What winter tyres

Hi, I am looking at getting some winter tyres for my 2.0 TDI Altea, anyone know what size would be suitable (was thinking 16inch) or know a make ?

won't the size be dictated by the size of the wheels?

are you living in Norway? Just wondering why you think you need winter tyres. The trend is for warmer winters.

Buy Bridgestone and you'll be grand no matter what the weather holds.

I once read in autoexpress that Avon, Continental and Michelin were good brands for winter tyres. The article said that once the air temp goes under 4 degrees Celsius the rubber is less effective and thus affects braking distances.

and http://www.eiretyres.com/start.html has an option to select winter tyres only

Its going to be wetter though, and back roads can be lethal with 18/40/225s on.esp if greasy (after a couple of days dry with Fallen leafs etc)

For the year to date (Cork Airport weather data), June and July were the wettest months. Taking a full 12-mth window, only Dec last year beat June 07 for rainfall.

5Times said:

Its going to be wetter though, and back roads can be lethal with 18/40/225s on.esp if greasy (after a couple of days dry with Fallen leafs etc)

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That's generally the case after a hot dry spell as well with all the rubber, etc. that gets left behind. So you're really looking for tyres with good wet performance rather than winter tyres.

Use the ratings on Eiretyres to choose something suitable with good wet handling. Getting new wheels would be a very expensive way of going about it. You could always just slow down a little in poor conditions
Leo

Try Good Year Eagle Ventura. Had them on my last car and were the best I've ever had. In the wet, they were immense !

I very much doubt that tyre choie is this big a deal on Irish roads to be honest. If your driving a standard motor, with original wheels they are usually anywhere between 15" - 18" and the standard rubber will do just fine at the kind of speeds you would be doing on 'back-roads', say 80km or that?

Even if you replace tyres, once they were of the same quality and size for your rims (I personally replace my tyres with the same ones that come with a car from the factory), you should have no problems.

Under normal/legal speeds, it is very hard to tell the difference between tyres, as you are not bringing the tyre to the limit where these differences become apparent.

So, stick with the major brands, Michelin, Bridgestone, Pirelli, Goodyear etc and if it's the right size, the standard tyre will do in all Irish conditions

sinbadsailor said:

I very much doubt that tyre choie is this big a deal on Irish roads to be honest. If your driving a standard motor, with original wheels they are usually anywhere between 15" - 18" and the standard rubber will do just fine at the kind of speeds you would be doing on 'back-roads', say 80km or that?

Even if you replace tyres, once they were of the same quality and size for your rims (I personally replace my tyres with the same ones that come with a car from the factory), you should have no problems.

Under normal/legal speeds, it is very hard to tell the difference between tyres, as you are not bringing the tyre to the limit where these differences become apparent.

So, stick with the major brands, Michelin, Bridgestone, Pirelli, Goodyear etc and if it's the right size, the standard tyre will do in all Irish conditions

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No offence intended but that's possibly the biggest pile of cr@p on the go and a very dangerous comment.

Tyres vary dramatically and just because you buy a 'big name' brand does not make it a good choice.

Considering the Tyres are the ONLY contact between the car and road, I think that an informed choice in the selection of your tyres is paramount and just going to buy whatever the car had when you got it is foolish and ill advised.

Buy the BEST you can. Take as many opinions into account as possible and buy the best you can afford. Just because you don't drive like a loon doesn't mean they won't make any difference. The time they will make a difference is when you might otherwise be in a crash.

Pique318 said:

I think that an informed choice in the selection of your tyres is paramount and just going to buy whatever the car had when you got it is foolish and ill advised.

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My car did not come with a health warning saying the tyres are sub standard in Winter. I trust the car manufacturer to make the informed choice for me, because without having made an informed choice, they would probably end up with serious class action law suits on their hands.

I'm not saying there are not other good tyre choices (branded or otherwise) but why would I want to look for a bespoke car config when I am using the car for the purpose and in the location it was intended ?

Pique318 said:

No offence intended but that's possibly the biggest pile of cr@p on the go and a very dangerous comment.

Tyres vary dramatically and just because you buy a 'big name' brand does not make it a good choice.

Considering the Tyres are the ONLY contact between the car and road, I think that an informed choice in the selection of your tyres is paramount and just going to buy whatever the car had when you got it is foolish and ill advised.

Buy the BEST you can. Take as many opinions into account as possible and buy the best you can afford. Just because you don't drive like a loon doesn't mean they won't make any difference. The time they will make a difference is when you might otherwise be in a crash.

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Tyre companies regularly change the nomenclature and shore hardness of the rubber that they use in their tyres. As long as they conform to general specifications they are under no obligation to inform their distributors or their customers.
Continental use the same moulds to make tyres in India and Germany, they also make tyres for the generics market using the same moulds but changing the insert that produces the company logo. I have no reason to suspect that all other manufacturers do the same.
Goodyear tyre "X" this year may perform differently from Goodyear tyre "X2 purchased this year. Even within a particular batch run the tyre quality can vary as the mix ages, the annealing times vary due to heat retention in the mould and the particular mould that the tyre in produced in.

So how do we know what the best is?
I think you are being very hard on sinbadsailor, the car manufacturer will select a tyre that is suitable for the car. Buying that tyre again is a good option unless you are an expert on tyres. What your ill-informed mates down the pub, who drive different cars at different speeds on different roads, say not withstanding.

Purple said:

So how do we know what the best is?
I think you are being very hard on sinbadsailor, the car manufacturer will select a tyre that is suitable for the car. Buying that tyre again is a good option unless you are an expert on tyres. What your ill-informed mates down the pub, who drive different cars at different speeds on different roads, say not withstanding.

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Ok maybe I was a bit harsh in my language so apologies if I was.

However, you've hit upon something that people never think of.

Purple said:

the car manufacturer will select a tyre that is suitable for the car.

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Suitable, not optimal. It ticks every single box, decent wet & dry grip, decent wet & dry cornering, decent noise, decent durability. Nothing is going to shout mediocrity more than the original tyres on a car as they have to be so many things to so many people in so many countries and do all this at the best cost to the manufacturer.

Get yourself grippy tyres OR get yourself durable tyres. You will not get one that is both grippy and durable. Michelins last for ages, but (imo) have very little grip for the premium price you pay.

If you go for the premium tyre in the companys range, then OK, but the bog-standard Dunlop or Michelin is a silly choice when Falken, Kumho and other so-called "Budget Brands" have far superior tyres in their lineup at the same prices or less but people will buy 'what came on the car'.

Purple said:

Buying that tyre again is a good option unless you are an expert on tyres. What your ill-informed mates down the pub, who drive different cars at different speeds on different roads, say not withstanding.

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The thing is, you don't need to be an expert, there are plenty of reviews out there on the value for money of tyres in different sizes on different cars. Read and learn.

Purple said:

What your ill-informed mates down the pub, who drive different cars at different speeds on different roads, say not withstanding.

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Who said anything about my mates ? Besides, if they all drive different cars on different roads at different speeds, then they're probably a good group of people to get opinions from. I wouldn't dismiss straw polls.

Who's got the time to be an expert in all these areas, from finding out about which is the best tyre to which is the best oil or coolant for their motor? My car came with Continentals and I'm very happy with their performance in the wet, under different driving conditions and their resistance to wear etc. It would probably be more pertinent for drivers to ensure they check their tyres for pressure, damage and wear more often- rather than obsessing about brands etc.

Carpenter said:

It would probably be more pertinent for drivers to ensure they check their tyres for pressure, damage and wear more often- rather than obsessing about brands etc.

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Very good point.