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So the golf needs some new front tires in the not too distant future. The rears are still the OEM hankooks and have done 45k. They have at least 5mm on them though!!!
So looking for a couple of new fronts and fancy something like some winter ones. Looked at the cross climate but these look pricey compared to the alternatives. However i notice that they all show (that that ABC thing) that they are not as good in rain as a standard tire. Is this right?
So should i geta couple of winter ones for the wifes short commute or save 50 quid and get some standard ones?
Could go with a Uniroyal Rainsport or something if you're not overly fussed on snow performance but want a bit of wet weather bias?
It's not a good idea to put winters on just one axle. Replace all 4 or just put something similar to the Hankooks on the front. Current advice is to put the better tyres on the rear though IIRC.
The new ones need to go on the back , I would replace the Hankooks as well as 5mm on the front coming up to winter is possibly leading to them being rubbish by Jan/Feb. You could consider all season tyres if you think local conditions warrant them - look at Quadraxer 2 - Kleber - owned by Michelin.
finishthat - Member
The new ones need to go on the back , I would replace the Hankooks as well as 5mm on the front coming up to winter is possibly leading to them being rubbish by Jan/Feb. You could consider all season tyres if you think local conditions warrant them - look at Quadraxer 2 - Kleber - owned by Michelin.
Thems the words of a Wo/Man who knows their tyres and onions, especially the comment on refitting the rears on the front and fitting the new ones to the rear.
But... it's a Golf, not a V8 Mustang, the rears are only there to stop the arse dragging along the floor.
My personally preference is to drive to the conditions rather than rely on winter tyres (that will cause an argument) the blurb for winter tyres makes it sound as if Summer Tyres (or 'tyres' as they've been called for the last 100 years or so) will kill you the moment they're out of their optimum working temp of 40c ambient, again to 'keep it rear' most modern cars have so much grip and so much control thanks to ESP most drives never, ever, get close to the limit of grip, unless it snows - which unless we're very unlucky or you live very far north it almost never does in the UK - and when it does roads fall into 2 categories, clear or closed.
Unless you live at the top of a hill in the North of Scotland I'd head to Blackcircles, buy a pair of decent, but not main brand tyres (why pay extra to fund smutty calenders or poncy restaurant guides) I like Kumho tyres - they're decent quality without the massive marketing budget, pick one based on the guide for noise, wet grip and efficiency and have them fitted to the front.
considering the rate of wear on the rear then there are several years left in those tires.
so the consensus is just bang some standard ones on the front. Never had any issues with snow but just fancied trying some.
I think experienced/observant drivers can drive to the conditions , its just the unexpected that catches some out - the off camber bend in the wet with a broken down car on it - low grip tyres on the back and you could spin into the on coming traffic or the hedge, grippy tyres and you stop or bump the broken down car, its a bit melodramatic but thats when you hope to have the best tyres on the back.
Those 45k miles back tyres could be going hard or past their best.
I'd be surprised if wherever you get them fitted don't advise to put best on the back.
It all sounds a bit drama queen , anyway personally I buy non premium exactly as P-Jay says but not "budget" , and keep the best on the back.
But... it's a Golf, not a V8 Mustang, the rears are only there to stop the arse dragging along the floor.
Its a front wheel drive car - but thats the issue - doesn't matter if its a V8 front wheel drive car or your grans shopper. People presume that the best tread needs to be on the front partly because they are the wheels that are driven and because the fronts wear faster. But for all round safety front wheel drive cars are safer when the grippiest tyres are on the back, especially in the wet.
I was going to ask the same question, purely for the fact that when my fronts need changing they swap them to the rears and stick new ones on the fronts...
I think perhaps 'Summer' tyres have changed over the years to try and coax out better performance in normal conditions, at the expense of snow performance. Where once upon a time a midsize family hatchback would have come with 175/65's, its now just quite likely to have 225/45's = cuts into the snow less, and with stiffer less conforming sidewalls. Combined with the increased torque of the ever popular turbo diesel engine, it can make for very difficult driving at even the slightest sniff of the white stuff.My personally preference is to drive to the conditions rather than rely on winter tyres (that will cause an argument) the blurb for winter tyres makes it sound as if Summer Tyres (or 'tyres' as they've been called for the last 100 years or so) will kill you the moment they're out of their optimum working temp of 40c ambient,
Its a front wheel drive car - but thats the issue - doesn't matter if its a V8 front wheel drive car or your grans shopper. People presume that the best tread needs to be on the front partly because they are the wheels that are driven and because the fronts wear faster. But for all round safety front wheel drive cars are safer when the grippiest tyres are on the back, especially in the wet.
For me that's always boiled down to proactive v reactive safety.
As we all know - FWD means the front wheels are doing all the steering, most of the braking and also tranfering the power to the road.
If you set your car up with more grip at the rear then yes, if you over do it or something unexpected happens you will understeer - understeer is easier to correct and most people, who've mostly driven FWD cars their whole lives will be used to it. This is reactive, when it goes wrong, it's easier.
But, if you set your car up with more grip at the front, the end that has to do all the work, you're far less likely to slide in the first place, and more than that - even if you have a set of P-Zeros on the front and a worn set of Linglong Ditchfinders on the back, a FWD will still understeer when it runs out of grip. This is proactive. more grip, less likely to slide.
There are two benefits to putting the new ones on the back 1st and foremost, it sells more tyres, because as per the OP - a set of rears on a mainstream FWD car can do 45k miles (about half the life of the car if you believe a lot of manufacturers) and still have 5mm left. The second, and probably the most real-world is that tyres do 'go off' after a while and OPs rears probably aren't much cop anymore - but again, they're not doing much either, take it to Kwickfit and say "put them on the back mate" and they'll suck through their teeth and say "can't put 5 year old tyres on the front, you'll be needing 4".
I think perhaps 'Summer' tyres have changed over the years to try and coax out better performance in normal conditions, at the expense of snow performance. Where once upon a time a midsize family hatchback would have come with 175/65's, its now just quite likely to have 225/45's = cuts into the snow less, and with stiffer less conforming sidewalls. Combined with the increased torque of the ever popular turbo diesel engine, it can make for very difficult driving at even the slightest sniff of the white stuff.
I'll agree to disagree here, this "Winter Tyres" thread comes around every autumn and always end in an argument that rages till Spring.
However I think we can all agree, winter tyres, are NOT snow tyres and have never claimed to be.
I really never consider Snow when I buy tyres, not because I don't think driving in snow is easy or something to be taken lightly - it's just that I live in South Wales, we get lots and lots of rain, but rarely snow, in my 40 years on this earth we've had 3, or possibly 4 winters, one in the early 80s when I was a toddler, another in the late 80s and then I think 2009 and 2010. I managed to drive the odd few times I needed to in '09 and '10 but mostly I did the same as everyone else - called the office exagerated about the volume of snow I had at home (you'd think I'd moved to Hoth) and took the kids out on the sleds.
I honestly think, the concept of 'winter tyre' didn't exist in the UK until those two winters, then we all kind of assumed it would happen every year, but it almost never does. If I lived somewhere where it snowed every winter, I'd buy a 4x4, and possibly some winter tyres for it.
tbh i can drive pretty well in snow. Or most other conditions. I just saw the cross climates (as a summer certified winter tire) and thought it sounded interesting.
I dont think this car will be going that fast to back it into anything. If it is ive probably got other issues.
tbh, I also think full on winter tyres are overkill 99% of the time. I was just pointing out that maybe our 'normal' tyres these days don't quite perform as well in wintry conditions as they may have in the past.I honestly think, the concept of 'winter tyre' didn't exist in the UK until those two winters, then we all kind of assumed it would happen every year, but it almost never does. If I lived somewhere where it snowed every winter, I'd buy a 4x4, and possibly some winter tyres for it.
I remember in 2010 I had to rely on my Dad for a lift to work, cos whilst his little Peugeot 206 just carried on, neither of us could even get my Leon out of the drive 😀
It's cold enough and snows often enough here that now they exist i'll be trying a set of these all season / cross climate things for my next set.
Replace all 4 with all seasons
Lose a tiny bit of performance in summer when there is loads of grip
Gain plenty in snow and cold wet conditions
Goodyear vector 4 seasons were £10 a corner more than a good summer tyre.
Were quieter and noticeably grippier on wet roads than old tyres. My front wheel drive Octavia was far better on snow than the 4 wheel drive Octavia scout 4w drive on summer tyres which I drive at work.
Sure, I only drive on snow a few times a year but it,s much more relaxing not being in the limit of grip when I do
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Came top in the auto express all season test
Winter tyres =/= snow tyres.
Winter tyres are designed to work better in temperatures of less than 7C whether there's snow or not and most of us will experience that regularly over the next few months.
Here in the frozen north, I leave them on all year. 😆
My personally preference is to drive to the conditions rather than rely on winter tyres (that will cause an argument) the blurb for winter tyres makes it sound as if Summer Tyres (or 'tyres' as they've been called for the last 100 years or so) will kill you the moment they're out of their optimum working temp
LOL!
Agreed. Our car only does 6000 miles a year and I’m buggered if I’m changing tyres for 2000 miles. I’ve never had a problem using my right foot to control the available grip anyway.....
I do most of my miles on a motorbike anyway, which generally has a new pair of tyres fitted in autumn ready to flat spot over the winter.....
I've just put 4 new Michelin CrossClimate+ tyres on my RWD Merc estate after the original Hankook started to look a bit worn. They were about the same price as replacing like with like.
It'll make me a little less concerned about visiting the outlaws up on the fells east of Penrith over Crimbo.
I bought some winters a few years ago.
After a couple of years, when they'd worn down a bit, I simply left them on until they'd worn completely down and put the summers on.
Then some **** crashed into my car and it was written off, shortly after I put the new(ish) summer tyres back on. Arse.