 Poster: A snowHead
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JUST BUY SOME BLEEDIN' WINTER TYRES. 4 OF 'EM. You know, one in each corner, of the same make. Chains? Oh great, b*llock freezing with road grime up past your elbows.
I feel better now.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| Boris wrote: |
There is no doubt that insurance companies, many garages and the Kwick Fits of this world have no idea about winter tyres |
I recently had to replace one tyre, due to a puncture (right on teh corner so not repairable), and found that ordering an paying online with Kwik-Fit turned out to be the cheapest for the tyre I wanted.
I was quite surprised then to be asked by them if I wanted to be notified when they had winter tyres available. So they at least know what they are 
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Bode Swiller, had a bad day?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Bode Swiller,
well said!!
Got 4x M+S ( +snowflake in mountain) Hankook optimo 4S put on a few days ago & am well pleased; bring on the snow.
Mitch
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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achilles, no, very good one actually and thanks for caring. Just can't believe the faffing about here. The OP appears to have a place in the alps (so a few hundred quid really shouldn't be a consideration). He drives to and from a number of times and he already has two winter tyres catered for (oh, yippee dippy). So, what's better, accept the rear end overtaking the front end danger, look forward to clanking about at 13mph with chains and all the on/off in the cold malarkey or (shock horror) give the moths an airing and BUY a couple of tyres. Most likely the chains will only ever come out to show Monsieur Plod. Some are predicting another hard winter in the UK so I for one prefer tootling about knowing I have best grip I can hope for.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Winter tyres cost nothing in the long run bar the cost of swapping them on and off, which for me is about £50. You are just running 8 tyres in rotation rather than 4.
Not having them you have a high risk of damaging both your car and yourself.
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Ditto Bode Swiller, and jbob, -
ours will go on here in the UK in November some time and come off, after three trips to the Alps, when the car gets back in April. No problems at all with wear and tear as the just prolong the life of the ordinary tyres. The set of winters for the last car were sold on e bay, along with steel rims, on e bay.
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| stanton wrote: |
| Dont forget in country's where winter tyres are compulsory (Germany this winter) . You will need 5 tyres , 4 plus 1 spare !! |
Another reason to go for 4 tyres that are the same rather than different tyres front and back.
On the UK insurance issue of using "non-standard" wheels / tyres - here in Austria the tyres and wheels you are allowed to use are documented in the cars paperwork. As winter tyres make it safer in winter conditions, UK insurance companies demanding more for winter tyres is crazy - the reverse is true over here people without winter tyres in winter conditions have insurance problems. Probably best to find out what tyre / wheel dimensions are permitted in the Alps and use them. The car manufacturer should be able to confirm sizes by speaking to their European colleagues.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Bode Swiller, Couldn't agree more, just to slide off the road and smash a headlight on a modern car now will set you back about the same price as a set of winter tyres, it's a no brainer. Just don't run into me when in Switzerland or Austria, because if you don't have the correct tyres I'll sue you.
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It's no wonder resorts are looking at turning themselves into disney land if punters go into some kind of apoplectic frenzy at the thought of having to fit a pair of snowchains.  Diddums.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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A slight exaggeration?
If you enjoy the masochistic on/off relationship with chains, grime, freezing dark nights and lumpy progress then great. I'll happily be the bloke in the warm car hooning up the road without needing to stop. Actually I might stop and offer some helpful advice 
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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| pam w wrote: |
| It's no wonder resorts are looking at turning themselves into disney land if punters go into some kind of apoplectic frenzy at the thought of having to fit a pair of snowchains. Diddums. |
Quite. Is this where I can say that I feel safer with chains on rather than winter tyres particularly when driving on an ich or more of fresh/falling snow.
Winter tyres are great when the tarmac is still visible but a good layer of snow needs chains imho.
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Bode Swiller, don't worry, you won't need to stop. I have 4 snow tyres and on the rare occasions I need chains as well it takes me approximately one minute per wheel to put them on. Masochism doesn't come into it, though I confess there is a part of me that enjoys doing it because it means it's stonking down. 
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You know it makes sense.
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| Quote: |
you won't need to stop
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pam w, pointing and laughing is not so effective on the move though.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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It depends on the car as well - on my car last year (a heavy rear wheel drive), it wouldn't move on summer tyres in the snow, with four winter tyres it would move OK but was still slippery at times and didn't like to climb anything more than the most gentle slopes, so snow chains were a necessity to have as well, 'just in case'.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Boredsurfing, You could always press that button on your dash "Call Land Rover"
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Spyderman, Come December I'll have to get the book out again to remind myself which button does what, it's difficult to remember when I have never needed to press any of them.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Never mix the two types. Mytyres is an efficient German firm that will ship to you, but do not buy a £50 budget tyre; I believe that they are the only place that you can now order winter tyres from , as all UK suppliers are sold out.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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cstreat, as I posted above, camskill tyres expect their vredesteins to be in end october/early November. I got them at a v good price last year (cheaper than quoted above for mytyres ) but they seem to be getting more expensive generally.
I'm not sure whether I need any new ones or not - must measure the tread on the Michelins when I get home
One of the only times I put chains on top of the snow tyres the year before last was when I had to tow a Cayenne out of a snowdrift; the tyres alone didn't have enough traction for the great lump of a thing. 
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Rocksteadee, I like you.
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| Spyderman wrote: |
| Rocksteadee, I like you. |
LOL.......jus stating the obvious LOL
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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| cstreat wrote: |
| Never mix the two types. Mytyres is an efficient German firm that will ship to you, but do not buy a £50 budget tyre; I believe that they are the only place that you can now order winter tyres from , as all UK suppliers are sold out. |
That is, they are all "sold out" from last winter.
They (quite reasonably) don't get stock in for the winter until late October or November, since the temperatures ni the UK are not consistently low enough to justify them for another few weeks yet.
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Boris, I contacted my insurance company as per your advice , here is the response
'Thank you for contacting us regarding your motor policy and my apologies to you for the delay in responding.
I would like to advise that you may change your wheels to the steel and winter tyres without having to inform Aviva.
I hope this helps but if you need any further information please do not hesitate to contact us again.
Yours sincerely, '
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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BergenBergen, Common sense at last, after all it shows that you have a respect for safety.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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thefatcontroller, I got my price from them then went to my local Vredestein dealer and said "match that" and he chose to slightly beat it. My mate tried the same thing and his dealer wouldn't match so he ended up buying from Camskill and then paid the same dealer to fit.
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You know it makes sense.
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Bode Swiller, Same as me I buy from Camskill. My local garage can't match t'internet prices, so I buy them and they fit.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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BergenBergen, good to hear - the nodding dog at Churchill said "ohhh nooo'
Needless to say I am no longer with them - haven't asked anyone else as have now got the tyres which I swap over
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Poster: A snowHead
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BMW have a display stand in the Snowcentre Hemel promoting the use of their approved range of Winter Tyres (Continental Wintercontact). The times they are a changing.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Spyderman, It is amazing it isn't highlighted more by the insurance companies. Go past any accident repair centre after some snowfall and there are queues out the doors from owners who have pranged their cars driving in conditions that Winter tyres would more than happily cope with.
I wonder how much insurance companies pay out in claims for perfectly avoidable Winter accidents?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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thefatcontroller, Let's lobby them for a discount for being safer. 
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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I'm going to get some winter tyres for my 2008 Passat - need some new ones anyway. I was looking at getting them supplied on steel wheels by Mytyres. The car's original alloys are shod with 235/45 R17s but the replacement steel ones the Mytyres website suggest for this model are 205/55 R16 or 215/55 R16 - I appreciate the theory that the overall diameter will be the same and that narrow tyres are better in snow but has anyone out there taken this route - I don't want to make an expensive mistake! Interestingly it seems pretty much cost neutral in terms of larger tyres for the original alloys or the steel wheel combos.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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| gvj wrote: |
| I'm going to get some winter tyres for my 2008 Passat - need some new ones anyway. I was looking at getting them supplied on steel wheels by Mytyres. The car's original alloys are shod with 235/45 R17s but the replacement steel ones the Mytyres website suggest for this model are 205/55 R16 or 215/55 R16 - I appreciate the theory that the overall diameter will be the same and that narrow tyres are better in snow but has anyone out there taken this route - I don't want to make an expensive mistake! Interestingly it seems pretty much cost neutral in terms of larger tyres for the original alloys or the steel wheel combos. |
Go for the 215/55 R16 they are pretty much the same diameter. Handy calculator at
http://www.carbibles.com/tyre_bible_pg4.html
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gvj, Check your owners manual. I have an Audi and they have recommended wheel/tyre combos should you require to fit snow chains. Might be worth considering if you take-on the mountain. Rim offset can also be very important (if you'll excuse the expression)
My standard wheel/tyre combo is 225/50/17 but I have fitted winter tyres at 205/60/16. The less "low profile" the tyre is the cheaper they tend to be.
By the way. Surely 205/55/16 is a smaller dialmeter than 215/55/16.
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ThanksBasil
Yes, the handbook advises only fitting snowchains to tyres with R16 so they must be ok on the car.
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Surely 205/55/16 is a smaller dialmeter than 215/55/16.
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No no - the first figure refers to the how wide the tyre tread is - only the later two figures refer to diameter so the two sizes have the same diameter. How have you found the set-up?
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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gvj,
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I appreciate the theory that the overall diameter will be the same and that narrow tyres are better in snow but has anyone out there taken this route
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I'm doing the same. The current tyres are 285/45R19 on the back and 255/50/R19 on the front.
Recommended winter tyre size is 255/55R18 all round. I've managed to grab some OEM alloys off ebay and now have save up for a set of Vredstein Wintracs.
As you say the cost of thinner higher profile tyres + new wheels is nearly the same as just the tyres for the larger lower profile wheels. I'm also banking on better fuel economy on the thinner tyres.
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gvj, The 55% is the ratio of height to width, so they are not the same.
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No no - the first figure refers to the how wide the tyre tread is - only the later two figures refer to diameter so the two sizes have the same diameter.
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FAQ
Not as good as Winter Vikings mind 