Author Topic: Winter tyre reviews- factual reviews only, please, not general discussion :)  (Read 76481 times)

collywobble

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I bought 15" wheels for my Linear estate last year and fitted Maloya tyres - around £40 each from Mytyres.

Even though we had no snow last year the stopping distance in the wet was much better than the Falken Ziex 912/914 I run as summer tyres.

Maloya are a Swiss company now owned by Vredestein and the tyres were manufactured in the Netherlands.  Wintrac technology at a bargain price!

mikeloadsasaabs

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An update on the PA4s. I noticed the other day that the fronts were just about down to the legal limit at 4mm. Not impressed, as I see from a previous post in April that I covered 9,000 miles on them last winter. I then fitted them early this year, due to an embarrassing incident with a summer tyre  :-[ so since mid-September I have been running on the PA4s again, and IIRC have covered around 4,000 miles since then. That makes a total of 13,000 with perhaps a little to go when I get round to examining them closely. Rather than replace them now, I think I might swop the front and rears, as the rears have worn very little. The downside is that I will then need to buy 4 next year at c.€500. As an aside, and probably reported elsewhere, I bought a brand new set of genuine Saab 16" wheels for the winter, and the car runs really smoooooooooooothly now  ;D and, even better, virtually no rear-wheel drone with 13,000 under their belt.
Having had a close examination of the tyres, I was looking at a bit of the tread, not the wear indicators  :-[. Having found the treadware indicators it looks like there is about 1mm left on the fronts, so assuming an even wear rate, they should have about 3-4,000 miles left. A total of c.16,000 isn't too bad I suppose given that it's the fronts on an Aero  :P

The rears still have at least 7mm left, so on that basis they should last about 56,000 miles, meaning I should get at least two more seasons out of them, perhaps 3.

sgould

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Be careful of letting winter tyres age.  I can't remember the recommendation, but I think 4 years is the max.  After that the plasticisers will have evaporated.  Something like 6 years for summer tyres.
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Norfolk Jim

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That's pretty good going Mike. Wow that Volvo i had would get through fronts in 8k for some reason - terrible tyre wear.

mikeloadsasaabs

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Be careful of letting winter tyres age.  I can't remember the recommendation, but I think 4 years is the max.  After that the plasticisers will have evaporated.  Something like 6 years for summer tyres.
You're right Will, four years is the recommendation. The ÖAMTC (Austrian automobile club) did a report a little while back. Here's a link to it (in German I'm afraid!)  http://www.oeamtc.at/?id=2500%2C1134824%2C%2C. Basically they were saying to look out for "new tyres" that were manufactured three or more years ago, as their quality deteriorates with storage particularly with respect to wet grip. They also recommend using 4 tyres the same, and for no more than 4 years.

Max Headroom

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That four year info is very interesting - thanks for flagging that up!

So far, my Dunlop SP Wintersports have been fine. Something about them seems to have changed as they don't seem as 'bouncy' as they were when first fitted - that, or I have simply got used to them!
Alas I have not yet had to use them in anger in snow, but having seen the reviews of them driving up Milton Keynes Snow Dome slope, I am feeling optomistic that they will be ok for driving around the Cotswolds.

As for our other car, lack of garage space doesn't allow me to store a further set of wheels, so we have elected to use Goodyear Vector 4 Seasons. These have had some good reviews in the press.
While I am sure they will be something of a compromise, the other car is normally used for shorter journeys to the shops etc

 

welshwizard

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Just add my contribution.

My NG9-5 has Good Year 4 Seasons fitted at the moment on 18" Carves.  Usual equipment are F1s on 19" Turbines.

Noise levels good and no handicap on handling, ride a bit smoother.  But car has covered approx 4000 miles since fitting in March 2020.

welshwizard

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Having had 2 of my Turbines refurbished and on the car since August, the Carves with my 4 Seasons are now back on the car, just need to check the tyre pressures before going anywhere...

Now that my All-Seasons are back on we are due for a mild winter in the south - you heard it here first!

sgould

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Definitely a mild winter.  I put the winters on the Carlsson this week.  They haven't been on for 18 months.  They had all lost a lot of pressure, down to around 20 psi, and I suspect that one has a slow puncture. :(
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welshwizard

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Having had 2 of my Turbines refurbished and on the car since August, the Carves with my 4 Seasons are now back on the car, just need to check the tyre pressures before going anywhere...

Now that my All-Seasons are back on we are due for a mild winter in the south - you heard it here first!

Ride is so much smoother with the 18"s and the grip this morning on slippery/greasy roads was phenomenal.

sgould

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I have the Goodyear 4 Seasons on the 9-5 now. They’ve been on for 18 months and 10,000 miles. Still plenty of tread.  They seem secure in bad weather.  I put them on to save changing wheels from winter to summer twice a year.

I wanted to put a set on the Carlsson.  The two front tyres are worn out, but the rears are like new still.  I’m loath to throw away a couple of very good tyres.  I have the 18 inch wheels with winter tyres on but the tyres are quite old and may not be able to act as winters any longer.
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phoenix

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Michelin Crossclimates have been my go to all rounder for some years now. They don't have the levels of grip that a performance tyre would, but I'm not doing track days any more so I can live with that.

However, they've jumped up in price a fair bit and when it came to replace the front ones I opted for  Goodyear Vector 4Seasons Gen-3 235/45 R17 Y (97) which were on offer at Blackcircles for £218.60 fitted the pair.

I haven't really pushed them yet but initial feel/noise is comparable to the Michelins, and I've gone from 225 to 235.

carrera

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I put a set of Nexen Winguard on the 06 Aero this weekend. So much more grippy than the worn summer tyres that were on and absolutely fine in the snow we had for a few days. Back to rain now, but I am far less concerned about aquaplaning than I would otherwise be. 230 miles one way to be done tomorrow

On the green car, that has Winguard on the rear, something else on the front. Even at a few years old, the difference is significant & noticeable
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