xaviour

Having searched the web for information on winter tyres and especially on the Nankang SV-2 I've found there was little to go on. Some good reviews, some bad reviews and some non committal, so I've decided to post a live user thread on the ones I've just had fitted in case it helps others decide.

Its that time of year when the roads are miserable and with a daily commute of around 100 miles on mostly winding hilly A roads I decided to jump onboard with the winter tyres. I enjoy all the YouTube posts of our scooby friends abroad in proper snow country drifting and generally having fun and decided that should this be a decent winter I want a bit of that action and generally want to be out and about in it.

If I had the money I'd be buying the expensive branded tyres, but I don't so as a starter kit I was advised to try the Nankang SV-2's. If they work out well I'll consider buying more expensive ones but in this country its hard to say what's going to happen and I don't want to be spending hundreds of pounds on tyres that I use for a couple of weeks... I currently run Goodyear eagle F1's for summer but they are at their lower limit of what plod considers legal so I need a few months to save for a new set!!!

My friendly Tyre fitter mate ordered me a full set of the nankangs and although I got a mate rate deal he reckons around £350 fitted is a good deal. I was a bit dubious about such 'cheap' tyres but they are a cheaper brand and there not summer performance tyres anyway. Something I have to keep reminding myself off!

Anyway, on with the first review. Had them fitted last night and drove out for the first time today. Temperatures were between 4-7 degrees Celsius and road conditions between dry, damp and standing water. Road speeds between 30-60ish...

I was a bit wary first thing as they hadn't been broken in and still had shiny coating all over them. But on the return journey I had more confidence and drove accordingly. Well the speed rating is V which I'm told is around 170mph so I won't be hitting that without some serious mods but it coped very well with average commuter speed and on what may well of been a private road 80mph was easily archived and I won't be doing much more than that in this season. At slower speeds the ride seemed slightly improved with bumps and potholes less noticeable but they are new and have massive tread depth. On a medium bend at decent speed they felt softer but the temperature was around the highest designed for winter tyres and again I had to remind myself they ain't performance tyres.

On dry roads they were very nice and grippy and through the standing water they had no problems. I took advantage of a few short space overtakes and they handled very well. All and all I'm fairly impressed for the first day review.

xaviour

Day two of the review and today's been a little more interesting. Temperatures have been between -1 and 4 degrees Celsius. Road conditions have been between dry and standing water again with similar road speeds.

First thing the temperature was around 4 degrees and there was very little traffic. Tyres behaved really well in the dry and at one point I had to step hard on the brakes in standing water due to two small deer with a death wish... everything was fine, not even a judder. Happy so far.

Coming home was a bit different. Temperatures were between -1 and 1 degree with frost on the car and ice on the roads. At this point I'm impressed with the tyres and driving enthusiastically. First ice I hit was across the full road flowing from fields as the water table is still so high. Reasonable uphill gradient and in third gear with the Turbo engaged. OK, I now realise they ain't magic tyres and its very easy to get full 4 wheel slip but with a straight road and not the thickest of ice it was all over after about 20 foot. It was an experience that showed me the tyres will slip and to be a bit more carefully but that in a straight line without any other traffic it still handled very well and was confident with it. On that note, some knobber had been right on my bumper on the dry roads but after hitting the single track road that had water run off he disappeared in the rear view rather quickly..... Although this is generally true in summer tyres just not quite so quickly.....

Second 'incident' was a front wheel slide going into a tight corner for maybe 2 foot. I saw the ice late on and braked which started the slide but after releasing the brakes the tyres gripped again and carried on no problems. Note to self, if its minus degrees and it looks like water it probably isn't!!!

From then on they were good through the large puddles of water that was around freezing point but hadn't frozen over yet.

Last twitch of note was going into a very tight s bend to quickly on icy road. Car moved about slightly but nothing to make the balloon knot clench.

So far then I have realised that I really need to respect the road conditions a bit more and don't just rely on the tyres to keep me out the hedge and that there is still lots and lots of flood water hanging around waiting to cause mischief when the temperature goes down. Plenty more testing to go looking at the forecast..... still happy with my purchase so far.

dsemuk

Interesting, generally people using winter tyres comment about how well they (winter tyres) cope with snow, but not the more common British winter road conditions of below freezing road surfaces, ice, mud & rain etc etc.

Sounds like you push on a bit, don't push it too far. As you say winter tyres are not magic.

I am getting mine fitted Saturday all being well.

wilbo

iTrader: (1)

I have Nankang SV-2's on my winter wheels, used them all through the winter last year and worked very well, especially on the white stuff. As mentioned though, you still need to respect the conditions and do everything with caution. Mine will be going on the car this Friday.

xaviour

Well they are going to be fitted for the winter months not just for the snowy week so I thought I'd try and give as much info as possible. Not gonna bore people with every drive, just when I encounter something new and interesting lol. I only really got mine cos of mate rate discount but if they are good then I'll be looking for better ones/extra wheels etc

Yeah gonna rain it in a bit I think. I saw or heard somewhere the Finland rally team use a gear above normal in the winter conditions to prevent to much power being put out at the wheels... sounds like an interesting theory. Out of interest what winter tyres you putting on dsemuk? And how long you used them?

TonyBurns

iTrader: (3)

TBH the big test is on snow, how quick your car can stop and how straight it stops in, this will be the telling between a budget and premium winter tyre (V rating is up to 150mph btw )
My Pirelli's (Sottozero W240 V rated) were superb last year in all conditions, especially at braking

xaviour

Cheers for the input TonyBurns, but I'm not trying to test the difference between budget and premium tyres. I'm sure the premium are loads better but I paid less then £300 for all 4 corners fitted and balanced so those are the ones I'm reviewing for peeps new to the winter Tyre scene like me. If it does snow I will get the train to work and just play round town in the car on my days off, or pretend the train can't make it and play round town on a work day

Thanks for the V rating confirmation but this is still more than my (almost) stock wrx is capable of so that's still reassuring I do like the idea of braking and stopping early as long as the numpty behind me can stop as quick!!!!!!

dsemuk

Got mine fitted today, Michelin Pilot Alpin 4s. I need a few miles to get the release agent off them but, as the weather has now changed Think I got them just in time.

Having seen your thoughts will be interesting to see how I get on.

xaviour

OK, third review.
Been a few days now and it started with temperatures between 3 degrees and -3 degrees. I'm happy to say that at those temperatures with my new found ability to appreciate road conditions they have behaved impecably..... no issues whatsoever and the grip has been great. The road conditions have been getting better with the standing water retreating and the local council basically dropping bags of salt into the standing water....

Later on the temperature has risen to about 7 degrees again and its rained more. On the plus side the temperature has risen and the ice has dissapeared, but on the bad side this means the standing water has built up again. And washed away the salt for the next big freeze...

I've had a few more hundred miles on the tyres and the transit film has all worn away now. This makes them feel loads better on the road. But during dry higher temperatures I can tell there not high performance premium tyres. During colder weather they feel great, and rain has no issues.

At the moment I would say they feel like normal tyres driving when its raining heavily. Your OK, but feel like driving a little more safely and slowly. In the cold and ice they feel pretty solid.

Looking forward to some snow to trial test :-)

Scooby Wagon Addict!

iTrader: (10)

Xaviour.. Thank you for taking the time for posting this.
Its always good to hear someone elses realistic review .
I too am running F1s justnow and I've just ordered a new set of budget winters for my WRX 'cos my wife will be going into hospital for a week in a week or 2 and want to make sure that I can go see her no matter what the weather is.
Like you I cant afford £500-600 for a set of winters and kno that they will be better and safer than the F1s in this icy weather ..altho I tend to drive like Miss Daisy anyway

xaviour

Scooby Wagon Addict, thanks for the support. I like to check the net and forums before buying stuff like this so just contributing my two cents :-) How did you find your F1's? I've managed just about 15k or 9 months on them but due a full replacement after the winters get taken off. I was pleased with them and will defo get another set... Although the previous model had a much nicer tread pattern :\
I was looking at the wagon before picking up the saloon.... Is it something I need to try before I die? Only other vehicle close features the letters and number rs4...... and another 30k price tag!!!!
What winters did you go for? Hope the weather stays good for you to visit your missus, fingers crossed!
I'm pretty happy so far with my nankangs, and although its been raining heavily they don't seen to have an issue. Although they do have at least 8mil more tread depth than my F1's!!!!
If you have the spare cash treat yourself to a course with the Institute Of Advanced Motorists.... will change the way you drive forever....

dsemuk

Just want to back up what is being said, having run summer tyres on my STi for the last two winters, I was determined this year to get a set of winter tyres.

Having used the tyres on properly icy roads in the peak district today I can say that they are worth every penny, the tyres are designed for a job and do it very well, I would imagine that even budget winter tyres in these conditions that summer tyres.

Before using specific winter tyres I would not have thought they would give me so much confidence, as xaviour said they are not magic, but they are a massive step up from summer tyres, braking on icy roads amazed me.

Yet to try them in full on snow, but maybe tomorrow looking at the forecast.

xaviour

Don't show off with your weather forecast dsemuk.... I want at least 4-6 inches of snow to play around in without scrubbing off on the tarmac underneath lol :-)
They do give confidence in driving though don't they!? Think I need an empty car park to practise in/on for turning speeds.....
Let me know how you get on with them during winter esp after 'breaking' them in.

Scooby Wagon Addict!

iTrader: (10)

Xaviour,
I've only had my Scoob 6 months now and fitted a set of F1 Assymetric 2s on it immediately as the RE050s were pretty worn and 'cos I have always fitted F1s on previous Scoobs.. Only done 3k on them but I recon they really are good .. they inspire confidence and I recon notably quieter than the earlier F1s .. tho as you said not as nice a tread pattern .. and I thought it was just me that was that sad to bother about this!
As for trying a wagon , yeh , think you should just once, even just to see how much more flexible it is in jobs that it can handle that a saloon cannot. I have used it for all sorts .. from helping 2 lots of people move house, mountain biking..seats down / bikes in , dog carrying , to taking a fridge to the tip. Kno it doesn't sound exciting but I had a Bugeye STi once and hated having a boot that was so useless!.. plus wagons tend not to attract as much attention and perform just as well .. I think of it as a more mature persons scoob My holy grail is the GB270 Wagon that I think is the mutt's n*ts!
Anyway .. Sorry .. I've digressed on my wagons rule rant!
Tbh I dont kno the make of tyres I'm getting. I have known my tyre supplier for years and trust him .. He knows my car and the speed ratings etc .. if they're good enough for his Merc they're good enough for me . They're going onto a spare set of wheels I have. I just like to cover all bases so if we get a whiteout I'm safer than with the F1s .. the missus wont have an excuse for me not to visit if she's in hospital , and if summer comes early ( yeh right! ) I'll get the trolley jack out and swap 'em back again
Might look into the IAM thing next year .. money and health depending of course.

Cheers,
Steve

cobra_mark

Time to refurb the alloys while I run the Winter rubber, the Nokians will have to keep me safe till then.

chaps1536

I bought the Nankang SV-2 last year, but never got to use them in the snow. However i woke up this morning to about 4" of the white stuff. Even tho these are budget tires they are 100 times better than my summer tires. With a gentle right foot i feel really safe, very little sliding even on sharp bends. They also stop really well both in the snow and in the slush. When the average vauxhall and fords were stuck in the car park i just flew straight past them. My mate has an Audi TT without winter tires and he couldn't move. As soon as he lifted the clutch he would spin. He made it about 2m before he gave up and we had to push the car back into the space.

I found that if you keep to low revs and high gears then the car feels really safe, but with a little more right foot the back end is very twitchy.

All in all in my opinion winter tires are a must have in the cold weather and snow. If its the really expensive ones of the cheap budget ones you will no doubt feel the difference and feel a lot safer.

I'm currently in Germany and despite the snow everything was still moving as normal because all cars have winter tires fitted. Not like the UK where everything comes to a standstill because of a bit of sleet/snow, and poor driving ability in adverse weather.

Chappy

xaviour

Well finally the north has had some snow settle and I can have a go in my 'snow' tires :-)

Been rather mixed last month. Got warmer and drier and icy again and tires handled really well. Today the white stuff fell and settled and I went out for a play around. I'm even more impressed with them now than before.

Keep a sensible head and foot and the car just rolls around corners and along the road as if there's nothing to worry about. I saw many smaller cars wheel spinning and struggling even though its only an inch or so thick.... what's that all about!? Doesn't faze my tires at all... 'smug smile'

Second or first gear gentle boot creates a loss of traction that's very controlable and when the grip catches again its not violent of excessive, its just letting you know its ready to keep going. Considering what I saw in other vehicles my winter tires are a great improvement and I'm almost struggling to see what the problem is with driving in the snow....

If you haven't already fitted winter tires then get some now!!!! I'm converted and was lucky enough to buy before the snow and higher prices hit the garages.