Winter Tyre Info and Discussion Thread ( Keep related chat here please)

[Avtar]

Got the winter wheels on this week, car is riding much softer on the 19's, wife prefers the ride now.

[max]

With temps continuing to be over 7 degs c, should I continue to hold fire before switching over to winter wheels?
Would there be any disadvantages to changing over now?

Max

(Merged to Winter Tyre Info and Discussion Thread -Regards AW8)

[Sanj]

Yes wait, will wear quicker and not perform as manufacturer intended (optimal).

[CondorX5]

TBH,everyone, its not a precise science. We are starting to get ground frosts, slushy,cold roads and temps are not exactly soaring - there will be no harm in fitting winter tyres now, honestly. And they won't wear amazingly badly, either - I drove for most of the year with winter tyres this year as I just didn't have an opportunity to change them, and the wear has honestly been minimal - the tyres still have arounnd 6mm+.

Optimal performance with winter rubber is viewed as being under 7 degrees C, but then most of us are not rallying on the roads (or shouldn't be anyway). I think as the weather becomes colder, wetter and more miserable, the performance of summer tyres like 315 wide Diamaris is likely to be scary on a bad autumn day compared to say Vredies. My 20s are safely tucked away till March / April and I'm loving the better ride that the 18" winter tyres give, again!!!

Its a personal choice really. No harm in fitting them now - I guess rapid wear on softer winter compounds really will only happen when temps are consistently in the mid 20s again,although mine certainly didn't suffer from this.

[X5Sport]

X6 goes to Winter Boots tomorrow and Wilma the Mini gets done on Thursday. I think we're in for a cold blast, and I think I'll get them down know rather than when the mad rush starts. I don't do a lot of miles, but Murphy's Law could mean I either miss the boat (like the beginning of this year), or there's going to be a tropical heatwave..

[pvr]

Mine is a bit of a project ... I have a hoist which I should fit first to lift the wheels of their storage location, but have not found a way to fit the hoist yet.

Hopefully the warm weather lasts a bit longer until I get around to it

[X5Sport]

What does it need fitting to? New thread time....?

[pvr]

Do pay attention X5Sport ...

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[X5Sport]

[quote=""pvr""]Do pay attention X5Sport ...

viewtopic.php?f=16&t=2852[/quote]

Sorry sir......wasn't keeping up at the back..

[X5Sport]

Oh well, X6 in to change the wheels and they've managed to shear off one of the wheel bolts so now awaiting a new hub!! Loan car for two days. I'm impressed though as I've never managed to shear a wheel bolt, ever, in more than thirty years of car ownership. I thought they were done up loosely and then torqued up. Ah well, not my problem

One can dream that the loaner will be an M6, or even an X6M, but it's more likely to be a 114er.............

[dirtymonkey29]

Decent workshops will do them by hand then torque wrench. They usually round out the locking nut with there air ratchets which is what happened to mine.

[pvr]

Oops ...

[X5Sport]

Um yes, just a slight one! Loaner is a 320 Petrol, Auto (aka a slug) and I'm not even allowed to drive it as tother half took the car in to be done

Service Team wanted to know whether the bolts had been changed as they had no grease on them.

Now my training said you never put grease on the wheel bolts as you could over-torque them, so I don't use grease of any sort on wheel bolts/studs. It might explain why one sheared off though.

Do any of you folks put copper ease (similar lubricants are available ) on your bolts, and have you ever sheared one through over-torqueing as a result? I have in the past used a puff of graphite powder.

[pvr]

Only put copper grease on the hubs themselves to avoid the seizing of the wheels against the hub (have wheel mates on the M so no issue there).

No copper grease on bolts, nor in the holes as they should not be greased. I use a torque wrench so no overtightening either.

[AW8]

I put a little copper grease on the threads to avoid the seizure spoken of here.