Recommend me a winter tyre
Discussion
I know there's been lots of threads on this and I've read them all, but want a recommendation based on my particular needs. I've got a spare set of wheels so happy to change over when the temperature is appropriate, so an "all-season" not necessary and would happily sacrifice summer capability for better winter handling.
Main conditions I want to improve are the about freezing, greasy (from salt residue etc), damp roads which make up 90% of winter driving. Secondary consideration would be wet performance, with some benefit on ice and then the occasional snow (not expecting a repeat of last winter, but some better snow performance would be a benefit). Where I live the temp will be <7C max for a good 3 months at least, but generally doesnt dip much below -2 to -3.
So the main question - for these kind of conditions am I still better with a "full" winter tyre like the wintrac extreme, or am I better with an "all season" like the quatrac or Nokian WRG2?
I dont want to buy the "full" winters to find they are only better in the 2 days of snow I get on average!?
Main conditions I want to improve are the about freezing, greasy (from salt residue etc), damp roads which make up 90% of winter driving. Secondary consideration would be wet performance, with some benefit on ice and then the occasional snow (not expecting a repeat of last winter, but some better snow performance would be a benefit). Where I live the temp will be <7C max for a good 3 months at least, but generally doesnt dip much below -2 to -3.
So the main question - for these kind of conditions am I still better with a "full" winter tyre like the wintrac extreme, or am I better with an "all season" like the quatrac or Nokian WRG2?
I dont want to buy the "full" winters to find they are only better in the 2 days of snow I get on average!?
This should help you decide.
FWIW, while the Continental WinterContact TS 830 P is without a doubt the tyre to have having won pretty much every winter tyre test I've read, any winter tyre will be miles better than the summer tyres around you in really cold conditions.
FWIW, while the Continental WinterContact TS 830 P is without a doubt the tyre to have having won pretty much every winter tyre test I've read, any winter tyre will be miles better than the summer tyres around you in really cold conditions.
Monkeylegend said:
Do they tend to be noisier?
And what are the other trade-offs compared to summer tyres? I am tempted by a set, but can't really be arsed to buy spare wheels (and store them) for a car I might not keep much longer - how bad would winter tyres be on normal roads if I kept them on after the spring?
HellDiver said:
As I mentioned elsewhere, Bridgestone are bringing out a UK specific all-season tyre in October. It's a winter pattern, with a hard compound so it'll not melt during summer.
Somewhat like the Nokian WR G2 then? Although I'd rather have a better performing dedicated winter if there is a big performance difference in the cold/slippy stuff.I am tempted by the Nokians also, as they are £25 a corner cheaper than some of the "full" winter tyres but still get good reviews.
GreigM said:
HellDiver said:
As I mentioned elsewhere, Bridgestone are bringing out a UK specific all-season tyre in October. It's a winter pattern, with a hard compound so it'll not melt during summer.
Somewhat like the Nokian WR G2 then? Although I'd rather have a better performing dedicated winter if there is a big performance difference in the cold/slippy stuff.I am tempted by the Nokians also, as they are £25 a corner cheaper than some of the "full" winter tyres but still get good reviews.
GreigM said:
HellDiver said:
As I mentioned elsewhere, Bridgestone are bringing out a UK specific all-season tyre in October. It's a winter pattern, with a hard compound so it'll not melt during summer.
Somewhat like the Nokian WR G2 then? Although I'd rather have a better performing dedicated winter if there is a big performance difference in the cold/slippy stuff.I am tempted by the Nokians also, as they are £25 a corner cheaper than some of the "full" winter tyres but still get good reviews.
Technically the WRG2 is a winter tyre, it's just more dry/wet bias than snow. As we get extremely limited snow in the UK it's probably one of the best tyres for this climate.
I've used Quatrac 3's all year round in Blighty. Highly recommended 
Superb in all manner of winter conditions, ample grip in summer, great in the wet, quiet. Reckon they are tough to beat for UK road conditions.
The only downside to these high-performance All Season tyres seems to be the lack of sizes, i.e you can't get 'em for 18+ inch wheels.
Superb in all manner of winter conditions, ample grip in summer, great in the wet, quiet. Reckon they are tough to beat for UK road conditions.
The only downside to these high-performance All Season tyres seems to be the lack of sizes, i.e you can't get 'em for 18+ inch wheels.
GreigM said:
looks like I can get the Conti's for less than £90 a corner....might give em a try....
I have ContiWinterSport on my car on 17" rims in Winter. Looking at your profile, presumably at ^^ that price these are for the Mazda6? It's worth checking out tyre reviews that are listed against the tyres on, for example, riefendirekt.de , which I think is the German equivalent of mytyres.co.uk ?In 12 years of routinely changing to winter tyres for 5 months/year, and across the dozen or so cars I've had in that time, the only "duffers" I have used were Michelin Alpin.
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