Shifty6Speed Posted September 13, 2016 Share Posted September 13, 2016 In the current market. What's the best winter rubber for the rays? Go! Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted September 14, 2016 Share Posted September 14, 2016 Michel... Nah, I'm kidding I don't run winters, but if I did then I'd simply pick the cheapest out of the major brands (Pirelli, Conti, Michelin, Bridgestone) as you're using them as a temporary measure for crappy weather. You're not aiming for any kind of performance out of them, but I'd still stick with a decent manufacturer. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
planetsurfer2 Posted September 14, 2016 Share Posted September 14, 2016 Been running Michelin Alpin A4 for the last 5 years. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shifty6Speed Posted September 14, 2016 Author Share Posted September 14, 2016 Cool. Cheers guys! Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnyboy Posted November 1, 2016 Share Posted November 1, 2016 Probably a bit late for you, but in case it is helpful... I do a fair amount of milage on Winter tyres in Europe (and of course in UK..) and currently run winters on my 350z (standard 18" touring alloys with 225/45 fronts, 245/45 rears). I have used Dunlops, Michelin Alpin A4's and currently Continental Wintercontact TS850p's. I also have experience with other vehicles and tyres (BMW X3, MG TF, Ford Mondeo, Focus...). The Alpins were excellent, the Continentals even better. The way that putting Winter tyres on the Z improved its cold/wet grip and handling is amazing. It isn't just the snow - though driving a Z up a hill in 3" of fresh snow and going past stuck 4x4's (which were on summer tyres...) was thoroughly enjoyable - its the way it feels safer on cold wet mornings on the M42. I have also tried some cheaper makes. They seem to be pretty good in snow (certainly compared to Summer tyres ) but unfortunately seemed very iffy on anything else - poor on dry roads and particularly bad on wet roads - they are just not predictable on bends. The Alpins and Continentals are superb in the cold and wet and pretty good in the warm and dry even compared to my Continental summer tyres. They are just more predictable and nicer to drive than the cheapo's. As an aside, my wife leaves her Winter Alpins on all year round on the front of her Mini (which you are not supposed to do as above 8 or 10 degrees they are not supposed to be as good as a good Summer tyre) on the basis that as a careful driver she doesn't have much trouble in the dry in the middle of the the day in summer, but seems to do a lot of her driving on damp cold mornings in the midst of a load of half asleep idiots . Winter tyres have changed a lot in the last 2 or 3 years (for the better...) so be a bit careful to make sure you buy current models, not last years (unless of course they are discounted nicely - they have not improved that much...). Michelin have just brought out a "Summer optimised" Winter tyre (??) that sounds great but I have not tried it - and it is expensive. Magazines run tests every year - see http://www.autoexpre...prices-compared (I like the bit where they try to put their recommended summer tyre through the winter tests as a comparison, and it could not get to the start of the "snow handling circuit" ). In practice, buying some cheap ones and "putting them on when it snows" doesn't work, I have tried it and its just not practical. Buy some decent ones and leave them on from October to April (if not all year...) as they are just better tyres for our roads. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted November 1, 2016 Share Posted November 1, 2016 That's a good post Whilst I agree with many of your points, I would also add that people went for decades running their cars on regular tyres and didn't have problems, and that the vast majority of drivers in the UK run summer tyres all year round without any incident at all. Having driven down the Pyrenees in settling snow on 305/30/19 rears, I'm not sure I'd have been sh*tting myself any less on Alpins than I was on RE050As! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
longsh07 Posted November 1, 2016 Share Posted November 1, 2016 Just to throw another suggestion in the mix, I ran a set of Nokian WRA3 on my civic. More than happy with them. Generally grip was good, perfect for the gross wet and cold weather but never had the chance to use them on snow. Dry grip was also a lot better than expected. There is a significantly noticeable difference between them and a summer tyre as you would expect and you can feel them moving around as they are so soft but they are very confidence inspiring. Much more so than using a summer tyre in winter! I used them from about November to February last year once the temps dropped under 15 degrees then swapped them out for a track day. Thankfully weather held and I didn't have to put them back on. About time I got them back on actually now the weather is turning. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnyboy Posted November 1, 2016 Share Posted November 1, 2016 (edited) That's a good post Whilst I agree with many of your points, I would also add that people went for decades running their cars on regular tyres and didn't have problems, and that the vast majority of drivers in the UK run summer tyres all year round without any incident at all. Having driven down the Pyrenees in settling snow on 305/30/19 rears, I'm not sure I'd have been sh*tting myself any less on Alpins than I was on RE050As! Agree entirely that we were quite happy for decades without bothering about Winter tyres. We didn't used to have "Summer" tyres either, they were just tyres. Unfortunately, times (and in this case tyres ) change. Heavier more powerful cars going faster on busier roads. More directly of importance with snow, on much wider tyres with much bigger tread blocks, a lower percentage of sipes, better wearing (ie. harder compound) rubber for longer life and above all reduced rolling resistance so the car manufacturers can quote better MPG figures. And a need for the manufacturers to have the same cars across Europe (if not the world). We now routinely put on "Summer" tyres that are by definition ideally suited to Italian summer roads. In Winter. In England. Remember how many miles we used to get out of our old tyres? 15,000 was good, Michelin X's did maybe 18,000 and were considered amazing - but of course nobody bought them because they didn't give any grip in either the wet or the dry, let alone snow. WRX rally cars use 205 width snow tyres (or at least they did untill a few years ago - I don't follow it any more)... England is a bit of an exception to the car/tyre manufacturers. The rest of Europe is either: a) nice and warm and dry for most of the year (Southern France, Spain, Italy,..) so summer tyres are fine all year for them, or... Hot in the summer and downright cold and snowy in the winter (Germany, the Alps. Denmark, Poland, Swiitzerland...) so they absolutely need two sets. In England, Northern Ireland and Wales (and probably Scotland but I haven't been there in twenty years...) we could do with "all season" tyres (like the ones we used to have...) but manufacturers are not going to fit them as standard because of the fuel figures and a need for standardisation across all markets... and aftermarket tends to follow OEM. This year a couple of "all season" tyres have appeared (Michelin, Goodyear and Nokian are getting good reviews) but I have not yet managed to find any in our sizes - or I would have bought two yesterday, rather than another pair of Continental TS850's. For absolute grip on a warm dry road a nice wide Summer tyre is King. The rest of the year, not so much. Edited November 1, 2016 by johnnyboy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnyboy Posted November 1, 2016 Share Posted November 1, 2016 Just to throw another suggestion in the mix, I ran a set of Nokian WRA3 on my civic. More than happy with them. Generally grip was good, perfect for the gross wet and cold weather but never had the chance to use them on snow. Dry grip was also a lot better than expected. There is a significantly noticeable difference between them and a summer tyre as you would expect and you can feel them moving around as they are so soft but they are very confidence inspiring. Much more so than using a summer tyre in winter! I used them from about November to February last year once the temps dropped under 15 degrees then swapped them out for a track day. Thankfully weather held and I didn't have to put them back on. About time I got them back on actually now the weather is turning. You express it very well.. Winter tyres (good ones) ultimately "move around" and let go progressively with plenty of warning rather than let go unpredictably or in a snap. It may not be ultimately as fast but actually makes them much nicer (and probably safer) to drive on. Nokians are truly famous for their "snow" tyres - they are at the extreme end of the Winter tyre spectrum (as befits coming from Finland...) and their snow tyres are definitely not famous for being good in the warm and dry. On the other hand they have just brought out a less extreme "All Season" tyre (Nokian "Weatherproof") that is getting excellent reviews for its cold weather / rain behaviour and is significantly cheaper than the Michelins and Continentals (Still not convinced about using them in summer on a Z though ...) and besides, I couldn't get them in Z sizes. I wouldn't go to a warm dry track day with snow tyres - but neither would I go to a wet and cold track day with summer tyres... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnyboy Posted November 1, 2016 Share Posted November 1, 2016 (edited) Having driven down the Pyrenees in settling snow on 305/30/19 rears, I'm not sure I'd have been sh*tting myself any less on Alpins than I was on RE050As! Respect! While agreeing with the principal of your comment, I will absolutely guarantee that you would have been (slightly ) less stressed on the Alpins. (if you could have found some in the right size, which I doubt...) (brave man!) Edited November 1, 2016 by johnnyboy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shifty6Speed Posted November 28, 2016 Author Share Posted November 28, 2016 Brilliant write ups and advice guys. Thanks! Having a set of Alpins put on the Rays on Friday so I'll see how I get on with them... On the subject of tyres, I've got a set of MPSS for my 19's which will go on in spring. They have sent XL's for the front and not for the back. Will that make any difference? Do I need XL's for the rear or will normal 275/35/19's be ok on the back? Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted November 28, 2016 Share Posted November 28, 2016 Absolutely fine to mix, tbh I've tried both XL and non-XL and I'll be buggered if I can tell the difference. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shifty6Speed Posted November 28, 2016 Author Share Posted November 28, 2016 Absolutely fine to mix, tbh I've tried both XL and non-XL and I'll be buggered if I can tell the difference. Awesome buddy, thanks! Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Humpy Posted December 9, 2016 Share Posted December 9, 2016 (edited) Absolutely fine to mix, tbh I've tried both XL and non-XL and I'll be buggered if I can tell the difference. Awesome buddy, thanks! Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk . Edited December 9, 2016 by Humpy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shifty6Speed Posted December 12, 2016 Author Share Posted December 12, 2016 Got the pilot alpin 4's. They're ok but I wouldn't say they're amazing... Better? Yes. Night and day? No. Once you lose traction, you don't regain it without total loss of throttle, however I can only speak on wet roads over 1500 miles. Not ice or snow... Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted December 12, 2016 Share Posted December 12, 2016 In fairness it's been quite warm though lately, winter tyres are no good above 7c as a rule and it's been well above that in the last few weeks. Well, in the south anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strudul Posted December 12, 2016 Share Posted December 12, 2016 In fairness it's been quite warm though lately, winter tyres are no good above 7c as a rule and it's been well above that in the last few weeks. Well, in the south anyway. I spent a year in Basildon and I couldn't believe how warm it was. Think it only went below 0oC once... It was permanently shorts weather. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisB Posted December 12, 2016 Share Posted December 12, 2016 Well I've got standard sized Khumo KW27's on a spare set of OEM touring 18" wheels for my SC, replacing summer's MPS2 18/275 and although they were initially good, I must admit I seem to get a fair bit of greasy rear steer after re-fitting this year (last Sunday). I've had them three winters and 10800 miles (last couple of winters FI), and although there is loads of tread still, I'm not so sure they are that sticky anymore. Stuff ages I guess - it is still warm though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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