[doughboy]

You're quite right, the ET34 16s do look bottle top and are overhung by the arch lip some way, but it is an OE look and it keeps the factory track widths correct I suppose.

But plenty of folk run 12mm spacers on factory wheels, so even 8j ET22 must be ok for arch clearance in that case?

[chrislad]

Originally Posted by imported_graham

Chrislad,

Should have gone the steel wheel route mate

at least then it looks set for the alps

@ £900 from the dealer!

conti TS830s and 2nd hand alloys, i assembled this tidy little bottle top package for under £500 using knowledge and info thanks to this forum! hopefully be worth not much less than that if i come to sell them with 1 or 2 seasons use depending how long i keep the car

my girlfriend cant tell the difference apparently which is a bit worrying

[doughboy]

Originally Posted by Vaheed1

OK, lend me yours and I'll tell you if you're right

Haha.

No.

[dxb335d]

I think the continual fight from Vaheed discounting winter tyres is ludicrous. The rest of Europe does this so why shouldn't we. All this bull shit about being a better driver. OMG!!! That does make me laugh.

I'd personally would rather winter tyres on my BMW so I could travel in a 5 star Euro Ncap rated car then spend the money on a shitter and risk my life if some other driver stoved into me.

Does not make sense.

[Vaheed1]

Originally Posted by dxb335d

I think the continual fight from Vaheed discounting winter tyres is ludicrous. The rest of Europe does this so why shouldn't we. All this bull shit about being a better driver. OMG!!! That does make me laugh.

I'd personally would rather winter tyres on my BMW so I could travel in a 5 star Euro Ncap rated car then spend the money on a shitter and risk my life if some other driver stoved into me.

Does not make sense.

Let's not get into the whole 'i'm better than you debate' - I said it in a tongue in cheek way...if you can't accept that, then that's your problem.

I tell you what I've really found annoying about some of the replies to this thread. People trying to FORCE their opinions on to me and other posters who agreed with me. You've spent the money and feel safer. I haven't and don't feel the need. Why can't you just accept it - or are you just reassuring and trying to justify it to yourself? It's not just this post, I've seen it happen in others. Perhaps some people need a reminder as to what a internet forum is and what it's here for. It's for people to post their thoughts and opinions on subjects...not for them to be lynched.

Perhaps I am wrong - but you can't tell me how or how not I should be driving my car. If you're still alive by the summer and so am I - then we're both right. We did it our way.

[BigBanana]

I have summer tyres fitted.

I have snow socks in the boot, if needed..

I have elastoplast in the first aid kit for my knuckles...

I was in china last week....

I'm in the states now.....

With any luck, the f'ing snow will have gone, before i get ripped off buying 'winter tyres'......

When i did enquire about them, the price had increased by 50% and 'Well, we may have some in a couple of weeks time.......'

FFS. In a few weeks time, they'll have loads they'll be trying to shift.
I'll buy some then. For next time.

We'll not see a snow flake for the next ten years!

[Steve748]

Winter tyres are all made in the summer and delivered to the wholesalers in the autumn and supplies running down come December and that is why the price has gone up.
Because of the bad winter last year they have sold 10x the amount this year that they sold last year and now they are running out.
They will have switched to summer production by now so you will find it difficult to find any winter tyres and almost impossible to find a selection to choose from.

[RagingKileak]

Heres my view...

I DONT have winter tyres, probably because of two key things...

1) I don't drive in the snow. I just don't. I know what cars I drive, I can work from home in this and my previous job and if it's snowy I will do so. When I need to go shopping, I just walk down to Waitrose.

2) I change my cars too often for it to represent the same Value for Money as it does with most people. If I could buy wheels/tyres that fit universally then I would (Snow Socks obviously being a one off option here each year should I NEED to drive.) The truth is that at between £20 and £40 to change tyres from one set of wheels to another, plus the possibility of different widths etc on a given set of wheels, even if I did want to change the actual wheels to fit the car offset of the particular vehicle I own, it would still be too much hassle.

ALL OF THAT SAID, I still 100% agree that Snow Tyres are infinitely better than normal tyres for driving on throughout winter and that anyone who does a lot of driving in deep snow and whinges about it because they are not properly equipped can go fuck themselves!

On Vaheed... Well I respect Vaheed's opinion that he has a Yaris for use in the snow. As I have also driven a Yaris in the snow, I can confirm that (like snow tyres) they are 100% more usable than a BMW/Golf/Porsche running big power and standard tyres because they really are so hopelessly gutless. This is his opinion and I can't fault his logic.

Where he has a problem (and why I think this thread has gone on so long) is in the way he approached this entire subject. I suspect his original post was tinged with 'ebullient ribbing' rather than 'sarcastic scathing' but that is how it has been taken and subsequent responses from all sides have got sequentially tart.

That's my quick 5 minute summary of this thread. No real point to it, just words written and carelessly discarded into the Internet void. Enjoy.

Regards
Matt

[doughboy]

Originally Posted by RagingKileak

2) I change my cars too often for it to represent the same Value for Money as it does with most people

That's a very valid point, and one that will be a problem for many people.

Until we get to the same position as Northern Europe where winter / summer tyre sales are 50/50 and all cars already have 2 sets, it will be an issue when buying a used car of a different type in the UK.

But its an accepted cost of motoring elsewhere, just like tax or insurance, fat chance of that here though.

[Dizzle]

Winter tyres, winter tyres, winter tyres.

that is all.