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Tyres, tyres, everywhere

I had an old Renault 19 diesel (non-turbo), the heavy engine combined with skinny 175 tyres made it unstoppable. Now I’ve got a Fiat Panda on 155/80R13 winter tyres, it’s a joy in the snow too - shame it’s not the 4WD version though 😔
 
I had an old Renault 19 diesel (non-turbo), the heavy engine combined with skinny 175 tyres made it unstoppable. Now I’ve got a Fiat Panda on 155/80R13 winter tyres, it’s a joy in the snow too - shame it’s not the 4WD version though 😔
Back in the 70s a 175 profile was a fat tyre. I remember a mate had a Vauxhall Vive HB with 145 tyres on that was brilliant in the snow and my Mk2 Cortina with 165s on was terrible. I seem to think most tyres were like winter tyres in those days with their knobbly treads.
 
I come from a background in off road driving and have owned Defenders most of my driving life.

Always ran 265/75 tyres and never had many issues. We had bad snow one year and got stuck on a drift, drop from 30 to 15psi soon had me going again. At that pressure on those tyres you float on the snow rather than dig in.

Friends with me had 235/85 and didn't need to drop pressures as the tyres dug in and cut through the snow. Their vehicles had to work a lot harder though, constantly cutting through rather than me floating on top.

Now mud was a different story, thinner tyres cut through and find the hard ground underneath. My wider tyres left a lot less damage though on sensitive areas, as again they'd float over the top.

Now we don't all have the luxury to safely run around at 15psi on roads in cars, so I'd agree for snow the thinner the better to get down and bite the hard stuff when you need it!
 
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Ahh memories - contours up thoughts of my old 1971 series 2a Landy with later 5 bearing engine and duff gearbox playing in a Highland glen with a bunch of hitchhikers 🤪. Surprisingly, I was totally unable to loose traction or bog it down that day though as you can see we tried so very hard that day 🤦‍♂️
 
View attachment 5749Ahh memories - contours up thoughts of my old 1971 series 2a Landy with later 5 bearing engine and duff gearbox playing in a Highland glen with a bunch of hitchhikers 🤪. Surprisingly, I was totally unable to loose traction or bog it down that day though as you can see we tried so very hard that day 🤦‍♂️
Brilliant 😃

I have many happy memories and been to places I would never have been had it not been for the Defender!

Part of my reason for the MG5 now is to offset the emissions though! 🤣
 
I have many happy memories and been to places I would never have been had it not been for the Defender!

Part of my reason for the MG5 now is to offset the emissions though! 🤣
Yes indeed, I enjoyed my “diesel period” but I’m now trying to atone for past sins by using the MG at every opportunity 🤩
 
Original Michelin Cross Climates were excellent all year round on my last two diesel Citroens in all conditions. But we had no trouble last winter with our ZS on it’s standard tyres. I’ll wait and see how the new 5LR handles ice etc before changing anything. So far it’s very good other than breaking traction if the right shoe suddenly feels heavy during launch 🥴
Yeah, fitted a set of Cross Climates on my previous (Citroen Cactus), they were great. Then, when they wore out, I read the reviews and fitted the Goodyear all-season tyres (Vector? Can't remember). Worse dry grip, and noisier. I think the Cross Climates are great, I'd go with them again, but we'll see what the OEM tyres are like...
 
Even though i'm now driving a Kia E Niro, my story is still relevant!

Yesterday on nice little drive around the Derbyshire contriside, I was forced into the very edge of a mucky old B road by a fast travelling HGV...no probs.....but 30 seconds later there was a 'tap tap tapping' from the front tyre....30 seconds after that Tyre light came on! Only my 3rd puncture in 50 years!

Luckily I had bought a spare wheel for the Kia ...and 20 mins later I had fitted it and we were off again.
The day prior to all this, I had been looking at All-Weather tyres. The long 'tech screw' sticking out of my tyre made it irreparable (I had 2 opinions on this) So rather than pay £175 at ATS for one new one...they werent very helpful! I went elsewhere to a local indipendant and bought 4 Firestone Cross Climates for £110 each. ......Very glad I had invested in a spare wheel though...!!!
 
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Do be aware that the tyre reviews need to be clear if the tyres are suitable for use on EV's; there are special tyres for these vehicles to take account of the large amount of torque they can be subjected to and the increased weight due to batteries. You can use any tyre but the EV ones are optimised to account for the issues raised. On my old PHEV I used the Goodyear all-season range.
 
Do be aware that the tyre reviews need to be clear if the tyres are suitable for use on EV's; there are special tyres for these vehicles to take account of the large amount of torque they can be subjected to and the increased weight due to batteries. You can use any tyre but the EV ones are optimised to account for the issues raised. On my old PHEV I used the Goodyear all-season range.
That may be true of a dual motor big battery car, but the MG5 develops power and torque comparable to a modern diesel, maybe less. And weighs about the same.

Also, Michelin CrossClimate 2 are now OEM fitment on Volvo XC40 EV.

 
As long as the tyres are XL rated I'm sure they will be fine. One thing is certain about 'specially made EV tyres' is that they are designed for low rolling resistance to keep the designed mileage range high. This equates to poor grip. The independant reviews certainly show this. I have just changed the tyres on my wife's Renault Zoe from the original Michelin Energy saver EV to Avon AS7s and the difference was breath taking from driving out of the garage. Instant grip on the cold wet road and the breaking power now is massive.
 
This may look like my favourite YouTube channel - but they have done a comparison of EV specific tyres vs normal, but on a big Audi E-Tron. There are definite differences for sure.

 
I don't see that as being representative of mainstream vehicles.
 
What tires come on the MG HS PHEV? The demo vehicle has Michelin primacy 3's and that has me worried.
 
My current car (a Stelvio) has Michelin Cross Climate SUV tyres and they are excellent. Great grip in all conditions and have worn very well. They are pretty decent for road noise as well. I have had the same tyres for 13,0000 miles and they still have plenty of tread.
 
My current car (a Stelvio) has Michelin Cross Climate SUV tyres and they are excellent. Great grip in all conditions and have worn very well. They are pretty decent for road noise as well. I have had the same tyres for 13,0000 miles and they still have plenty of tread.
13,0000 is very very impressive indeed. 🤔
 
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