 Poster: A snowHead
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No missing apostrophes
Just done a 90minute wheel swop of summer tyres for winter tyres.
Britool torque wrench
Breaker bar
Chocks
17mm socket
Copaslip (for raised lip around bearing on hub, not on wheel bolts)
VW/Skoda jack
Large baulk of timber for under jack
Fed up that a garage in local town charged me 103.00 gbp for installing two new tyres - I asked how much it would be and they said 'we charge 103 per hour' - OK fine said I, knowing that it takes about 20 mins to fit and balance two tyres on bare rims. When the bill was 103 on pick up I was less than happy and made that clear - manager said 'we told you it would be 103'. Oh no you didn't. Last time I use them.
Anyway....for reference...rears now at 6.5 - six journeys to Alps and back. Good for one more season I think.
Fronts at 7.0 - three journeys to Alps and back. Will go on back when down to 6.5 and rears are down to 5.5ish.
Previous set was Conti Winter Contact. Excellent.
Much grip in fresh and chossy ice and snow.
This current set Dunlop WinterSport. Also excellent.
Great throughout mixed conditions during season. Bit floppy on way back at 24deg C. So cornered with stealth rather than panache.
Did we need them for the recent Easter trip. Hell yeah.
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Thu 16-04-26 18:36; edited 1 time in total
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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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Did I read that right, £103 labour only to swap two tyres?! I've never heard of a garage that doesn't give a flat charge per tyre, that's crazy.
Good on you for getting stuck in, I've been running seperate wheel/tyre sets for years and always do my own swaps.
Nice to be back on pilot super sports now it's warming up 
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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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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Depends where you are, of course, but I'd be waiting until the end of the month - snow up here at 1350m is still quite possible this late in the year. I won't be doing my late wife's Audi TT until after the EOSB - the landie stays on chunky winters all year round, I only need to put the original steel wheels and rock-hard old tyres back on for its periodic "Expertise", once every four or five years on average, cos the alloys are apparently 5mm too wide for the Swiss rules.
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I just paid £78 to have 4 x Cross Climates taken off the wheels and 4 x original tyres that still had loads of tread on them put on, balanced etc. I'll swap back to the all seasons next winter by which time I've probably worn the original ones out.
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@luigi, ...good points...
AI said
"Swap" is the standard, globally accepted spelling for exchanging items, while "swop" is a less common, primarily British variant. Both mean the same thing, but "swap" is preferred for general use. "Swop" is sometimes considered informal or old-fashioned, although it is still valid in British English.
Phew. But you are right. Arcane.
Then spelling of proprietary copper-based anti-seize....
AI said
Copaslip™ is a high-performance, copper-based anti-seize compound that protects metal parts from corrosion, galling, and seizure, even under extreme temperatures up to +1100^{\circ}C. It ensures easy disassembly of fasteners and components, making it ideal for high-stress applications like brakes, exhaust systems, and spark plug threads.
Oh b""""er - you are completely right - only one 'p'.
Duly edited.
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I’ve had garages refusing to swap tyres saying they will only fit tyres they have sold. Though I’ve fitted my own motorcycle tyres in the past just breaking the bead of a car tyre is almost impossible without specialist equipment ever mind the compressor to pump it up and balancing the wheel.
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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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My winters are on different sized rims, so 2 fill sets. My local garage swaps them for £30 folding and does a ‘health check’ (aka a quick shufty) at the discs, pads etc.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Just changed mine tonight. It’s the only way to make it snow again 
I noticed that my steel wheels are lighter than the alloys. I thought the whole point of alloy wheels was that they are supposed to be lighter? Perhaps it’s just about appearance?
I’ve also noticed that my alloy wheels and summer tyres feel more harsh over rough road surfaces. I wonder if steel wheels and winter tyres are a softer, less brittle ride for pot holed roads ?
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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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@Peter S, It obviously depends on the specific tyre and wheel, but several factors may be at work.
It's quite common, indeed IME universal, for relatively high-end cars to have larger rims and low-profile tyres for summer use, smaller, sometimes narrower as well as smaller diameter, rims with higher-profile tyres for the winters. In addition, the summer tyres probably have a higher speed rating and the rims themselves are designed to cope with much higher forces at high speeds.
So both the alloy rims, bigger and stronger, and the tyres themselves, with a lot more strengthening in internal belts and sidewalls, are very likely to be heavier.
In theory a performance alloy rim would be lighter than an equally-rated steel wheel, but in practice steel rims are not made to that sort of specification.
Harsh ride? Well yes, low-profile, high speed-rated tyres are built for performance, not comfort. The winters will be softer all round, including by virtue of the actual rubber itself and the hiher profile, so it's not at all surprising.
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15chf per tyre including offseason storage from a farmer in deepest Kanton Zürich
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You know it makes sense.
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Had my wheel set swapped (winter to summer) by my local tyre place FOC at easter ... mind you they had to take the two nearside winters off due to punctures in both, so minutes extra to do the others.
Having said that, they've never charged me to do the swap either way, if i ask them to do it. They always say, "you buy your tyres here..." (shhh, i don't always).
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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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@Chaletbeauroc, Yes that makes sense. It’s just a diesel golf so not at all sporty. Given the number of potholes it almost makes sense just to keep the winter wheels on or else buy some new steel wheels and cheap tyres for £100 a corner.
They should resist damage more effectively and it wouldn’t matter as much if one gets destroyed.
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Poster: A snowHead
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@Peter S, …I agree that higher profile winters on steels are better over potholes…but remember that modern winter compounds are very soft. Above 10deg c the wear rate increases A LOT. And at 20gbp c they get VERY squirrely. The sidewalls just don’t support well at those temps. I tiptoe back at Easter, taking it easy on long motorway curves, and change them the week I get back. That way they last about three seasons (nine-12 trips out and back) whereas I know of people who keep them on all year but wear them to 5mm very quickly.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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my local place charges £48 to swap all four tyres. I use the same alloys for winter and summer... Im sure you would be able to find a local tyre shop cheaper ??
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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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| Quote: |
I noticed that my steel wheels are lighter than the alloys. I thought the whole point of alloy wheels was that they are supposed to be lighter? Perhaps it’s just about appearance?
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Yes, a little slight of hand in reality.
Steel is kg for kg much stronger than most aluminium alloy used in general casting of products. Meaning that for the same strength the "alloy" has to contain more material and accompanying weight to match it.
Original high performance "alloy" wheels from racing etc were Magnesium mix which makes them considerably lighter, but not usually in most general production wheels. They Originally had "Mag" alloy as abbreviation, or just Mag-wheel for short. Also named light alloy generally, most of which doesn't apply now.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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My back street guy changes 4 for £40 a time. Been the same for about 5 years! He also sources my winters when I need them. He's an all round good egg.
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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've got an MOT due so will chuck the summer allos/tyres in the back and get both done together by my local VW/Audi independent. About £30 quid for the swap.
Will get it serviced in October and swap back to winters.
I've had enough of scrabbling around with a dodgy scissor jack.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@DJL, My MOT is now a bit late for that unfortunately - but this time he announced that the brakes and discs are **Yorkshire Expletive**. So it will be an expensive MOT in 6 weeks. Spookily a VAG independent.
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@chocksaway Have the MOT done earlier and you can get it done this way each year! I know it means wasting some of the old one but it’s about £4 a month. Even a Yorkshire man can afford that!
@DJL if you have space to store winters the you’ve space for a cheap hydraulic jack. Lidl do them from time to time for about £20. You’d be amazed how often I use mine to rescue people who have a flat tyre outside my door and have broken/lost their jack.
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We can't change ours until 15th May. €40 usually and about an hour.
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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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The Porsche community I follow will often source an old set of alloys, smaller and in need of refurb, for perhaps £300, and keep winters on them, so the bi-annual swap can be done at home. Keeps pretty summers away from road salt and icy slides. For space, not much difference in storing wheels or tyres only.
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I pay the equivalent of about £100 each changeover for changing and storing the tyres. They also clean and balance the wheels each time. I could do it myself but for £100 a time I really can't be bothered.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| James the Last wrote: |
| @DJL if you have space to store winters the you’ve space for a cheap hydraulic jack. Lidl do them from time to time for about £20. You’d be amazed how often I use mine to rescue people who have a flat tyre outside my door and have broken/lost their jack. |
I’ve got a cheap hydraulic jack, didn’t have enough lift to get the wheel off the ground!
Whatever, after 20 years of swapping twice a year myself I’m now prepared to pay £30 to avoid the hassle (and I’m a Yorkshireman  ).
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FAQ
