snow-bound road is limited to what the vast majority of other users on the road have fitted. You can't drive any quicker or further up a road that is clogged with other road users taking it slowly becuase of the conditions.

[Hobojim]

I live in Glasgow and work out of Aberdeen. So winter lasts more than a few days! I have found that the winter tyres give me 2 important things; the ability to use the outside lane on the duel carriage way when the inside is doing 20mph and creeping because no one dates make tracks in the slush/fresh snow. With the winters on I'm happy making a lot better progress and also it's empty so if I have to stop I have acres of space to do it slowly so no one rear ends me. And that's the other thing, you stop so much more quickly! I did a full emergency stop test before and after putting my winters on at 30mph in the supermarket car park. And the difference was staggering. much happier with them on if the ground has got any sort of wet on it!

[Jules Winfield]

For the couple of days (couple of weeks at most) that we see snow I have found it pretty easy to cope if you are prepared to exercise extra caution and carry a shovel just in case.

Winter tyres aren't just for snow.  They give you more grip and start offering benefits at 7 degrees and lower, snow or no snow.  If you swap to cheaper (and smaller) alloys as well, it means you don't have to worry about keeping your expensive alloys clean.  The wheels and tyres I'm not using go in the shed and are stored vertically, so they don't take up much more room than the diameter of one tyre.

It's all very well saying "don't drive like an idiot", but unless you're some sort of deity who can control the weather and can read the minds of your fellow road users, that's really not much of an answer.

[Bill_the_Bear]

I agree, narrows are better.  You ideally want a narrow tyre with some weight on it, that allows the pressure to push through the snow/ice and make contact with the tarmac.  My parent's old Morris Traveller performs immensely better than my 59 Fiesta because it weighs more and has ridiculously narrow tyres that cut nice groves into the ice.  Fiesta just slides over the top and even a gentle incline is game over if the car comes to a stop.  If I stop at lights on a minor road that is a few inches lower than the main road unless there is grit I'm going nowhere.

[Ess_Three]

I agree, narrows are better. 

In slush perhaps.

In 9 winters and across 4 VAG FWD cars, I have only ever not fitted winter tyres one winter...and I couldn't get out of the driveway in snow.

Since then, I've fitted the same width tyres as standard - except on one occasion where I drove on 205s not 225s - and I can honestly say there was no advantage to the narrower tyres except less squirming & tramlining in slush.

It's the compound and tread pattern that matters.
My Goodyear Eagle F1s (on 2 Golfs currently) are great until the temperature drops below 5 degrees...then they are abysmal. So, at that point the winter tyres go on...and traction, braking grip etc are restored, with the option to drive easily on snow.

Having tried Vredestein Wintrac Xtreme, Michelin Pilot Alpin, Pirelli Snowsport, Avon Ice Touring and Toyo Snowprox, there it little between them for every day use - ANY are streets ahead than summer tyres, no matter how amazing a driver you think you are!
Only the Avons have been narrower and on a smaller wheel (16")...the rest have been standard sized wheels - 18" on the Golfs.

I can see that the storage of wheels & tyres is an issue for many though, and swapping tyres over risks damaging wheels. I guess I'm lucky to have space for spare wheels.

I will never drive through a winter without winter tyres now.