Winter or All Season Tyres?

[IbizaNI]

Recently bought another set of wheels to use for winter but I'm not sure whether to get some winter or all season tyres for them.

I live on the east coast of Northern Ireland, relatively near the sea so I don't get huge amounts of snow in the winter, mostly rain and sleet so I'm sure if all-season's or winters would be better suited.

If I get all-season's I won't be running them year round as I'm going to use the current set of wheels I have on the car in the warmer months, probably March/April-October/November. depending on what the weather and temperatures are like, as I've read winter tyres are better than their summer equivalents under 7C.

My max budget would probably be around £75 per tyre in 225 45 R17 which would mean I can get something mid-range.

After reading numerous reviews, owner and professional ones, I have narrowed down to the following:

Winter:
Kleber Krisalp HP3
Nexen WInguard Sport 2

All season:
Nexen N'Blue 4 Season

Any opinions or recommendations on other tyres are welcome and whether ultimately whether I should go for winter or all season tyres.

 

[Speedbird]

If you had only 1 set of wheels, I would suggest all seasons and keep them on all year round. But as you have a spare set of wheels, I would definitely go for winter tyres on them and fit them for the colder months.

I had Pirelli Scorpion Verde All Seasons on my Ford Kuga AWD. For a soft roader, I was amazed at how well it did in the snow last year, and I put that down to mostly the tyres. I was driving every day to work, past stranded vehicles, out of up hill car parks that other cars couldn't drive up etc. The car had Haldex driven four wheel drive that helped, but the tyres were brilliant so definitely don't discount all seasons either.

 

[IbizaNI]

If you had only 1 set of wheels, I would suggest all seasons and keep them on all year round. But as you have a spare set of wheels, I would definitely go for winter tyres on them and fit them for the colder months.

I had Pirelli Scorpion Verde All Seasons on my Ford Kuga AWD. For a soft roader, I was amazed at how well it did in the snow last year, and I put that down to mostly the tyres. I was driving every day to work, past stranded vehicles, out of up hill car parks that other cars couldn't drive up etc. The car had Haldex driven four wheel drive that helped, but the tyres were brilliant so definitely don't discount all seasons either.

On my previous Ibiza I had all season Maxxis AP2's and they were great in all situations, as you said yourself, with a spare set of wheels it'd probably be better to put winters on them for colder months but because of the relatively mild winters I have, that's what's making me consider all seasons rather than winters.

 

[KXL]

As you have spare rims (are they the same 17 inch 225/45 as your normal rims?), go for 1 summer and 1 winter set. In the long run, you will replace tyres less often anyway, as 3-4 months a year they are on winter sets, assuming you have a big garage / place to store them. Have a friend in Russia, he uses Sava Eskimo there as it's in your budget. he's happy with them, and winters are intense here. Not sure if they work well in the 0-8 degrees range, as there it's usually -20 or colder. If you have a higher budget, would have said Nokian.

 

[IbizaNI]

As you have spare rims (are they the same 17 inch 225/45 as your normal rims?), go for 1 summer and 1 winter set. In the long run, you will replace tyres less often anyway, as 3-4 months a year they are on winter sets, assuming you have a big garage / place to store them. Have a friend in Russia, he uses Sava Eskimo there as it's in your budget. he's happy with them, and winters are intense here. Not sure if they work well in the 0-8 degrees range, as there it's usually -20 or colder. If you have a higher budget, would have said Nokian.

My car came with the 18’s, 225 40 R18, I bought the 17’s used so hopefully a bit more comfortable for the colder months.

Winter and all season tyres in general tend to have more tread compared to summer tyres however as they’re softer they’ll wear quicker, so I guess in the long run I would save a bit in terms of tyres.

Sounds like the Sava’s would be perfectly suited to somewhere like the Scottish Highlands but as you’ve said not sure how well they work in a relatively mild winter.

The Nokian’s do look rather good, especially the WR D4 with good wet braking ratings.

 

[Carbonara]

My car came with the 18’s, 225 40 R18, I bought the 17’s used so hopefully a bit more comfortable for the colder months.

Winter and all season tyres in general tend to have more tread compared to summer tyres however as they’re softer they’ll wear quicker, so I guess in the long run I would save a bit in terms of tyres.

Sounds like the Sava’s would be perfectly suited to somewhere like the Scottish Highlands but as you’ve said not sure how well they work in a relatively mild winter.

The Nokian’s do look rather good, especially the WR D4 with good wet braking ratings.

Or go for the Weatherproofs which are winter-biased all-seasons and can be left on longer than full winters.

I've just put Conti AllSeasonContacts on but have experience of Mich, Nokian and Maxxis (MA-AS) all-seasons. Contis reviewed well against full winters in Germany, and I haven't seen a review yet on Bridgestone Weather Control A005. I'd be tempted to go for the AP2s again for your budget - but the forecast for snow this winter is confusing with some big dumps which could stop averything in its tracks.

 

[Kinetic]

I've had Kleber Quadraxer all season tyres on a previous car and they were brilliant in the snow, great longevity as well. I put them on at the beginning of November and took them off in the middle of April.

 

[Mr Pig]

There is no advantage to all-seasons if you're going to swap tyres anyway. I've used winters for years and have no regrets. Mine are on for around five-months so really saves the summer tyres and means the alloys aren't getting blasted with salt.

 

[IbizaNI]

Thanks for the advice and insight into what you have all used.

Seeing as I'll be putting smaller wheels on, would that mean I need to buy a new set of wheel bolts as they're 17's rather than 18's and would stick out from the hub a little less than before or would it simply be a straight swap with the same bolts?

 

[Mr Pig]

Seeing as I'll be putting smaller wheels on, would that mean I need to buy a new set of wheel bolts?

No. The only time you may have to use shorter bolts is if you are using steel wheels instead of alloy ones but I have alloy summer wheels and steel winters and the same bolts are fine.

I can't remember what my winter tyres are, they are in the shed. I read a few reviews and bought the best ones. They were not cheap, about £100 each, but we planned on having the car a while so I felt it was worth it. Kinda defeats the purpose to get winter tyres then buy cheapo ones! ;0)

 

[Carbonara]

There is no advantage to all-seasons if you're going to swap tyres anyway. I've used winters for years and have no regrets. Mine are on for around five-months so really saves the summer tyres and means the alloys aren't getting blasted with salt.

Theoretically yes, but the use of a winter biased all-season means that the window for their use can be stretched. Travelling South from Scotland over Easter, full winters can be very squirmy whereas the all-seasons were much better and still worked properly when I returned. The open pattern was also better for Scottish tracks which is admittedly a bit of a niche requirement. I would only fit Summers in the peak hot months in a steady (not really dynamic) car. For my Seat I've gone less winter biased as I want to enjoy its dynamics. When the snow comes I'll make sure I can use the other car/tyre combo which has more clearance.

Regarding bolts; aftermarket wheels might require different bolts (often tapered/conical shoulders) which may have become separated from the wheels over time and storage. Should be same length though. I couldn't multi quote so just added this titbit to this reply when both are really for the OP.

 

[IbizaNI]

No. The only time you may have to use shorter bolts is if you are using steel wheels instead of alloy ones but I have alloy summer wheels and steel winters and the same bolts are fine.

I can't remember what my winter tyres are, they are in the shed. I read a few reviews and bought the best ones. They were not cheap, about £100 each, but we planned on having the car a while so I felt it was worth it. Kinda defeats the purpose to get winter tyres then buy cheapo ones! ;0)

That's good to know thanks. I'm saving for some new summer tyres too as I'm the 2nd owner of my car and they still have the original Bridgestones as well as a "triangle" tyre which the combination I find a load of faeces as the wheels spin too easily in the wet and are rather noisy.

I recall seeing a video somewhere demonstrating the difference between budget and premium winter tyres and oh boy do they make a big difference, but unfortunately as I'm saving for a new set of premium summer tyres too it means I cannot afford premium winter tyres and only stretch to a mid-range.

Theoretically yes, but the use of a winter biased all-season means that the window for their use can be stretched. Travelling South from Scotland over Easter, full winters can be very squirmy whereas the all-seasons were much better and still worked properly when I returned. The open pattern was also better for Scottish tracks which is admittedly a bit of a niche requirement. I would only fit Summers in the peak hot months in a steady (not really dynamic) car. For my Seat I've gone less winter biased as I want to enjoy its dynamics. When the snow comes I'll make sure I can use the other car/tyre combo which has more clearance.

Regarding bolts; aftermarket wheels might require different bolts (often tapered/conical shoulders) which may have become separated from the wheels over time and storage. Should be same length though. I couldn't multi quote so just added this titbit to this reply when both are really for the OP.

That was what I was thinking, if I have a wet, windy and relatively mild winter rather than cold and snowy would I be better off with all-seasons rather than winters.

The wheels are not aftermarket, my car came with the 18" performance alloys and I've bought a set of used 17" wheels which come on the FR as stock, so I'm guessing they'll be alright with the same wheel bolts.

 

[Carbonara]

If it helps gauging it, Nokian Weatherproofs are just 3% harder than the winter tyre on which they were based. They'll get you far further than Michelin Cross Climates in extreme winter conditions. Unfortunately my experience with their UK backup means I believe the backup from Michelin is far superior should you have warranty issues. Your attitude to risk will dictate how "winterised" you need to go and how much compromise you're willing to accept. I'm assuming you don't have the option to pick a different vehicle for each day's use so you've picked the one most suited to most of your requirements. Same with tyres really.

If it helps, I will be taking the 17" CrossClimate setup off my son's car and fitting the 16" Maxxis all-seasons if it looks as bad as last year. In extremes I'll use my quattro with the Nokians and possibly even chains or we won't go out.

 

[black_sheep]

Thanks for the advice and insight into what you have all used.

Seeing as I'll be putting smaller wheels on, would that mean I need to buy a new set of wheel bolts as they're 17's rather than 18's and would stick out from the hub a little less than before or would it simply be a straight swap with the same bolts?

You will not need shorter bolts but may need a different type of bolt. The VAG cars use a radial/spherical bolt - if you use OEM VAG steel wheels then you can use the standard bolts as they have a radial/spherical mating face.

The majority of aftermarket alloy wheels require you to use a conical bolt - which generally means that you will require 16 x bolts and 4 x locking wheel bolts.

From memory, M14 x 1.5 28 mm length.

 

[IbizaNI]

If it helps gauging it, Nokian Weatherproofs are just 3% harder than the winter tyre on which they were based. They'll get you far further than Michelin Cross Climates in extreme winter conditions. Unfortunately my experience with their UK backup means I believe the backup from Michelin is far superior should you have warranty issues. Your attitude to risk will dictate how "winterised" you need to go and how much compromise you're willing to accept. I'm assuming you don't have the option to pick a different vehicle for each day's use so you've picked the one most suited to most of your requirements. Same with tyres really.

If it helps, I will be taking the 17" CrossClimate setup off my son's car and fitting the 16" Maxxis all-seasons if it looks as bad as last year. In extremes I'll use my quattro with the Nokians and possibly even chains or we won't go out.

Would you say Maxxis make more hardcore, snow and cold condition winter tyres? You are correct that I don't have the option to pick a different vehicle for the conditions.

You will not need shorter bolts but may need a different type of bolt. The VAG cars use a radial/spherical bolt - if you use OEM VAG steel wheels then you can use the standard bolts as they have a radial/spherical mating face.

The majority of aftermarket alloy wheels require you to use a conical bolt - which generally means that you will require 16 x bolts and 4 x locking wheel bolts.

From memory, M14 x 1.5 28 mm length.

That diagram is very useful, never really thought about the shape of the bolts but seeing as my winter wheels are Seat OEM wheels I'm guessing the bolts will fit in fine.

 

[IbizaNI]

Just an update, I've bought a set of Kleber Krisalp HP3's off eBay for £70 per corner, they should arrive by the end of the week just in time for this big artic freeze we're supposed to be getting! The eBay seller is mytyres, they seem like a respectable site and good value and have more choice than blackcircles, hopefully delivery will be all good.

 

[black_sheep]

If OEM wheels, then original bolts will be fine.

The Kleber tyres are what the Seat dealer in Germany sold me when living out there - Kleber are owned by Michelin, so not a bad tyre.

 

[Kinetic]

I had a set of Kleber Quadraxer all season tyres and they were fantastic, especially in the snow. I'm thinking of getting another set before the prices start to increase.

 

[Carbonara]

Should be fine on them. I will only be fitting the Maxxis again because I got them for my son's car (before it became his) then stumbled upon a larger set of wheels with CrossClimates. If he knackers the smaller wheels as a relatively inexperienced driver, who cares. Whilst Maxxis don't have a special reputation for winter tyres, they are one of the better far eastern brands with good reviews and value for money, scoring well in most tests unlike their more dubious Chinese counterparts. Unfortunately they all get tarred with the same brush.

 

[Mr Pig]

The eBay seller is mytyres, they seem like a respectable site and good value..

I bought my winter wheels from them. Price was good and they do both wheels any tyres.