Mk1 Yaris T-sport winter tyre recommentations

[Silver Yaris]

Evening all, I know this will have been covered previously but given that new tyres are coming out all the time I wanted to ask if anyone is running winter tyres and if so which ones?

I commute to Sheffield each day via the Snake Pass and for those who don't know, the pass gets a great deal of snow & ice on which standard summer tyres are almost useless.

I'm probably just going to keep my standard 15" alloys & stick some winters on them (unless anyone is recommending dropping to a 14" wheel) so want to know what people are running & what your thoughts are. I don't want budget tyres so am happy to spend money to ensure that I stay alive 

All comments welcome.

Cheers

[fordulike]

21 minutes ago, Silver Yaris said:

Evening all, I know this will have been covered previously but given that new tyres are coming out all the time I wanted to ask if anyone is running winter tyres and if so which ones?

I commute to Sheffield each day via the Snake Pass and for those who don't know, the pass gets a great deal of snow & ice on which standard summer tyres are almost useless.

I'm probably just going to keep my standard 15" alloys & stick some winters on them (unless anyone is recommending dropping to a 14" wheel) so want to know what people are running & what your thoughts are. I don't want budget tyres so am happy to spend money to ensure that I stay alive 

All comments welcome.

Cheers

I'm running Goodyear Vector 4Seasons Gen 2 on my AYGO and they've been awesome in the bad weather. Not strictly 100% winter tyres, but I had them on during the summer and they performed great then too. A tyre you can keep on the car all year round!

[FROSTYBALLS]

Could have a look at the Auto Express winter tyre test - http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/accessories-tyres/winter-driving-special/93097/winter-tyres-test-2017-best-tyre-brands-reviewed-and

 

[Silver Yaris]

Just now, FROSTYBALLS said:

Could have a look at the Auto Express winter tyre test - http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/accessories-tyres/winter-driving-special/93097/winter-tyres-test-2017-best-tyre-brands-reviewed-and

 

I did have a read of that but wanted some other opinions as although the winner was the Continental WinterContact TS 860, I've yet to encounter anyone who is using them or the Hankook i*cept RS2 (which I am very tempted with).

[Cyker]

For pure winter tyres the Conti WinterContacts and Nokian W-somethings are consistently rated quite highly in snow, but it seems people are increasingly leaning toward all-season tyres like the Goodyear Vector 4Seasons or Michellin CrossClimate which tend to do better in light snow and cold wet/dry. If you're talking Scandinavian-levels of snow, the full winters may be better for you tho'!

I must admit I haven't had any first-hand experience with a snow/winter tyre; There is literally no need for them down here - Even that snow flurry we had only lasted 2 days! - and I find my summer tyres work better in the wet in the lukewarm winter conditions we get here daan saaaf than my friend's winter tyres do!

[Silver Yaris]

Right decision made, I am going to go for the Continental WinterContact TS 860, however, one question before I do. Is there any harm in putting 185/60/15 on rather than the standard 185/55/15 fitting as they as around £20 per tyre cheaper in the 60 profile?

[Mike J.]

Check out 175/60x15 as the narrower the tyre, the better in the winter - less water to disperse and it will dig deeper into snow. Check out rally cars tyre widths for snow! They are also only 1% out for your speedo.

[Silver Yaris]

Just a quick update on this. I bought some Continental WinterContact TS 860 & picked up a set of Mk2 alloys to stick them on. The grip is out of this world in the cold & wet (which it has been since I had them fitted a few weeks ago) compared to the Michelin Energy tyres that I was running (which have only done a few thousand miles). It's no wonder that they won the Auto Express winter tyre test 

 

[Cyker]

Nice! Thanks for posting back to let us know how you got on!