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[feeutfo]

here are the tires I use;

this one, for miggy without studs (ice type)



this one for clit


and this for passing snowy mountains..


but the last one I never find chance to use.. :-/
even when passing the mountains (last year)

What size do you fit to the omega Cem? As Andy says, do we need steels to accept a smaller sizes or do winter tires come in sizes approaching 235 45 17? Or is that size too big for that application?

[Bojan]

there are winter tires in 235/45 r17 dimension, but they are quite expensive (around 200€ a piece).
also, you have to pay a fitment of tires on rims every time you go from winter set to summer one and vice-versa...

[aaronjb]

Camskill do a large range of winter tyres, but yes.. 235/45R17 are expensive at £130 a pop: http://www.camskill.co.uk/products.php?plid=m11b0s639p5853

(All sizes available: http://www.camskill.co.uk/products.php?plid=m11b0s0p0 )

[Pipsqueak]

Now this is the part where it all gets stupid.

I would be tempted to get 4 spare wheels and run the spare wheel size of 195/65/15 I believe they are (I stand corrected if I am wrong)

But what happens regards insurance if you have a bump with standard tyres on versus having a set of snow tyres or even chains fitted.  As neither of these are factory standard supply.

[Sixstring]

I do have a set of steels in the garage for really bad weather with 15" chunky tread on them, but didn't have to use them much here last year. Did use them in the snow once, and it did make a shed load of difference.

trouble was.......looked crap, and made a load of road noise when it was dry, but compromises have to be made, and i do live near a large forest..................

[cem_devecioglu]

You think it's bad driving a car as heavy (and long wheelbase) as the Omega - I was driving the MR2 home the night of the heavy snowfall in Feb (I moved house in the heavy snowfall of December  ) .. by the time I'd made it from Epsom to Bracknell you could no longer see the road - I got stuck 100yds from my house as I turned a corner from 'slightly driven on' snow to 'virgin snow' and the front end sank in to it like a snowplough  But by heck was it hard getting up the hilly bits to my road; short wheelbase RWD cars like to swap ends fast!

Fortunately two passers by came and dug me out of the drift and we managed to 'dig' the car to my driveway.. where it remained for nearly three weeks before I could get it out again 

That night was bad, day workers left at 5 and came back to work again by 7, slough was totally grid locked, my boss left slough at 4, early enough to gat half way up the m4 and sit for 5 hours in traffic turn round back to slough and get the train to Bracknell.

I thought stuff that and worked two shifts back to back and drove home at 6am in relatively calm conditions. Must have been 50 lorries parked on the m4 and three times that many cars along the back roads, bedlam.

Car was skipping around all over the place though, and the abs is shite in ice and snow.

But these conditions are exceptional in the uk in recent years, as said, if we only get rain this year we will be waisting our time and money surely? Or not?

nope .. winter tires are more grippy and much much better on a rainy wet surface then the summer tires..
(remember their compound are designed to be soft on low temperatures..)

and I can say the same even on dry..

but the drawback is/are

1 - you will consume more fuel
2-  your acceleration will get worse..
3- your tire life will shorten..

1 - Potentially, yes. But my experience is you spend more time sitting around going no where in winter conditions so fuel consumption always hurts

2 - How / Why? Assuming the rolling radius is the same, the tyre weights are the same and there's no slip, I can't see why that would be the case.

reason is rolling resistance of winter tires are higher..

3 - It's nice to look at the tread life a different way. Unless you're doing epic miles winter tyres will last a good 2-3 seaons, and that's 2 or 3 winters you're not eating your expensive summer tyres or corroding your favourite alloys

I generally use them minimum 4 seasons..


This winter tyre buying guide has led me to really want to try those Contis, I hope we get some snow this year so I can really test them out 

[cem_devecioglu]

Hmmm, saving summer tyres is at the back of my mind, sport stars with sc3's add up to pretty penny.


Also re snow chains, I don't know about where you live, but round here when it snows there is nowhere, and I mean nowhere to stop and fit or remove them without causing a tale back. Clear roads are in constant use, and uncleared roads risk trapping the car without chains. On the face of it they don't seem practical in urban areas....?

changing to chains back and forth is tedious .. if you dont change when on clear surfaces they damage the suspension system and joints..

so I always prefer winter tires or if its critical, use studded tires (even thats much better for vibration and shaking even with new studs I had them before and tested )

and I hate changing to chains when its -10 outside..

[cem_devecioglu]

here are the tires I use;

this one, for miggy without studs (ice type)



this one for clit


and this for passing snowy mountains..


but the last one I never find chance to use.. :-/
even when passing the mountains (last year)

What size do you fit to the omega Cem? As Andy says, do we need steels to accept a smaller sizes or do winter tires come in sizes approaching 235 45 17? Or is that size too big for that application?

I'm using 195/65/15 on different alloys (originals -meaning I use 2 different sets ready on alloys because changing tires in every season damages the alloys) ready to use  and well pleased with them..

of course you can use 235 size and you can find them but they are a fortune here (approx 180-190£ each  for that size-here).. And imo not necessary when cheapo 195 or 205 can do the job..


ps: tire shops do advice 195-205 mostly for winter..

[cem_devecioglu]

I do have a set of steels in the garage for really bad weather with 15" chunky tread on them, but didn't have to use them much here last year. Did use them in the snow once, and it did make a shed load of difference.


trouble was.......looked crap, and made a load of road noise when it was dry, but compromises have to be made, and i do live near a large forest..................

yes winter tires are winter tires they do make difference..

not an ad but honestly goodyear and bridgestone doesnt make any road noise when you are on dry..
(if you are not using them at 35-40 celcius of course )

and definitely stay away from micheline alpines.. they do skate..

In my job generally I buy tires for friends .. we have all sorts..

but I only hear from friends thay didint like the performance of micheline alpines but that was not my advice

[cem_devecioglu]

Now this is the part where it all gets stupid.

I would be tempted to get 4 spare wheels and run the spare wheel size of 195/65/15 I believe they are (I stand corrected if I am wrong)

But what happens regards insurance if you have a bump with standard tyres on versus having a set of snow tyres or even chains fitted.  As neither of these are factory standard supply.

as far as I know insurances (also here) cant have any claims as winter tires or chains are accepted as extra safety for cars :-/

[Bojan]

Now this is the part where it all gets stupid.

I would be tempted to get 4 spare wheels and run the spare wheel size of 195/65/15 I believe they are (I stand corrected if I am wrong)

But what happens regards insurance if you have a bump with standard tyres on versus having a set of snow tyres or even chains fitted.  As neither of these are factory standard supply.

don't know about the uk, but over here, when we have winter tires in dimension different from those that is written in registration papers, we go to the MOT station, where they write it in as an additional dimension...

ps. 195/65 r15 m+s was available as an option tire for opel omega.