Replacement car tyres and tyres labels

[Kenzie]

Hi all, I need to replace the tyres on my Audi as we will be visiting Germany in December (need all season tyres as a minimum) and I have been looking at various options. The tyres are very similar in price but I'm not sure if I should go with something with a C rating for fuel and A for wet grip or another with B for fuel and B for wet grip. The C/A combo is the same as the Toyota Proxes Sport 2 I have on the fronts. Any thoughts? Have been looking at Michelin, Goodyear, Hankook and Bridgestone.

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[redtrummy]

well I always like a good rated wet grip but I would be happy with a B - same with the fuel rating. On the last car I had a pair of Kumo? budget tyres on the front and they performed well but they possibly suffered on the wear front? The car was scrapped before they wore out.
Anyone remember the Mich ZXs lasted a lifetime until it rained and you ran off the road.


Did you manage to get to the aeroplane remains on top of Bleaklow?

[Kenzie]

I actually got my areas wrong, we won't be up that way until June. But hopefully that'll mean better stomping weather.

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[Sir Trev]

The real world difference between A and C ratings will not be noticeable to most people, so I wouldn't sweat it.

I deliberately choose Michelin Cross Climate all season whenever I need tyres on the car. Summer use seems no different to the OEM fit tyres they replace but they (seem to) feel better in the cold. I have more confidence in them in winter but it might be psychological of course because of their Three Peak Rating. The magazine comparisons I read suggest they're summer tyres that are tweaked to be a lot better in winter while keeping pretty much all of their summer characteristics, and unless you're a driving ace you'd never notice anyway. They'll never be as good as full winter tyres on snow/ice but I'm happy with the mix and just work from home when it's really cold.

[Ruffy]

I've fitted Good Year Vector 4 Seasons on a number of cars over the years, including my current one. (Think I'm on Gen 2 at the minute but Gen 3 is the current version.) They always seem to rate highly in tests/reviews but I've never had a different 4 season or winter tyre to compare them too. But IMHO, they feel better than the Toyo Proxes I replaced when it comes to slimy cold wet winter roads in England, and definitely if there's snow on the roads. (I only replaced the Toyos 'cos they were worn out though, still a very good UK 3 season tyre.)

The Vector 4s are allegedly a bit more snow-biased than the Michelin Cross Climate that Sir Trev mentions (which also generally score very highly on tests/reviews) but opinions and test results are not totally conclusive.

Similar to Sir Trev, I also find my 4-season tyres fine for regular all year driving (I guess I'm not that sporty a driver and I have a bike for summer fun!) so perhaps a bit depends on if you're going to wet-winter Germany or snowy-winter Germany. (I have family & friends in northern England and Scotland so the alleged snow capability was appealing to me when I bought my first set (which was before Cross Climates were available) - But it's only a minor 'just in case' consideration: I'm nowhere near a need case for full winter-snow tyres)

I pay very little attention to fuel economy rating - mainly because I drive an old Subaru and fuel efficiency is shocking at the best of times . So I can't really help you on that score. I tend to agree with Sir Trev that the difference is probably quite marginal, and when it comes to tyres I value good grip/handling and road noise above the economy metrics. But there's a huge amount of subjectivity when it comes to tyres.

The review below, and channel, seems decent & sensible.

Just to add even more into the mix, I recall a friend previously highly rating Continentals (that unfortunately couldn't be included in this review) that she ran on her Alfa.

[Kenzie]

I think the Michelin are a little pricey for me, the Bridgestone pretty much match the ratings on my Toyos and the review I saw earlier placed them ahead of the Goodyears. Obviously the Cross climates were top of the list. I'm mainly looking to comply with the O-Bis-O regs for Germany, it used to be M+S rated but obviously it now needs to peak 3PMS rated. I "could" drive with my summer tyres but if I get into a scrape it won't end well with the law/insurance which is why I'm changing them. I didn't think there would be a huge difference in the ratings but I'm leaning more towards the Bridgestone A005 Weather Control Evos.

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[Luckypants]

I had Bridgestone All-Weather on my previous car (Skoda Karoq 2.0TDi 4x4) which I chose due to coming close to the top in wet weather performance in tests and that was my requirement living in Wales. They also performed very well in snow when needed which was my secondary consideration. I'd have preferred Goodyear Vector 4 Seasons based on test results but could not get them in the size needed. I'd be happy with the Bridgestones again after using them. I saw about 1mpg drop from summer tyres, so 45.5 mpg down to about 44.5 mpg average. Our current big car is still on the Hankook summer tyres OE fitment.

Our Skoda Citigo is currently wearing Hankook 4S2 All-seasons which I like very much in the 4000 miles they've done. Great in the wet, but no snow this year to try them out. Very much an arrow-head design, so good on very wet roads and has an un-expected bonus of not making the rear window so dirty by throwing most water / dirt out the sides.

I've been very impressed with Hankook tyres having had them as OE fitment on two cars now as well as the Citigo. I happily consider them alongside other premium brands in terms of quality. When I need tyres for the EV (the big car) I'll likely replace with the new Hankook iON Flex-Climate, provided they do well in tests. Due to having to make puncture replacements to match the current tyres, thats unlikely for a couple of years, so we'll see!

[embee]

Just to throw in another comment, I used to work in Austria on contracts so needed winter tyres (all seasons weren't around back then). The locals recommended Goodyear (UG range) so I fitted a set to some steel wheels out there (and discovered the tyres were made in Birmingham!! ). The winter grip was excellent, brilliant on snow and pretty good even on rough ice.
My current "all year" car (Yaris) now has Goodyear Vector 4 Seasons Gen3 tyres on it. They are quiet, supple, excellent wet grip, dry grip is plenty good enough for me and my driving (modest). Fuel economy is basically the same as the summer tyres they replaced, so not an issue. I'd recommend them for consideration, but I haven't tried others so can't compare.
There are some excellent impartial tyre reviews online for all season tyres.