Less than the price of a whole car, but not by much, I'm guessing. In reality, over £2,000 unless your dealer really does 'do deals'.Has anyone in the UK obtained a price for the 205's on spoke alloys?
Couldn't agree more. My Audi has 275's on and I've never struggled with winter boots, even going up a few snowy alps! Granted it's quattro but it still does the job (passed a few struggling range rovers tooI've driven in northern UK winters on 175, 195 and 205 tyres and I reckon we never get snow deep enough to warrant using a narrow winter tyre. Putting down the power of a JCW on a wet road (it doesn't snow all winter!) on 185 winter tyres must be a nightmare.
Very true. I put winter tyres on first purely because the Gendarmerie wouldn't let me up the mountain to the ski resort without them or chains fitted. Chains are a pain in the bum (even with my Thule Summit jobbies) and I found that winters + quattro gave me phenomenal control in pretty much all conditions, so they became a habit.In the UK, I can't see what benefit all-seasons bring - it's a shame to give up the ice protection that proper winters provide, which is their really big advantage over summers or all-seasons. Getting about on snowy roads is nice, but not really a game-changer, as those roads are still jammed up with people skidding/stranded on summers.
Those tyre sizes are going to put your speedo way off no? Not sure 225's will fit either...I'm shortly planning on buying some Michelin cross climates as my winters (Spring/Autumn etc)
Issue is they are only available as 225/45/17 or 205/50/17 in anything like mini spec,
The wheels I have in mind should also clear any BBK including the JCW kit. (7.5 x 17. Et 43)
Watch this space, as should be around 1k all in
our winters are so marginal and unpredictable that its very hard for an individual driver to make a choice. we had two back to back winters with significant snowfall about 7-8 years ago but other than that we can easily go a full winter and not see any at all. what is unpredictable for us, & harder to detect, is ice. even without ice, temperatures are generally below the 7c advised limit where winter compounds become more effective.Very true. I put winter tyres on first purely because the Gendarmerie wouldn't let me up the mountain to the ski resort without them or chains fitted. Chains are a pain in the bum (even with my Thule Summit jobbies) and I found that winters + quattro gave me phenomenal control in pretty much all conditions, so they became a habit.
Here in Belgium, it's very rare to see a car without winter tyres on so when it does snow the roads keep moving pretty well. It's not law, but I get the impression it is "frowned upon" not to fit them. Belgium can, surprisingly, have pretty extreme winters!
Considering the revenue/tax it would raise, I'm surprised they're not law in the UK! Still, give the Daily Mail a few weeks and they probably will be...