UK-POLOS.NET - THE VW Polo Forum

Hello all. I created a topic in the chassis section but thought I'd post a link to it here given the awful weather of late and that winter is almost upon us now. I have just had mine fitted again and how reassuring they have been

viewtopic.php?f=18&t=71778

Smart move if they are in an area that suffers from winter weather and poor road salting.

Some people hate/despise people that chose to buy and use winter tyres, but each to their own, my winter tyres save me a lot of trouble getting out of our small estate - plus the more obvious security when driving in colder weather with rain, sleet, snow and ice.

I’ve always naught winter tyres for all my cars. Its just a sensible thing to do. No matter how well the roads are maintained it’s nice to know your car has the best possible grip, and there is a huge difference in braking distance on wet roads between winter and summer, even without any snow.

Sure it’s an extra expense, but for the increased safety it’s really nothing!

I bought the cheapest 16” rims for my GTI, with the test winners Conti TS860s. I always go for the premium tyre as that’s where it really matters. Screw the looks!

Just to add, I'm a sucker for Michelin Alpins and Pilot Alpins, so far, I've never ever run any Alpin tyres out of useful tread depth before changing cars, which has always surprised me, also remember the summer wheels and tyres last longer when they spend the winter stored in the garage.

As always location location location - and having the space to store the "other" set of wheels, or pay to store them in a wheel hotel.

I’m planning on winter tyres and have acquired a set of VW 16” rims.

Can you get away without sensor valves?

If not, which valves come recommended?

I guess a VW packet will be dearer than ECP or any other supplier.

Boxerboy wrote: ↑Mon Dec 09, 2019 6:27 pm I’m planning on winter tyres and have acquired a set of VW 16” rims.

Can you get away without sensor valves?

If not, which valves come recommended?

I guess a VW packet will be dearer than ECP or any other supplier.

Sensor valves? If you're talking about detection of tyre pressure loss, the car uses rolling circumference difference via the ABS sensor to detect deflation.

If you think you need them, best time to buy winter tyres on wheels is the Summer before - the VW/Audi garages put old stock on ebay for decent savings.

Boxerboy wrote: ↑Mon Dec 09, 2019 6:27 pm I’m planning on winter tyres and have acquired a set of VW 16” rims.

Can you get away without sensor valves?

If not, which valves come recommended?

I guess a VW packet will be dearer than ECP or any other supplier.

As above, I'm guessing that you are planning to get these winter tyres for your "yet to arrive" Polo GTI?
If so make sure that you only buy winter tyres rated for performance cars and not just the normal "cooking" versions, for example if buying Michelins via Costco etc, go for Pilot Alpins and not just Alpins, I'm not sure what your correct winter tyre size is or what is available in that size - just trying to make a helpful suggestion.

Winter tyre availability should be better than it was years ago, but better to get them now as when the ice and snow arrives they might not stick be available in your size and type. I made that error once, had been fitting winter tyres to my wife's Polo for years and though that my VW Passat 4Motion could live happily without them, after a few years of not having much trouble in winter, I found myself in a nasty type of winter and frequently unable to drive down my driveway while being in control - so I set about getting a set of winter tyres for my spare set of original alloys - as it was February the tyre racks had emptied of winter tyres and I needed to resort to ebay and buy a set of Alpins that had been already fitted to wheels, that worked out okay, but not my planned version of how to get a set of winter tyres. Mytyres.co.uk frequently get me the tyres I want at a price I am willing to pay.

Man in dealer confirmed normal valves are what we need, so got my new Conti TS860s fitted to a set of Las Minas wheels today.

2x LH plus 2x RH. You do have to remind some of the tyre monkeys. I did once receive 4x RH tyres.

Can't believe how quickly wheels arrived all the way from Germany.

In fact, the MyTyres tyres arrived quickly from a far away place also, Glad to see they are week 41 2019. Newest I've ever had.

I just bought wheels+tyres as a package from Mytyres, once a simple steel set for my wife's car and again on behalf of my daughter, a set of alloys with tyres this year.

You are lucky timing wise as that is why you got 2019 manufactured tyres, I did not want to risk an early winter, so when I ordered my daughter's wheels+tyres they were 2018 manufacture!

Mytyres are smart, they have so far, always supplied 2RH and 2LH wheels+tyres.

Having a local dummy end up with 4RH or 4LH must have been annoying!

Not having a GTI/GTI+,are these wheels original VW wheels, if that is a smart move as it does away with needing to get hold of the correct length taper seat bolts and maybe even hub reduction spigot rings.

Edit:- probably ignore the question about which wheels, I've just re-read this thread from the beginning!

Good move! It is important to be safe nowadays. The weather is so unpredictable!

Boxerboy wrote: ↑Mon Dec 09, 2019 6:27 pm I’m planning on winter tyres and have acquired a set of VW 16” rims.

Can you get away without sensor valves?

If not, which valves come recommended?

I guess a VW packet will be dearer than ECP or any other supplier.

Swapped over today.

Ha!
Now to find a way to keep/get them cleaned - I prefer fewer wheel spokes for winter wheels, but I seemed to have failed when I bought winter wheels for my wife's 2015 6C Polo! So it is now, clean as much as I can reach, then move the car forward half a wheel rotation and clean the areas previously partially blocked by the callipers.