Anyone in the tyre trade?

[Funk]

Can anyone recommend a company that ISN'T currently taking the proverbial on winter tyres? I'm seriously considering a set of Pirelli SottoZeros for the car and they've gone from £145 a tyre to £300...

I could justify coughing £600 for a set, but the £1,190 I've been quoted is a little on the steep side. Or I could buy snowsocks. Or just tell my boss I'm not leaving the house.

Any help from a PHer would be appreciated!

[Fastra]

I was thinking this yesterday when looking at mytyres.co.uk, I'm pretty damned sure they weren't that much, or any where near that much, a few months ago!

[FreeLitres]

Supply and demand?

Business is business.

[Pints]

Supply and Demand, mate. It's a bh.
You tried camskill or blackcircles?

[RetroTed]

Trouble is every tyre broker has sold out and those that haven't can command a premium for them ..
Mytyres can get the tyres so it makes good sense from a business point of view.

Supply and demand eh....

[andy43]

£1200 for winter sir? May I suggest this?

[Funk]

Pints said:

Supply and Demand, mate. It's a bh.
You tried camskill or blackcircles?

Yeah, I'm sadly all too aware of the supply/demand issue. It's just one hell of a hike to swallow, and tbh if they're ramping the price up that high, I'll probably just pass.

As for buying a whole other car for the winter, it's not a bad shout but unfortunately I have to use mine for work. The company won't cough for winter tyres, so I'm looking for them myself. Driving today was bordering on dangerous, I think I spent more time sideways than straight.

[CO2000]

A different tack would be along these lines

http://www.maxsport-competition-tyres.co.uk/

http://www.demon-tweeks.co.uk/Motorsport/Wheels_&a...

[Funk]

Legal to use on the road though?

[bromers2]

Have a look on eBay for some part worns.

[frosted]

Hmm , I just bought some avons for 85 a corner and they took me to the highest hill in Kenley without any problems , even passing a few stranded drivers (not a winter tyre)

[Funk]

frosted said:

Hmm , I just bought some avons for 85 a corner and they took me to the highest hill in Kenley without any problems , even passing a few stranded drivers (not a winter tyre)

Unfortunately BMWs - being RWD - are not the best in the snow. I'm also on 18" rims and would require 225/40/18s all round (even that's dropping from the normal width on the rear of 245/35/18 and up on the fronts from 215/40/18). Getting winter tyres in that size isn't the cheapest exercise in the world, evidently.

[RedWhiteMonkey]

Reifen are a massive German tyre chain who ship to the UK for €4.95 per tyre. As far as I can see their prices are better than anything I can find in the UK and most importantly they actually have stock.

[Larry Dickman]

What about a half decent set of all seasons instead? Maybe not quite as good in snow as an all out winter tyre but will be much better than an all out summer tyre, & they're not demanding such high prices at the moment.

[hardcorehobbit]

bromers2 said:

Have a look on eBay for some part worns.

Good plan, but I read a couple of days ago that winter tyres lose their effectiveness when down to 4 or 5mm of tread. Hence the load of 2nd hand winter tyres on eBay.

[frosted]

Funk said:

frosted said:

Hmm , I just bought some avons for 85 a corner and they took me to the highest hill in Kenley without any problems , even passing a few stranded drivers (not a winter tyre)

Unfortunately BMWs - being RWD - are not the best in the snow. I'm also on 18" rims and would require 225/40/18s all round (even that's dropping from the normal width on the rear of 245/35/18 and up on the fronts from 215/40/18). Getting winter tyres in that size isn't the cheapest exercise in the world, evidently.

Seriously , I wouldn't bother with winter tyres , I would just buy something cheaper with a suitable pattern. It makes a huge difference

[Funk]

You've not driven a torquey rwd car in the snow before then? Seriously, the BM is a disaster on summer tyres.

RedWhiteMonkey said:

Reifen are a massive German tyre chain who ship to the UK for €4.95 per tyre. As far as I can see their prices are better than anything I can find in the UK and most importantly they actually have stock.

Cheers chap, I'll take a look.

Edited by Funk on Thursday 2nd December 22:41

[frosted]

Funk said:

You've not driven a torquey rad car in the snow before then? Seriously, the BM is a disaster on summer tyres.

RedWhiteMonkey said:

Reifen are a massive German tyre chain who ship to the UK for €4.95 per tyre. As far as I can see their prices are better than anything I can find in the UK and most importantly they actually have stock.

Cheers chap, I'll take a look.

Edited by Funk on Thursday 2nd December 22:27

Ive had several , not bmw's but nothing has been under 2.5l's

[CO2000]

Funk said:

Legal to use on the road though?

Some of the rally ones should be (they were when I looked into them a few years ago)

Colway too

[insanojackson]

a lad at work was telling me he got 2 part worn winter tyres fitted on his volvo s60 today for 50 quid. Sounds reasonable to me(however i would worry about the provenance of the tyres which he claims are from germany)