All Season Tyres for Crosstar

[Jocko]

I too have used summer tyres for my entire 55 years motoring life and have never had the least trouble, even in sub zero conditions. I put all weather tyres on a few weeks ago and cannot say I have noticed any great difference apart from poor mpg.

[Hobo]

I too have used summer tyres for my entire 55 years motoring life and have never had the least trouble, even in sub zero conditions.

Same here, many years ago I lived in the Lake District and use to help out in mountain rescue, I have driven in all sorts of winter conditions only occasionally needing chains and never had a problem or the need to change my tyres.

[culzean]

I too have used summer tyres for my entire 55 years motoring life and have never had the least trouble, even in sub zero conditions.

Same here, many years ago I lived in the Lake District and use to help out in mountain rescue, I have driven in all sorts of winter conditions only occasionally needing chains and never had a problem or the need to change my tyres.

Having driven wifes MK2 Jazz on heavy snow in Shropshire hills during 'The Beast from the East' the Nokian Winter tyres ( full fat winter tyres not all season ) were a revelation.  The only other vehicles we saw were Defenders and Tractors,  we did pass a few 4x4 with clueless drivers and summer tyres sitting their with the wheels spinning, never had a worry about getting stuck , even on steeper bits.  Braking is much more secure with winters, with summers you may with luck get up the hills but getting down a slope safely is another matter.   Steering / lateral stability is another important difference,  the difference between steering safely or ending up in the hedge or ditch.

[ndavey1]

Great comparison videos. I might need to look into all season tyres a bit more if bad weather expected. I stand corrected! (said the man in the orthopaedic shoes!)

[culzean]

Great comparison videos. I might need to look into all season tyres a bit more if bad weather expected. I stand corrected! (said the man in the orthopaedic shoes!)

I used to believe I could get anywhere on summer tyres, including putting a bag of sand or slab into the boot of a rear wheel drive car,  but winter tyres are much easier....  the good news is that having steel rims with winters on protects your alloys from kerbing and winter corrosion,  as well as saving wear on your summer tyres.  mytyres have some decent wheel / rim offers.   Winter tyres are much better on mud as well, they have the Mud and Snow logo on them.   https://www.oponeo.co.uk/blog/winter-tyres-don-t-rely-on-the-m-s-mark
As the article says some mud tyres are not too good in snow but snow tyres will be better than normal tyres in mud.  Our Nokians have the snowflake logo as well as M+S.

The Jazz is already pretty good on snow, with front wheel drive, fairly narrow tyres, fairly low power lower down revs, and the fuel tank near the front of car to add weight to driving wheels.  With winter tyres believe me it is pretty unstoppable ( ground clearance permitting ).   The thing that convinced me was the twisty steep road off our estate and early starts ( about 4-15 am some days ) - it was a nightmare with normal tyres.. with winters I could have an extra cup of tea and if any cars were stuck I just drove around them.

[Expatman]

Thanks everyone I think you proved the point I was making about the importance of tyres.
The lack of choice of tyres for the Crosstar must inevitably be a real consideration in the choice of vehicle. It's everyone's personal choice of course but for me it does make the decision more difficult.
Just a thought, what about changing tyre size from 185/60 R16 to 195/55 R16. Rim size is okay and circumference is only just over 1% difference. Much bigger choice of tyres in 195/55 R16 size.

[Jocko]

I just changed to all-weather tyres all round and my mpg has dived since doing so. Today I had a long trip, for me, of 118 miles (mainly motorway with the rest country roads). The temperature was hovering around zero degrees, the coldest since fitting them, and my instantaneous mpg, as shown on my ScanGauge E, was terrible. I know cold weather depresses mpg but today was much worse. I have used the ScanGauge for a few years now so know what it is showing me

[John Ratsey]

The Jazz is already pretty good on snow, with front wheel drive, fairly narrow tyres, fairly low power lower down revs, and the fuel tank near the front of car to add weight to driving wheels. 

The Mk. 4 Jazz, however, has a load of low revs torque so it probably needs a very light touch on the accelerator.

Just a thought, what about changing tyre size from 185/60 R16 to 195/55 R16. Rim size is okay and circumference is only just over 1% difference. Much bigger choice of tyres in 195/55 R16 size.

That's the possibility I mentioned near the start of this thread. The 195 tyres are slightly wider so there are possible clearance issues when at full lock. However, given that the Honda driver's handbook discusses using chains, I suspect there is sufficient clearance. It might be necessary to notify the insurance company as the tyres aren't the manufacturer's recommended size.

[Expatman]

I just changed to all-weather tyres all round and my mpg has dived since doing so. Today I had a long trip, for me, of 118 miles (mainly motorway with the rest country roads). The temperature was hovering around zero degrees, the coldest since fitting them, and my instantaneous mpg, as shown on my ScanGauge E, was terrible. I know cold weather depresses mpg but today was much worse. I have used the ScanGauge for a few years now so know what it is showing me

Which All Season Tyres? I run Goodyear Vector 4Seasons and have found no difference with the summer tyres I had on previously. MPG exactly the same, however, you need to check the efficiency rating and reviews as some all season tyres are less efficient than others.

[embee]

I used to work in Austria occasionally, and it was effectively mandatory to use winter tyres between certain dates (it is mandatory in other countries). I'm not sure what the rules are now in Austria, but then you weren't committing an offence not having them fitted (unlike Germany), but in case of an accident it was automatically considered your fault if you didn't.
I had a set of Goodyear UG full winter tyres (at the recommendation of local folk) on my Yaris, and they were superb in cold/wet/snow conditions. They were much better on ice than summer tyres, but nothing is magic on ice short of studs (illegal in many cases). I found very little difference in fuel economy against the summer tyres. The main thing to remember is that once weather warms up (7C is the rule-of-thumb guide) the winter tyres are often considerably worse for grip than summer tyres, so it's essential to switch back.
All season tyres are a more recent development and probably an excellent solution for most folk. Like many things, the devil is in the detail, and not all round black things are equal (see "Pontefract cake"    ). The group test reviews are always a good guide. Goodyear do seem to know how to make good cold weather tyres.

[Jocko]

Which All Season Tyres? I run Goodyear Vector 4Seasons and have found no difference with the summer tyres I had on previously.

Yes, those are Rating C, the same as the summer tyres I replaced. I fitted Yokohama Bluearth 4S which are Rating E.

[Expatman]

Which All Season Tyres? I run Goodyear Vector 4Seasons and have found no difference with the summer tyres I had on previously.

Yes, those are Rating C, the same as the summer tyres I replaced. I fitted Yokohama Bluearth 4S which are Rating E.

Sadly you have the answer in that the Yokohama are much less efficient than Goodyear, Michelin or Continental. What size did you fit and was it the Honda recommended size for your Jazz? This actually highlights the problem I have been going on about  - the choice of tyres is very limited and excludes most of the premium best performing tyres in terms of grip in different conditions and economy.
Hopefully the premium makers will expand their range to include the Jazz size but I fear the volume is likely to be so small that it won’t be economically viable for them to do so. In which case you are stuck with what is available - and that’s not the best!

[culzean]

Which All Season Tyres? I run Goodyear Vector 4Seasons and have found no difference with the summer tyres I had on previously.

Yes, those are Rating C, the same as the summer tyres I replaced. I fitted Yokohama Bluearth 4S which are Rating E.

Sadly you have the answer in that the Yokohama are much less efficient than Goodyear, Michelin or Continental. What size did you fit and was it the Honda recommended size for your Jazz? This actually highlights the problem I have been going on about  - the choice of tyres is very limited and excludes most of the premium best performing tyres in terms of grip in different conditions and economy.
Hopefully the premium makers will expand their range to include the Jazz size but I fear the volume is likely to be so small that it won’t be economically viable for them to do so. In which case you are stuck with what is available - and that’s not the best!

One reason I ditched the 16" wheels on wifes Jazz and fitted 15",  was much better choice of tyres and another plus is an improved ride ( and quieter ).  Another plus is that tyres are 40 to 50% cheaper.

[Jocko]

Sadly you have the answer in that the Yokohama are much less efficient than Goodyear, Michelin or Continental. What size did you fit and was it the Honda recommended size for your Jazz?

I always fit the recommended tyre size, but I could have fitted any of the tyres you mentioned. However, the dealer had the Yokohamas on special offer. I was replacing Yokohama Bluearth's that I had nothing but praise for, so I fitted the Bluearths without a moment's hesitation.

[Expatman]

But if you replaced on a like for like basis I don't understand why the economy suffered?
Did anything else change at the same time?