All season tyres...where's the downside (for daily use)?
Discussion
Hi all
I need 4 tyres on my old merc soon, not due to wear, but that the Michelin's are perishing!
I've always ruled out winter tyres due to the compromise in the summer. But what are tyres like Michelin's wintrac like used all year. Crap mpg, noisy? Rubbish dry/warm weather grip?
I'd just get good summers on again but I do a lot of driving before 6am now from Sheffield, the extra security around 0 and in the wet would be appreciated. 220 HP, rwd, no traction control, skinny 205 width tyres.
I wouldn't want to take a hit on mpg though, are they much worse?
I need 4 tyres on my old merc soon, not due to wear, but that the Michelin's are perishing!
I've always ruled out winter tyres due to the compromise in the summer. But what are tyres like Michelin's wintrac like used all year. Crap mpg, noisy? Rubbish dry/warm weather grip?
I'd just get good summers on again but I do a lot of driving before 6am now from Sheffield, the extra security around 0 and in the wet would be appreciated. 220 HP, rwd, no traction control, skinny 205 width tyres.
I wouldn't want to take a hit on mpg though, are they much worse?
They're somewhere between a summer and a winter; like for like in terms of price they tend to give worse grip in the summer than a summer tyre and worse grip in the winter than a winter tyre. Probably a sensible compromise on a mainstream car in the UK if you only intend to run one set of tyres.
Michelin Crossclimates have been better good reviews, although I haven't experienced them myself.
Michelin Crossclimates have been better good reviews, although I haven't experienced them myself.
kambites said:
They're somewhere between a summer and a winter; like for like in terms of price they tend to give worse grip in the summer than a summer tyre and worse grip in the winter than a winter tyre. Probably a sensible compromise on a mainstream car in the UK if you only intend to run one set of tyres.
What this fella says ^^. Cross Climates are getting very good reviews, it's a summer tyre with some winter capability. The Nokian Weatherproof also get good reviews, this is more of a winter tyre which can be used year round, excellent in snow with summer capability. Neither of these will be as good in serious winter weather as a premium winter specific tyre such as the Continental TS850. In Sheffield I would suggest the cross climate would be a good option if it's available in your size. I will definitely be moving onto CrossClimates as the EnergySaver+ will soon be reaching the end of their life.
The CC performance is just so much better in the wet and dry braking, and barely worse then the summer. And yet it's not a winter tyre but still has the capability to allow you to go-slow and safe.
http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Article/Is-there-a-tr...
The CC performance is just so much better in the wet and dry braking, and barely worse then the summer. And yet it's not a winter tyre but still has the capability to allow you to go-slow and safe.
http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Article/Is-there-a-tr...
crosseyedlion said:
Hi all
I need 4 tyres on my old merc soon, not due to wear, but that the Michelin's are perishing!
I'm running All Season's on my Merc C270CDi- Vredestein Quatrac 3 on the front and Kumho Solus Vier KH21 on the rear as no manufacturer does both the front and rear sizes to suit the car's staggered set-up. I need 4 tyres on my old merc soon, not due to wear, but that the Michelin's are perishing!
I use it mostly for long distance cruising so I'm not really testing handling, but the car feels exactly the same to me as when it had summer Michelin Primacy HPs. The All Season's aren't even any noisier. They were also 2/3 the price of the Michelin's.
MPG is the same too, and the rears are well on track to considerably outlast the Michelins.
kambites said:
Michelin Crossclimates have been better good reviews, although I haven't experienced them myself.
Put them on daughter's Golf a couple of years ago. They work fine - quiet and comfortable. She uses country lanes a lot and lives on a hill although as yet they've never been seriously tested. Wearing well.We also have a Honda Jazz in the family that has run full winter Michelin Alpins year-round for a few years. Again they work fine in everyday use - I drove the car some distance up the M6 in torrential rain in cold weather one Christmas and they inspired a lot of confidence.
Again, wearing well - they'll considerably outlasted the Dunlop SP2030 tyres the car came with, although the Dunlop's worked very well in the 2009 and 10 winters, indicating they must be pretty soft.
Edited by Sheepshanks on Sunday 23 October 22:34
I ran Bridgestone A001's for over a year. First just ran them in winter, then refitted the summers. The next winter, I just left them on. Wonderful in the rain (confident grip in deluge conditions, frankly), standing water became much less fearsome (didn't pull at the steering if you only put one wheel in a puddle, etc). There was enough grip for what I was doing. Braking performance was alright, it was vastly better than the summers when I was (rarely) on snow.
The compromise was the already fairly... well, it was a Corsa C, so it wasn't precise to drive... crap feel was a bit worse, through the steering. They did get a bit greasy feeling if you worked them hard on a hot day.
I'd do it again on an appliance car. Not on something more interesting.
The compromise was the already fairly... well, it was a Corsa C, so it wasn't precise to drive... crap feel was a bit worse, through the steering. They did get a bit greasy feeling if you worked them hard on a hot day.
I'd do it again on an appliance car. Not on something more interesting.
Ive been running cross climates all round for the last 14 months.
In that time they have been superb. Over last winter there was little to no ice or snow so cant really comment.
They are very impressive with their wet weather performance. On wet or very wet roads I can safely say they are the best tyre I have had fitted for a good few years.
In that time they have been superb. Over last winter there was little to no ice or snow so cant really comment.
They are very impressive with their wet weather performance. On wet or very wet roads I can safely say they are the best tyre I have had fitted for a good few years.
Generally run the Vreds all year round, but past few cars have come on decent tyres so not put them on as such.
They grip as good as a standard mid-premium range tyre in the summer and almost as good as proper winters in the winter, but I really noticed no difference, I didn't get stuck on winters in the snow in BMW and didn't get stuck on all seasons in the snow in BMW.
They grip as good as a standard mid-premium range tyre in the summer and almost as good as proper winters in the winter, but I really noticed no difference, I didn't get stuck on winters in the snow in BMW and didn't get stuck on all seasons in the snow in BMW.
Monkeylegend said:
I have been running Conti T830 winter sports on my Merc for the last 2 years and I have yet to find any downsides. They are also extremely hard wearing, don't melt or feel any different in hot weather, and are brilliant in the winter.
We have TS850P Contis on our Subarus over the winter months, while the cars are already superb in snow these tyres improve things further. Highly recommended. Gassing Station | Suspension, Brakes & Tyres | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff