Which Winter tyres on V8 Vantage

[Markv8v]

Does anyone know the best winter tyres to use on my V8 Vantage as I want to use it rather than just look at it for the next 3 months?

Regards Mark

[4Q]

I had Pirelli Sottozeros on my DB9 which were great in the Alps and on the Autobahns on the way there.

[ST565NP]

Markv8v said:

Does anyone know the best winter tyres to use on my V8 Vantage as I want to use it rather than just look at it for the next 3 months?

Regards Mark

Any ultra high performance winter tire from Conti/Michelin/Dunlop/Goodyear etc in correct dimension will do.

[V8V Pete]

I use the OEM Pirelli Sottozeros every year and they are excellent. I've never tried anything else so can't say which are "best" but you won't be disappointed by the Pirellis. Mr WT Doom (forum member and owner of many fine cars) once recommended a Michelin alternative but I don't think he ever answered my question as to why he preferred it over the Sottozeros.

[GingerMunky]

Try Hankook easily the best tyre I've had on the wife's 4x4.

[ashway]

I'm running Michelin Pilot Alpin, got them from Camskill,

[Mr.Tremlini]

I am running Pirelli Sottozeros for my fourth winter now, in Switzerland, and they handle the conditions extremely well.

[Markv8v]

Hi everyone many thanks for the advice.

I have looked into Pirelli sttozeros and there seem to be several models any ideas if they can be mixed front and back as there is a big price difference?

Thanks in advance

[BigMig]

Just to resurrect this thread a little.

Has anyone gone for an alternative winter or all season tyre on their Vantage? I'm currently looking into a set of 19" and I'm wondering if, like with the OEM Bridgestones, tyre technology has moved on and is there now an alternatve to the SottoZero with improved performance?

I'm not planning on driving in snow and ice, just something that gives more grip than the Michelin PSS summer tyres in these cold, greasy conditions.So I'm thinking a full on winter tyre like the SottoZero might be overkill? There are quite a few all season tyres out there now and wondering if anyone has experience of them on a car like the Aston for UK winter climate?

I've done a bit on t'internet trawling and things like the Michelin Crossclimate+ are not available in big enough sizes. Bridgestone Weathercontrol A005 are but would require going up a tad in side wall profile, 235/45/19 front and 275/40/19 rears. thinking this might make them more squishy and hence maybe compromise what they can offer compared to the SottoZero??

I'm awaiting a price for the SottoZero from my stealer.

[JonnyCJ]

Give Adam or Mark a call at AML - they potentially have a full set of part worn Sottos on the shelf in 19” with loads of tread.

From memory they’re standard V8V width

[BigMig]

Cheers Jonny, I'll drop them a line tomorrow.

[Mr.Tremlini]

While I understand your thinking, I'm not sure that if you are after a more winter orientated tyre without going all in, that all seasons are the way to go on an Aston. While the tech has advanced, all season tyres are a compromise in year round performance in order to check all the boxes and do everything adequately. Some are better summer tyres, some more winter biased, so you can with some research find the tyre that best suits your (projected) climate.
Sottozeros are a performance tyre and as such will no doubt give you better feel, grip and safety, and will definitely pull you up in a shorter distance under braking, than an all season. A decent all season is also not cheap, so I would guess you would not see much difference in price between, for example, Sottozeros and Pirelli Cinturato all season, assuming they come in the right size. If you are planning to change back to summers each year anyway rather than run them year round, I don't see any benefit.

As our A6 allroad only had one set of rims, I opted to run all seasons, using Cinturatos for 18 months, and switching a few months ago to Goodyear Vector Gen3. The Pirellis did not impress, ok on the road but high wear, two punctures and a tyre deformation that seemed to be from a manufacturing fault. The Vectors are more pliant and a very impressive snow tyre, let's see how the wear goes.

The 19 inch Cinturatos cost exactly the same as the PS4s pilot sports for the Vantage!

[BigMig]

I guess my thinking was that in the UK we don't really need a snow tyre, not where I live anyway. and tyre tech is always advancing e.g. M PS4S versus Bridgestone RE050, so newly released all season/all weather would quite possibly give the performance required for the 0 to +7°C temp range. I would be planning on switching back to the summer tyres come spring.
I reached out to Pirelli as the Winter P-Zero sound interesting but this is the response I got back;

"I have searched your sizes in our system and can confirm the following;
235/40R19 96W XL W270s2(AM9) - Homologated for the Aston Martin.
275/35R19 100W XL W270s2(AM9) - Homologated for the Aston Martin

I have searched for the fitments we recommend for your vehicle. Unfortunately, in the 275/35R19 there is not a fitment we would be able to recommend as these are all homologated for other vehicles. I can also confirm we do not to the PZERO Winter product in either sizes."

So this sounds like even the original SottoZero serie ii are no longer avilable in the 275/35/R19 size, though I've asked for clarity on this.
Based on my research there aren't actaully many options vailable for these sizes in either full winter or all season spec. The only option I can find that retains the same side profile would be the Continental Winter Contact TS860S

Still waiting to hear from the dealer re: new SottoZero and I've just called AML to see what they have.

[shinjuku]

If I were living in the UK and had the car as I do now, I would still have a set of winter wheels. Different colour/shade, and with Sottozeros on. When it's cold (sub 5ºC) they are a great, great tyre. I would then have summer wheels and tyres for... the summer, and generally when it's warmer.

I've not yet put my winters on, even though I am surrounded by snow, as I am in prison.

[Mr.Tremlini]

I guess snow in the UK is mostly intermittent or non-existent, unless you drive to it, but I assume you have frosty, icy roads so something like Conti Winter Contact is still legit. Strange re; Pirellis, the Sottozeros are certainly still available here, 275/35R19 (300chf) & 235/40R19 (210chf) although not necessarily homologated, but then neither are Pilot Sports, so it would not concern me personally if it had AM9 on the sidewall or not, as the long as the speed rating matched my usage. The TS860`s are a good tyre.

[BigMig]

Pirelli did get back to me with an apology the SottoZero in the 275 are still available. I've also had a quote for supply only from Aston Martin £1577 inc VAT. Which is roughly double the price of the non-AM9 versions.

[Mr.Tremlini]

BigMig said:

Pirelli did get back to me with an apology the SottoZero in the 275 are still available. I've also had a quote for supply only from Aston Martin £1577 inc VAT. Which is roughly double the price of the non-AM9 versions.

Double the price eh? Sounds like a bargain... What amount of difference could there possibly be that justifies that?

[JonnyCJ]

James - the Sottos at AML are AM homologated, originally supplied by AM Bristol and probably 6-7mm tread.

[BigMig]

I’m still waiting for Mark at AML to get back to me. You don’t happen to know the date of manufacture on the tyres?

[JonnyCJ]

2017 from memory, but may be a year either way.

I’d give them a call, I hate waiting on email replies if I want something.

Mark was going to fit them to his DB9, but not sure he ever got round to it.