Winter Tyre Help Please.....

Silverfox

Senior Member
T6 Pro
I'm currently running 20" rims,staggered 10" rear,8.5"front with 275/35 tyres.
I would like to put winter tyres on these rims as don't want to buy a second set of wheels.
Now I realise that size tyre,even in winter guise would be a waste of time,if I dropped to 255/45/20,
would they make the difference??
That size tyre,meets the minimum size for a 10"rim and is 105 rated,also I'm dropped about 50mm on
B14's,so don't think I'll have any rubbing issues,because didn't want to alter heights.
All help appreciated.
 
255/45/20 maybe too much
245/45/20 considerably larger still (diamater) tyres than 275/35/20 : 4% larger 14mm larger radius, so 50mm drop may be an issue. not sure

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Not full winter, but in most circumstances just as good; leave them on all year if you wish / upto 45k miles apparently!!!
/ expensive!!!!!

Not sure about your ET on those wheels because these tyres are over sized by 5.5% which equates to 19mm bigger radius, so the van sits 19mm higher / the wheel arch gap is 19mm less etc etc compared to standard VW t6 tyres.
If you had standard VW ET wheel off sets you would probably need spacers so you don't rub when turning tight.
 
Thanks Chris,et is 35 if that helps.
Might have to bite the bullet and shell out on smaller winter wheels and tyres after all.
 
Thanks Chris,et is 35 if that helps.
Might have to bite the bullet and shell out on smaller winter wheels and tyres after all.
You can often pick up 17" oem steels for £200ish a set on eBay or indeed on this very forum; or just over £400 for a new set; or nearly new 17" Devenport alloys for a really good price. Sometimes there are used Devonports with 235/55/17 Goodyear Vector 4-season Gen2's already fitted
Might be the best bet to get some winters; apparently, all-season/ winter tyres work better with more side wall rubber i.e smaller rims.
 
If you need tyres that work in full winter conditions get full winter tyres. All season/ cross climate etc just don't work on ice. Will work on snow although not as good as full winters.
 
If you need tyres that work in full winter conditions get full winter tyres. All season/ cross climate etc just don't work on ice. Will work on snow although not as good as full winters.
I think for most UK use the better all-seasons work OK in ice, if the temperature drops to Northern European -10c and lower, the rubber compound struggles and gets left behind by the best full winters.
There are reviews where nokian weatherproofs beat winters in cold conditions; but its a complex subject based on individual needs I agree.
The problem with winter tyres in the UK, is temps above 7c some of them are rubbish or worse ... particularly if its wet; and in most of England we have lots of warm winter days.
I even seen the michelins cross climate do well against full winters, and they are at the summer rubber end of the spectrum.
 
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I think for most UK use the better all-seasons work OK in ice, if the temperature drops to Northern European -10c and lower, the rubber compound struggles and gets left behind by the best full winters.
There are reviews where nokian weatherproofs beat winters in cold conditions; but its a complex subject based on individual needs I agree.
The problem with winter tyres in the UK, is temps above 7c some of them are rubbish or worse ... particularly if its wet; and in most of England we have lots of warm winter days.
I even seen the michelins cross climate do well against full winters, and they are at the summer rubber end of the spectrum.

It's days like these we need full winters.
 
not sure I agree at all, if thats in the UK. Was it -25c; -30c like Germany, Sweden, Finland, Russia etc etc get. The UK's climate is mostly no where near as cold as other Northern European countries.
My Nokian weatherproofs would have no problems with that snow, and still have "A" top class wet weather breaking for the other 4 winter months. The other issue we have in the UK is exactly when to switch tyres between summer and winter rubber. Our seasons don't seem to be quite as well defined as the Ski resorts who, often seem to know with a couple of weeks or so when the seasons will change
 
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A Brilliantly well explained video, on how to pick the best tyres for your needs.
I would also add that the the all/weather - all/season tyres also often have a M&S rating along with the 3PMSN; so you get far better grip on wet grass/light mud/sand/gravel etc etc. in summer or winter.
With 4 motion and the right 4 season tyres, I have spent an afternoon pulling caravans of a field with deep(ish) mud in places, when really my Van had no right at all to do this kind of work; it was 100% successful.
I am a big fan of 4-season tyres for UK use all year round especially on a Van; maybe not so for a GTI hot hatch etc but maybe the michelin cross climates would work in that instance???
 
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Like it says on vidio , it depends on where you live. Flat areas, down south maybe all season. Hills north of England, Scotland set of winters and set of summers only way to go. If you are 4wd might get away with all season but for 2wd all the traction you can get is neaded. Last winter there were still a dozen or so days when even with full winters we couldn't move with our 2wd. Would have been more than double that without full winters.
 
Like it says on vidio , it depends on where you live. Flat areas, down south maybe all season. Hills north of England, Scotland set of winters and set of summers only way to go. If you are 4wd might get away with all season but for 2wd all the traction you can get is neaded. Last winter there were still a dozen or so days when even with full winters we couldn't move with our 2wd. Would have been more than double that without full winters.
I hear what you are saying, north Scotland maybe just; but its just not cold enough in most of England. We live between scunthorpe and lincoln; 5 frosts last year, gone by 10 o'clock; we did get some snow late feb; but not cold by Northern European Standards. The winters are not normally tested when its 6c and peeing down with rain; the best all-seasons perform are so much better in these times, which is mostly what many of us get. I would guess my All-season (Nokian) would perform better than many(most) winters even in English snow, just not cold enough. These winters are nearly always tested in Finland/Northern Sweden. Just my thoughts
 
I hear what you are saying, north Scotland maybe just; but its just not cold enough in most of England. We live between scunthorpe and lincoln; 5 frosts last year, gone by 10 o'clock; we did get some snow late feb; but not cold by Northern European Standards. The winters are not normally tested when its 6c and peeing down with rain; the best all-seasons perform are so much better in these times, which is mostly what many of us get. I would guess my All-season (Nokian) would perform better than many(most) winters even in English snow, just not cold enough. These winters are nearly always tested in Finland/Northern Sweden. Just my thoughts
We have just had 2 days where most people have had to leave cars at bottom of road in village. Not tnorth Scotland only Peak District. It's the ice on the side roads round here, no gritting and many of them very steep. Full winters only just managed to get up the hill in village in 2wd t6.
 
So have decided to get some 18" steels,just wondered what size tyres you guys recommend,taking into consideration I'm dropped about 50mm on b14's.
I'm thinking either 255/45/18 or 245/50/18.
Recommendations please??
 
So have decided to get some 18" steels,just wondered what size tyres you guys recommend,taking into consideration I'm dropped about 50mm on b14's.
I'm thinking either 255/45/18 or 245/50/18.
Recommendations please??
I would firstly look at what you want your tyres/van to do first; then look at makers/types the size would come after the "performance spec/duty" you want from them. I would be at 235/55/18 if that suited my personal spec.
Things you might want to consider:
Conditions you will be driving in
Countries/seasons you will be driving in
Premium/Standards/Budget
Summer/All-season-All weather/Winter: 1 set / 2 sets winter-summeer
3MPSN/M&S/AT
Longevity v performance
EU Ratings - Fuel/Wet Braking/Noise
Load rating v loads
Speed Rating v max speed
Your attitude to risk
Looks


Bottom this lot out then start to look at sizes imo
 
These wheels and tyres are just for winter,so basically December to march,so will probably go full winter,will be doing hardly any mileage,just to keep me mobile and earning a living.
 
The general wisdom seems to be go for a narrow and tall tyre as much as reasonably possible,
18" winter tyres will cost a fair bit more than 16" or 17", you could look at smaller wheels to save money, so long as they fit over your brake callipers (17" chassis)?
so 235/45/18, could work, but what is the maximum load on your rear axel?, are you ever likely to be over loaded?
I think you may need to look at 235/55/18 depending on you load needs
Winter Activa SV-55
Nankang Winter Activa SV-55 235/55 R18 104H XL - mytyres.co.uk

seems to offer a solution; the video talks about never buying cheap/budget with winter tyres. I think they can be dangerous on warmer days, especially if it has been raining.
UltraGrip Performance GEN-1
Goodyear UltraGrip Performance GEN-1 235/55 R18 104H XL AO - mytyres.co.uk

The above are premium top quality, but a lot more cash
I 've never run either but there are a few reviews, and both seem to be suitable for T32 vans
Personally I always run top quality rubber, and especially in winter imo, but the cheaper ones maybe fine
Please tell us what you go for
 
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