Winter tyre for Scotland

[brush.]

Hi Canada

I drive a 1.9 TDI Seat Ibiza and I'm looking to buy my first set of winter tyres. My current OEM tyres are 195/55/15 and I'm going to stay with this size for winter tyres and then switch to 205/45/16 for the rest of the year.

Driving Distances:
70 mile commute (35 each way) 5 days a week

Road type:
Winding country roads, maximum speed 60mph (96.5kph). Sometimes I'll be on major roads where we can do 70mph (112.6kph).

Driving Speed
Mostly 60mph - except for the corners.

Road conditions during winter ranked from 1 to 4 (with 1 being the most common):
1. Wet roads with a little flooding in some places
2. Frosty/icy roads
3. Dry roads
4. Snow

I quite like the look of the xi2 but am concerned it is bad on wet roads? Due to having mostly wet roads, the tire has got to have excellent wet grip and shift a lot of water - I don't want to aquaplane.

So, what are your suggestions?

[Andy@1010tires]

Hi Canada

I drive a 1.9 TDI Seat Ibiza and I'm looking to buy my first set of winter tyres. My current OEM tyres are 195/55/15 and I'm going to stay with this size for winter tyres and then switch to 205/45/16 for the rest of the year.

Driving Distances:
70 mile commute (35 each way) 5 days a week

Road type:
Winding country roads, maximum speed 60mph (96.5kph). Sometimes I'll be on major roads where we can do 70mph (112.6kph).

Driving Speed
Mostly 60mph - except for the corners.

Road conditions during winter ranked from 1 to 4 (with 1 being the most common):
1. Wet roads with a little flooding in some places
2. Frosty/icy roads
3. Dry roads
4. Snow

I quite like the look of the xi2 but am concerned it is bad on wet roads? Due to having mostly wet roads, the tire has got to have excellent wet grip and shift a lot of water - I don't want to aquaplane.

So, what are your suggestions?

Sounds like a performance winter tire would be the best match for you. We would recommend the Falken Eurowinter HS439. These will give you the best traction on wet and dry roads, which looks to be more important than snow traction for you. We have them listed here http://www.1010tires.com/tire.asp?tirebrand=Falken&tiremodel=Eurowinter+HS439

[blur911]

I agree, a performance winter sounds like your best bet.  I was going to suggest a Dunlop Winter Sport 3D, but apparently they aren't marketed in the UK.  Not much choice in your area. 
What other contenders can you get?

[DKaz]

Wow your climate sounds exactly like Vancouver's. I had the Nokian WR G2s before and they were absolutely wonderful in regards to hydroplaning resistance and wet traction. They were also pretty good with dry traction and handling. They were adequate with snow traction and good with snow braking. I didn't have too much experience with them on ice in terms of braking but it did start off on glare ice just fine. If snow is rarely a problem, the WR G2s are just fine, but if it's all hilly and you get enough snow, you won't be happy with them at all. Then I'd recommend the Nokian Hakkapeliitta 5s which have good hydroplaning resistance, is lower speed rated but can handle highway speeds just fine.

[brush.]

Interesting...I've never heard of the Falken Eurowinter HS439. Thanks for your suggestions. Vancouver? Cool.

So why do you think I should get a performance winter? It was 0.5 degrees C when I drove to work this morning, and thinking about it more, handling on ice is maybe more important than wet handling - ice is pretty slippy after all. Maybe there isn't much of a diffrence in ice-handling/grip between winter performance and studless ice & snow tyres?

Blur911, The Dunlop Winter Sport 3D are available in this country. Here are some contenders:

Performance Winter
Dunlop SP Winter Sport 3D
Nokian WRG2
Pirelli Winter 210 SnowSport
Michelin Primacy Alpin PA3

Studless Ice and Snow
Nokian Hakkapeliitta
Michelin X-Ice Xi2       Seems to get great expert reviews everywhere, but many consumers says it's not very good in snow/wet snow. Looking at the tread pattern, I think they're probably right.
Bridgestone Blizzak WS60       Tread will probably wear too quickly for the miles I do.

I'm confused about the Nokian WRG2, as it's not strictly a winter tyre...which means you can wear it all year....but that makes me think it's made of harder rubber and will not be soft at low temperatures?

[Altair 4]

I'm running the Nokian WR G2 and I've been rather pleased with it.  In my experience, they excel on cold, wet roads and on slushy roads.  Snow capability is good, but not great.  Dry handling is good.  I've never had a problem on frosty roads, but icy conditions are not common where I live, so I can't comment. 

They wear well, are available in various speed ratings, and carry the UTQG rates (at least here in North America).  Youmight want to explore these a bit more.  I'm on my second set of Nokian WRs - they've proven their worth to me. 

[DKaz]

Pretty much, the WR G2s were excellent with slush but not so much on snow. They were decent on ice. They are very much an all-weather tire so jack of all trades master of none... well not really they were really excellent with hydroplaning resistance and wet traction.

The Michelin Xi2s are absolutely the best studless ice tires, I would not rule them out. They wear very well too, I heard they can last 5 winters, but they leave something to be desired scoring Fair marks in Consumer Reports in Dry and Wet Braking, Handling, and Hydroplaning Resistance.

The tires that are ranked very good or excellent in both ice braking and hydroplaning resistance in Consumer Reports are: Nokian Hakka 5, Bridgestone Blizzak LM-25, Nokian WR and WR G2, Continental ContiWinterContact TS810, and Michelin Pilot Alpin. All but the Hakka 5 are Performance Winter Tires. The Hakka 5 has the best snow traction score being a non performance winter tire, and they are said to last about 5 winters.

[brush.]

I've got it narrowed down to two!

Dunlop SP Winter Sport 3D

Continental WinterContact TS 830

The Continental is a much newer tyre, so it's hard to find feedback and test results, but everything I have read seems very positive. The Dunlop is a tried and tested performer. Both tyres seem very close...

[ovr50]

I have had the previous generations of both. Both are excellant choices, IMO.

I think the WinterSports "may" have had a bit more grip in heavy snow, not that you are likely to get that in Scotland.