 Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Even if you intend to replace them, don't bin them.
With 4 mm of tread left, you could use them in the summer as ordinary tyres, or get them on ebay.
Why waste all that legal tread.
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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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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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oh i know Micheldever well, they do the 4-wheel alignment on my old Quattro.
Spoke with them today, they are having massive problems sourcing any winter tyres as the stock is being diverted to countries who stipulate winter rubber for the cold months.
The inner wear is party down to probably driving the a6 like my s2 with winter tyres in warmer weather LOL, one day I'll behave!
I'm just concerned for outright grip without having to resort to chains in marginal conditions really, i'd not 'bin' so to speak, more likely list them on ebay or use them till they are down to 1.6mm min tread.
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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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Out of interest what size are they? I'm after some for my mondeo, 225/40/18's but they are so expensive so if you are after some new ones I would be interested in buying your old ones.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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skinutter, Oh, I must have been lucky, although they were in stock they reserved them for me as I couldn't get there for a couple of weeks to have them put on.
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no sorry Ricky, they are 205/55/16's - i have the 18's on my S2 and yep, normal rubber is pretty expensive but winters must be a nightmare. Have seen a couple of winter tyres on ebay in that size, might be worth a look?
I'd also suggest looking to see if you can drop a size too, say 225/45/17 as that would be a bit cheaper to shod in winter rubber, however you'll need to a) find a set of rims in that size/stud/et and b) ensure they clear your brakes.
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skinutter, Are they fitted to a Quattro?, and is the wear the same all round?, or is it just the fronts on a FWD which you could swap with the rears?.
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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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no unfortunately these are on a front wheel drive A6 estate. All four have some wear on the inner edge and the best two are on the driven wheels currently for obvious reasons
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| Quote: |
the best two are on the driven wheels currently for obvious reasons
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I thought it was obvious, and last winter mine were too, but some erudite discussion on snowheads recently suggested that the best tyres should be on the rear wheels (on a front wheel drive car).
I'll be getting mine put on in the next couple of days so would be interested in a re-run of that discussion.
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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,
| Quote: |
I thought it was obvious, and last winter mine were too, but some erudite discussion on snowheads recently suggested that the best tyres should be on the rear wheels (on a front wheel drive car).
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Having the best tyres on the front driven wheels will give best traction to propel the car forward, however lack of forward propulsion is not what causes you to crash. Crashes are caused by losing traction cornering or braking. If the rear tyres have less grip they will break out first causing oversteer, or even the rear overtaking the front. This is much harder to control than the progressive understeer where the fronts lose grip and much more likely to cause a crash. This effect is also to be expected when using chains on the front only, one of the reasons to only drive very slowly with chains on.
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Best tyres on rear (+3)
PS Do you really mean snow tyres or winter tyres as here in Europe they are not the same thing?
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You know it makes sense.
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well winters...snowflake marked/M&S etc
Did a bit of homework last night and there are a couple of good youtube clips of the effect on grip with less rear end bite...learn something new each day as they say 
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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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I have just ordered snow tyres for our X5. Despite being 4 wheel drive BMW's are awful in the snow so hence our decision. Ironic that we only intend to drive for one of our 4 trips this season (we usually drive every trip an last year spent the whole season in France - could have done with them then) but we still think it will be good to preseve the life of the existing tyres so seems to make sense.
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Poster: A snowHead
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..think that extends to ANY suv with wide summer rubber to be honest. I drove a Lincoln Navigator in Canada one year (makes a Range Rover look like a compact LOL) and that was lairy to say the least....having said that was great for lazy 4-wheel drifts 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Mouth, With winter tyres on an X5 you might make it to the bottom of the hill.
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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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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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skinutter, it'd buy you a half decent Defender that you could leave parked up at the bottom of the hill.
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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 just fitted Wintrak 4 Extremes to my X5. 255/55/R18. 4 tyres = 490 GBP delivered to Staffordshire from Tyremen (see link above). Mobile fitter 62 GBP (Replace tyres on spare set of rims and switch wide summer tyre rims for narrower winter tyre rims.)
An added bonus is the X5 no longer tries to wander all over the place on the bumpy lanes around here.
We shall see if I can get the X5 out of the garage in Tignes after a snowfall without fitting chains! (Had a 50/50 success rate with the 316 Estate shod with Avon Winter tyres).
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| Quote: |
Dare we ask for a ballpark on 4 x tyres for an X5...
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Set of OEM 18" alloys off ebay = 650 + Wintrac 4 extremes = 490 + fitting £40 = £1180. Not cheap but the "normal" summer tyres are at least £180 each.
Now the question is would I rather do a 1000 mile round trip with wife and 3 kids in an X5 or a Defender?
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Using brakes on snow is always a bad combination and driving slowly as RobinS, suggests isn't a bad strategy - at lest down hill and on bends!
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Last year was the first time I ever used the hill descent control button. It's basically a super slow cruise control which allows the car to creep down a hill without any braking or acceleration input, leaving you free to clench your b*ttocks and maintain a death grip on the steering 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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| jonno wrote: |
| I just fitted Wintrak 4 Extremes to my X5. 255/55/R18. . |
Lucky you've got that size, which is also standard fit for Discovery 2, it's about the cheapest big 4x4 size available. X5's with drug dealer size wheels, the tyres are stupid expensive and rubbish in adverse conditions.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| sbirring wrote: |
Last year was the first time I ever used the hill descent control button. |
Technology BMW robbed from Land Rover, which have since developed it further so it's speed control can be varied depending on which gear is selected.
HDC works fine as long as there's traction to be had, if you're sliding, you're sliding, straight to the scene of the accident.
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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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I need some cheap 225/40/18's if anyone has any they are planning on selling.
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| Ricklovesthepowder wrote: |
| I need some cheap 225/40/18's if anyone has any they are planning on selling. |
FWIW parn worn winter tyres are a false economy as their "magic" properties disappear with age, and by about 3mm they're almost done with any sort of snow performance.
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You know it makes sense.
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my new mitchelin alpin tyres are working well on the roads around newcastle and county durham today
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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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| jon- wrote: |
| Ricklovesthepowder wrote: |
| I need some cheap 225/40/18's if anyone has any they are planning on selling. |
FWIW parn worn winter tyres are a false economy as their "magic" properties disappear with age, and by about 3mm they're almost done with any sort of snow performance. |
Under 4mm (radial, Diagonal = min. 5mm) they are no longer considered legal winter tyres in Austria but people often run them down in the summer.
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Poster: A snowHead
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so to close this thread out, a car four up with two kids decided it...4 new tyres on order from mytyres.co.uk
Prices fluctuating all over the place on that site but i eventually settled on a set of Falken HS-439's, £346.00 fitted. The Nokian WR G2's i really wanted went from £71 to over £100 in the course of 3 days...wierd
I shall look forward to getting them on the car in the next week or so 
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FAQ
) which is a straight, flat line is ok, but downhill and bends I'm often passed by cars who seem to get stuck on the side when they reach bends/corners. I carry two shovels and have used them a few times to dig myself out of parking plots, and just once on a bend when a little slippage at walking pace left me without traction 