Winter wheels are on again ...

[pvr]

Right - tore my stomach linings out (well, it feels like that), lugging the wheels from the storage loft location and putting them back on the car. All ready for winter now.

Weather forecast was less then 7c every day next week so I thought it was time now. Compressor came in handy to get the nuts off and put some air in the tyres.

[x555]

Yep defo getting colder now ......... and as for the wheels even them smaller 17"s are heavy suckers to lift especialy from overhead been musing over a winter set up again this year but haven't pulled the trigger again yet

[Raj]

I really looked into the whole winter tyre set up as needed new tyres for the oe 20's.

The thing is I know we can on occasion have quite bad downfalls of snow but over the last winter spell I only got stuck once (but that was in the M5). So I figure having new Toyo Proxes S/T tyres on an X5 should be enough to see me get by (well hopefully...lol).

[x555]

+1
I happened to have fairly new tyres on just before the snow last year and they handled fine with sensible driving that's not saying that they would be as good as winter tyres mind but managagable non the less.

[Raj]

[quote=""x555""]+1
I happened to have fairly new tyres on just before the snow last year and they handled fine with sensible driving that's not saying that they would be as good as winter tyres mind but managagable non the less.[/quote]

Totally agree. Winter tyres would be best but then the cost against a second set of rims and winter tyres versus new 'normal' tyres and some sensible driving....

[pvr]

£100 for the wheels and £360 for the 4 tyres was not too bad.

Also, the wheels came with two good 6mm Michelin tyres which I can use on my summer wheels

[Pete]

My wife's Audi A4 Quattro with summer tyres was awesome in the snow last year and we had it quite bad where we live. I'm hoping that with a bit of caution the X5 will get me off the street to somewhere that is actually gritted.

[gobiman]

Just booked the local garage to swap mine on Thursday.
I'm off to the Alps on 10 Dec where there really is no choice (practically or legally).
It is a pain lugging out the wheels but does at least give me a bi-annual opportunity to clean both sets of wheels properly and inspect the tyres closely.
I had the winter tyres on for four months last year and was hugely impressed by their performance. On cost, although you have to tie up some additional capital in two sets of tyres, the only incremental cost is the rims - as you won't be wearing both sets at the same time. Lots on cheap 17s around although 4.8is owners beware - we need 18s to clear front brakes.

[pvr]

[quote=""Pete""]My wife's Audi A4 Quattro with summer tyres was awesome in the snow last year and we had it quite bad where we live. I'm hoping that with a bit of caution the X5 will get me off the street to somewhere that is actually gritted.[/quote]

Hmm- my X5 on "summers" slid down my drive onto the road and the incline is all of 5 degrees or so ...

[CondorX5]

We live up an incredibly steep driveway that becomes iced up very quickly and you can't even walk up or down it so at the first sign of cold weather, I change to winter tyres.....did mine about 10 days ago and very pleased to have done so, given the sub-7 degree temps and heavy recent rains. The Vredesteins in 18" are just as good as the 17"s I had on my old X and this year I even found some titchy little 15" pram wheel size Vredies for our A Class Merc - handling has improved noticeably in the little car in bad weather as well.

Over on BMW Land, one of the regular members nearly wrote herself off skidding through a hedge on black ice and her M3 was a wreck. For the price of injuries or even a fatality, I think I'll always change to winters however limited my storage space and funds - your tyres are all that keeps you safe between a heavy, complex car and the road........ even the little car seems to have benefitted from the change - didn't bother getting new alloys for it, just swopped the tyres over, local tyre dealer only charged £20!

[Raj]

[quote=""CondorX5""]
Over on BMW Land, one of the regular members nearly wrote herself off skidding through a hedge on black ice and her M3 was a wreck. For the price of injuries or even a fatality, I think I'll always change to winters however limited my storage space and funds - your tyres are all that keeps you safe between a heavy, complex car and the road........ even the little car seems to have benefitted from the change - didn't bother getting new alloys for it, just swopped the tyres over, local tyre dealer only charged £20![/quote]

In all fairness though, if you hit black ice then pretty much any tyre won't make a difference.

I do agree with you though about the importance of tyres, and have always bought new (and in pairs) as opposed to part worns, etc. I do think anlot depends where you live and the sort of roads you have to use. Nearly all my journeys are main roads which do tend to be always gritted, etc so no major issues with an all round tyre. The M5 on pilot sport 2s had no issues on the main roads and only got stuck (or felt twitchy) on one occasion but that was going round the corner tommy my road (so only travelling at about 10/15mph'ish).

Plus the other problem for me (totally down to me) is it ain't cheap or small rims due to the brakes I'm running. The cost of modding...lol

[AW8]

Does anyone notice any mpg reduction running Winter Tyres ? ...............I recently read someone on a non BMW forum saying they suffered worse mpg on Vredestien Wintracs.

Some may recall I made an important return trip to East Anglia in worst of snow last Winter on Diamaris. I was okay as long as I kept moving & ironically hardest part was geting off my drive at home. Despite returning in one piece I have always wanted a winter set up. In recent weeks I made efforts to source a used set. I missed out on a couple of sets of 57's shod with Michelin Alpin PA2's recently - one by just a tenner

CondorX5 - I'm no fan of the look of 17's & especially the elipsoids but perhaps I should have struck a deal when you were selling outgoing 17' set up.

Anyway, my recent intent to source seemingly shortlived as I once again I find myself with more pressing unexpected financial priorities

[Rusty]

I saw this wheel/tyre combo on the BMW site, any thoughts about price etc?

http://www.bmw.co.uk/bmwuk/owner/access ... __,00.html

[Hits553]

I saw these once at the dealers, they wanted £2700.00 plus tyres

[X5Sport]

Has anyone been hit by extra insurance premiums for fitting Winter Tyres? Comment in this week's Auto Express about one driver being asked to cough up an additional £230 just for changing to winter wellies!! I wondered what others were finding?