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Hello, thank you very much for your excellent reviews which we all find very helpful. I'm looking at winter tires nowadays within ~100 Euros budget.. Based on your reviews i narrow my choices between: Hankook i*cept evo2 as first choice and Kleber HP3 as second. Im also considering Good year Ultr Grip perf. and Nokian Snowproof but they will be a bit more expensive at around 140 euros per tire (I would be happy to spend more if the differences are huge). I live in south-east Europe (Macedonia) where the winters are not that cold and without much snow. I really like to hear you options on the choices that i've made or maybe i should consider another tyer.
The car is Volvo s80 and dimensions are 225 /55/16
If you don't get much snow I would use a tire like the Michelin CrossClimate as a winter tire.
Thank you very much!
The Michelin CrossClimate is really expensive here (200euros).
At the end, i think I'll get the GoodYear UGP+.
Thanks again!
Hello, Thanks for all the excellent reviews. I've got a BMW Z4 which now has Michelin PS 4S tires thanks to your advice. They're a massive improvement on the "moderate cost" Hankooks it had before.
Now I'm looking at winter wheels and tires. I live near the South Downs so not much snow but when there is the BMW is appalling as you'd guess with rear wheel drive and a lot of power. It's got 19 inch wheels. From what I've read the Vredstein Wintrack Pros look like a good option for me. I'm just not sure whether to get 18 or 19 inch wheels for them. The standard car has 225/35 and 255/30 front/rear. Some people seem to get 18 inch wheels with the same width all round.
I'd be really grateful for your expert guidance !
Cheers
Duncan
Good choice of tires, and if you don't mind buying another set of wheels, and 18s fit over the brakes, I'd probably head down that route for extra comfort as the roads fall apart. Just be sure to let your insurance company know.
Thanks for the reply. I'd forgotten about the insurance so thanks for that too. Reading forums I've got the impression that the cost of new wheels is evened out with the convenience of being able to swap them yourself and not having to pay for a swap twice a year at a garage.
One final thought. In the 2019 winter performance tires test, the winter tires seem to not do as well as the summer ones in wet road tests etc. I thought they were supposed to be better. Does this mean they don't test them in the colder temperatures they are designed for?
It means braking is hard for siped tires, though summer and a good winter are usually close
Sorry to drone on.
So siping helps traction in snow but doesn't help wet braking or handling according to the 19 inch winter tire review. So I guess the winter tires would be even worse if they weren't a softer compound for lower temperatures? I wonder if this reduced wet performance is actually that noticeable?? If it is would an all season tire be a better bet and still be able to keep me mobile if it snows occasionally?
Thank you for help.
The Michelin CrossClimate is a much better "winter" tire for most of the UK as it has less dry compromise.
Ok then I'll get them after all and stick with Michelin too. The CC video was very convincing.
Thanks for all your help.
Keep the good work up!
Also I was considering Vredestain Wintrac Pro, would that be smart choice?
The Wintrac had some good test results, especially in wet condition. Also one of the better tires in dry.
In snow it´s somewhere in the middle, Auto Zeitung wrote it was the fastest tire in snow but hard to handle
Hi, I am buying next month new winter tires; 19 inch; for FWD car, do you have any information on Pilot Alpin 5 and Conti 860 S; which one would you recommend?
Will there be any tests in following weeks including those two?
Auto Bild Sportcars tested the old Michelin PA4, so no info about the PA5. Size was 255/35R19.
Best overall tire was the Goodyear Ultra Grip Performance +, followed by Vredestein Wintrac Pro, Uniroyal MS plus 77, Conti TS 860S
This test will be on the site next week :)