Winter tyres or a cheap 4x4

[ckember]

Hi all

With winter getting closer, do I opt for a new set of winter tyres on new 18inch rims for my CLS or purchase a cheap 4x4 for the winter months, the initial cost is about the same £1000

 

[moonloops]

Answer is:

A cheap 4X4 with winter tyres..

hope that helps..

 

[merc85]

the tyres will de value, the truck/vehicle you buy probably wont so possibly get your money back when you sell it.

 

[ckember]

Just saw the other thread on winter driving, along the same lines

 

[gIzzE]

You want some 17" rims on 225 or even better 205 wide tyres.

Just buy a set of snotters off eBay for £500.

 

[camerafodder]

In my experience there is no such thing as a cheap 4x4 (and I've had a lot of 4x4's). When they get to that stage they usually need a constant stream of TLC to stay running properly or big spend on replacement/renovation.

 

[stevehg]

For the 4x4 you'll be buying now as cost of buying starts to increase and selling when they drop to their lowest level after winter. As said above you also have cost of running, tax, insurance and any surprises. So it may be £1000, it may be more. Then what do you do next year?

Also most 4x4's apart for a Suzuki or panda, weigh 2 tonnes plus and therefore go up a hill ok, but also take some stopping when going down. With UK conditions a 4x4 on road or all terrain tyres will cope with most situations, however in severe snow or heavy slush, a lot of 4x4 tyres are no better than the ones on your CLS. So the only benefit is the extra traction of the 4x4.

I bought a set of new TUV approved 18" alloys designed for MB's for £320 and then set of used, fronts 8mm rears 7mm, of Nokian WR A3 245/40 r18 tyres for £240, plus £48 fitting, ~£600. Even if you you bought new tyres it would still be ~£800-850.

Another alternative is to buy just the winter tyres in the same size as your current ones and spend £100 changing them

The other option is to buy a set of all season tyres in the same size as your current tyres and run them all year ~£4-600

cheers, Steve

 

[ras8963]

I deal with this pretty simply...Buy a good reliable 4x4, they are out there. Avoid Landrover as everyone wants them, most are rubbish, they cost a packet to maintain, they usually go wrong,

Aim for a Toyota Prado Best but pricey to buy or a Mitsubishi Pajero, (avoid shogun).......go for a mid nineties jap import with a history and simply change the oil and filters every year, these things are bombproof......aim to pay 1-2k for a good one........keep it years.....

Park the CLS up for winter unless the suns shining....

ATB

 

[Spinal]

It depends on whether you are worried about British winter conditions on the roads, or you are planning to go off road.

Winter tyres on your merc will be exactly what you need in winter conditions on roads.

A 4x4 with "normal" tyres will slip just as much as a 2WD with normal tyres... you just get moving more before you slip/skid. The tyres are, as famously advertised, the only part of your car that should touch the road. All that power without being able to grip is wasted in a 4x4 with slippery tyres...

Having owned both (shogun and a 110), all my cars get winter tyres when the weather changes. 2WD or 4x4...

M

EDIT:
[youtube]mfuE00qdhLA[/youtube]

 

[Scott_F]

I don't know where you live and each winter is different.

However, last winter was very mild and in the midlands and south of the UK we saw no snow and almost no heavy frosts. Warmer, wetter winters are a weather pattern that is likely to continue.

I therefore managed to get through the whole winter period without any need to waste £1000 on winter tyres or a clapped-out 4x4 and plan to try to do the same this year.

 

[rsk21]

It depends on whether you are worried about British winter conditions on the roads, or you are planning to go off road. Winter tyres on your merc will be exactly what you need in winter conditions on roads. A 4x4 with "normal" tyres will slip just as much as a 2WD with normal tyres... you just get moving more before you slip/skid. The tyres are, as famously advertised, the only part of your car that should touch the road. All that power without being able to grip is wasted in a 4x4 with slippery tyres... Having owned both (shogun and a 110), all my cars get winter tyres when the weather changes. 2WD or 4x4... M EDIT: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfuE00qdhLA">YouTube Link</a>

^^^ this. Tyres are the issue here not propulsion. We have a little chicane at the end our road where on several occasions the yummy mummy brigade have ploughed straight on in the snow in their Q7s and the like whilst emboldened by a false sense of 4x4 bestowed security.

 

[paulb64]

My approach when I bought my E55 last year, was to get a used/refurbed set of spare rims with an easier to clean spoke pattern off ebay and I managed to find barely used iwnter tyres on ebay to fit. Swapped to winter wheels/tyres for the winter (although as stated earlier we didn't really need them most of the time) and so having made the investment, I can stick the same wheels/tyres back on this year. Ongoing additional expense is limited to putting new tyres on as required depending on mileage/use.
Much cheaper option than a knackered 4x4 - I too have tried that route previously.

 

[Mr Kripling]

Tyres are a consumable and given that the winter tyres generally available in the UK wear at more or less the same rate as summer ones, I don't see what the downside is to having a set.

I just bought a used set of alloy wheels on eBay for the winter tyres on the basis that there's no point in paying for immaculate wheels that are then going to be subjected to ice, salt and rain for 4 months a year.

Harry

 

[Spinal]

Tyres are a consumable and given that the winter tyres generally available in the UK wear at more or less the same rate as summer ones, I don't see what the downside is to having a set.

I just bought a used set of alloy wheels on eBay for the winter tyres on the basis that there's no point in paying for immaculate wheels that are then going to be subjected to ice, salt and rain for 4 months a year.

Harry

Expanding on that - an old 4x4 will cost more, as you will be paying for tax, fuel, insurance, etc; all of which are non refundable.


If you get a set of winter tyres, you aren't using your "summer" tyres during that period, so really, doesn't cost any more than just having summer tyres (ok, maybe the cost of a set of rims and the balancing)

I always laugh at people who think they need a 4x4 in the UK and don't do any offroading/greenlaning. I've driven a 2WD (RWD as well) to Timbuktu. Literally. It got stuck in the dunes of the sahara once, and we didn't even need sand ladders for it - just a hefty push and some digging.
M

 

[Wheelsnuts]

Up here in the North East, I would go for the cheap 4x4. Rear wheel drive can be a real problem in our winter conditions.

 

[Lit91]

Don't know whats with all that winter buzz, tyres / 4x4 in a country where we get 1-2 days of snow a year?

Seems a bit of an overkill, I'd understand if we had the full winter season full of snow for 3 months or so.

My thoughts anyway...

 

[rusty55]

Suzuki mines been looked after got it for 1400 y reg and like new cost only 2 mots nothing else mileage 3000 even so on a v6 auto box best buy will keep it for years

 

[stevehg]

I always laugh at people who think they need a 4x4 in the UK and don't do any offroading/greenlaning. I've driven a 2WD (RWD as well) to Timbuktu. Literally. It got stuck in the dunes of the sahara once, and we didn't even need sand ladders for it - just a hefty push and some digging.
M

A bit of a poor attitude to take really. There are lots of benefits to driving a 4x4 even if it's the middle of the summer, suns out and the tarmac is dry. let alone if you are using a 4x4 all year round. It's not just for snow, or mud plugging.

In addition, for anyone that tows racecars, horses, caravans there are a bunch of additional reasons to go for a 4x4.

 

[ckember]

For the 4x4 you'll be buying now as cost of buying starts to increase and selling when they drop to their lowest level after winter. As said above you also have cost of running, tax, insurance and any surprises. So it may be £1000, it may be more. Then what do you do next year? Also most 4x4's apart for a Suzuki or panda, weigh 2 tonnes plus and therefore go up a hill ok, but also take some stopping when going down. With UK conditions a 4x4 on road or all terrain tyres will cope with most situations, however in severe snow or heavy slush, a lot of 4x4 tyres are no better than the ones on your CLS. So the only benefit is the extra traction of the 4x4. I bought a set of new TUV approved 18" alloys designed for MB's for £320 and then set of used, fronts 8mm rears 7mm, of Nokian WR A3 245/40 r18 tyres for £240, plus £48 fitting, ~£600. Even if you you bought new tyres it would still be ~£800-850. Another alternative is to buy just the winter tyres in the same size as your current ones and spend £100 changing them The other option is to buy a set of all season tyres in the same size as your current tyres and run them all year ~£4-600 cheers, Steve

hi Steve

Did you get the wheels from flea bay or some where else? I have seen some smart ones on a couple of site for £450 ish without tyres , as I have a staggered setup what offset should I look for all round ?

Hi all

I live In the south, we have had pretty mild winters for the last 2/3 years so guess we are in for a bad one this year, but 2009 was quite bad, took me 8 hours to get home from oxford(47miles ish) in my S211 320cdi spot on newish summer tyres. So just want to be prepared, as 272 bhp on rear wheel drive in the snow/ice will be interesting even in C mode. The torque is fierce on the CLS GE

I've tried snow socks in the past, but the wider profile 275 tyres seems to be hard to find them and no good on ice.

Cheers
Chris

 

[Reggie-rock]

I went to all the trouble getting a spare set of wheels refurbished for my previous car (Jaguar XJ) and got some very good part warn winter tyres from ebay fitted, all ready for last winter, but it was so mild it turned out to be a waste of time and lost money on the wheels when I resold them.
I am going to take a chance this winter and will probably regret it.
I would not bother with a 4X4, a small front wheel drive car would do for the snow which would do for me.