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[jerry]

with another period of bad weather and undoubtedly badly gritted/maintained roads to contend with, anyone on here with any recommendations for reasonably priced winter tyres on here?

[Omega_Dan]

My rears are going to be replaced with these in the next few weeks http://ssl.delti.com/cgi-bin/rshop.pl?details=Ordern&cart_id=4786139.110.24038&typ=R-156453&ranzahl=4&Breite=205&Quer=55&Felge=16&Speed=H&weiter=0&kategorie=6&Ang_pro_Seite=20&Transport=P&dsco=110&sowigan=Wi

Good price and quality

[aaronjb]

My rears are going to be replaced with these in the next few weeks http://ssl.delti.com/cgi-bin/rshop.pl?details=Ordern&cart_id=4786139.110.24038&typ=R-156453&ranzahl=4&Breite=205&Quer=55&Felge=16&Speed=H&weiter=0&kategorie=6&Ang_pro_Seite=20&Transport=P&dsco=110&sowigan=Wi

Good price and quality

So you'll be able to go.. but not stop or steer?

[jerry]

cheers Dan, thats not too bad a bad price-though must admit the same thoughts as aaron crossed my mind!Why not fit them allround ?

[Omega_Dan]

haha the fronts have brand new all weather continental's about 800 miles ago before when i had it. the rears are almost down to the limit. i have been keen to get a decent set of winter tyres thinking there should be no issues with the fronts (all year ones).

[Andy B]

My rears are going to be replaced with these in the next few weeks http://ssl.delti.com/cgi-bin/rshop.pl?details=Ordern&cart_id=4786139.110.24038&typ=R-156453&ranzahl=4&Breite=205&Quer=55&Felge=16&Speed=H&weiter=0&kategorie=6&Ang_pro_Seite=20&Transport=P&dsco=110&sowigan=Wi

Good price and quality

So you'll be able to go.. but not stop or steer?

Costco will only fit 2 new tyres to the rear because of a recomendation by Michelin,  I agree with you though.

[jerry]

Yeah, Id thought of "all weather" ones but sort of assumed that they might be too much of a compromise given the sort of extremes of temp and road conditions we seem to be getting across tthe year lately?

[Omega_Dan]

Yeah i know what you mean jerry hence my reasoning for thing the winter tyres at the back.  I will ponder whether ill have all weather or winter at the back.

sorry for Hi-jacking your thread


 

[jerry]

no worries Dan :yJust looking for some advice mate as did NOT enjoy last winters driving a bit and am not looking forward to the coming one, not least as my shift pattern means either 6am starts or midnight finishes !

[Andy B]

.... not least as my shift pattern means either 6am starts or midnight finishes !

which does have the advantage of being on the road before the half wits get up or after the half wits have gone to bed.     

[jerry]

.... not least as my shift pattern means either 6am starts or midnight finishes !

which does have the advantage of being on the road before the half wits get up or after the half wits have gone to bed.     

This is so very true Andy  but it has the disadvantage of driving on frozen roads that they either havent bothered to grit and with little other traffic to help make it effective if they have :-/

[Andy B]

...
This is so very true Andy  but it has the disadvantage of driving on frozen roads that they either havent bothered to grit and with little other traffic to help make it effective if they have :-/

I worked permanent night shift finishing at 0600 for 15 years but now start at 0700 which means setting off at 0600 to drive the 23 miles to work. Last winter was ..... er  :-/ ..... interesting!      . The worst morning was a Sunday after we'd been to a neighbours' 50th the night before, after about 3 hours sleep, 4"/5" of snow was the last thing I wanted to see.  :-? 

[jerry]

yep, its pretty stuff to look at or play in but not so much fun to face driving in . Still, wonder if I'll see all those cocky BMW drivers come unstuck again like I did last year as they sped past me only for me to pass them a bit later in a ditch?

[aaronjb]

yep, its pretty stuff to look at or play in but not so much fun to face driving in . Still, wonder if I'll see all those cocky BMW drivers come unstuck again like I did last year as they sped past me only for me to pass them a bit later in a ditch?

I think the worst thing for me was the people in their FWD scrabble wagons who'd sit 2" from my back bumper because I clearly "wasn't going fast enough" for them .. 'course I couldn't go any faster because every time I tried to accelerate up that hill, the back end stepped out and I ended up going sideways

[Kevin Wood]

yep, its pretty stuff to look at or play in but not so much fun to face driving in . Still, wonder if I'll see all those cocky BMW drivers come unstuck again like I did last year as they sped past me only for me to pass them a bit later in a ditch?

I passed one last year in SWMBO's MX5.

Idiot stopped half way up a hill and stayed stopped.

Decided to overtake him and the back end of the MX started to follow the camber of the road towards the opposite side.

I ended up passing him about 45 degrees to the direction of travel with an armful of opposite lock on and a big grin on my face. Got a dirty look in return. Gathered it all up once in front of him and carried on up the hill.

Was laughing with SWMBO about the "thingy in the BMW" on the driveway once we got home and who happened to be walking up our road within earshot?  

Kevin

[jerry]

have checked out a few prices for winter tyres (mine are 225/55/16s) and the falken 439s are £389 a set fitted, nanking winter plus are £291 . As pennies are in very short supply Id have to go for the nankings. The questions are 1)are the falkens significantly better (tyre reviews suggest not, though braking awarded a "star" more for the falken) and 2)will winter tyres really make a significant difference given the cost (yeh, i know you have to build in cost of excess if you are unlucky enough to have a shunt)? just want to feel safer and more confident this year. Any further advice welcome. cheers guys and girls

[Snake Pliskin]

I'm over in Germany with the Forces at moment. German law basically says we have to have suitable tyres for weather (e.g snow...winter tyres). They make a hell of a difference in snow. Have you tried Ebay.de (German ebay) as they sometimes have wheels with winter tyres fitted? i got mine for 300 Euros (omega alloys with winter tyres only 1000 miles on them). Postage to England, probably in region of 40 to 50 Euros

[mrgreen]

I'm over in Germany with the Forces at moment. German law basically says we have to have suitable tyres for weather (e.g snow...winter tyres). They make a hell of a difference in snow. Have you tried Ebay.de (German ebay) as they sometimes have wheels with winter tyres fitted? i got mine for 300 Euros (omega alloys with winter tyres only 1000 miles on them). Postage to England, probably in region of 40 to 50 Euros

yes you will probably find complete sets on ebay with tyres  and rims cheap only have to consider the cost of postage, as of 1st of november we must have winter tyres on it's law and you can't mix and match they must all be winter tyres, the difference in price is usually stopping distances i just put on my Fulda's yesterday and notice the difference in noise but apart from that they handle well in normal conditions

[Lazydocker]

With the amount of snow we get in this country, all season tyres should be sufficient with a little preparation. Last year, when the snow was forecast I just filled both fuel tanks, put a shovel, some dishwasher salt and some sacking in the boot. The only issue I had was the depth of snow... It was over the bottom of the bumper! Once moving I had no problems at all. Got slightly stuck 3 times, all of which I was trying to reverse up an incline.

All I did was as above, and adjusted my driving style to suit the conditions. TBH, instead of spending £300+ on a set of winter tyres, I'd spend £100 or so on a set of snow chains (or 2 if you want them on the front too) and the other stuff... Put some weight in the boot (tools/couple of bags of grit) and crack on!

Admittedly though, it's not particularly hilly around where I live but I didn't have any issues when I went up to Yorkshire either 

[Kevin Wood]

... The only issue I had was the depth of snow... It was over the bottom of the bumper! Once moving I had no problems at all. Got slightly stuck 3 times, all of which I was trying to reverse up an incline.

Same here. The problem areas were where the roads hadn't been touched (including our road, so game over ).

It wasn't a case of needing winter tyres. The Omega simply didn't have enough ground clearance to go anywhere!

Once out and about pretty much anything was passable on reduced tyre pressures, plenty of weight in the boot and a bit of care. I got stuck a couple of times and wished I had some snow chains but a bit of shovelling got me going again. No way would that experience be worth a couple of hundred quid's worth of tyres and a spare set of wheels cluttering up the place!

I may well invest in some snow chains before the rush this year.

Another tip - get a couple of sacks of water softener granules to weigh down the boot. They come in handy if you get stuck too!

.. and having 8mm of tread on your tyres will make a big difference to tyres down on the wear indicators. If your tyres are getting low, change them before the really bad weather sets in.

Kevin

[jerry]

understand what youre saying guys, last year I did all that-loaded some weight in the boot/lowered the psi/made sure i carried a shovel etc as well as (more importantly) taking it slow and steady-but whilst I avoided any shunts I did have more than a few "tricky" moments, especially on ungritted inclines. As my faith in the councils ability to better maintain the roads this year than last is quite low, I just need to feel more confident and actually be safer this year. Just wish money were not such a problem! Guess there's little point in going for the budget option as for 20 quid more you can get a significantly better product like falken or nockian. Also have to factor in excess costs that you might avoid by having them as well as the fact that you should get 3 seasons worth of useage out of them.

[cem_devecioglu]

on a dry road you may save a few bucks with an average tire and careful driving..

but a snowy road is completely a different beast..

you have the snow tires or not..an all weather tire lacks the necessary soft compound and all surface channels designed for snow..

I'll definitely recommend these

goodyear ultragrip7+


goodyear performance 2  (a bit expensive though)


goodyear ultragrip extreme (without studs)


we have used all models (I or my friends) on snow and ice..they are great tires..

[Lazydocker]

... I did have more than a few "tricky" moments, especially on ungritted inclines. As my faith in the councils ability to better maintain the roads this year than last is quite low, I just need to feel more confident and actually be safer this year.

...  the fact that you should get 3 seasons worth of useage out of them.

Confidence is a big thing... I may have been driving only 15 years but have done well in excess of 1 million miles in that time in all conditions in various sizes and types of vehicle. I also worked in recovery and had no choice but to go out and drive in the bad conditions

As for getting 3 seasons use... Unless you're buying spare wheels, don't forget to factor in the cost of 2 changes per year. I expect 3 years is ambitious though, bearing in mind that most of the winter will be on dry/damp roads

[jerry]

yep, youre right about the 2 tyre changes , thats got to be around £40 with balancing a go I guess. From what I read, 2-3 seasons use doesnt seem too far fetched for the mid-priced ones though. But youre def right about the confidence thing 

[mrgreen]

get a cheap set of rims throw them on there from nov till january and you will certainly get 3 years out of them what kills winter tyres is heat (soft rubber) so it's a one off buy but think you aint using your summer tyres in that time either and when they get down to 5mm you use them for a season as summer tyres and i would say cheap winter tyres are better than summer tyres any winter day of the year purely for their way that they disperse the snow from under your wheels, i've driven on summer tyres in snow and to say it was scary was an understatement and these are good summer tyres but may as well have been slicks in the snow

[Lazydocker]

get a cheap set of rims throw them on there from nov till january and you will certainly get 3 years out of them what kills winter tyres is heat (soft rubber) so it's a one off buy but think you aint using your summer tyres in that time either and when they get down to 5mm you use them for a season as summer tyres and i would say cheap winter tyres are better than summer tyres any winter day of the year purely for their way that they disperse the snow from under your wheels, i've driven on summer tyres in snow and to say it was scary was an understatement and these are good summer tyres but may as well have been slicks in the snow

Yep... But you get real snow over there, not just a few inches for a couple of days like we get here

TBH, as I stated earlier, tyres would have made no difference to me last winter as it was the depth of snow that was causing the issue... The car was bottomed out

Best way to gain confidence, IMHO, is to find some private, open space and learn the limits of the car and the warning signs... Once you know them you can drive smoothly and confidently, dealing with any "sideways action" that may occur as you see fit. Personally, I normally deal with it with a good armful of opposite lock and a massive grin

[mrgreen]

get a cheap set of rims throw them on there from nov till january and you will certainly get 3 years out of them what kills winter tyres is heat (soft rubber) so it's a one off buy but think you aint using your summer tyres in that time either and when they get down to 5mm you use them for a season as summer tyres and i would say cheap winter tyres are better than summer tyres any winter day of the year purely for their way that they disperse the snow from under your wheels, i've driven on summer tyres in snow and to say it was scary was an understatement and these are good summer tyres but may as well have been slicks in the snow

Yep... But you get real snow over there, not just a few inches for a couple of days like we get here

TBH, as I stated earlier, tyres would have made no difference to me last winter as it was the depth of snow that was causing the issue... The car was bottomed out

Best way to gain confidence, IMHO, is to find some private, open space and learn the limits of the car and the warning signs... Once you know them you can drive smoothly and confidently, dealing with any "sideways action" that may occur as you see fit. Personally, I normally deal with it with a good armful of opposite lock and a massive grin

that is all very true until you need to stop quickly  but that's what insurance is for

[Lazydocker]

get a cheap set of rims throw them on there from nov till january and you will certainly get 3 years out of them what kills winter tyres is heat (soft rubber) so it's a one off buy but think you aint using your summer tyres in that time either and when they get down to 5mm you use them for a season as summer tyres and i would say cheap winter tyres are better than summer tyres any winter day of the year purely for their way that they disperse the snow from under your wheels, i've driven on summer tyres in snow and to say it was scary was an understatement and these are good summer tyres but may as well have been slicks in the snow

Yep... But you get real snow over there, not just a few inches for a couple of days like we get here

TBH, as I stated earlier, tyres would have made no difference to me last winter as it was the depth of snow that was causing the issue... The car was bottomed out

Best way to gain confidence, IMHO, is to find some private, open space and learn the limits of the car and the warning signs... Once you know them you can drive smoothly and confidently, dealing with any "sideways action" that may occur as you see fit. Personally, I normally deal with it with a good armful of opposite lock and a massive grin

that is all very true until you need to stop quickly  but that's what insurance is for

I agree that all weather tyres are not as good and that stopping distances are affected... But you should adjust your driving style to suit the conditions, surely? Applying the brakes gently and smoothly will make you slow down, just over a greater distance

[aaronjb]

get a cheap set of rims throw them on there from nov till january and you will certainly get 3 years out of them what kills winter tyres is heat (soft rubber) so it's a one off buy but think you aint using your summer tyres in that time either and when they get down to 5mm you use them for a season as summer tyres and i would say cheap winter tyres are better than summer tyres any winter day of the year purely for their way that they disperse the snow from under your wheels, i've driven on summer tyres in snow and to say it was scary was an understatement and these are good summer tyres but may as well have been slicks in the snow

Yep... But you get real snow over there, not just a few inches for a couple of days like we get here

TBH, as I stated earlier, tyres would have made no difference to me last winter as it was the depth of snow that was causing the issue... The car was bottomed out

Best way to gain confidence, IMHO, is to find some private, open space and learn the limits of the car and the warning signs... Once you know them you can drive smoothly and confidently, dealing with any "sideways action" that may occur as you see fit. Personally, I normally deal with it with a good armful of opposite lock and a massive grin

that is all very true until you need to stop quickly  but that's what insurance is for

I agree that all weather tyres are not as good and that stopping distances are affected... But you should adjust your driving style to suit the conditions, surely? Applying the brakes gently and smoothly will make you slow down, just over a greater distance

You remind me of something I saw a couple of winters ago - long straight road covered in snow/ice/slush mix.. two cars travelling nice and slowly down the road, but a little too close perhaps.

Car in front stops at a junction to turn off, the car behind waits until he's all of 2m behind the other car and then stamps on the anchors and .. slides straight into the other guy  Well duh, what did he think was going to happen!

[Lazydocker]

get a cheap set of rims throw them on there from nov till january and you will certainly get 3 years out of them what kills winter tyres is heat (soft rubber) so it's a one off buy but think you aint using your summer tyres in that time either and when they get down to 5mm you use them for a season as summer tyres and i would say cheap winter tyres are better than summer tyres any winter day of the year purely for their way that they disperse the snow from under your wheels, i've driven on summer tyres in snow and to say it was scary was an understatement and these are good summer tyres but may as well have been slicks in the snow

Yep... But you get real snow over there, not just a few inches for a couple of days like we get here

TBH, as I stated earlier, tyres would have made no difference to me last winter as it was the depth of snow that was causing the issue... The car was bottomed out

Best way to gain confidence, IMHO, is to find some private, open space and learn the limits of the car and the warning signs... Once you know them you can drive smoothly and confidently, dealing with any "sideways action" that may occur as you see fit. Personally, I normally deal with it with a good armful of opposite lock and a massive grin

that is all very true until you need to stop quickly  but that's what insurance is for

I agree that all weather tyres are not as good and that stopping distances are affected... But you should adjust your driving style to suit the conditions, surely? Applying the brakes gently and smoothly will make you slow down, just over a greater distance

You remind me of something I saw a couple of winters ago - long straight road covered in snow/ice/slush mix.. two cars travelling nice and slowly down the road, but a little too close perhaps.

Car in front stops at a junction to turn off, the car behind waits until he's all of 2m behind the other car and then stamps on the anchors and .. slides straight into the other guy  Well duh, what did he think was going to happen!

Exactly... Drive to the conditions. I must confess, though, that driving in the snow needs a lot more concentration and awareness so is tiring compared to normal motoring

[Debs.]

  I fancy four of these for the Deb`s Towers Winter; £300. for a set and with 20mm. of tread depth.......but, for the Disco, not the pup-mobile!

[Jimbob]

I fancy four of these for the Deb`s Towers Winter; £300. for a set and with 20mm. of tread depth.......but, for the Disco, not the pup-mobile!

now they look like the mean business!

[Lazydocker]

I fancy four of these for the Deb`s Towers Winter; £300. for a set and with 20mm. of tread depth.......but, for the Disco, not the pup-mobile!

now they look like the mean business!

Wow! Obviously you are in a different situation Debs, with the total isolation you are in and the enormous amount of snow you got last year

[V6 CDX-er]

get a cheap set of rims throw them on there from nov till january and you will certainly get 3 years out of them what kills winter tyres is heat (soft rubber) so it's a one off buy but think you aint using your summer tyres in that time either and when they get down to 5mm you use them for a season as summer tyres and i would say cheap winter tyres are better than summer tyres any winter day of the year purely for their way that they disperse the snow from under your wheels, i've driven on summer tyres in snow and to say it was scary was an understatement and these are good summer tyres but may as well have been slicks in the snow

I agree.

The usual arguments in the UK for not having winter tyres are that we don't get enough snow and then the cost of them.

I've used winter tyres on a variety of vehicles for a number of years, and for me it's a no brainer to have them fitted.

The argument for there not being enough snow in the UK fails, (IMO), because of the huge improvement in grip, stopping distances and therefore safety that these tyres offer when the temps are below 5 degrees celcius.

As for the csot, well, buy a cheap set of alloys or steelies and fit the winter tyres to these. Using the winter tyres from mid November to mid Febuary, you will proberly get 3-4 winters out of them. Also consider how much your insurance excess is, (which you would loose in the event of an accident), how much your insurance would go up by over the course of five years, (again, if / when you have an accident), and any recovery costs, hire car costs, and loss of earnings that you may incure, and winter tyres start to look like quite a bargin.

Those that have used them tend to keep on using them. That must surely count for something?

[jerry]

Am thinking Falken or Nockian but prices on the net from mytyre and the rest seem to be going up daily and Im still waiting for various dealers to get back to me who reckon they can better those prices but all are saying that theyre hard to get hold of ... :-/

[John Lindsay]

Anyone have a recommendation for winter tyres for an Omega 3 litre?

[V6 CDX-er]

Anyone have a recommendation for winter tyres for an Omega 3 litre?

Same as what has already been mentioned on here John.

I personally favour Vredestien snow-tracs, but have heard good things about the Nankengs (or however it is spelt).

[jerry]

been researching this for a while now and was looking at the nankings myself but some of reviews werent too good, esp re braking in wet/snow. The falkens and nockian came out well in mid price range for not an awful lot more.

[kevinminton]

After an unhappy experience last winter when a kerb jumped out in front of me, I have fitted winter tyres. Got them from Online Performance Tyres near Nottingham http://shop.ebay.co.uk/online-performance-tyres/m.html.  Good service, reasonable price.

Can't judge them in isolation 'cos new wishbones fitted (thanks Daz) and WIM alignment all done together. But they are definitely grippy enough for me on cold wet roads.

K

[cem_devecioglu]

get a cheap set of rims throw them on there from nov till january and you will certainly get 3 years out of them what kills winter tyres is heat (soft rubber) so it's a one off buy but think you aint using your summer tyres in that time either and when they get down to 5mm you use them for a season as summer tyres and i would say cheap winter tyres are better than summer tyres any winter day of the year purely for their way that they disperse the snow from under your wheels, i've driven on summer tyres in snow and to say it was scary was an understatement and these are good summer tyres but may as well have been slicks in the snow

I agree.

The usual arguments in the UK for not having winter tyres are that we don't get enough snow and then the cost of them.

I've used winter tyres on a variety of vehicles for a number of years, and for me it's a no brainer to have them fitted.

The argument for there not being enough snow in the UK fails, (IMO), because of the huge improvement in grip, stopping distances and therefore safety that these tyres offer when the temps are below 5 degrees celcius.

As for the csot, well, buy a cheap set of alloys or steelies and fit the winter tyres to these. Using the winter tyres from mid November to mid Febuary, you will proberly get 3-4 winters out of them. Also consider how much your insurance excess is, (which you would loose in the event of an accident), how much your insurance would go up by over the course of five years, (again, if / when you have an accident), and any recovery costs, hire car costs, and loss of earnings that you may incure, and winter tyres start to look like quite a bargin.

Those that have used them tend to keep on using them. That must surely count for something?

 

and one more point although stated before,

traction is meaningless unless you have the ability to stop..  and of course any traction from summer tires evaporates on hills ..

[jerry]

right, got hold of mytyres (whose prices have today dropped from yesterday  :-?) and they have all the ones I was looking at in stock, so a set of nockian winter + on their way for £312 and Ive lined up someone to fit/balance. Hopefully a better winter driving experience than last

[John Slavin]

I'm running a set of Continental WinterContact TS800s on my Shitroen Saxo, and though at 185/55 R14 they are obviously far too small for an Omega, the difference they make in cold/wet is fantastic and I can't recommend them enough.  Anyone considering winter tyres that remains unsure, go for it. Especially with RWD!

[jerry]

just as a sort of PS, have been advised that , whilst easier to change, the best way is to actually fit/refit tyres rather than have your winter ones kept on cheaper steelies as tyres are better stored on their own and not left inflated on rims. By the way, for anyone not convinced about better safety aspects of winter tyres over all season , check out some of test videos on you tube such as tirerack.com