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Winter wheels and tyres - an independent opinion

Posted by Roy Sinclair on 30 December 2014 at 3:25pm

Living, as I have for the last few years, high on a mountainside in North Wales, I recently sold my rear-wheel-drive saloon and replaced it with a 4x4 compact SUV so that I wouldn't be stranded every time it snowed. However, my neighbours insisted that good winter tyres were more important to mobility and safety over the colder months, than four-wheel-drive alone. Thus began my quest to determine the best and most cost-effective way to go about running two sets of tyres each year.

Why use winter tyres?

The standard UK road tyre fitted to most cars is designed for optimal performance in European summer temperatures. Conversely, the compound of a winter tyre has a high silica content so that it stays flexible in cold or freezing temperatures, and a tread pattern specifically designed for optimum braking performance and traction on snow, ice, and in heavy rain. Because of the softer compound, winter tyres generally offer better grip in any conditions once the temperature drops below 7°C. At freezing temperatures, summer tyres become so ineffective that winter tyres are compulsory in many countries, including Germany. These three web pages explain why winter tyres are a good idea:

1. Which?
2. The AA
3. The Telegraph

Having bitten the bullet and splashed out on winter wheels and tyres, I can report that the difference in traction is staggeringly obvious the first time you venture out in the rain on greasy roads. I still tighten up my grip on the wheel every time I see standing water in the road, ready for the inevitable aquaplaning, but I don't need to anymore as my winter tyres just cut through the water without a moment's loss of grip. And as for snow and ice, well, these are just no longer an issue. I took a single-track mountain pass across the top of LLantysilio Mountain yesterday, in three inches (average) of snow that had drifted in the mountain-top winds. Granted, I have a good four-wheel-drive hatchback, but the tyres just pushed on with barely a slip through virgin snow and slush alike, up and down gradients steeper than 20° (40%). I cannot emphasise enough just how good winter tyres are in the rain, snow and ice. They are literally life-savers.

Winter tyres cost a little more than summer tyres (about 10% on average, like-for-like), but when you are wearing these down on the road, you are not using your summer tyres. So, apart from finding the up-front funds, the year-to-year cost of running two sets of tyres is unlikely to be very different to running one set, plus you should be able to get something back for the remaining tread on the winter tyres when you sell the vehicle.

Which winter tyres should I buy?

The ideal winter tyre design is a compromise of grip in the wet, snow and ice, road-noise, longevity/wear and fuel economy. I researched dozens of reviews and articles during Autumn 2014, and one particular winter tyre was consistently cited for its all-round excellent balance of the various properties mentioned. That tyre was the ContiWinterContact TS 830 P, so when my car dealer explained that they only supplied that particular tyre for my car (if I wanted to buy from them), I was delighted.

I followed my car dealer's recommendation of fitting slightly thinner tyres with a larger profile on smaller rims, and have noticed no loss of handling during hard cornering, just a slight increase in road noise and comfort. Apparently the thinner tyres cut through standing water and snow better than thicker ones, and the taller profile sidewalls offer greater protection to the rims and suspension when one hits those pesky potholes that hide beneath innocent looking puddles and snow drifts. I did, of course, stay within the manufacturer's recommended range of rim and tyre combinations for my particular car model, as vehicle dynamics is far too complicated a subject these days to want to take any chances.

For completeness it should be noted that the ContiWinterContact TS 830 P is being replaced in 2015/16 by the WinterContact TS 850 P, which is reportedly an even better all-round winter tyre for high performance cars. If anyone from Continental is reading this blog, feel free to send me a set for testing ;)

Should I buy winter wheels (rims) as well as tyres?

This was another issue that involved a lot of research. Basically, you have two options: (1) buy a second set of rims, or (2) change the tyres on your standard rims twice a year.

Paying someone to change the tyres is the easiest way to go, but is it the most cost-effective? Let's look at the sums. Kwik-Fit charge £13 per wheel (including valves and balancing) to swap your tyres, which is £104 per year for a set of four. They will also store the tyres you are not using, for £18.50 per tyre per season, which is £148 per year. So, if you keep your car for five years, you will have spent £1,260 plus the cost of the tyres. You will not be able to fit thinner or higher profile tyres, because to do so requires different sized rims. Also, your lovely summer alloys will have to endure the harsh rigours of the UK roads in the winter.

Alternatively, you could buy a set of rims sized to match whatever specification of tyre you feel is best for the winter. If you don't much care for how they look, steel rims can be bought new for as little as £55 each, depending on size. Alternatively, alloy wheels cost about £200 each for a half-decent design. I bought smart, German, 17" alloy wheels with fitted ContiWinterContact tyres, balanced, with wireless pressure sensors fitted, from my car dealer for £1,300 including VAT, which is £325 per wheel and tyre, or £200 per rim - not bad!

To make it easier to change the wheels twice a year, and after more exhaustive research, I bought a very highly regarded Clarke CTJ2250LP trolly-jack, and an equally well reviewed Clarke CHT141 torque wrench from Machine Mart for just £72 the pair, which is everything one needs as the jack comes with sockets and a handle that can be used as a wrench. This makes jacking the car up so much easier than using the emergency jack that comes with some cars. I already had a set of axle stands, which are essential if you want to be safe while changing wheels. A good set can be bought for as little as £20.

So, that's £872 for four nice alloy rims and the tools to change the wheels over, which is £388 cheaper than asking Kwik-Fit to change and store your tyres over a five-year period. Also, if yours is a modern car with no spare wheel, having four spare wheels and tyres ready to go at all times means that if you wake to a flat tyre one morning, you have a spare ready to use while you get the other one fixed. It also means that if you're planning a journey with a high risk of tyre damage, you can always carry a spare in the boot for the duration.

You can save money with Option 2 by only asking Kwik-Fit to change your tyres (at a cost of £520 over five years, plus the cost of the tyres) then store them yourself, or with Option 1 you could buy cheap steel wheels and budget tyres (probably for about £520 all-in), and use an emergency jack and brace. You don't have to spend £1,372 as I did, but that seemed like an excellent deal to me, plus my car looks good all year round, and I will be as safe as I can be with the best size and brand of tyres.

I purchased my Winter tyres in 2010 just before the winter started, and if you remember 2010? it was a ‘good un’. Just the thing to test out my new tyres. I have a four wheel drive Insignia V6 2.8 twin turbo. Now I know what you are thinking, ‘If I have a FWD car, why do I need, winter tyres?’. Well I just hate driving in the snow. I just have thoughts of not being able to go where I want to, when I want to. Not to mention getting stuck and having to abandon the car somewhere. I would rather pay the money for complete freedom, peace of mind, and above all else, safety.

So some things to remember:

Buy, not only the winter tyres, but a spare set of rims as well. Alloy’s if you have a performance car like mine, or just steel set will do, and be a lot cheaper.

Only purchase winter tyres in sets of four, never ever only two, or you might find the back of the car coming to join the front when you have to break!

Only run the winter tyres when the temperature drops down below 7 degrees C. That normally means putting them on the car at the beginning of November and swapping them back at the end of March. I do it myself using a trolley jack, about 40mins or so.

I purchased a set of Vredestein Wintrac Xtremes, and a new set of alloy rims. Total cost about £750 in 2010. Its now approaching the winter of 2015, admittedly my car has only done 28K miles, but both the original winter tyres and the original 2009 tyres are still in use today.

One other thing to consider, don’t just replace your new winter tyres and rims with ones of the same size. My original tyres were 245/45 18 but my new winter tyres were 215/55 17. By putting smaller wheels on the car, I can fit narrower tyres, not so good for high speed cornering, but much better for the grip in the snow.

Also don’t forget the speed rating of the tyres. My originals tyres were W which is 168Mph, my winter tyres are V or 149mph. You can legally fit a lower speed rated tyre but its no use doing that and then on a dry day forgetting, and exceeding that rating on a motorway. Your life could be ended more quickly that you think!

So what about storage? Well as I said, I swap and store my wheels twice a year. But if you cant that yourself, which is by far the best way of doing it. Have a look at the ‘Tyre Hotel’ from Kwik Fit. They advertise a storage and swap service.

 

Now below is some information that I found today from a guy called Roy Sinclair and it pretty much echo's my own findings and thoughts.

When you have finished reading click of Videos in the top right. The first 8 are tests videos which show what winter tyres are all about. Video 9, and 10 are serious shocking and I would not like to be in the US when that took place. 13 to 18, I just like looking at, especially knowing that I have winter tyres on my car.