This year, I am thinking to buy winter tyres. These tyres are not only for snowing conditions but they are much better in winter conditions in general. That was to explain my self why would I need winter tyres??
My car currently has the 205x45 R16 tyres with the big brakes and the Nevada edition wheels. I know that narrower tyres are better for the snow so my first question is what are my options for using smaller wheels? I remember some time ago, I found a similar topic, mentioning the available wheel size from MK1 to Mk2.5 but I can’t find it again.
Also, I want your opinion on the following questions:
Can I keep my R16 wheels and buy winter tyres? Would that be a disadvantage compared to smaller tyres/wheels?
Can I keep my R16 wheels and buy narrower tyres both in width and height? If yes, what are my options?
In terms of cost, assuming a purchase of 205x45 R16 winter tyres, they will cost about 300-320£ maybe more. But buying, 185x60 R15 tyres, using the tyre size calculator that I found on this forum, they will cost about 250£ fitted, + 4 new wheels with an extra cost of 100-150£. Hence the cost is about the same also considering the protection of the current wheels. However, assuming buying tyres for my current wheels, I am going to spend about 60-80£ for a tyre change, winter to summer and the opposite, maybe 2-3 times per year, which annually is similar to the cost of buying new wheels.
I hope my text is not too complex as it usually tends to be
i needed winter tyres on my BMW (an X5 as it happens and dire in snow) and it’s a real pain in the proverbial. You either have to store the wheels or the tyres and then get them swapped twice a year. I appreciate it’s a first world problem and all that, but !
You could go for the compromise all season tyres which are now getting pretty close to a real solution for the UK climate (autoexpress now include them in their reviews) but I can’t help feeling they would dull the handling of the MX5, particularly in the summer.
I’ve had numerous 4x4 cars and while I don’t disbelieve the benefits of winter tyres in cold temperatures, a more cautious approach wins hands down. 4x4 inevitably just gets stupid people started when the snow and ice occasionally arrive.
i needed winter tyres on my BMW (an X5 as it happens and dire in snow) and it’s a real pain in the proverbial. You either have to store the wheels or the tyres and then get them swapped twice a year. I appreciate it’s a first world problem and all that, but !
You could go for the compromise all season tyres which are now getting pretty close to a real solution for the UK climate (autoexpress now include them in their reviews) but I can’t help feeling they would dull the handling of the MX5, particularly in the summer.
I’ve had numerous 4x4 cars and while I don’t disbelieve the benefits of winter tyres in cold temperatures, a more cautious approach wins hands down. 4x4 inevitably just gets stupid people started when the snow and ice occasionally arrive.
i needed winter tyres on my BMW (an X5 as it happens and dire in snow) and it’s a real pain in the proverbial. You either have to store the wheels or the tyres and then get them swapped twice a year. I appreciate it’s a first world problem and all that, but !
You could go for the compromise all season tyres which are now getting pretty close to a real solution for the UK climate (autoexpress now include them in their reviews) but I can’t help feeling they would dull the handling of the MX5, particularly in the summer.
I’ve had numerous 4x4 cars and while I don’t disbelieve the benefits of winter tyres in cold temperatures, a more cautious approach wins hands down. 4x4 inevitably just gets stupid people started when the snow and ice occasionally arrive.
Winter, or more accurately cold weather tyres, give much better grip in cold weather not just snow and ice. I have just bought off eBay a nearly new set of 16" alloys for an ND for the price of nearly one new alloy. I’ve installed the same size winter tyres as the summer. I wouldn’t skimp on tyres and buy cheap brands, I purchased the Continental Winter Contact. While I run all-season on a 4x4 I would think carefully about doing this on the MX-5. All season are compromised both in winter and summer, but perform better than a summer in winter. All season don’t have the same turn in or grip in warmer weather. If you enjoy throwing your MX-5 into a corner I would avoid all season in the summer. You don’t throw SUV 4x4 into corners in the same way! So best to get a summer set and a winter set. I usually swap the wheels November, and return back to summers in April. While the initial cost is high, overall it should be the same. That is running two sets is the same as replacing your summers’ twice, but you’ve had the advantage of good grip in the winter. Another advantage of winters, is better ride quality in the winter. You also have better grip on wet grass and muddy fields. Also opens up driving in some European countries during the winter where winter tyres are mandatory.
Disregarding snow, and blizzards, I would also hope to have two sets of wheels (winter and summer) for a front engine rear wheel drive car.
I wouldn’t change the size. You’ll give yourself insurance headaches. Winter tyres work well in the snow regardless of the width. I’ve had 325mm on a BMW!
I wouldn’t change the size. You’ll give yourself insurance headaches. Winter tyres work well in the snow regardless of the width. I’ve had 325mm on a BMW!
I wouldn’t change the size. You’ll give yourself insurance headaches. Winter tyres work well in the snow regardless of the width. I’ve had 325mm on a BMW!
If you didn’t have the big brake kit, I have a set of 4 14inch wheels with Vredstein snowtracs fitted in good condition. (Tyres great with plenty of tread, wheels ok fine for a winter set.) Gathering dust in my garage.
They do make a difference in the colder months, I’ve used them to sail past stricken TT’s in the white stuff.
Nick D, I see you got straight into the point! We will be in touch to discuss more about it then!! In the main time, I still want to know the pros and cons of both using the same wheels or using smaller ones.
Thank you for your replies guys! If I can find a good deal in winter tyres, which I think I already did, I probably keep my current wheels this year and buy some new next year.
Since my tyres are only 1 year old, I wouldn’t go for all season, because in this type of cars, I doubt that you can find a good balance in terms of performance throughout the year.
Alfordmazza, Unfortunately, I do have the big brakes, otherwise, I could put any 14 or 15" from a smaller Mk2/2.5. We also leave very close so that would be ideal. Thank you for mentioning though!
And now it’s time for the silly question of the day. Do all 16" tyres fit in any 16" wheel or is there any connection between those two parameters? Do I need to search for specific wheels for my tyres or just any 16", apart from the offset which it will be the same as my current?
I’m running my NB Montana on Vredestein Quatrac all season tyres and they are pretty good all-rounders: excellent wet weather grip, particularly when temperatures are low. They are not as good as full snow tyres but how often do we get snow? Most important, they are snow marked so legal in Europe in winter - and they are not expensive.
Up to a point , but a 4wd on summer tyres is still hopeless compared to a 2wd hatch on decent winter tyres. I lived for 30 years up a single track road . 1 in 5 at worst on the North York Moors. Having been marooned in my first winter I switched to winters on the various warm and hot hatches I drove and didn’t get stuck once , even in 6inches of snow. Unlike neighbours , driving Range Rover and Hyundai 4wd on summers - hopeless , if not as bad other neighbours MX5 and M3 on summers . I needed 4wd then for ground clearance and even more grip on the various forest tracks and riverbanks I was driving on for my fishing and shooting -and even soft roaders like Tiguan and Yeti are go anywhere on winters -not Defender level stuff, but I never did want to drive up a cliff, nor do I have beard …
Oh , and despite lots of comparison tests being read , I found no real difference in winter grip between cheap as chips and premium winter tyres in bad conditions . The key differences were grip in warmer days and road noise-and they were only slight
It is not necessarily price that is the factor, but I have experienced vast differences in ability across certain winter tyres. Yes, just about any winter tyre will give you better traction than a high performance summer tyre on snow and compacted ice. But just like “summer” tyres, there are significantly better winter tyres than other ones when it comes to it. Depends on the driving you do.
My son’s BMW 2.2i manual coupe was totally undriveable in the snow on its summer tyres. My 2.5 Auto saloon (almost the same cars, both RWD), in the same conditions, on the same road was totally different. His car was stranded on our cul-de-sac for three days, even with two of us pushing and the boot loaded up, it was difficult to get any traction. I drove him to and from work, much to his embarrassment. I sold my car and donated its winter tyres to my son. The next winter he was amazed to be easily able to drive uphill on the M62 past stranded police 4WD X5s and hundreds of other vehicles, including those belonging to the breakdown services. Many drivers spent the night in their cars that night, he drove from Manchester back home in North Notts. He is definitely a winter tyre convert!