Cheap Winter Tyres

[Anonymous]

Some of you may remember me singing the praises of Vredestein Wintrac Extreme winter tyres.....

Well as you are all aware, our dodgy standard sizes resulted in extortionate tyre prices which made me lean towards 235x35x19s instead of 40s - this meant that last year I got 4 winter tyres for just over £600 ... instead of £1400 it could have cost for the standard tyre size. I was keen to get these tyres as I had them on my previous 207 and 306 before that and thought they're were fantastic.

I got run off the road last year when I was using my winters and duly knackered a sidewall, so I now only have three (and in February this year I noticed the prices had shot up to about £220)

BUT ..... I went on to mytyres.com last night and they are now down to £132 a peice! So I've bought my replacement and I thought I'd draw folks attention to the price in case anyone was considering some for the winter ..... get them now whilst they're cheap!!! :thumbup:

.... also, if you happen to use Quidco, there is a 4% discount for mytyres.......

 

[Anonymous]

Good post Donna!! :thumbup: just a shame that forward planning isn't my strong point...

 

[Anonymous]

Good post Donna!! :thumbup: just a shame that forward planning isn't my strong point...

Ah you'll be cursing when we're up to our oxters in snow come November!!!! Get it sorted :lol:

 

[Anonymous]

Who do you get to change them over for you? Used to do find silett's to be the cheapest but he rapidly seems to lose interest in changing them these days if you're not buying tyres from him. I've also seen him fairly manhandle alloys...no thanks!! How are the tyres for tyre roar? Any idea how much those dimensions knock your speedo out by?

 

[Anonymous]

good post and thanks for sharing :thumbup:
On other related note I got a new conti 3 sport through kwik-fit fitted for £249, was £219 (inc delivery) with camskill, but would have left me finding somewhere to fit it for me, for the few extra quid to get it sorted I thought it was worth it. Interesting to see from previous posts that the price for those have gone down?
Anyway...I digress

 

[Anonymous]

Who do you get to change them over for you? Used to do find silett's to be the cheapest but he rapidly seems to lose interest in changing them these days if you're not buying tyres from him. I've also seen him fairly manhandle alloys...no thanks!! How are the tyres for tyre roar? Any idea how much those dimensions knock your speedo out by?

I used Pitlane in Ellon last year. £50 for all four on and balanced, then the same again to take them off, obviously. They did a good job like. Had considered a second set of wheels but you're looking at about a grand for decent ones. Only thing is, you can only fit two in the boot, so need a second person to some with you with the other two!!

I think the speedo was only knocked out about 3%, but it was on the right side if you know what I mean. Instead of the 50mph you think you're doing you're actually doing 48.5mph. There are websites that you can fiddle about with these kinda numbers and see what the speed differences would be.

ONLY snag is that with the 35s you're even closer to the kerb with the lower profile

 

[Anonymous]

Would these represent a decent alternative? They aren't much dearer but I have no knowledge of the brand..
http://www.mytyres.co.uk/cgi-bin/rshop. ... sowigan=Wi

 

[Anonymous]

Would these represent a decent alternative? They aren't much dearer but I have no knowledge of the brand..
http://www.mytyres.co.uk/cgi-bin/rshop. ... sowigan=Wi

Couldn't say Matt, never driven with Falkens. at least they're half the price of other 40s. I would still go for the 35s Vredsteins if you're buying four. But if you're gonna risk it and just put on two, go for it. Not like you'll be hooning about at this time of year on winter tyres anyway....

 

[Anonymous]

Would these represent a decent alternative? They aren't much dearer but I have no knowledge of the brand..
http://www.mytyres.co.uk/cgi-bin/rshop. ... sowigan=Wi

Couldn't say Matt, never driven with Falkens. at least they're half the price of other 40s. I would still go for the 35s Vredsteins if you're buying four. But if you're gonna risk it and just put on two, go for it. Not like you'll be hooning about at this time of year on winter tyres anyway....

I was thinking more of buying four of these. I figure that at least they are the correct profile so I won't have any issues to contend with regarding knocking the speedo out. I should also imagine that running the wrong profile tyre would have an impact on any insurance claim if, heaven forbid, the worst happened. These seem to generally get good ratings although ususally there is a notable difference in grip levels (for the better) once they have been run in.

I see also, that the company offers linked deals with a number of local tyre fitters/garages which would result in savings having them fitted. It's a bit of a joke that Law's, for example, will charge an additional 25 bucks per wheel if you are running on an alloy greater than 18 ins. I would want to try and negotiate this as a set price for EVERY change though rather than a one off price.

 

[Anonymous]

I was thinking more of buying four of these. I figure that at least they are the correct profile so I won't have any issues to contend with regarding knocking the speedo out. I should also imagine that running the wrong profile tyre would have an impact on any insurance claim if, heaven forbid, the worst happened. These seem to generally get good ratings although ususally there is a notable difference in grip levels (for the better) once they have been run in.

I see also, that the company offers linked deals with a number of local tyre fitters/garages which would result in savings having them fitted. It's a bit of a joke that Law's, for example, will charge an additional 25 bucks per wheel if you are running on an alloy greater than 18 ins. I would want to try and negotiate this as a set price for EVERY change though rather than a one off price.

I had no problems when I told my insurers about my change in profile (that was the main reason why I DID tell them about the winter tyres, never had done in past), but they insisted that 'cos they're a saftey enhancement, it wouldn't affect my policy and they just made a note of the winter tyre usage on my file. I just explained to them that winter tyres in my correct size were as common as hens teeth and ££££s. I didn' t really consider any other brand, as I know and more importantly TRUST those Vredesteins. You being a 'toonser', generally wouldn't have to contend with the amounts of snow we would on the unclassified roads round Udny ... ok so we did have a couple of exceptional years....

I've never heard of inflated tyre fitting prices like that. The local lads in Ellon only charged me about £60 for changing the four ...but I've since learned to book it in with one of the young lads in an evening and he'll do it for £40 cash. Result!!

 

[Anonymous]

I'm in a bit of a quandary about this to be honest...hmmm....

 

[Anonymous]

I'm in a bit of a quandary about this to be honest...hmmm....

Quandary about what?

 

[Anonymous]

I get very conflicting advice form all sources that I consult. I wonder whether to merely buy two winter tyres (of the correct tyre profile) and place them on the driving wheels and run the contis on the back (this obviously creates potential understeer issues) or whether to buy 4 of the Falkens (that are the correct tyre size). I figure that the later is safer all round and will, in theory, enable me to lengthen the lifespan of the Contis (which I will mark as front and back and rotate when they go back on). The Falkens have decent reviews but a set of 4 are the best part of £760. Or...do I buy 4 of the Vredesteins (that you recommend) despite them being the wrong profile and just live with them knocking the speedo off (it did my head in in my last car although the knocked the speedo out the "worng" way if you get my meaning). This is a substantial saving of around £160. I do not want to go down the route of snow socks as they are only really an option in dire circumstances to get moving. With temps here being below 7 deg C throughout the space of Oct/Nov right through until around March, winter tyres seem like the right option regardless of whether or not we get snow.

What to do...what to do...?! :eusa-think: :eusa-think: :eusa-think:

 

[Anonymous]

I think I worked it out that the speedo was only about 3% out ... and it was the right way - i.e. speedo reading 70mph buy you're only doing 68....

How about you phone your insurance and ask the questions?

Two vs four?
40s v 35s?
Premium difference?

Those answers should help make up your mind.

But I agree that buying four certainly helps the life of the contis :thumbup: my winters will be going on early nov likely. I could let you try them out on our rendevous!!!!

Also the ride difference is negligible :thumbup:

 

[Anonymous]

Just to add another complication, note that the load rating of the 235/35 Vredesteins is lower than the standard tyres and what is specified on the door sticker (91 versus 96 specified.) I almost went for these before I realised this.

 

[Anonymous]

Just to add another complication, note that the load rating of the 235/35 Vredesteins is lower than the standard tyres and what is specified on the door sticker (91 versus 96 specified.) I almost went for these before I realised this.

I wonder what it is for the Falkens... :eusa-think: What did you go for in the end?

 

[Anonymous]

I wonder what it is for the Falkens... :eusa-think: What did you go for in the end?

They're 96s - also noticed the Falkens don't offer rim protection?

I was told it wouldn't make much difference as there's only a small difference each ..... I would have been more dubious putting on tyre with an 87 or 85 rating.....especially if I drove around with a boot full of crap like Scott Barton seems to do!!!

 

[Anonymous]

I wonder what it is for the Falkens... :eusa-think: What did you go for in the end?

They're 96s - also noticed the Falkens don't offer rim protection?

I was told it wouldn't make much difference as there's only a small difference each ..... I would have been more dubious putting on tyre with an 87 or 85 rating.....especially if I drove around with a boot full of crap like Scott Barton seems to do!!!

Wary of saying this having recently kerbed the rear passenger side alloy but, I am not overly concerned about the rim protection. Although, I can see it being handy when you can't actually see the kerb for snow... :eusa-think:

 

[Anonymous]

I wonder what it is for the Falkens... :eusa-think: What did you go for in the end?

I eventually went for 18" Peugeot Terrific wheels and 235/45 r18 Vredsteins. I wanted to get a seperate set of wheels to save having to get the tyres remounted twice a year and also to save my Solstice's from winter abuse.
Having the seperate wheels also gives an added bonus of giving me a spare as well

 

[Anonymous]

I wonder what it is for the Falkens... :eusa-think: What did you go for in the end?

I eventually went for 18" Peugeot Terrific wheels and 235/45 r18 Vredsteins. I wanted to get a seperate set of wheels to save having to get the tyres remounted twice a year and also to save my Solstice's from winter abuse.
Having the seperate wheels also gives an added bonus of giving me a spare as well

Hmmm...well that adds a further 660 odd bucks to the cost for me once you add centre caps and lockable wheel nuts. This doesn't really make financial sense to me when I'm trying to reduce the costs over winter. Although, I would prefer not to have to keep changing the alloys around a couple of times every year!! Maybe I'll push on with the Falkens and report back. They're getting pretty decent reviews.