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[J500ANT]

We've got them (195/50x15?), they transform it from a bumpy old shed into an almost refined little car that doesn't crash over every single mark in the road.

However there is a downside, you do lose the ability to drive over a coin and tell whether it's heads or tails 

[Alex]

Imagine how good 185/55R15 would have been! With 205/50R15 on the back to retain some of the brabus stance

I have tall (mitsu colt diesel) springs on my car and I've put 175/65R15 on the front and 195/60R15 on the back, they fill the arches very nice without rubbing even when the car is fully loaded and cornering. Of course the brab would probably shred 175 wide tires, i screech them all the time unintentionally when pulling away and making a turn.

And yes, the ride comfort has improved massively, I couldn't stand the Grandlines anymore, every pothole was devastating.

[funkydoodycool]

I considered winter tyres from the Brab after feeling big benefits of them on two previous cars (admittedly much lower powered Micra and Yaris), but having been out in last winter's snow and ice in the Brab with standard tyres and feeling completely safe, I don't think I will bother.

[Problemchild]

Same here!

The falkens fair quite well I found and if its too bad, I'll just stay home!!

Ant - got any pics??

JJ

[blootoon]

Snow tyres made a world of difference to my GTtd Golf so i just bought a set of 175-55-15 CONTINENTAL WINTER CONTACT TS760 to fit to the wife's 1.3 passion, next on the shopping list is a set of snow chains to fit these tyres.

If anyone is thinking about winter tyres then watch this as it will make up your mind for you
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elP_34ltdWI

[Alex]

Winter tires are not snow tires. Winter tires are cold season tires. The temperature of the road is different to the air temperature, so even if there are 10C in the air the road can be 7C or lower. And even on dry surfaces the winter tires grip better than summer tires.

And if you consider that 15" wheels and tires are a lot cheaper than brabus 17" wheels and tires, you can see that throughout the life of the car you actually save money. I know it can be a bit inconvenient when having to pay for a full set of wheels but trust me, they pay off in wear saved on the more expensive ones, and god forbid accidents avoided.

A crash at 20mph can be the end of a forfour, and that's the speed the summer tire equipped car has when the winter tire equipped one has already stopped, and it's a 30mph test!

[basilbrush]

It's a bit silly looking at youtube tests in Sweden. There is a vast difference between the conditions here and there and the way both countries deal with it. These scandinavian countries tend to pack the snow and ice down and deal with it. We tend to use lots of salt and most of the time we clear our roads.
Rarely do we get snow in england to endure for more than a month. I remember the winter of 1963 in central london and that's the worst I've ever experienced. All we have to do here is exercise a little care when extreme conditions prevail. If there was a need for changing to winter tyres in the UK our government would have introduced legislation. I not disagreeing that winter tyres offer more grip in bad conditions. If you're going to put a set of winter tyres on for up to six months of the year though most of the time they will not be giving you any benefit in fact quite the reverse in the dry.
My fear is people fitting winter tyres and becoming over confident and charging round like lunatics while everybody else is taking it easy.
To me this makes the most sense http://www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/safety/winter-tyres-in-the-uk.html

[Problemchild]

How long would winter tyres last on a Brabus at 10degs C road temp?

JJ

[CrazyG]

basilbrush I couldn't agree with you more !

Cons against getting a spare set of wheels n winter tyres is the
problem of storage....as not everyone has the room/garage/shed.
Secondly if uesed on even semi dry normal temp roads you'll tear
them up in no time !

The frightening bit this winter is and will be all those idiots around
who think that 'gizmos' such as ABS and Traction Control mean they
can drive around as if the roads were normal and clear !
How little they know...and how soon they find out.   

[CrazyG]

Ant - got any pics??

I saw it as Brands Hatch this weekend.....

It was on skinny 15" Coolstyle type multispoke wheels...
running on 195/55/15 winter tyres....

[blootoon]

It's a bit silly looking at youtube tests in Sweden. There is a vast difference between the conditions here and there and the way both countries deal with it. These scandinavian countries tend to pack the snow and ice down and deal with it. We tend to use lots of salt and most of the time we clear our roads.
Rarely do we get snow in england to endure for more than a month. I remember the winter of 1963 in central london and that's the worst I've ever experienced. All we have to do here is exercise a little care when extreme conditions prevail. If there was a need for changing to winter tyres in the UK our government would have introduced legislation. I not disagreeing that winter tyres offer more grip in bad conditions. If you're going to put a set of winter tyres on for up to six months of the year though most of the time they will not be giving you any benefit in fact quite the reverse in the dry.
My fear is people fitting winter tyres and becoming over confident and charging round like lunatics while everybody else is taking it easy.
To me this makes the most sense http://www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/safety/winter-tyres-in-the-uk.html

sorry but you are wrong, watch the video until the end where it deals with just cold wet roads and you will see why winter tyres are so important even for a winter without snow. As for roads being salted well yes the main roads are (sometimes) but i stay a bit off the beaten track in NE Scotland and for the last 17 years that i have stayed here the local roads are never gritted, half the time we are lucky if they even get ploughed, so winter tyres are a must have for me.   

Also another point that is often forgotten is the time of day that people usually travel, for us it is first thing in the morning and then later in the afternoon or early evening and these are times of the day when in the winter months are often very cold, damp & wet. As for trusting a London based governments advice for what tyres i should be using in NE Scotland well i think i will pass on that one 

One site worth looking at for tyre advice is http://www.tyresafe.org/

[basilbrush]

No I'm not wrong, but neither are you either. Your circumstances are different where you live from mine which is exactly why blanket legislation should be resisted here. It should remain a personal choice and I have looked at the video and it doesn't show a test in the dry. Soft multiblocked, multisiped tyre tread will move about in the dry and grip levels will be reduced. We've all seen these sort of videos conducted at speed even on using Continental tyres against budget tyres in the wet. These tests are always conducted at speed to make the point, but really people should not be encouraged to drive that fast in bad conditions. I'm all for people being responsible and making themselves as safe as possible as long as they drive according to the prevailing conditions. Sadly though I can see people on dual carriageways pulling out onto virgin snow and whizzing past the rest of us thinking they're invincible because of their new boots.

One thing I would be happy with is a change from the minimum tyre tread of 1.6mm to a minimum of 3mm. This would improve safety no end and at least in winter hopefully at least everybody would have a decent set of tyres to start with.

[lil.smartie]

Coolstyle rims with Falken Eurowinters 195/50-15's on here too, been on a couple of weeks already & no dodgy wear or poor grip seen. Been on a couple of long trips too as well as the daily twisty fun roads trip to work & back through flooded roads

Kate

[Problemchild]

I think everyone knows the benefits of winter tyres..... However, not everyone lives in the same region and uk climate can vary greatly (e.g. The outer Hebs have quite mild winters due to the Gulf Stream, the south east has very warm dry summers and mildish winters, the south west is wet and mild all year round)

Today in Bristol has been bitterly cold but ambient air temp is still in double figures.

It's also worth noting that the ability of standard tyres vary depending on make so whereas switching to winers from 1 tyre may see drastic improvements, other tyres may not see such drastic improvements (in cold wet/dry conditions)

I have not struggled with traction in this weather yet on falkens. Compacted snow on our hill can prove to be a challenge but fresh snow is fine.
Black ice wouldn't be ok on anything except studded

JJ

[basilbrush]

I had Falken ZE912 and they were very good. On the reviews there is also a big variance between makes of winter tyres. Last year the tyre retailers virtually ran out of winter tyres with a panic caused by the early snows. If they've raised stocks this year to compensate there'll probably be lots of adverts and publicity to boost sales. I know where I stand on the subject with my car usage requirements and local conditions. For those that have the space, time, money and those that own garages it's up to them, but lots of older folk would probably have to go off road if compelled to fit winter tyres.
Just looking at this site though http://www.blackcircles.com/tyres/winter-tyres/laws-and-legislation shows the pigs ear rulings that different countries have across Europe. It's one of those things that the bureaucrats may try to standardize in future for us.