Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!!

[MHS]

For those who haven't been driving on snow yet, I'm pleased to report that both the car and standard tyres have coped really quite well.

I hadn't got round to ordering the spare alloys with winter tyres, as it's been so mild.

Had a 45 mile journey home from North Yorkshire last night. 3" snow on the M1, which was causing BMW 5 series to fish tale up inclines. We drove happily on in blizzard conditions. By the time we parked up there was 4-5" snow, and the car proved to be very predictable. With a gentle right foot, with or without the 4 wheel lock, it proved hard to break traction without deliberately provoking it.

I have had a lot of experience driving in snow, and as usual watched others impatience and stupidity cause problems last night.

 

[user 258]

For those who haven't been driving on snow yet, I'm pleased to report that both the car and standard tyres have coped really quite well.

I hadn't got round to ordering the spare alloys with winter tyres, as it's been so mild.

Had a 45 mile journey home from North Yorkshire last night. 3" snow on the M1, which was causing BMW 5 series to fish tale up inclines. We drove happily on in blizzard conditions. By the time we parked up there was 4-5" snow, and the car proved to be very predictable. With a gentle right foot, with or without the 4 wheel lock, it proved hard to break traction without deliberately provoking it.

I have had a lot of experience driving in snow, and as usual watched others impatience and stupidity cause problems last night.

Hi,

I agree. I went out for 2.5 hours for fun last night at 23:30 on standard tyres and was also quite pleased. No fuss, just gently and smoothly powered through the white stuff. Sheffield is qute hilly, and while I didn't push my luck going for the steepest hills, it handled everything that was asked of it.

Kind regards,
Mark

 

[Paddlepower]

Thanks for the info, this is great to know. I live on a steep hill and don't really want to spend out on winter tyres.

 

[Sharky]

Living in Derbyshire I found myself driving through the Peak District when the snow was at its worst. Having had several 4x4 in the past, I have something to compare with. The PHEV was brilliant never missed a beat and dealt with some tricky conditions with ease. I'm not suggesting that it was better than my Range Rover Vogue I had, but that it did a better job than I expected. I left the PHEV to it's own devices only selecting the 4x4 mode to see if it made any difference, it did a little on one of the steep roads leading to my house. Giving a more positive feel especially on the steep inclines down the hills.

I have taken the milk float off road on a couple of occasions but this was the best test yet and I am more than pleased. Incidentally the next morning I pulled/towed two of my neighbours' up the hill so they could park at home!! (both had BMW 5's)

Also taking about winter tyres, I did look into this but was advised by a good friend that owns a garage that the tyres already fitted are nearly winter type tyres and having now seen what they can cope with will note be changing them!

 

[MHS]

We went out on Monday morning to find some steep, snow covered hills. Again Suzi coped well on standard tyres, both climbing and descending.

Used B5 to act as a low ratio box going down. Held the speed down really well. Will probably leave the winter tyres for next year.

 

[jaapv]

The car is like any other car when braking and turning - and that is exactly when winter tires are a safety feature. It is of no great use being able to drive off if the next thing is to find out that you cannot control the car when stopping or turning.

 

[Davep01]

Living in Derbyshire I found myself driving through the Peak District when the snow was at its worst. Having had several 4x4 in the past, I have something to compare with. The PHEV was brilliant never missed a beat and dealt with some tricky conditions with ease. I'm not suggesting that it was better than my Range Rover Vogue I had, but that it did a better job than I expected. I left the PHEV to it's own devices only selecting the 4x4 mode to see if it made any difference, it did a little on one of the steep roads leading to my house. Giving a more positive feel especially on the steep inclines down the hills.

I have taken the milk float off road on a couple of occasions but this was the best test yet and I am more than pleased. Incidentally the next morning I pulled/towed two of my neighbours' up the hill so they could park at home!! (both had BMW 5's)

Also taking about winter tyres, I did look into this but was advised by a good friend that owns a garage that the tyres already fitted are nearly winter type tyres and having now seen what they can cope with will note be changing them!

Hi,

Not due to receive my GX4h until early Feb but have been lurking a while seeing how people are getting on with the Outlander. What tyres is it fitted with as standard?

Thanks..Dave

 

[Swiftly]

Living in Derbyshire I found myself driving through the Peak District when the snow was at its worst. Having had several 4x4 in the past, I have something to compare with. The PHEV was brilliant never missed a beat and dealt with some tricky conditions with ease. I'm not suggesting that it was better than my Range Rover Vogue I had, but that it did a better job than I expected. I left the PHEV to it's own devices only selecting the 4x4 mode to see if it made any difference, it did a little on one of the steep roads leading to my house. Giving a more positive feel especially on the steep inclines down the hills.

I have taken the milk float off road on a couple of occasions but this was the best test yet and I am more than pleased. Incidentally the next morning I pulled/towed two of my neighbours' up the hill so they could park at home!! (both had BMW 5's)

Also taking about winter tyres, I did look into this but was advised by a good friend that owns a garage that the tyres already fitted are nearly winter type tyres and having now seen what they can cope with will note be changing them!

Hi,

Not due to receive my GX4h until early Feb but have been lurking a while seeing how people are getting on with the Outlander. What tyres is it fitted with as standard?

Thanks..Dave

The standard tyres are Toyo R37. They are NOT remotely like winter tyres, strictly summer spec

 

[MHS]

Living in Derbyshire I found myself driving through the Peak District when the snow was at its worst. Having had several 4x4 in the past, I have something to compare with. The PHEV was brilliant never missed a beat and dealt with some tricky conditions with ease. I'm not suggesting that it was better than my Range Rover Vogue I had, but that it did a better job than I expected. I left the PHEV to it's own devices only selecting the 4x4 mode to see if it made any difference, it did a little on one of the steep roads leading to my house. Giving a more positive feel especially on the steep inclines down the hills.

I have taken the milk float off road on a couple of occasions but this was the best test yet and I am more than pleased. Incidentally the next morning I pulled/towed two of my neighbours' up the hill so they could park at home!! (both had BMW 5's)

Also taking about winter tyres, I did look into this but was advised by a good friend that owns a garage that the tyres already fitted are nearly winter type tyres and having now seen what they can cope with will note be changing them!

Hi,

Not due to receive my GX4h until early Feb but have been lurking a while seeing how people are getting on with the Outlander. What tyres is it fitted with as standard?

Thanks..Dave

The standard tyres are Toyo R37. They are NOT remotely like winter tyres, strictly summer spec

Exactly right, they are nothing like a winter tyre. However they do remarkably well for a summer tyre.
We have avon ice touring on my daughters Fiesta, and have had Toyo winter tyres on our subarus and similar on our shoguns, and they would get you anywhere.

 

[Davep01]

The standard tyres are Toyo R37. They are NOT remotely like winter tyres, strictly summer spec

Exactly right, they are nothing like a winter tyre. However they do remarkably well for a summer tyre.
We have avon ice touring on my daughters Fiesta, and have had Toyo winter tyres on our subarus and similar on our shoguns, and they would get you anywhere.[/quote]

Thanks for the info... Bit of a tyre geek so already deciding what the second set will be!

Dave

 

[Paule23]

Dave, as a self confessed tyre geek can you share your knowledge and choice when you decide?

There is a long thread on here about winter tyres but little information on what people have actually bought and where from. I'm looking for some winter tyres but struggling to find a retailer online.

 

[BeerHunter]

Dave, as a self confessed tyre geek can you share your knowledge and choice when you decide?

There is a long thread on here about winter tyres but little information on what people have actually bought and where from. I'm looking for some winter tyres but struggling to find a retailer online.

I had a set of Dunlop SP Winter Sport 4D fitted and cannot recommend them enough. They have been used on snow, ice and frost and provide great levels of traction in all conditions.

Kev.

 

[BeeJay]

Vredestein Wintrac 4 Xtremes for me.

Used them for several years on my Range Rover and they were fantastic, in fact ran them year round towards the end (only do 10k/year).

Fitted them less than 7 days after I got my PHEV in mid November.

 

[jaapv]

Hankook i cept EVO. The second season I run them and I find them very good, especially on snow. No complaints.

 

[Bilbo59]

Dave, as a self confessed tyre geek can you share your knowledge and choice when you decide?

There is a long thread on here about winter tyres but little information on what people have actually bought and where from. I'm looking for some winter tyres but struggling to find a retailer online.

I'm really happy with the Vredesteins I bought, brilliant in cold/dry/damp/wet and snow. I found the OEM tyres to be really poor in damp/wet conditions and not particularly inspiring in the dry either but never tried them in snow.

Full list of what I bought below including vendors I would recommend.

TPMS Sensors
Cost £121.87 from Celtic Mitsubishi - 01792 659555 - Mark or Ceri

Wheels & Tyres
Cost £1109.00
Tekno RX7 Silver 18" 8J ET40
Vredestein Wintrac 4 Xtreme - 225/55/18 98V
Wheelbase (G.B.) Limited - 0845 500 4001 - Damian
http://www.wheelbasealloys.com/

 

[davec]

I've covered nearly 3,000 miles on Wintrac 4 Xtremes over the last month and they've felt very sure footed in all conditions, particularly heavy rain and (shallow) snow and ice in the Alpes. My only complaint is that road noise on concrete motorways is uncomfortably loud at 70mph and above, but fortunately most of my usual motorway driving is on tarmac.

I previously ran an XC90 on Nokian WR2 SUV's (for 8 years) and also found them to be very good and never noticed any increased road noise. I rate both tyres highly but the road noise issue would ere me towards the Nokians when its time to change. The Nokians also lasted really well (24-26k) so I'll see how well the Vredestein's do before deciding what to go for next time.

Davec

 

[greendwarf]

http://www.tyreleader.co.uk/car-tyres/bridgestone/blizzak-lm-80-evo/225-55-r18-98v-254454

I bought these at the end of November delivered from Germany direct to my local fitter within a couple of days. Delayed fitting until it got colder at the beginning of December. Not had the opportunity to try them out in real winter conditions yet (skiing in Alps at half-term) but they seem sure footed when I've thrown the car about at speed in the wet . A bit more road noise but nothing offensive. Did have to slam the anchors on in Brixton early on New Year's day when (drunk?) girl stepped off the pavement directly in front of car - didn't even look round :shock: . Even at only 20 mph I was impressed with both the car's brakes and the quick stop with the tyres.

Unfortunately, I've never had winter tyres before, so can't compare with other brands but they are rated high than some for performance in the wet.

 

[mckajvah]

This is what I'm getting for my PHEV...

http://www.nokiantyres.com/winter-tyres/nokian-hakkapeliitta-8-suv/

This is a real winter tyre...

 

[MHS]

This is what I'm getting for my PHEV...

http://www.nokiantyres.com/winter-tyres/nokian-hakkapeliitta-8-suv/

This is a real winter tyre...

Great idea for you in Norway, they look great, but I'm certain studded tyres are illegal on uk roads. They eat Tarmac that is not covered in ice or snow.

Ps my brother lived in Stavanger for nearly 4 years.

Cheers

Mike

 

[Davep01]

Dave, as a self confessed tyre geek can you share your knowledge and choice when you decide?

There is a long thread on here about winter tyres but little information on what people have actually bought and where from. I'm looking for some winter tyres but struggling to find a retailer online.

Well no experience on the Outlander as haven't got it yet but have tried the following winter / all season tyres:

Vredestein Quatrac 3 SUV - these were a superb all season tyre on our V6 Galaxy. Great on wet roads and even mud/snow. When we had a reasonable amount of snow a couple of years back the Galaxy went everywhere we needed. The first day out the only other vehicles around were the 4x4s. They're not available in 225/55-18 Outlander size but Vredestein list 235/50-18 as an option for the Outlander so these will probably be my preferred choice. My only concern is losing a bit of sidewall height which may not help the ride comfort but I'll see how it rides on the OE tyres first.

Kleber Quadraxer All Season - bought these as a second choice for the Galaxy when I couldn't get a pair of the Vredesteins. Almost as good as the Vredesteins actually and a bit cheaper. Kleber is owned by Michelin so wasn't concerned by it being an almost unknown brand in the car world. No size option for the Outlander though currently.

Avon Ice Touring - ran these dedicated winter tyres on a 156 Alfa, allowed you to still 'enjoy' the 156 in the cold and quite impressive in the snow. Bit of a pain having 2 sets of wheels but I'd bought 17 inch rims for it so ran Michelin summer tyres on the 17s and kept the OE 16s for winter.

Yokohama Geolander G012 - these had quite mixed reviews online but as I wanted a 50/50 road/off road tyre for a V8 Grand Cherokee there wasn't a lot of choice in the correct speed rating (most 4x4 tyres are only H rated or less and the Jeep needed V rated). However they were very good, loads of grip off road and in limited snow, ran quiet on road and wore very well. I'd happily buy these again if I wanted a bit more off road bias. I put 23000 miles on the Geolanders and they weren't half worn when I sold the Jeep.

I like the simplicity of all season tyres (one set of wheels) and as we live on the Oxfordshire / Warwickshire border we don't tend to get severe weather although the Vredesteins were superb in decent snow anyway. I've also found the all season tyres clear heavy water very well, notably better than standard summer tyres which is probably more important than outright snow performance for me.

Once I wear out the Toyos I'll let you know what I choose.


Dave