Motoring Discussion > Winter tyres.	Miscellaneous
Thread Author: R.P.	Replies: 77

Thu 14 Jul 11 11:14   Winter tyres. - R.P.

Well, after the events of last winter I invested a portion of my ill-gotten census gains in a set of steel rims and Dunlop winter tyres. Man maths dictates that they are a relative bargain as I'll save tyre wear on the summer tyres whilst they're off the car. Nice man from BMW delivered them the other day. They come with a nice little BMW badged compressor as they're not run flats. Nice smell of new rubber in the garage now which adds a little atmosphere to the place. Car insurance is due in a couple of weeks so I phoned my broker this morning and it looks as if Carole Nash take the sensible view that they're not viewed as a modification.... Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 14 Jul 11 11:37   Winter tyres. - ....

Plenty of time to get a decent coat of wax built up on the wheels ready for the salt and grit they will get hammered with. Did you get a wheel tree too ? Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 14 Jul 11 12:12   Winter tyres. - rtj70

>> Plenty of time to get a decent coat of wax built up on the wheels On steel rims? Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 14 Jul 11 12:28   Winter tyres. - ....

Personally, I think especially on steel rims. The wheels get to sniff the paint as they go passed the spray guns and will look pretty tired after only a couple of months coated in salt. Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 14 Jul 11 14:01   Winter tyres. - Skoda

Aye another vote for wax on steelies (learned the hard way, tried to clean wheels in spring for storage that hadn't been waxed and it took wayyyyy longer than it should). Good thing about steelies is you don't need to worry about finish being absolutely 1st class, so you can go for something really tough that will last, like insulator wax. A liquid/gel version of the S-238, this heavy-duty pure wax is ideal for new and old insulators and bushings alike, providing an almost indestructible protective coating against the adhesion of foreign elements. www.colliniteindustrial.com/ cgi.ebay.co.uk/Collinite-845-Insulator-Wax-1-Pint-/120746249193?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item1c1d098be9 Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 14 Jul 11 14:16   Winter tyres. - bathtub tom

"it penetrates deep to treat and moisturise paint" Really? Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 14 Jul 11 14:55   Winter tyres. - Skoda

>> Really? Hmmm, Insulator wax is designed as a "cleaner wax", so the penetrate bit is accurate enough, but moisturising paint i don't think so. Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 14 Jul 11 15:16   Winter tyres. - ....

Some people may think it sacrilege putting a set of steelies on a BMW. Dry, flakey paint would have R.P. hanged, drawn and quartered at the local BMW emporium ;-) Last edited by: gmac on Thu 14 Jul 11 at 15:17 Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 14 Jul 11 16:00   Winter tyres. - BobbyG

Thought the BMW deal many that they stored your tyres and wheels when not required? Certainly was last winter? Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 14 Jul 11 16:09   Winter tyres. - ....

That's an extra now, Sir! I thought I read somewhere it's an extra £170 a year for storage. I could be wrong... Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 14 Jul 11 19:35   Winter tyres. - Bigtee

Which month are you putting these wheels on? Are they M & S markings. Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 14 Jul 11 19:38   Winter tyres. - R.P.

They have M&S markings - probably late November - but will be watching the weather...I'll get them waxed. I think that all black steels have a certain look on a car (in a good way) Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 14 Jul 11 19:54   Winter tyres. - ....

You could have them painted alternate quarters yellow and black like crash test dummy wheels and start a new trend. It would contrast nicely with the blue and white of the BMW badge :-) Last edited by: gmac on Thu 14 Jul 11 at 19:56 Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 14 Jul 11 19:58   Winter tyres. - Runfer D'Hills

I'm ever so slightly starting to like X1s. Do you think it's something to worry about? Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 14 Jul 11 20:03   Winter tyres. - ....

>> I'm ever so slightly starting to like X1s. Do you think it's something to worry >> about? >> Definitely need to get that seen to. The next thing is you'll be wearing short sleeved shirt (Timberland) - Jeans (proper bike ones - with kevlar reinforcing) and motorcycle boots for a meeting :-) Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 14 Jul 11 20:12   Winter tyres. - Zero

>> I'm ever so slightly starting to like X1s. Do you think it's something to worry >> about? Yes but never mind some girls still like guys in glasses. Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 14 Jul 11 19:58   Winter tyres. - R.P.

Mmmmmmm ! I rather like that idea....I have some yellow I think. Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 14 Jul 11 20:04   Winter tyres. - NortonES2

M&S: that marking isn't the issue. It relates only to tread pattern, and not to compound. I think this is a useful summary: www.snowtyres.com.au/severe-service-emblem For winter, severe service (moutain/snowflake) is the only mark relevant to compound. Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 14 Jul 11 20:08   Winter tyres. - ....

I should imagine BMW know a thing or two about what is and is not a Winter tyre. They wouldn't risk getting it wrong. Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 14 Jul 11 20:14   Winter tyres. - R.P.

Well...........Just checked them - they're branded as Dunlop Winter Sports 3D - they have a mountain and snow symbol on them and it has an M&S marking. Last edited by: R.P. on Thu 14 Jul 11 at 20:14 Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 14 Jul 11 20:21   Winter tyres. - ....

Have you gone for the same size wheel and tyre as your Summer's or have you dropped to a smaller rim with larger profile ? I run 17's on 45 profile in Summer and 16 on 55 profile in the Winter and the ride difference is very noticeable. The narrower Winter tyre also grips much better as you see with French ice racers that look like they run on bike wheels. Not very fashionable but it works. Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 14 Jul 11 20:28   Winter tyres. - R.P.

The standard wheels are 18" with a 40 profile the winters are 17 with a 50 profile, I'm beginning to wonder whether there might be a speedo reading issue now. Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 14 Jul 11 20:35   Winter tyres. - ....

As long as you use the sizes recommended by BMW there will be no issue, you will be fine. Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 14 Jul 11 20:41   Winter tyres. - R.P.

Trouble is I may need a trolley jack now or blag a mate to do it...:-) Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 14 Jul 11 20:45   Winter tyres. - ....

A man of your means ? You can buy a two tonne trolley jack and stands for buttons these days but that would mean getting dirty, maybe you can persuade SWMBO to get a two post car lift in the garage. They start from a reasonable £1320 www.garageequipmentgroup.co.uk/cat&category=2postlift?gclid=CN7j65nMgaoCFZIo3wodm1Rf0Q Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 14 Jul 11 20:42   Winter tyres. - Iffy

A few calculators on the net. This one suggests RP will be doing just under 10 per cent faster than the speedo with the winters on: www.kouki.co.uk/utilities/visual-tyre-size-calculator Last edited by: Iffy on Thu 14 Jul 11 at 20:42 Reply to this message | Report message       1

Thu 14 Jul 11 20:46   Winter tyres. - R.P.

Thanks iffy, I know from a conversation with BMW that the speedo is easily re-calibrated or the easy option of checking it against GPS and making a decision from there on. Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 14 Jul 11 20:51   Winter tyres. - Iffy

Oops, don't think I took width into account when I tapped in the details. Looks like the difference will be more like five per cent if the winters and summers are a similar width. Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 14 Jul 11 20:50   Winter tyres. - ....

I only know from my own experience Iffy, 225/45x17 Summer tyres and 205/55x16 Winter tyres both show 33mph on my speedo and 50kph on my satnav. There could be a variance depending on size. Last edited by: gmac on Thu 14 Jul 11 at 20:51 Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 14 Jul 11 20:52   Winter tyres. - R.P.

I'll do some experimenting. Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 14 Jul 11 20:55   Winter tyres. - Iffy

If the winters are narrower - which they probably are - it looks like we are firmly into neither here nor there territory. Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 14 Jul 11 20:55   Winter tyres. - ....

That's a pretty handy website Iffy, thanks. Never seen one like that before which shows you a side by side. Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 14 Jul 11 21:00   Winter tyres. - Runfer D'Hills

It'll not snow this winter now though will it... :-) Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 14 Jul 11 21:02   Winter tyres. - R.P.

You'll all thank me for that later. Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 14 Jul 11 21:05   Winter tyres. - Zero

certainly not in the dry and arid south. Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 14 Jul 11 21:09   Winter tyres. - ....

Just beware a man called Fish bearing gifts of "strong winds over Spain and France". Last edited by: gmac on Thu 14 Jul 11 at 21:11 Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 14 Jul 11 23:36   Winter tyres. - bathtub tom

>>I'm beginning to wonder whether there might be a speedo reading issue now. Try this site: www.carbibles.com/tyre_bible_pg4.html Scroll down to 'A tyre size calculator' You haven't given the full tyre size details for a calculation. Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 14 Jul 11 22:11   Winter tyres. - VxFan

>> I think that all black steels have a certain look on a car Known as "Mad Max" wheels a few years ago. Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 14 Jul 11 22:14   Winter tyres. - R.P.

:-) Older Vauxhalls had smart black wheels...! Last edited by: R.P. on Thu 14 Jul 11 at 22:15 Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 14 Jul 11 22:17   Winter tyres. - VxFan

Nah, that was just lazy drivers who couldn't be bothered to wash the brake dust off. Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 14 Jul 11 22:19   Winter tyres. - Runfer D'Hills

I had a yellow Mk 1 Cavalier 1.6L ( sexy eh? ) Anyway, it had steel wheels with chrome hubcaps. I decided ( I was 20 ) to take the hubcaps off and paint the wheels matt black. This achieved a mean and moody look in my youthful opinion. This was all very well until an American tourist in Edinburgh attempted to get in thinking I was a cab. Last edited by: Humph D'Bout on Thu 14 Jul 11 at 22:20 Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 14 Jul 11 22:21   Winter tyres. - R.P.

I had one of those - a 1.6 head in cam - I still have the clock in the garage. Off to see whether its still around.... Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 14 Jul 11 22:26   Winter tyres. - Runfer D'Hills

I had to put a radio in mine. They didn't come with one as standard. Got a leccy aerial too on the rear wing. Elbow sticking out of open window, nonchalantly raising and lowering my aerial while sans hubcaps. Cool as ice. :-) Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 14 Jul 11 22:24   Winter tyres. - ....

A yellow Cavalier with black wheels ? Humph ~20 3.bp.blogspot.com/_gonZ6-kkiAU/TLNqQO70QYI/AAAAAAAAA04/CrRZ6NpiBCY/s1600/bananas1.jpg Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 14 Jul 11 22:27   Winter tyres. - Runfer D'Hills

Heh heh, my mates actually did call it the "flying banana" :-) Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 14 Jul 11 22:29   Winter tyres. - ....

I had a girlfriend in Munich bought a yellow leather bed. I called it flying banana too, probably for similar reasons. Didn't marry her, probably for similar reasons, who knows ??? Hehe. Life. It's a laugh ! All from Winter tyres. Last edited by: gmac on Thu 14 Jul 11 at 22:31 Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 14 Jul 11 22:33   Winter tyres. - Runfer D'Hills

I used to share a flat with a few other guys when we were happy ( I mean single of course what was I thinking of ) Anyway, if one of the group had, shall we say, "dropped lucky" on a Saturday night he got to wear the communal yellow jersey in the pub on a Sunday night. It's a tenuous sort of thing but think Tour De France ! :-) Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 14 Jul 11 22:36   Winter tyres. - ....

So Humph. who had the green shirt, King of the Mountains ? :-) Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 14 Jul 11 22:37   Winter tyres. - Runfer D'Hills

What, like fat birds? Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 14 Jul 11 22:40   Winter tyres. - ....

I was thinking chesticles but you go the Viz route if you want :-) Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 14 Jul 11 22:42   Winter tyres. - Runfer D'Hills

Best get back to tyres I suppose... Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 14 Jul 11 22:43   Winter tyres. - ....

Aww, C'mon we're talking zzz tyres zzz here zzz man zzz Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 14 Jul 11 22:43   Winter tyres. - Zero

>> tenuous sort of thing but think Tour De France ! So only one of you managed to pull each weekend? That's a pretty poor strike rate. Unless it was the same bird of course, very communal of you . Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 14 Jul 11 22:45   Winter tyres. - Runfer D'Hills

There were other awards but really, it's too boring for here ! Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 14 Jul 11 22:37   Winter tyres. - Manatee

Coincidentally I've been looking at the same idea. I've scored a bit of an own goal with the Outlander. The tyres are 225/55R18 and like for like are £650 a set (Conti Cross Contact UHP). These are "4x4" tyres but no sign of M+S marking. They are original equipment on X5s, and we all know how good they are in the snow. mytyres.co.uk however will now supply tyres on steel wheels. I can get a set of four 215/70R16 all-season or winter tyres on wheels for about the same price as replacement Contis. Man maths says that as long as all the tyres are reasonably used up when I eventually dispose of the car, it'll cost me no more, or even a bit less as replacements for the 16" wheels will be cheaper than the 18s. And my nice "premium finish alloys wheels" will be in better nick. So I can save money by spending £650. QED. But will I need some new wheel nuts I wonder? And should I get some Carlos Fandango wheel trims from Halfords? Last edited by: Manatee on Thu 14 Jul 11 at 22:40 Reply to this message | Report message

Fri 15 Jul 11 08:52   Winter tyres. - R.P.

Good question, I found myself wondering about this this morning .....will I need new wheel bolts ? Last edited by: R.P. on Fri 15 Jul 11 at 08:53 Reply to this message | Report message

Fri 15 Jul 11 09:01   Winter tyres. - Iffy

.......will I need new wheel bolts ?... Doubt it - I'm sure BMW would have supplied them. Having said that, mixing metals is often not a good idea from a corrosion point of view. When fitting the steels, I'd be inclined to give the bolts a squirt of WD40 - greasing wheel bolts may not be a good idea - and aim not to leave them on too long. Reply to this message | Report message

Fri 15 Jul 11 21:46   Winter tyres. - Lygonos

Steel wheels, steel bolts - the problem? Reply to this message | Report message

Fri 15 Jul 11 22:18   Winter tyres. - Fullchat

Didn't one manufacturer have an issue with 'space savers' fitted oon a steel rim. The standard bolt when further through the hub and caught on the brakes/suspension? As such they had to supply shorter bolts for the steel rim. Reply to this message | Report message

Fri 15 Jul 11 22:49   Winter tyres. - The Nut

>>As such they had to supply shorter bolts for the steel rim. I've heard that as well, think it might have been Mercedes? Reply to this message | Report message

Fri 15 Jul 11 23:33   Winter tyres. - rtj70

I think it was MB too. Reply to this message | Report message

Fri 15 Jul 11 23:39   Winter tyres. - Fenlander

Yep it was MB, I've repaired the damage caused by this. From memory the bolts go through too far into the handbrake drum assy that's within the rear disc and damage things. Also stripped out the thread in the hub/drum. Reply to this message | Report message

Sat 16 Jul 11 07:28   Winter tyres. - -

Pug/Citroen have good design, tapered collars welded to the bolt holes on steel spare wheels, enabling the standard alloy wheelbolts to be used. MB are a problem, it usually occurs when people buy used wheels from a differing model, easy to swap wheels on MB's as the centres and bolt spacings are pretty standard, but that's when the problems start, many don't consider offsets or the all important bolts lengths and seat tapers. Ironically it's a problem caused by MB's long useful life despite the sometimes justified criticism. Last edited by: gordonbennet on Sat 16 Jul 11 at 07:28 Reply to this message | Report message

Sat 16 Jul 11 09:07   Winter tyres. - swiss tony

>> >>As such they had to supply shorter bolts for the steel rim. >> >> I've heard that as well, think it might have been Mercedes? >> The shorter bolts were always supplied with the new MB... But people ignored them. So.. MB came up with the idea of a plastic case to store the short bolts, which clipped into the centre of the spare. (this was retrofitted to most cars during servicing) When some people got a puncture what did they do? remove the case complete with bolts, chuck into the boot, and continue to fit the spare with the long bolts...... Reply to this message | Report message

Sat 16 Jul 11 07:38   Winter tyres. - Manatee

It's not just the length. The caravan has alloy wheels and a steel spare with its own bolts. The have a different cone angle on the bolt head as well as being shorter. EDIT - sorry GB, same point - I made some tea in the middle of writing that. Last edited by: Manatee on Sat 16 Jul 11 at 07:39 Reply to this message | Report message

Sat 16 Jul 11 08:06   Winter tyres. - -

>> EDIT - sorry GB, same point - I made some tea in the middle of >> writing that. MT, you need to get her trained up, chap stopping important communications to make tea, never heard the like..:-) Reply to this message | Report message

Sat 16 Jul 11 08:20   Winter tyres. - Manatee

Yes, and it was her tea as well! The shame of it. Reply to this message | Report message

Sat 16 Jul 11 09:35   Winter tyres. - R.P.

Just been check the tyres, the rims are just not flat rims but have deep "wells" on the inner side and have raised reverse counter-sunk "pyramids" on the outer side, the rims are branded BMW items. I may RTFM later. Reply to this message | Report message

Sat 16 Jul 11 11:20   Winter tyres. - Runfer D'Hills

Does the X1 have a spare tyre? Just re-read the OP and note the new ones aren't run flats Reply to this message | Report message

Sat 16 Jul 11 11:29   Winter tyres. - Zero

This has just about busted the hassle="too much" equation. Reply to this message | Report message

Sat 23 Jul 11 23:57   Winter tyres. - R.P.

No Humph, but you do get a "complimentary" mobility kit in the package - i.e. A compressor, some gel type stuff a pair of gloves all stuffed in a BMW branded bag. I was going to add that in the interest of accuracy I have now checked the existing 18"x255 alloys against a GPS speed app on my iPhone and find that the speedo is more or less accurate and reads about 3mph fast at 70. So I'll run the same test as when the Winters go on. Reply to this message | Report message

Wed 14 Sep 11 19:56   Winter tyres. - R.P.

A little update - been pondering how and when to change the wheels over. I had considered two options getting them fitted by a chain (which means potentially carting them around in 2s in the back of the car) or by a chap who I know in the next village....same issue. Anyway a casual chat at the dealers today revealed that BMW will book the car in for me as and when. Come to collect my wheels fit them, then return my alloys to me.....free as long as I have the car. Now that is a deal and chipped away a chunk from the original outlay. LV my new insurers have no issue with the upgraded alloys/tyres I have fitted as long as I can prove they were fitted by BMW (which I can) and no issue with the Winters... Last edited by: R.P. on Wed 14 Sep 11 at 19:58 Reply to this message | Report message

Wed 14 Sep 11 19:59   Winter tyres. - Bigtee

What about a mobile tyre fitter to your home you watch with a cup of tea he works job done? Reply to this message | Report message

Wed 14 Sep 11 20:13   Winter tyres. - R.P.

Drink BMW's coffee and do the same (and smudge their cars) while I wait. Reply to this message | Report message

Wed 14 Sep 11 20:17   Winter tyres. - Lygonos

'Smudge' code for 'breaking wind in then closing the doors'? Last edited by: Lygonos on Wed 14 Sep 11 at 20:17 Reply to this message | Report message

Wed 14 Sep 11 20:20   Winter tyres. - R.P.

Not quite, but I may indulge in some of that as well...:-) Reply to this message | Report message

Wed 14 Sep 11 20:24   Winter tyres. - R.P.

www.bmw.co.uk/bmwuk/auc/car_details/0,,1260_159980112__,00.html?currentCh=WBALM32080E516509 This one nearly made me smudge so to speak - the car's colour has to be seen to believed, like an AA van on speed. Last edited by: R.P. on Wed 14 Sep 11 at 20:27 Reply to this message | Report message

Wed 14 Sep 11 20:28   Winter tyres. - Runfer D'Hills

What a splendid idea Lygonos ! I must get along to a certain Renault dealer... Reply to this message | Report message