Soldato
- Joined
- 14 Jul 2005
- Posts
- 17,616
- Location
- Bristol
Dab of oppo 
Trip report: Nokian WR-G2 205/55/16 vs Goodyear Eagle F1 GSD3 225/50/16
- Thread starter Lum
- Start date
I had a look into getting some winter tyres this afternoon after almost under steering into a car in the works car park at about 5 mph on my "gonna kill you sooner or later" FK-452's.
Can't justify the £600+ on tyres and £150+ for a spare set of wheels though. Especially as knowing my luck we'll go from a cold snap to a heat wave the second they are fitted!
Can't justify the £600+ on tyres and £150+ for a spare set of wheels though. Especially as knowing my luck we'll go from a cold snap to a heat wave the second they are fitted!
This is the main problem. However, if every winter's going to be like this, there's no harm really..
As for a second set of wheels, you could just use the same rims.
![[TW]Fox](/data/man-of-honor/2009.png){kind=avatar}
For the sake of a few quid on some steel or cheap but hideous aftermarket wheels I think it is worth getting a spare set rather than potentially damaging your nice wheels or damaging tyres by removing and refitting the rubber every couple of months.
Mounting tyres on rims isn't a pretty business
.To be honest if you are going to spend half the year on hideous wheels is there any point bothering to have a nice looking car at all? Save a load of money and buy something competent yet ugly if you are prepared to not care how it looks for that much of the time you drive it
How many people actually have £2k+ BBS wheels? Nobody here does.
I dont have any problems with my 18 inch diamond cut and polished OEM Style 37's, though. I'd never not want to use them through winter. I like looking at them. Thats why I have them.
I dont have any problems with my 18 inch diamond cut and polished OEM Style 37's, though. I'd never not want to use them through winter. I like looking at them. Thats why I have them.
It's just a point.
If I had some vaguely good looking and/or expensive wheels I'd want to protect them during the winter. Keeps the grit off and as a double bonus would allow my nice wheels to avoid the slightly brutal act of tyre changing unnecessarily
.
If I had some vaguely good looking and/or expensive wheels I'd want to protect them during the winter. Keeps the grit off and as a double bonus would allow my nice wheels to avoid the slightly brutal act of tyre changing unnecessarily
.What about the possibility of damaging the wheels during the process of removing and remounting the tyres?
Changing between summer and winter tyres on the same wheels means you add at least 2 additional tyre changes. 2 additional times the fitter could potentially mark/ding your wheels or tear the tyres during the fitting process.
Changing between summer and winter tyres on the same wheels means you add at least 2 additional tyre changes. 2 additional times the fitter could potentially mark/ding your wheels or tear the tyres during the fitting process.
OEM tyres for my car are 205/60/15 and I've already declared that I'm running non-standard sized alloys, so by definition a non-standard tyre size.
Well, back from the Brecons and once again the benefits of winter tyres are obvious.
Plenty of roads where the snow was so deep I was flattening it with my front splitter, but could still accelerate and brake without problems. Compared to the trip last year, on Eagle F1s where most of it was a controlled slide and 3 point turns were done with pushing, it was almost like being on a normal road. Providing you don't drive like a ****, and keep an eye out for potential ice, you can't really go wrong. I'd still recommend engine braking where possible though, just to be a little safer.
When we stopped to get out, had to push snow away with the car door it was that deep. Still drove out just fine.
On the return journey, there was some bloke in a little Pug 306 stuck half way around a corner on a very slight incline, just spinning his wheels. I offered him a push, then drove around him, reversed into a snow bank that was previously a layby and got out to push. Some guys in a 4x4 showed up and stopped to push too. This bloke carries on wheelspinning on the flat. 4x4 driver asks if I need a push out of that snow bank and I'm all "nah, it'll be fine" and drove out leaving behind a gawping 4x4 driver.
I guess it doesn't help that the Cefiro looks American and rear wheel drive.
Overtaking people in the unploughed lane of the Heads of the Valleys road is fun too, what is less fun is having to stop regularly to clear out compacted snow from under the wiper blades.
Stopped for chips on the way back at Bacca's in Aberbargoed. Normally they deliver but not today as the little van is snowed in.
Pictures to come when my GF gets around to processing them.
Plenty of roads where the snow was so deep I was flattening it with my front splitter, but could still accelerate and brake without problems. Compared to the trip last year, on Eagle F1s where most of it was a controlled slide and 3 point turns were done with pushing, it was almost like being on a normal road. Providing you don't drive like a ****, and keep an eye out for potential ice, you can't really go wrong. I'd still recommend engine braking where possible though, just to be a little safer.
When we stopped to get out, had to push snow away with the car door it was that deep. Still drove out just fine.
On the return journey, there was some bloke in a little Pug 306 stuck half way around a corner on a very slight incline, just spinning his wheels. I offered him a push, then drove around him, reversed into a snow bank that was previously a layby and got out to push. Some guys in a 4x4 showed up and stopped to push too. This bloke carries on wheelspinning on the flat. 4x4 driver asks if I need a push out of that snow bank and I'm all "nah, it'll be fine" and drove out leaving behind a gawping 4x4 driver.
I guess it doesn't help that the Cefiro looks American and rear wheel drive.
Overtaking people in the unploughed lane of the Heads of the Valleys road is fun too, what is less fun is having to stop regularly to clear out compacted snow from under the wiper blades.
Stopped for chips on the way back at Bacca's in Aberbargoed. Normally they deliver but not today as the little van is snowed in.
Pictures to come when my GF gets around to processing them.