Winter/Cold Weather Tyre Sizes?

[CaesarBob]

Are 175/70/R14 winter tyres on a set of bottletops too narrow?

Running 195/65/R14 seems like little reduction in overall width compared to my 205/55/R15 if it did actually snow for any length of time.

[Z3I]

Keep your alloys nice over the summer then put them away over winter and buy a set of my winter snow tyres on steelies?

[CaesarBob]

Already have a set of Bottletops in stock so it makes sense to use them. Just looking for a bit of guidance on sizes.

Car is my daily so will be buying a decent set of tyres to make sure i have as few dramas as possible this year.

[Blitz]

175/70/14 is actually the OEM size for winter tyres on E30's. So is 195/65/14 and 195/60/14

[Raj_p]

I used to run 175/70's on my bottle tops, i still think they are on too.....

i need to get rid too

[CaesarBob]

Excellent, i'll probably go for 175/70's then. Cheers.

[Grrrmachine]

I've got 185/65R14s on mine, Vredestein SnowTrac, and they perform brilliantly in the minus 30 winters we get.

[CaesarBob]

I was looking at Vredesteins. They've got some good reviews and seem to be reasonably priced.

Any advice for driving on winter tyres, technique?

[DanThe]

The Vredesteins we fitted to a mates car are shite! Completely useless in the wet, understeer everywhere, in the dry they wear out faster than proxies

[Barx325i]

Any advice for driving on winter tyres, technique?

fast & sideways.

[Grrrmachine]

Slow down with the gears rather than the brakes, pull out in second gear rather than first, anticipate drift on every single corner...

Bear in mind that's for when there's six inches of compressed snow and ice covering the road.

[Barx325i]

Use a scando flick rather than the brakes, pull out all the stops, initiate a drift on every single corner...

Bear in mind that's for when there's six inches of compressed snow and ice covering the road.

Corrected

[Grrrmachine]

approved

[Barx325i]

But in all seriousness, most other cars travel slowly in the winter, which gives everyone a nice introduction to nasty road conditions.. Personally I can't wait for the snow, (and steels with 175.65.14's are an excellent starter - then the pressures are a personal preference) snow driving is something you get a feel for or you don't, the most important thing is to avoid panic.

All the traction has disappeared any communication with the road isn't transmitted via the seat, but installed in the grey matter by means of a very delicate trial and error regime.

I just found a doc off car park and then when it all clicks you're ready to kiss kerbs fully clicked as oncoming traffic craps one, meanwhile you're gone, anticipating the next corner ...which is 90% of the 2nd paragraph

Glad you liked that Grrrmachine

[CaesarBob]

Any alternative suggestions then if Vredesteins don't really cut it?

[Grrrmachine]

I dunno what DanThe's talking about, unless he used winter Vreds in the summer. Mine have lasted four seasons and there's still plenty of tread in them.

Still, if you don't like 'em, there's also Goodyear UG8's, Michelin Alpin A4's and lots of people here use Barum Polaris as a cheap alternative.

[Barx325i]

they may be good in super sub zero conditions where normal rubber has set like concrete.

Over here, we hardly see -5 for any prolonged period..

Last year was great though