Winter tyre width?
Discussion
I'm looking at buying some winter tyres and wheels at the moment, and have the option of anything from an 18" to 21" wheel, with corresponding narrow and wide tyres. Conventional wisdom says the narrower the better for driving on snow, but I think that means driving in deep snow like you'd find on an unploughed road. However here in Switzerland in the winter I spend most of my time driving on cold and wet roads, where a wide winter tyre is supposedly preferable to a narrow one, or at worst a ploughed road like the ones below, where I'm not so sure.
So for driving on these roads in these conditions, would you rather have a wide or skinny winter tyre?
So for driving on these roads in these conditions, would you rather have a wide or skinny winter tyre?
The main difference from wide to narrow tyres, similar to offroad tyres, is when you are presented with a surface that has two layers of different properties. Usually you have an icy, gritty surface, where winter tyres grip well, covered by a fresh layer of powdery snow. The fresh powdery snow can be very slippery and clogs the tread and sipes of the tyres easily, and tends to build up into a wedge under the tyres when wheels are locked up and braking, lifting the car off the underlying grippy surface. Wide tyres perform worse under these conditions as they do not cut through the powdery layer as easily.
However, as it used to be possible to buy very cheap alloys for my car, cheaper than steels due to people upgrading the alloys, I used 225/17/45 tyres, the same as my summer tyres one year. I had good grip in snow and wet, it was not a problem for me. Perhaps would have had superior grip with a narrow combination under some conditions, but I felt grip was adequate for safe progress with 225 width tyres. Car was 3.0 litre petrol, automatic and RWD so quite demanding on the tyres.
However, as it used to be possible to buy very cheap alloys for my car, cheaper than steels due to people upgrading the alloys, I used 225/17/45 tyres, the same as my summer tyres one year. I had good grip in snow and wet, it was not a problem for me. Perhaps would have had superior grip with a narrow combination under some conditions, but I felt grip was adequate for safe progress with 225 width tyres. Car was 3.0 litre petrol, automatic and RWD so quite demanding on the tyres.
Edited by ExPat2B on Wednesday 12th November 10:52
I used to go from a staggered 245/265 19inch to a 235 18 inch wheel/tyre combo all round. They worked very well when I was in CH visiting family who live in the arse end of nowhere. They were also the recommended winter sizes from the manufacturer.
I now just use narrower rear tyres (295) which are also manufacturer recommended but they are not as good as my previous car due to the width.
I now just use narrower rear tyres (295) which are also manufacturer recommended but they are not as good as my previous car due to the width.
It's a trade off: narrow tyres are best in snow but have less grip of frozen roads, wider tyre is vice versa. I drive on cold/snowy roads a lot in winter and it's a dilemma for me when buying winter rubber.
I've decided that since I'll get nowhere on wide tyres in snow it's best to buy narrow ones since, with a small amount of extra care, you will get along OK on dry frozen roads with the narrower section rubber - not as well as a wider tyre but you will make progress. Wide tyres in deeper snow can be a nightmare since you can float a little in the stuff and make poor contact with the road surface + more potential for aquaplaning on very wet roads.
Here's a thing. One year slightly wider winter tyres than I'd normally choose for my car were significantly cheaper than the narrowest ones, so I went with those without dramatic mishap. If cost is important maybe that's the best approach?
I've decided that since I'll get nowhere on wide tyres in snow it's best to buy narrow ones since, with a small amount of extra care, you will get along OK on dry frozen roads with the narrower section rubber - not as well as a wider tyre but you will make progress. Wide tyres in deeper snow can be a nightmare since you can float a little in the stuff and make poor contact with the road surface + more potential for aquaplaning on very wet roads.
Here's a thing. One year slightly wider winter tyres than I'd normally choose for my car were significantly cheaper than the narrowest ones, so I went with those without dramatic mishap. If cost is important maybe that's the best approach?
I've just gone for the standard sized tyres(1) to go on my normal AMG alloys. I'm not keen on driving round with crappy looking wheels on all winter. Also to go to a thinner tyre would leave my rims very vulnerable to kerbing - a total no-no.
(1) I actually have gone UP from a 245 to a 255 on the rear, my justification being that the 245s have got terrible availability with regard to me getting matching front and rears, and for some reason the 255s were almost half the price of the 245s. Insurance notified and not a problem.
(1) I actually have gone UP from a 245 to a 255 on the rear, my justification being that the 245s have got terrible availability with regard to me getting matching front and rears, and for some reason the 255s were almost half the price of the 245s. Insurance notified and not a problem.
My winters are the same size as my summers; 225/40 18
99% of my driving in the winter is on cold and damp tarmac where i would not want to have anything narrower.
for the 1% where i'm on snow my winters have been excellent - they will take the car through snow right up to the point where ground clearance stops you from going any further. At no point have i ever thought "if only i had narrower tyres..".
HTH.
99% of my driving in the winter is on cold and damp tarmac where i would not want to have anything narrower.
for the 1% where i'm on snow my winters have been excellent - they will take the car through snow right up to the point where ground clearance stops you from going any further. At no point have i ever thought "if only i had narrower tyres..".
HTH.
Continental seem to be backing wide winter tyres over skinny ones: "The wider the tire, the better the performance in all wintry conditions"
http://www.continental-tires.com/www/tires_de_en/themes/car-tires/winter-tires/channel_winter_wide_tires/wide_tires.html
It's a shame nobody seems to have done side-by-side tests of different tyre widths for the same tyre compound/tread in a range of wintry conditions.
http://www.continental-tires.com/www/tires_de_en/themes/car-tires/winter-tires/channel_winter_wide_tires/wide_tires.html
It's a shame nobody seems to have done side-by-side tests of different tyre widths for the same tyre compound/tread in a range of wintry conditions.
Steve7777 said:
I'm looking at buying some winter tyres and wheels at the moment, and have the option of anything from an 18" to 21" wheel, with corresponding narrow and wide tyres.
On the one hand you ask about tyre width then you talk about dia. Some questions to consider: would the wheel width be the same for all of the wheel diameters? Would that mean differing tyre widths for different diameters? Have you considered tyre walls? A taller tyre wall meaning the smaller dia wheel is usually preferable for softer or off road conditions (and cheaper)TA14 said:
Steve7777 said:
I'm looking at buying some winter tyres and wheels at the moment, and have the option of anything from an 18" to 21" wheel, with corresponding narrow and wide tyres.
On the one hand you ask about tyre width then you talk about dia. Some questions to consider: would the wheel width be the same for all of the wheel diameters? Would that mean differing tyre widths for different diameters? Have you considered tyre walls? A taller tyre wall meaning the smaller dia wheel is usually preferable for softer or off road conditions (and cheaper)I'm with Sean 46 here. I'd choose the 255, which is still a very wide tyre, and have the extra compliance in the tyre wall which will help to maintain contact over potholes and bumps/stones etc. I don't think you'll ever get a definitive answer on stopping distances. Even if you find a winter tyre test with your vehicle and exact tyre and wheel sizes for each option the road surfaces and amount of snow/leaves/stones would also have to be the same. (Would the narrower warm up any faster?)
Im guessing you probably have a Q7 by the wheel/tyre choice.
I have just gone from the factory 295/35/21's to 255/55/18's also on genuine alloys.
When i was looking at buying winter wheels direct from Audi depending on model it was 235-255 for the winter setups.
I hope they do prove their worth as you can sure tell that you have gone from fat summer rubber to thinner winter stuff.
Also to add in the 18" size there are far more tires available and if you happen to slide into a kerb god forbid or find a rogue pothole you have a larger sidewall to take the beating.
I have just gone from the factory 295/35/21's to 255/55/18's also on genuine alloys.
When i was looking at buying winter wheels direct from Audi depending on model it was 235-255 for the winter setups.
I hope they do prove their worth as you can sure tell that you have gone from fat summer rubber to thinner winter stuff.
Also to add in the 18" size there are far more tires available and if you happen to slide into a kerb god forbid or find a rogue pothole you have a larger sidewall to take the beating.
Edited by Gavin0478 on Wednesday 12th November 18:32
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