I need clear Tyre advice please.

[Autumn]

Hello, I have read as many of the tyre threads as possible, however some of the technical language is over my head.
Also some of the threads are from 2016 and 17.
I have a 2017 Manual Ocean 150. Not a 4 motion.

I live in an area of the Peak district that has a climate about 4 degs lower than even 5 miles away, so I have to be prepared for ice and snow much later and earlier in the year than many places.
I camp on sites, but like to be off grid, so I am often just on a grass pitch, I also stay in this country as yet, so do not need to consider hot climate driving.

I think I have original tyres......215/60 R 17 C 109/107T 104H Contivan contact 200

I have read about 4 season, ATR???, MnS??? all season, cross climate tyres. Having a second set, which may be possible for winter,( I have a cellar I could store them) but as I said earlier, our spring can be changable well into June. Our daffodils are still fresh mid May here!
I do often have to face driving "The Cat and Fiddle" in all weathers, if any of you are aware of that particular road, it is the only way out of here often.

And then I have read about the speedometer issues that change with differenct types of tyre and maybe the height of the vehicle changing and then about the 'loading' being right. I am ignorant of all of this.

I live in a smallish town, quite a way from any specialized tyre places so I am not totally confident that the tyre providers I will be using will be knowledgable about these sort of details, so it is down to me to be educated.

I am hoping I have given all the information needed to have some really sound advice on this issue.

Thank you for reading about tyres yet again.

 

[B J G]

You currently have the Commercial van sized tyre. Winter versions are expensive and few manufacturers supply this size..

I'd advise going to the more normal 235/55/17 103V size tyre which is to VW factory specification.

I'd also go for what is termed as All Season (same tyre for anything normal UK weather throws at us) tyres. No need for 2 sets of wheels. How many days or even hours would you actually need a pure winter tyre?

Top brands are best Michelin, Bridgestone, Goodyear, Nokian etc. basically you get what you pay for in terms of wear and grip.

I have Nokian Weatherproof tyres but the new Bridgestone Weather Control A005 gets good reports.

Pirelli Cinturato tyre looks useful with the sealing/puncture capability. https://www.mytyres.co.uk/cgi-bin/r...LL&Label=C-B-69-1&details=Ordern&typ=R-367414

 

[Alan Andrews]

You'll appreciate that the All Seasons tyre is a compromise between the Summer tyre you now have and a true Winter tyre.

Personally, I prefer to keep 215/50/17 Summer tyres for summer months (Start Apr. to end Nov.) fitted to the standard 17inch vw alloys, and a set of vw 17 steel wheels with 235/55/17 Goodyear Ultragrip (Snow and Mud rated) tyres for the Winter months.

I can vouch that the Conti summer tyres did cause some scare moments coming down side of Snowdon in wet and muddy conditions, whereas the Goodyear Ultragrips stay firm and cause no concerns. The Ultragrips are very good on a muddy field too.

With the above tyre sizes there is no difference in the overall wheel size, so no issues with speedo or ride height.

 

[AlanC]

I would agree with B J G. I think the easiest solution in your case would be to have all/4 season tyres on your van. 235/55/17 103 V or Y load rated are fine.

I am running with Michellin Crossclimate + tyres all round and have found a vast improvement in the grip they provide in all conditions. I had to drive up and back to London along the M4 in the snow last year and was duly impressed with the grip provided when all about me were sliding into the hard shoulder.

As they are Mud and Snow (M+S) rated these will also be good for soft ground.

I ordered mine on-line and got a good price. KwikFit fitted them and I had the tracking Hunter laser checked at the same time. There are many on-line tyre supply companies so you should be able to find one that has connections with a tyre fitting company near to you.

I should add that I live in a flat, so storage of 4 tyres throughout the year is not an option for me.

Alan

 

[WelshGas]

I would agree with B J G. I think the easiest solution in your case would be to have all/4 season tyres on your van. 235/55/17 103 V or Y load rated are fine.

I am running with Michellin Crossclimate + tyres all round and have found a vast improvement in the grip they provide in all conditions. I had to drive up and back to London along the M4 in the snow last year and was duly impressed with the grip provided when all about me were sliding into the hard shoulder.

As they are Mud and Snow (M+S) rated these will also be good for soft ground.

I ordered mine on-line and got a good price. KwikFit fitted them and I had the tracking Hunter laser checked at the same time. There are many on-line tyre supply companies so you should be able to find one that has connections with a tyre fitting company near to you.

I should add that I live in a flat, so storage of 4 tyres throughout the year is not an option for me.

Alan

103 is the necessary LOAD rating for the California.

The V or Y are the Speed Rating of the tyre.

A Speed Rating of H or above is more than adequate for the California. Higher Speed Rating tyres may use different compounds and can be more expensive.

 

[2into1]

I'd advise going to the more normal 235/55/17

As I believe more 150hp Cali's are sold than 204s now 199s) then the 215 / 60/17 would be the 'normal' size.
(as they tend to come with the 150 although there are exceptions).

I live in Glossop and get similar weather as the OP. Almost by mistake (long story) I ended up going the 2 sets route with specialist winter tyres. It turned out for the better for my weekly trips over the woodhead pass.

If you've got the space and a friendly garage (or are happy to swap them yourself with the jack), then your location may tip you into 2 sets territory, whereas for those that don't, the Michelin Cross Climates are getting very good reports. 235s are fine for summer and look a bit fuller on the wheels and run at lower pressures, but I'd stick with 215s for winter tyres.

Timing of the swap over from Winters to Summers is quite difficult as we've recently been having 17c days and then back to frost and gritting. If that continues, then the all seasons reduce that stress, but for the Peak District....

 

[Loz]

I agree with @AlanC the latest Crossclimate tyres are very good and would be my choice in your situation.

 

[Autumn]

thank you so much for all your thougt through replies, I have found it really helpful. I do only have 2 individually owned tyre providers, so I will now be able to talk to them with some knowledge behind me.

 

[briwy]

I was born in Buxton and lived there for 30 years when we had "proper" winters. The Cat & Fiddle and all the other roads in/out are still some of the first to get closed so personally I would always go for a set of normal tyres and a set of full winters. After all, you are only using one set at a time so the only real extra expense is a set of steel wheels. Now living down the hill in Matlock but as the van is used all year round we still have the winters on in season.

 

[Tom Rae]

Whilst the OP's situation is a tad extreme and seems to merit two sets, I have found Vredestein Quatrac 5s very satisfactory four season tyres.

Tom

 

[Hannick]

Could anyone let me know whether the Michelin CrossClimate+ tyres are OK to fit, rather than the Michelin Agelis CrossClimate?

The former are described on the Michelin website as car tyres and the latter as van tyres.

We currently have 215 65 R16C 106/107 Vredestein all season tyres fitted which are now in need of a change.

The label on our van says “215 65 R16C 102/100T”

The “C” seems to be important and I can’t see this available on the +.

I’m confused.

 

[B J G]

'C' is the traditional Commercial rating for vans, tyre design has moved on with the advent of XL (extra load) and numerous load ratings being produced.

If you look at your label the load rating varies from 102 to 104, ignore the 101T & 100T as this applies to twin wheel axle'd vehicles as fitted to small platform or tipper type vehicles.

You can fit any tyre that has a minimum of 101 load rating to transporter. There is no upper limit but it doesn't increase the vans carrying capacity above the 'plated' weight shown in your V5 or chassis plate. the 'C' designation isn't mandatory just the load carrying capability.
The label shows what can be fitted from the factory.
'C' tyres are pretty restricted as regards tread designs, summer, winter or all season. probably because the XL range is taking over in popularity. From what I've seen 'C' tyres are more expensive.

Tyres labelled as SUV are closer in construction to commercial tyres just to confuse further.

 

[SailSki]

Hi, I’m running Michelin CrossClimate+ 235/55R17 tyres on Ocean 204 4motion. Very happy with them so far, but haven’t had them in extreme weather yet.
However was very impressed with the 1st generation CrossClimates that are fitted to my old Audi A6 Allroad that I took to Austria in January - they coped brilliantly with both deep fresh snow and hard-packed snow/ice.
I went for the CrossClimate+ on the Cali rather than AgilisCC or CC SUV as they were indicated as quieter and more consistent performance as they wore down.
They are certainly very quiet on the road.
I put a Vredestein Quatrac on the spare as it is not as directional a tread as the CC+.
Hope this helps.

 

[Hannick]

Many thanks for your replies. Michelin CrossClimate+ it is then. Due to be fitted on Monday.
215 65 R16 V (102). Reinforced. Directional. M+S Stamped.

I bet they will be quieter than our current Vredestein.

 

[Erbster]

When I asked at my local tyre place about cross climates, they warned me off, saying they wear much more quickly than summer tyres

CaliVentures

Adventures in a VW California camper van

caliventures364847572.wordpress.com

 

[Hannick]

Interesting, as our current Vredestein all season tyres have lasted so long I’m replacing them even though they still have 4mm+ tread because I think it’s time, for they were fitted in December 2013 at 17,037 miles and we are now showing 56,458 miles. All we did is rotate front to back part way through. That’s an astonishing 39,421 miles.

OK, perhaps these Michelin’s won’t last that long but I’m happy with averages during our ownership of the Cali and Michelin’s generally tend to be pretty hard wearing. I’d stick Pirelli’s on if I wanted to go around corners quickly.

Perhaps they have achieved that many miles as I only drive in straight lines.

 

[WelshGas]

When I asked at my local tyre place about cross climates, they warned me off, saying they wear much more quickly than summer tyres

CaliVentures

Adventures in a VW California camper van

caliventures364847572.wordpress.com

I have the Cross Climates on and after just over 19,000 miles down to 5.2 + 0 to 0.2mm all round wear on my 4Motion and they have not been swopped front to rear. That is 2 winters and 1 summer,
They seem to be wearing better than the Goodyear Cargo Vectors, Average milage is up by 1.5 mpg and quieter.

 

[Erbster]

Thanks for the feedback. I’ll probably need to change my tyres before next winter.

CaliVentures

Adventures in a VW California camper van

caliventures364847572.wordpress.com

 

[Donald Dub]

The first thing to bear in mind is that winter tyres are not just designed for extreme winter conditions. If the tyre has a 3PMS (3 Peaks Mud + Snow) symbol it is designed to work best a temperatures below 7 deg C. My guess is it will be below 7 deg C for 90% of a Buxton winter.

Second, most people assume winter tyres only give you better traction in snow. They do, but much more importantly they will improve braking and cornering characteristics at low temperatures on dry, wet and greasy roads if it’s cold. The open tread pattern, and narrower contact width, also helps prevent aqua planing in puddles.

Most people don’t realise but in winter you will be far better off with two wheel drive Cali with winter tyres than 4 wheel drive Cali on summer tyres. Why? Well all Cali’s have four wheel braking. On summer tyres you will toboggan down a hill quite happily and slide straight to the scene of the accident. Proper winters will give you a massive amount of extra grip and confidence, and not just in snow. In fact under braking, which is the most critical issue when travelling in winter conditions, 4WD is totally irrelevant.

I live just over the hill in Ashbourne and travel regularly to Bakewell. Last year I was almost constantly in deep lying snow on the A515 but my winters were simply stunning. In the Peaks you need to have tyres that are ready for the worst conditions so you don’t get caught out. Crossovers might work in Surrey but I wouldn’t put my trust in them in a Derbyshire winter.

 

[Sp0_0k]

Michelin CrossClimate+ worked fine this winter in the Alps.
What pissed me off though, they are like 6-7mm new. Got an official response from the manufacturer that this is a proper tread size for the new.
So 2-3 mm wear and they are illegal in winter.

 

[Fin]

We've got the Michelin Cross Climate on both our California and 14 plate Beetle, we needed to get winter legal tyres as we moved to Bavaria last month. I read a lot of reviews and watched some YouTube tyre review of them being tested and whilst we've not had to test them in snow yet we did drive both vehicles over here so they've had a fairly lengthy drive. The California in particular had to cope with frankly appalling rainy conditions 3hours solid on the Autobahn with no let up. I've been really impressed with them in the wet and dry, road noise is a little more noticeable in the California compared to previous tyres but really not that much as to bother us.

 

[Autumn]

The first thing to bear in mind is that winter tyres are not just designed for extreme winter conditions. If the tyre has a 3PMS (3 Peaks Mud + Snow) symbol it is designed to work best a temperatures below 7 deg C. My guess is it will be below 7 deg C for 90% of a Buxton winter.

Second, most people assume winter tyres only give you better traction in snow. They do, but much more importantly they will improve braking and cornering characteristics at low temperatures on dry, wet and greasy roads if it’s cold. The open tread pattern, and narrower contact width, also helps prevent aqua planing in puddles.

Most people don’t realise but in winter you will be far better off with two wheel drive Cali with winter tyres than 4 wheel drive Cali on summer tyres. Why? Well all Cali’s have four wheel braking. On summer tyres you will toboggan down a hill quite happily and slide straight to the scene of the accident. Proper winters will give you a massive amount of extra grip and confidence, and not just in snow. In fact under braking, which is the most critical issue when travelling in winter conditions, 4WD is totally irrelevant.

I live just over the hill in Ashbourne and travel regularly to Bakewell. Last year I was almost constantly in deep lying snow on the A515 but my winters were simply stunning. In the Peaks you need to have tyres that are ready for the worst conditions so you don’t get caught out. Crossovers might work in Surrey but I wouldn’t put my trust in them in a Derbyshire winter.

Thank you so much for your considered reply, I am an 'incomer' and am fully aware that people that do not live in this area, are not aware of how the weather is very different here ( I certainly wasn't until moving here)

 

[Bellcrew]

Thank you so much for your considered reply, I am an 'incomer' and am fully aware that people that do not live in this area, are not aware of how the weather is very different here ( I certainly wasn't until moving here)

I remember heavy snow in June a few years ago, so refreshing.