Poss the daftest tyre question asked on nms

[Sheilz]

I need to be thinking about getting two new front tyres before the cold weather kicks in. Rear tyres still have good tread so question I have - can I mix and match brands. Have always replaced like with like or all four together so not so sure if it would be advisable to have nokians (winter tyres) on the front while keeping rainsports on the rear? Thanks

[The Dogfather]

Mixing brands front and back between front and back is OK as long as they are of the same type, however mixing tyre types Winter/Summer like you are suggesting is a no no.

There will be a marked difference in tyre performance between the axles which could result in a major spin, e.g. if you are on snow then the front wheels will grip and the rear will slide. Its usually a very bad thing if your back wheels are going faster than the front ones unless your wanting it to happen (powerslide)

[Mon the fish]

I ran for a while with Proxes on the front (gash tyres imo) and Parada Spec 2's on the back - absolutely hysterical at every wet roundabout, was like driving an old 911!

[Sheilz]

Ok thanks for that. I was dubious about the two different kinds of tyres (W & S). Now to raid the piggy bank

[Sheilz]

Am struggling to identify the right size of nokians for my wheels. Can have 205/50/17 or 215/45/17 or 215/50/17. Am sure the ones I've on just now are 215/40/17 though I know that's not the size the contis were. Which size is ok for Dougall? Thank you. Sorry to be pain but the whole tyre thing is a bit confusing.

[Craig]

Sheilz, I have 215/45/17 nokians on my 17's and they work great ;)

[The Dogfather]

Yup, I had 215/45s as well.

[Sheilz]

Thanks Craig and Paul. I finally stopped dithering and ordered Nokian WRg2 215/45s though am still puzzled about why that's ok but not 205/50 ?? Had to bite the bullet today since Munro checked my tyres and the fronts are down to 3mm. Doesn't seem that long since I put on the rainsports but prob longer than I'm remembering. Still got good tread on the rears so will tuck them away in the garage till next spring. They're excellent tyres. Had hellish rain up here yesterday with a lot of standing water but despite the low tread stuck like glue. Really couldnt ask for more from a tyre than that - well other than for the tread to be self-renewing!!

[Stewart]

Think you've done the right thing with the winter tyres after all the Miles you do with your work. I just cant justify Winter tyres as I really don’t need to move if it Snows. I'm going to wait till the Rainsports come back in and I’m going with them over the winter as I’ll only be out in heavy rain and lets face it Glasgow is weird with the snow as we tend to just get the rain and only the odd bad winter.

Just to add if the Tyre size is different from the Normal your probably going to be 1 MPH out either way depending on the size from the dial in the car.

http://www.kouki.co.uk/utilities/visual-tyre-size-calculator