All weather/winter tyres sizes

[crookrise]

Been in the snow a lot in my old van using Goodyear vectors, an amazing tyre !
Size 235 55 17
Now my new cali has bog standard road tyres which need to be changed for an alpine trip,
255 45 18
I've aquired some 17" steel rims and want to maybe stick some
215 60 17 on.
Anyone done this ?
Reason is to hopefully accomodate some proper snow chains if needed.

 

[kurienp]

Been in the snow a lot in my old van using Goodyear vectors, an amazing tyre !
Size 235 55 17
Now my new cali has bog standard road tyres which need to be changed for an alpine trip,
255 45 18
I've aquired some 17" steel rims and want to maybe stick some
215 60 17 on.
Anyone done this ?
Reason is to hopefully accomodate some proper snow chains if needed.

yes, there are more snow chain options for 215/60's but the 235/55s offers a better ride quality and also have chains available, though a tad more expensive than the 215/60 chains.

I kept the 235/55 and got a set of Konig K sumit 2 K84 snow chains. They fit perfect. Did a dry run at home and they worked well. I do carry them, but with good snow tyres, have not had to use them a lot.

Personally I would stay with 235/55 as they provide a better ride quality. I would not want to compromise ride quality just for acommodating snow chains, which you will use once in a bluemoon.

 

[sbmcd]

I run Nokian 215 x 60 x 17 winter tyres on my van, narrower tyres do work marginally better in snow. My new 6.1 van has the same size as standard fitment, my old 5.1 had the 235's.

 

[MyrtleMoo]

I've not gone through a winter with this setup yet so can't bring any experience, but I have an Alps trip and Scotland trip planned so decided to get myself sorted and ready.

I opted to stick with 235/55/17 running Conti WinterContact's. I wanted to stick with the softer ride of 235, but also preferred having a matching size spare year-round. I put a Vredestein Quatrac Pro+ on the spare which I intend to leave on all year, it's not got a directional pattern and it's a 3-peak rated all-season so figured that would be a good option year-round.

I picked up a cheap set of 2nd hand Davenport alloys to use as my winter wheels - a lot of people recommend steelies and I might regret this later, but most of our trips won't be super adventurous so cosmetics won me over.

I'm happy with the idea of swapping wheels with season, mainly because I'm fortunate enough to have room in the garage to store a second set. If I wasn't then I'd probably just run all-season tires, a lot of people on here seem very happy with them. Swapping the wheels gives me an excuse to make sure they're not seizing on, as well as rotate them for wear - it's a little bit of hassle, but with the right tools and room to do it it's no big hardship.

For chains, I went with spikes spider - but not used them yet so no idea how they fair. They're bulky to store but seem to go on easy and they look like a low-faff option. Will be interesting to look back in a couple of years and see if they ever make it onto the wheels in practice.

 

[matt-k918]

I run a set of 225/55/17 109/104T Continental Vanco Winter 2 on a set of OEM Thunder Alloys that I picked up super cheap. I don't think these are strictly a recommended size (I'm sure someone else on here could confirm), but they come up exactly the same rolling radius as the 16" Conti all seasons the van came on. I checked for clearance with my chains (Weissenfels Rex TR which I picked up unused for £5 !!!) and am happy with them.

 

[kurienp]

I've not gone through a winter with this setup yet so can't bring any experience, but I have an Alps trip and Scotland trip planned so decided to get myself sorted and ready.

I opted to stick with 235/55/17 running Conti WinterContact's. I wanted to stick with the softer ride of 235, but also preferred having a matching size spare year-round. I put a Vredestein Quatrac Pro+ on the spare which I intend to leave on all year, it's not got a directional pattern and it's a 3-peak rated all-season so figured that would be a good option year-round.

I picked up a cheap set of 2nd hand Davenport alloys to use as my winter wheels - a lot of people recommend steelies and I might regret this later, but most of our trips won't be super adventurous so cosmetics won me over.

I'm happy with the idea of swapping wheels with season, mainly because I'm fortunate enough to have room in the garage to store a second set. If I wasn't then I'd probably just run all-season tires, a lot of people on here seem very happy with them. Swapping the wheels gives me an excuse to make sure they're not seizing on, as well as rotate them for wear - it's a little bit of hassle, but with the right tools and room to do it it's no big hardship.

For chains, I went with spikes spider - but not used them yet so no idea how they fair. They're bulky to store but seem to go on easy and they look like a low-faff option. Will be interesting to look back in a couple of years and see if they ever make it onto the wheels in practice.

Good call. Very similar to mine.

The steels only help if you are doing some really crooked and bad terrains. I went with steels. On my planned use case, could have easily gone with alloys too .. but wanted to try the "steely" look on the van.

The only advantage steels offer are - if you get a big dent, then you can use a large hammer to get them back straight and continue on your journey. Not so with Alloys unless , they have not already cracked/broken or you have a good heat source to make them malleable and then too, no guarantee.

Agree, if you have the resources and the space to change and store tyres, then yes, this is the best option.

Chains - again, a good insurance to have. May not need them all the time, especially with dedicated winter tyres.

 

[Konstantin@NL]

I am happy with Michlen Crossclimate

 

[The Tall Luthier]

Steel vs Alloy
Alloy would be preferable to the steel due to the unsprung load of the van. The steels are considerably heavier and sit below the suspension, so when the tyres hit the winter pot holes they’ll have to take much more abuse.

In my experience of driving down to the alps on winter tyres getting the final radius the same as your summers is a bit of a crap shoot. Measure your travelling speed with a gps app to make sure your not going too slow or fast.

Any old brand of tyre seems to do the job as long as they are designed for snow.

Go with the tyre shop’s recommendation.

Wheel width
The best cars in alpine snow are Renault Twingos, their thin tyres cut right through the snow. The worst cars have the widest wheels, they simply plane along the surface.

Avoid snow chains and socks by using thick winter tyres. They sound useful, but you only ever need them in two foot of snow, after the sun has gone down, and if you’ve not fitted that brand to that van before……well good luck.

 

[crookrise]

Steel vs Alloy
Alloy would be preferable to the steel due to the unsprung load of the van. The steels are considerably heavier and sit below the suspension, so when the tyres hit the winter pot holes they’ll have to take much more abuse.

In my experience of driving down to the alps on winter tyres getting the final radius the same as your summers is a bit of a crap shoot. Measure your travelling speed with a gps app to make sure your not going too slow or fast.

Any old brand of tyre seems to do the job as long as they are designed for snow.

Go with the tyre shop’s recommendation.

Wheel width
The best cars in alpine snow are Renault Twingos, their thin tyres cut right through the snow. The worst cars have the widest wheels, they simply plane along the surface.

Avoid snow chains and socks by using thick winter tyres. They sound useful, but you only ever need them in two foot of snow, after the sun has gone down, and if you’ve not fitted that brand to that van before……well good luck.

If is two foot deep I avoid driving. The two vans I have both suffered damage to plastic floor trays driving in very deep snow, not recommended.

 

[andyinluton]

Steel vs Alloy
Alloy would be preferable to the steel due to the unsprung load of the van. The steels are considerably heavier and sit below the suspension, so when the tyres hit the winter pot holes they’ll have to take much more abuse.

The Vw alloys are heavier than the steels in some cases - the Dakars weigh in at over 15kg each!

 

[The Tall Luthier]

If is two foot deep I avoid driving. The two vans I have both suffered damage to plastic floor trays driving in very deep snow, not recommended.

Craziest journey we ever did was trying to get back from the alps, 8 hours door to door, unfortunately it was the same door as we had to backtrack.

The snow was thick and fast, we were ok we had snow tyres. The traffic jam we sat in for five hours was caused only by people stopping in the middle of the road to try and install their chains. Aaaaarrrgggghhhh

 

[fluff34567]

Been in the snow a lot in my old van using Goodyear vectors, an amazing tyre !
Size 235 55 17
Now my new cali has bog standard road tyres which need to be changed for an alpine trip,
255 45 18
I've aquired some 17" steel rims and want to maybe stick some
215 60 17 on.
Anyone done this ?
Reason is to hopefully accomodate some proper snow chains if needed.

I live in CH, I use alloys for summer and steels for winter, both have the same tyre size, 215/60/17. Only difference is a bit more road noise with the winter tyres,no difference on suspension etc. I get about 4 seasons Nov to April from a set. 215/60 is the standard factory supplied winter tyre package.

No probs finding chains for that size but tbh I have never had to use them in 25 years here or in surrounding countries- be aware certain areas require the use of winter tyres/ mountain symbol/ to carry chains or other approved devices.

People use steels due to the salt powder / solution that's used in europe - none of that rock salt rubbish.