Winter tyres vol 2
Discussion
Another fan of cross climates. Mine are the + ones and haven't missed a beat.
Yes they do get a bit unstuck if you want to go WOT from a junction, but in the wet and cold of last few weeks they have been excellent.
I do a lot of miles, (just done 4k miles in 40 days). Glad I have them. Were excellent in very wet conditions earlier this week
Yes they do get a bit unstuck if you want to go WOT from a junction, but in the wet and cold of last few weeks they have been excellent.
I do a lot of miles, (just done 4k miles in 40 days). Glad I have them. Were excellent in very wet conditions earlier this week
Turbojuice said:
Metal Guru said:
Not convinced about Cross Climates. For my car hey cost £145. Decent summer and winter tyres cost around £100 each.
So for over 70% of the cost of two sets, I get 50% mileage.
Additionally, you are driving on a compromised tyre most of the time.
Other than a but more convenient and you don’t have a storage issue, I can’t see why I would go for them.
Yeah despite them being sold as all-season tyres, I'm not a fan of actually using them all year round. The way I look at them and use them is as a "mild weather winter tyre", if that makes sense. Swap your summers out for CrossClimates come winter and you get the best possible tyre for cold days, whether its wet or dry, and they also get you home safely if snow does fall.So for over 70% of the cost of two sets, I get 50% mileage.
Additionally, you are driving on a compromised tyre most of the time.
Other than a but more convenient and you don’t have a storage issue, I can’t see why I would go for them.
I'm sure they work absolutely brilliantly all year round, but if you have the garage space I think they make the most sense as a dedicated winter tyre for the mild parts of the UK.
DailyHack said:
Always handy having separate set of wheels anyway, and works out cheaper if you keep your car for than 5 minutes, which seems like a rare thing for people to do these days 
Certainly saved me a couple of weeks ago. TPS gave a warning on my way home and when I checked, I had an embedded screw in one of the tyres.Problem is that this was a Saturday at 6PM and I had to be 25 miles away for 7AM the next morning (Sunday).
I managed my quickest ever full swap to my winters and finished just as it got too dark to see.
The good news is that I have got that job out of the way before the bad weather. The bad news is the £350 for two new tyres since the puncture was too close to the edge to be fixed and I won't drive with unequal tread on an axle.
TiVoJohn said:
DailyHack said:
Always handy having separate set of wheels anyway, and works out cheaper if you keep your car for than 5 minutes, which seems like a rare thing for people to do these days
Certainly saved me a couple of weeks ago. TPS gave a warning on my way home and when I checked, I had an embedded screw in one of the tyres.Problem is that this was a Saturday at 6PM and I had to be 25 miles away for 7AM the next morning (Sunday).
I managed my quickest ever full swap to my winters and finished just as it got too dark to see.
The good news is that I have got that job out of the way before the bad weather. The bad news is the £350 for two new tyres since the puncture was too close to the edge to be fixed and I won't drive with unequal tread on an axle.
TiVoJohn said:
bolidemichael said:
For that situation, I'd be tempted to watch gumtree/ebay/owners' clubs until March/April and pick up a good used set.
Not with 280 HP thanks. I like to know what I'm driving on. I do hate driving on other peoples tyres - you just don't know how they have treated them B'stard Child said:
Even if it was only 60bhp I'd agree with you I do hate driving on other peoples tyres - you just don't know how they have treated them
Never bought a second hand car ? Or do you immediately change the tyres ? I do hate driving on other peoples tyres - you just don't know how they have treated them I kind of get what you're saying - buying a second hand mattress is bad vs sleeping in a hotel is OK for example
Carbon Sasquatch said:
B'stard Child said:
Even if it was only 60bhp I'd agree with you I do hate driving on other peoples tyres - you just don't know how they have treated them
Never bought a second hand car ? Or do you immediately change the tyres ? I do hate driving on other peoples tyres - you just don't know how they have treated them I kind of get what you're saying - buying a second hand mattress is bad vs sleeping in a hotel is OK for example
BMW 125i coupe had run flats at purchase - new tyres (non run flats) followed very shortly (man maths)
New to me SLK55 drove it back from Wales - rears were 2 years old and in reasonable shape - fronts 5 years old and had cracks all over (typical bridestones) so I fitted old SLK wheels and tyres on it because I was the only person who had driven on those tyres and they were 500 miles old max
I did buy a set of 2000 mile old winters for the 125i from a PH’r who had sold his 135i - he’d used them for a winter trip to Europe skiing so they were surplus to reqts but he was as fussy as me with cars and tyres and I was comfortable about the situation.
TL:DR Yes and Yes (if I can I will) Not saying everyone should but I do stuff that makes me comfortable and happy - I’m OK with that
anarki said:
bolidemichael said:
I usually get 2nd hand winter tyres and they've been great.
That's exactly what I'm doing myself, I'm picking up a 2nd hand set this Sunday which have plenty of tread left.bolidemichael said:
anarki said:
bolidemichael said:
I usually get 2nd hand winter tyres and they've been great.
That's exactly what I'm doing myself, I'm picking up a 2nd hand set this Sunday which have plenty of tread left.It also resulted in a 15-20mph slide off a road into a wall and £4200 worth of damage to the bmw I’d owned for a week!
It wouldn’t stop me buying used wheels and tyres, but I’d be more careful about date codes.
Speed addicted said:
bolidemichael said:
anarki said:
bolidemichael said:
I usually get 2nd hand winter tyres and they've been great.
That's exactly what I'm doing myself, I'm picking up a 2nd hand set this Sunday which have plenty of tread left.It also resulted in a 15-20mph slide off a road into a wall and £4200 worth of damage to the bmw I’d owned for a week!
It wouldn’t stop me buying used wheels and tyres, but I’d be more careful about date codes.
I assume you guys realise that winter tyres stop becoming legal winter tyres in some countries after 4-3mm of tread as the snow performance drops off so significantly?
I've had a set of 4 new Continental AllSeasonContacts in 225/40 R18 on ebay for a few weeks at around what 2 cost and not a single offer which is crazy.
I've had a set of 4 new Continental AllSeasonContacts in 225/40 R18 on ebay for a few weeks at around what 2 cost and not a single offer which is crazy.
My winter tyres were purchased from someone who bought them for a skiing holiday and changed the car the following year, so minimal wear.
The comment about not buying other peoples used tyres for a performance car isn't really that valid. As others have said, people rarely perform a tyre inspection on a used car (except for exterior damage and tread depth) whether performance or not. The great thing about buying used winter tyres is that they are off the rims and you can inspect the inside of the carcass for damage or repairs.
I had a puncture on one rim (1,000 mile old Michelin) on the Bussat and simply popped a spare winter tyre/rim on and drove to get it repaired.
The comment about not buying other peoples used tyres for a performance car isn't really that valid. As others have said, people rarely perform a tyre inspection on a used car (except for exterior damage and tread depth) whether performance or not. The great thing about buying used winter tyres is that they are off the rims and you can inspect the inside of the carcass for damage or repairs.
I had a puncture on one rim (1,000 mile old Michelin) on the Bussat and simply popped a spare winter tyre/rim on and drove to get it repaired.
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