All year round tyres

[MainMan]

I'm trying to work out which tyres to get for my SLK320 to use all year round. The original plan was to get winter tyres and a spare set of wheels but I'm thinking now that I might just try and get tyres that are a reasonable compromise - it's too much of an effort to keep changing wheels every year.

Having trawled the various sites the nearest compromise tyre I can find is the Uniroyal Rainsport. They seem to get a very good rating on mytyres and there's some favourable comments about them on the US web site. Also quite cheap. Has anybody used them, or can anyome recommend another contender? I was going to get F1s but I suspect they don't work in the cold.

 

[Satch]

Not a great fan of these, but they are better than summer tyres when it gets rough:


All Season Tyres: current test winners:

1 Goodyear - EAGLE VECTOR EV-2 1.75 11
2 Vredestein - QUATRAC 2 2.26 31
3 Goodyear - VECTOR 5 2.69 26
4 Goodyear - Vector 3 2.80 32
5 Dunlop - SP ALL SEASON M2 2.85 20


http://www.tyretest.com/ganzjahresreifen/index.html

 

[catgate]

I find those circular black things with funny patterns on them seem to do very well.

 

[adam1]

I have been going thru this winter tyre rigmoral for some time.

Do i need winter tyres or not....conflicting advice but i the end you really need winters for winter and summers for spring./autumn.

So if u have a second car like me.....I would put either winters on steels on these and have either Vredestain Sportrac2 or ultratrac( for Mbz)or Kumho Kh11(cheaper for the runabouts) for wet weather on the alloys.

If it snows i would not drive the Merc and just use the FWD Honda on its Kumho K11 if i got caught out and change to winter Kumho K17 or Nokians WR( the best winter tyre out there). ASAP. It is best to have either a capable second FWD car with dedicated winters(on steels) which u can just pop on in your drive. Remember most winters are T rated and some are H like the Nokian WR which is the nearest thing to what you are looking for.

Or just look for some cheap steels(scrap yard..someone upgrading a low spec car to alloys may sell and put o Kumho k17s on which the canadians love as much as the Nokian WR( an all season marketed winter tyre with a long thread life and low noise and H rated)


In the end i bought 5 Kumho K11s( a wet weather summer tire) for the Civic and new alloys and will be keeping the steels for winter time should i have some dough for another set of Kumho winters 7400( only ones available for my 14 inc steels).

 

[jimmy]

You have to ask yourself how often do you drive in the snow/ice? Unless you live in Scotland you are unlikely to see significant snowfall to warrant the compromise in normal driving/handling.

If you do live far enough north to get snow then the authorities are better able to clear the roads anyway so you dont need winter tyres.

I would just get a good set of wet tyres, after all we get more wet stuff than white stuff!!

 

[adam1]

I agree with the above. Since a good rain or wet handling tyre will be more useful in conditions experienced in England. But when the temps drop below 7c the summer tire compounds are not efficient and that is why winter tyres were developed. However recent A/s tyres have a silica based cpd which overcome this. Unfortunately A/s are not as good as winters and to get movement in snow a dedicated winter set is required. If u can change 4 tires urself(which have steel wheels and winters balanced already) then it is not a big task...or get the garage to put them on for 10 quid...changing 4 wheels won't take more than 10 mins for garages.

A better compromise is the Nokians which handle well on dry pavement as well as in winter. It is a quiet tyre with an extended tread life...developed by Nokian( specialist winter tire maker) tyres for europe weather conditions. tests by tiretest.com show 1.8 result. The K17(cheaper winter only) is also an excellent tire..with good reviews. The Nokians are expensive but can be used all year as a winter tire...the dry performance will never match a summer tire but it can withstand the summer heat whereas others will wear out quickly.


You have to make the decision is the extra outlay worth the short spell of snow. Well if it gets you home, saves ur life or someone elses then it is....you can pick winters for around 150 quid and steels for less.

 

[MainMan]

Thanks for the link Satch. I'll investigate.

The trouble with not driving in snow is that sometimes you get caught out. You go to work and it starts snowing - weather is unpredictable in this country. If you then try and drive on a high performance sports tyre like an S03 or an F1, you'll get into trouble. I've long believed that the reason this country now comes to a standstill in snow is not the lack of gritting - it's the fact that cars are supplied now with big fat sports tyres that don't work in winter. And they're supplied that way because a) they look better and b) the road testers take cars onto a track and report on their handling so the manufacturers want a good report.

BTW, those Vredestein Ultracs look like a good summer tyre.

 

[adam1]

If you do opt for winters make sure you downsize minus 1 if ur car can take the size. I narrower tyre is better for the snow. If you go for same size i would opt for V rated or at least a H rated winter tyre...their sidewall is of better construction than a T rated type.

The Ultratrac would suit ur SLK for the summer but the Nokian would be best as an A/S . check this review out on the WR by a Canadian magazine, they tend to get more snow that us Brits. They are also other articles on winter driving.

http://www.canadiandriver.com/articles/hl/nokian.htm

http://www.canadiandriver.com/articles/jk/at_011101.htm

 

[MainMan]

Thanks for the input Adam. I still think all season tyres are the best bet for the UK. I'd probably go for 205/55 16 (instead of 225/50 16). The trouble is there are so few available - 99% of tyres are summer or winter. The Goodyear EV2s would work. The alternative is to go with the Uniroyals which have a much better snow rating than most, and may work well enough to get by, but having tried driving on a flat car park with 1" of snow in SO3s I'm a bit wary. These high performance tyres just don't work in snow at all.

 

[philepo]

Having trawled the various sites the nearest compromise tyre I can find is the Uniroyal Rainsport. ...Has anybody used them

Yes. I have 2 on the rear and they perform perfectly. In the snow they have been much better than my last set (cheapo Federal) and I haven't been stuck yet.

They are cheap, have a brand name, and made in germany by Continental. What's not to like?

 

[Rob77]

I posted, on another thread, my thoughts on Federal SS-657 all season tyres.

I'm using them on a 300 diesel so was not looking for a 'performance tyre' but something that would give reasonable all year round grip, including when it was icy or in snow.

So far, they have been great. Haven't slid at all yet and that includes pulling away on icy up-slopes and driving in 2 inches of snow.

They were also pretty cheap

 

[Stratman]

I am going through the same research. As well as the tyres listed in post #2, there are the Vredestein Quatrac 3, the Kleber Quadrax and the Hankook Optimo 4S, all of which look promising, and I believe the Quatrac and Quadrax have the mountain peak and snowflake symbol.

Another good test review here

It's a winter tyre test with the Quatrac 3 and a summer tyre included. The Quatrac came last of the winter tyres but not by much, and trounced the summer tyre.

 

[Spinal]

Like you, I'm too lazy to change tyres on one of my cars... it's not my primary car, so swapping tyres every 6 months is a bit of a task...

I've fitted a set of winters to the car and use them all year, works quite well too!

M.