How many Cali owners fit winter tyres?

[TOADY]

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I got a new set of genuine 17 in VW steels with Dunlop Winter Sport 215/60/17 unused from Benn ( who’s on this forum ) near Ashford Kent for my 4 motion . They are correct size for snow chains according to manual.They are taken off new vans in Germany . I think a number of forum members have had wheels / tyres off him in the past .He's a really nice guy and very helpful . I can recommend him

 

[flying banana]

we don't all have room to store 4 spare wheels all year. or do you actually change the tyres or do you have 4 spare wheels that you swap? in the UK that is generally ridiculous. What's the point of that.I get it in the mountains. I live in Yorkshire. I will manage on the tyres I already have. and just like last year.they will be fine

 

[bigmac77]

I've put my winter tyres on today, the alloys with summer tyres have had a real good clean and are stored in my shed and the steels with Continental Vancontact Winters are now on (I like the retro look the steels give the Cali). I purchased them last winter mainly for trips to the Alps. We live in Anglesey and snow is not exactly a regular occurrence here but the tyres are good and I like the additional grip they give in all winter conditions not just snow or ice. When we did encounter snow in the alps they were amazing our Cali is two wheel drive and we went up a mountain road covered in snow for over 20km without any problems.

 

[flying banana]

so it's not just tyres. you all keep saying oh yeah I put my winter tyres on. but you mean wheels too. we can't all keep 4 spare wheels and tyres for the weather. That's what I'm saying

 

[bigmac77]

so it's not just tyres. you all keep saying oh yeah I put my winter tyres on. but you mean wheels too. we can't all keep 4 spare wheels and tyres for the weather. That's what I'm saying

Why not? They don't take up much space. They are on a stand like this in the corner of my shed.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B071Y6D5SR/?tag=vwcalifornia-21

 

[Borris]

we don't all have room to store 4 spare wheels all year. or do you actually change the tyres or do you have 4 spare wheels that you swap? in the UK that is generally ridiculous. Now What's the point of that.I get it in the mountains. I live in Yorkshire. I will manage on the tyres I already have. and just like last year.they will be fine

If the winter temperatures remain relatively high and the weather remains mild in the majority of low lying Britain, as it has in recent years, then that's probably fine. As the op of this thread I was curious as to what others were doing under such circumstances and you have answered my question. If it had remained mild then I probably wouldn't have bothered changing to winters either.

However, having a spare set of winter tyres isn't ridiculous where ever you live in the UK. The point is simply this. You only have four very small patches of rubber connecting your heavy camper van to the road. If the temperatures were to drop near to or below zero degrees, summer tyres become a lot less effective at both gripping and stopping. The rubber compounds in summer tyres don't behave that well in the cold. Therefore, if you want to be able to brake safely and efficiently in an emergency at these lower temperatures then the different tread patterns and rubber compounds used in winter tyres are much more effective. They enable the tyre to remain much more pliable giving a better grip in freezing conditions. They also offer much better grip should you encounter snow and/or ice.

IMO the best solution for those of us who don't go to or live in extreme areas where snow and ice are common during the winter months would be to have all season tyres all year round. However some people have a separate set of full winter tyres on steel wheels, as do I. Full winter tyres shouldn't really be fitted unless the temperatures are likely to remain below about 7 degrees for prolonged periods.

Yes, you can use summer tyres all year round but they won't offer the same degree of grip or safety if the temperatures fall.

 

[flying banana]

you never answered my question. do you have winter tyres that you take to kwik fit. or do you have a full set of wheels aswell? that was my issue.like we've all got a spare 500 quid and room to store winter wheels and tyres.

 

[Jay586]

I had a full set of alloys & a set of steels actually on the car plus spare tyres for my BMW, they were a pain lurking in the garage.

Fil just has tyres. Some places will store them for you.

So yes, people do have & store them!

 

[Jay586]

I had a full set of alloys & a set of steels actually on the car plus spare tyres for my BMW, they were a pain lurking in the garage.

Fil just has tyres. Some places will store them for you.

So yes, people do have & store them!

 

[bigmac77]

you never answered my question. do you have winter tyres that you take to kwik fit. or do you have a full set of wheels aswell? that was my issue.like we've all got a spare 500 quid and room to store winter wheels and tyres.

I bought mine primarily to drive to the Alps. Yes they are a set of winter tyres on their own steel rims and yes they cost about £500 but for four of us to fly from Manchester to Geneva and then get a transfer up a mountain was more expensive than buying the tyres, using the euro tunnel and driving there so the way I saw it as long as I did more than one ski trip it was worth the bother and as things stand it was.

 

[SimonB]

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I got a new set of genuine 17 in VW steels with Dunlop Winter Sport 215/60/17 unused from Benn ( who’s on this forum ) near Ashford Kent for my 4 motion . They are correct size for snow chains according to manual.They are taken off new vans in Germany . I think a number of forum members have had wheels / tyres off him in the past .He's a really nice guy and very helpful . I can recommend him

We also got a set of steel wheels and tyres from Benn a couple of years ago.
One small skid in the 3 tonne Cali coming back from Snowdonia was enough to convince me that summer tyres were not good in snow.
I found this video which shows the difference between summer and winter tyres on a 2 wheel drive car and a 4 wheel drive car.
In a comparison between a 2 wheel drive car on winter tyres and a 4 wheel drive car on summer tyres the 2 wheel drive car did best.

 

[Loz]

I had 3 sets of wheels for our Touareg, summer, full winters and an aggressive off-road set for trips as this was my daily driver and the full winters were a massive improvement on freezing days and in the wet.
I bought wheel covers and found a corner on the back yard to stack them up when not in use.

I currently have the Michelin Lattitude Cross tyres on the Cali and although they are not a full on winter but better than the Turanza’s it came on but we are also not driving it every day.

Also the operation of swapping the wheels a couple times a year keeps them from binding onto the hub, and keeps the bolts free, you get to check brakes and tyres.

Remember, on ice your 3tonne sledge will distroy an alloy wheel if you barrel into a kerb and the cost of the wheel is not far off a cost of set of steels.

Tyremen in Hull often supply a full sets of winter wheels and tyres delivered ready to fit.

In some areas there are fitters and dealers who will store a set of wheels for you and swap them twice a year.

 

[Borris]

you never answered my question. do you have winter tyres that you take to kwik fit. or do you have a full set of wheels aswell? that was my issue.like we've all got a spare 500 quid and room to store winter wheels and tyres.

As I said in my post, I have a set of steel wheels with winter tyres fitted.

I change them myself, then torque up the wheel bolts, adjust the pressures then reset the tyre pressure monitoring system and winter tyres indicator on the dash.

Had I not purchased an ex demo vehicle I would have specified all season tyres thereby doing away with the need for a second set of winter wheels/tyres.

Yes, they are expensive but I don't see the logic in spending all that money to buy an expensive California only to skate about on unsuitable rubber. As The main use of our Beach is to safely transport our grand children, I am not prepared to take any chances.

 

[NZCol]

I ran winters on steels and used to frequently beat the snow plough to Glenshee - rock solid and ploughs through really well. Its a big heavy vehicle and all-seasons are a good choice.

 

[SimonB]

I think the video I posted, which did the rounds before, clearly demonstrates the difference between winter tyre and standard tyres. Even a 4x4 on standard tyres didn't get far on the snow.
I have just put my steel wheels on already fitted with the Cargo Vector tyres that I bought from Benn as I'm off to Snowdonia again this weekend.
The winter tyres don't have to cost a fortune, but to my mind they are certainly worth having. If you watch the video the others suggested at the same time by YouTube show the stopping distances in snow & ice of standard tyres and winter tyres. The video speaks for itself.

 

[bigmac77]

I think the video I posted, which did the rounds before, clearly demonstrates the difference between winter tyre and standard tyres. Even a 4x4 on standard tyres didn't get far on the snow.
I have just put my steel wheels on already fitted with the Cargo Vector tyres that I bought from Benn as I'm off to Snowdonia again this weekend.
The winter tyres don't have to cost a fortune, but to my mind they are certainly worth having. If you watch the video the others suggested at the same time by YouTube show the stopping distances in snow & ice of standard tyres and winter tyres. The video speaks for itself.

I've just driven through Snowdonia on the A5 it was snowing a lot this morning, mountains are looking stunning. Wrap up warm.

 

[Borris]

I fitted the winter tyres yesterday and it's just started snowing in Kent! How's that for brinksmanship?

It probably won't amount to much but the freezing temperature alone makes fitting them worthwhile.

 

[CALI FATE]

I bought a second set of 16" alloys for my Beach - with pretty much brand new Continental (non winter) tyres - the owner upgraded to larger wheels straight after picking his Beach up. Its taken me a bit of time waiting for my original tyres to wear through, but i now have two winter tyres that will go on on the weekend, and will swap to two more winters when the fronts wear through. I have never bothered with winter tyres before, but on a 2wd heavy van it does make quite a difference, and looking forward to having a full set, probably next winter.

 

[briwy]

Not sure its a good a idea to mix tyre types. You might find the back end sliding with winters on the front and summers on the rear.
If you have two sets of wheels why not get all four. You're only using one set of tyres at once so no extra wear.

 

[flying banana]

some good points I suppose. but for me due to cash flow I'll see how the originals go this winter. not planning on doing much mountain driving this year

 

[sapto]

Snow is here. About the space to store the extra wheels: my local garage offers to store them for a reasonable price (around CHF 100.-) and I am happy he does.

 

[Trebor]

I fitted the winter tyres yesterday and it's just started snowing in Kent! How's that for brinksmanship?

It probably won't amount to much but the freezing temperature alone makes fitting them worthwhile.

You owe me a pint in a micro brewery somewhere Boris ! Just put winter wheels on our diesel Smart car today . Sticks to the road like glue with them when icy .

 

[Sad]

some good points I suppose. but for me due to cash flow I'll see how the originals go this winter. not planning on doing much mountain driving this year

Would love to be able to afford a set of winter wheels...

 

[2into1]

Would love to be able to afford a set of winter wheels...

Clearly it is another £500+ to find, plus the space to store the winters, but I comforted myself in buying my set that it was a cashflow issue rather than a cost - my summer tyres would last longer, so no incremental cost, and the VW 17" van steels are always easy to sell as the nippers buy them for 'banding'.

 

[Sad]

my summer tyres would last longer, so no incremental cost, and the VW 17" van steels are always easy to sell as the nippers buy them for 'banding'.

I'd never thought of it like that!