Winter is almost here

[madasafish]

Why do you need permission from Honda to fit different tyres?

You don't.

But unless approved by Honda, your insurer may decide you have changed the car materially and void your insurance. If you have an accident , they will check your tyres.

For Honda to approve a different tyre size, it must be tested. £00000s To sell a different tyre! No chance.

[richardfrost]

If I were to invest in a set of winter tyres for my new Crosstar, is there any downside to just buying the tyres and getting my local tyre fitter to swap the tyres over twice a year or am I far better getting a full set of alloys too and simply swapping the wheels over myself?  Anyone know what a set of Crosstar alloys costs?

Not sure about the cost of rims but when I did this on my 2012 Jazz, it cost me £5 per wheel to get a local independent tyre fitter to swap them over. They offered tyre storage too but I declined that having a good place to keep them. The only concern I had was over the potential tyre damage from frequent being fitted and removed. That is why for my current main car I went for all season tyres, which are a reasonable compromise given the climate in Pennine Yorkshire.

[embee]

If I were to invest in a set of winter tyres for my new Crosstar, .... am I far better getting a full set of alloys too and simply swapping the wheels over myself? ...

Most folk on the continent get a set of steel wheels for the winter tyres. There are suppliers who sell steels/winters for this very reason, available from online places. Commercial storage of winter wheels is routine in places like Austria/Germany.
Over here I kept mine in the roof space of a detached garage, as long as it's basically dark and not subject to extreme temperatures.
With the advances in all-season tyres I'd go for that solution today, if they're winter marked (mountain+snowflake) then you're legal in countries which require them.
One thing to double check is whether the wheel nuts are suitable for both the alloys and the steels, sometimes they use different cone/radiused faces.

[Jayt43]

If I were to invest in a set of winter tyres for my new Crosstar, .... am I far better getting a full set of alloys too and simply swapping the wheels over myself? ...

Most folk on the continent get a set of steel wheels for the winter tyres. There are suppliers who sell steels/winters for this very reason, available from online places. Commercial storage of winter wheels is routine in places like Austria/Germany.

Yes, exactly. Steel wheels are preferable to installing on just one set of alloys and storage for the year is also cheap. Winter tyres for my wife's Hyundai IX34 go on tomorrow and will stay on until April. Crosstar is shod already with Nexen Winguard tyres.

The link here (in Hungarian) shows the available official Honda steel wheels: https://www.honda-parts.eu/hu/teli-kerek/15-42700-tar-g01?c=1

At current exchange rates, prices are about 550 GBP for the 4 steel wheels and tyres (although these are Honda prices, so cheaper easily available if shopping around).

[Expatman]

Why do you need permission from Honda to fit different tyres?

You don’t, its just that if you have a warranty claim they could refuse the claim on the basis you had fitted unauthorised tyres.

[Lord Voltermore]

With the advances in all-season tyres I'd go for that solution today, if they're winter marked (mountain+snowflake) then you're legal in countries which require them.

To be legal as winter tyres in countries that require them they must have a minimum of 4mm tread remaining. Any less  they are only legal as summer tyres (if over 1.6 mm.) Thats why all season tyres  have two sets of wear bars, 4mm and 1.6mm

Germany no longer define winter by calendar  months.  If road conditions are wintry in say July  (as it can be in the mountains)  you need tyres suitable for the conditions -ie winter rated tyres.    Hence the popularity and improvement in All season tyres.

Legally you can still use all seasons with less than 4mm in winter in the uk  . Their improved flexibility  in cold weather would still make them better than summer tyres on dry roads . But they will have lost much of their traction advantage in snow  (still better than summer tyres though).    But tyre experts recommend replacing tyres  at 3mm tread anyway.     

I have in the past had tyres swopped between summer and winter tyres on the same wheels twice a year.   The costs add up over a period   and sometimes they found small nails had punctured one or more tyre. This would normally have gone un noticed as there was no air loss. But once you know  it needs a puncture repair.
 Also it may not be cost effective to have a tyre swopped.   A summer tyre with 3mm remaining still looks quite a decent amount of tread. But in fact there is only 1mm before it needs replacing. Its already 83% worn out,

Another  factor with swopping tyres, or running two sets of wheels is  tyre wear is shared. If your mileage is low the tyres may suffer from old age  (cracks etc) long before its tread has worn out.   With winter tyres  retailers sometimes guarantee this years stock, but may charge extra.  Otherwise they may already be a couple of years old.

[sportse]

When I used to have Michelin Crossclimates they said you could run them right down to 1.6mm and still have reasonable winter/snow grip - apparently the tread pattern opens out as the tyres wear down to maintain reasonable grip even when worn.

[richardfrost]

Why do you need permission from Honda to fit different tyres?

You don’t, its just that if you have a warranty claim they could refuse the claim on the basis you had fitted unauthorised tyres.

Sorry, but I really believe that is an example of overthinking. Honda would never get away with that.

[Lord Voltermore]

When I used to have Michelin Crossclimates they said you could run them right down to 1.6mm and still have reasonable winter/snow grip - apparently the tread pattern opens out as the tyres wear down to maintain reasonable grip even when worn.

Apologies. Just checked.  4mm is minimum in andorra, austria croatia  czech republic, Serbia, 5mm  in Macedonia. 
Some countries allow 2 or 3mm or dont specify.       

the following site is interesting. https://www.tyrereviews.com/Article/New-VS-4mm-VS-2mm-All-Season-Tyre-Performance.htm
I havnt yet fully looked at the figures , but it does say Michelin are pressing for lower tread depth to be allowed.   Presumably they perform better than most at this depth. 

My main objection to the site so far is it says changing at 4mm means you lose 'half of your tread'. Which is nonsense.  One third maybe.   

I will stick to 4mm as I drive in countries where its required.

[culzean]

When I used to have Michelin Crossclimates they said you could run them right down to 1.6mm and still have reasonable winter/snow grip - apparently the tread pattern opens out as the tyres wear down to maintain reasonable grip even when worn.

Apologies. Just checked.  4mm is minimum in andorra, austria croatia  czech republic, Serbia, 5mm  in Macedonia. 
Some countries allow 2 or 3mm or dont specify.       

the following site is interesting. https://www.tyrereviews.com/Article/New-VS-4mm-VS-2mm-All-Season-Tyre-Performance.htm
I havnt yet fully looked at the figures , but it does say Michelin are pressing for lower tread depth to be allowed.   Presumably they perform better than most at this depth. 

My main objection to the site so far is it says changing at 4mm means you lose 'half of your tread'. Which is nonsense.  One third maybe.   

I will stick to 4mm as I drive in countries where its required.

On winter tyres there are two sets of wear bars,  the ones with a snowflake on them are at 4mm,  the normal ones are at 1.6mm IIRC.  I think the snowflake ones may be limit for slush,  which is harder for tread to clear from road than water.

This site lists different size rims and tyres for car models...  https://www.wheel-size.com/size/honda/jazz/2020/

[Expatman]

Why do you need permission from Honda to fit different tyres?

You don’t, its just that if you have a warranty claim they could refuse the claim on the basis you had fitted unauthorised tyres.

Sorry, but I really believe that is an example of overthinking. Honda would never get away with that.

Wouldn’t they? How would you fight them if they refused a claim, they would claim you had voided the warranty by fitting unauthorised size of tyres and hence any claim relating to the drive train would be rejected. That’s the risk, matter of personal judgement if you are willing to accept that risk.

[Jazzik]

Why do you need permission from Honda to fit different tyres?

You don’t, its just that if you have a warranty claim they could refuse the claim on the basis you had fitted unauthorised tyres.

Sorry, but I really believe that is an example of overthinking. Honda would never get away with that.

Wouldn’t they? How would you fight them if they refused a claim, they would claim you had voided the warranty by fitting unauthorised size of tyres and hence any claim relating to the drive train would be rejected. That’s the risk, matter of personal judgement if you are willing to accept that risk.

If you want your SR or EX on winter tires/wheels, you can always opt for the standard size of the SE: 185/60 R 15.
Buy the 15" Genuine Honda Accessory Wheels JA 1505 0f JA 1502 (nice, but expensive) https://www.honda.co.uk/cars/new/jazz-hybrid/accessories.html or buy a set of 15" steel rims (not as nice, but cheaper).
The choice of winter tires is suddenly large! https://www.thetirelab.com/185-60-R15/winter/
No one, not Honda, not one insurer can deny any claim as it is one of the original wheel/tire sizes for the Jazz!
An additional advantage: slightly more comfort...

[culzean]

Strange puncture - a thorn in the tyre  right on the corner where tread meets sidewall, so cannot be repaired.  To be honest I don't know how long the thorn has been there because I had a TPMS warning couple of days ago and when I investigated there was a screw head winking at me from the main tread ( about 50mm from edge of tyre ) when the garage bloke was preparing tyre for a repair he came over with tyre and he said he had found the thorn...  Absolutely no sign of the thorn from outside, even when I knew exactly where it was... (see attached PDF ).  The revenge of the hedge trimming tractor...  Looks like Hawthorn, they have some proper thorns on them.  Reason it is in this thread is it is a winter tyre...

[attachment deleted by admin]

[aphybrid]

Why do you need permission from Honda to fit different tyres?

You don’t, its just that if you have a warranty claim they could refuse the claim on the basis you had fitted unauthorised tyres.

See AA guidance for this subject (https://www.theaa.com/driving-advice/safety/winter-tyres-in-the-uk) but bear in mind this bit - added emphasis on some bits by me

"Insurance questions
There should be no need to tell your insurer if you fit winter tyres to your original wheels, even though the speed index might be lower.

The tyre speed index is still likely to exceed national speed and isn't checked as part of the car MOT test.

If you use a second set of wheels for your winter tyres you shouldn't need to tell your insurer as long as the wheels are of the correct specification:

Wheel diameter, width and offset must all meet the vehicle manufacturer's spec.
Check your handbook for wheel and tyre sizes suitable for your car.
We've heard stories of insurers raising premiums or remarkably even refusing cover if winter tyres are fitted but this shouldn't be the case any more.

The Association of British Insurers (ABI) published a commitment setting out the position of some named insurers on premiums and winter tyres.

Check the ABI's list as some insurers require you to tell them you've fitted winter tyres even though your premium or cover won't change.

[aphybrid]

I find it 'helpful' on tight frosty country roads/lanes to switch off RDMS.