Best Winter Tires Choices?

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Jaysher

***
Joined
Jul 26, 2016
Messages
18
Today's question:

Does anybody have suggestions for good winter tires that won't reduce range any more than necessary? Or even good all-season tires that are better than the stock tires that came with the car?
Any experience with the kind of range reduction, if any, I might expect?
Starting to think about winter.


2016 eGolf SEL
 
I realize there's another thread from last year entitled "Snow Tires" (http://www.myvwegolf.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=659&p=5245&hilit=snow+tires#p5245), but it doesn't seem to get around to discussing my question: good snow tire choices, and the kind of range impact one needs to accept.
 
My favorite winter tire maker is Nokian - they are in Finland, so they know how to do winter. And they are low rolling resistance - the Hakka R2 in particular is an ultra-low rolling resistance tire. Really.

For the best performance in snow and ice, the Hakka 8 (with or without studs) is what you want.

I have their WRG3 all-weather tires on our e-Golf at the moment - a true all weather, but not quite as great in the winter. And "only" low rolling resistance - not ultra low.

Michelin X-Ice 2's are also pretty good.
 
How deep the snow is, and how slushy, or hard it is, will affect rolling resistance the most. So computing range on a recharge will be unpredictable.
 
I have a set of Hakka 5, from a 2000 Passat no longer on the road, mounted on steel rims. I tried them on and they clear the calipers and don't contact the fender liners. I'm planning on installing them for the winter about mid November. After that point I should have an idea how they effect the range.
 
JoulesThief said:
How deep the snow is, and how slushy, or hard it is, will affect rolling resistance the most. So computing range on a recharge will be unpredictable.

Most of my driving is local and range isn't a problem; I only charge every four days or so, and then always at home - when I'm driving in snow and and ice, that's where I'll be driving.

However, I live 60 miles from Portland, and I need all of my range to get there comfortably, even though I'll only drive that in dry or rainy conditions, not snow or ice.

So I need winter tires for snow conditions at home, but also maximum range for the snow-free drive to Portland.
 
Jaysher said:
JoulesThief said:
How deep the snow is, and how slushy, or hard it is, will affect rolling resistance the most. So computing range on a recharge will be unpredictable.

Most of my driving is local and range isn't a problem; I only charge every four days or so, and then always at home - when I'm driving in snow and and ice, that's where I'll be driving.

However, I live 60 miles from Portland, and I need all of my range to get there comfortably, even though I'll only drive that in dry or rainy conditions, not snow or ice.

So I need winter tires for snow conditions at home, but also maximum range for the snow-free drive to Portland.

Portland OR, or Portland ME? Best way to extend range is to slow down your speed. 55 to 60 mph, top speed.
 
JoulesThief said:
How deep the snow is, and how slushy, or hard it is, will affect rolling resistance the most. So computing range on a recharge will be unpredictable.

Sure - slippage and wheel spin have a huge effect on range, so in snow, ice and slush, it is still better to have great winter tires. For when you are driving on dry pavement, having low RR tires is helpful, because in winter, aero drag is also higher.
 
Rsolaregolf said:
I have a set of Hakka 5, from a 2000 Passat no longer on the road, mounted on steel rims. I tried them on and they clear the calipers and don't contact the fender liners. I'm planning on installing them for the winter about mid November. After that point I should have an idea how they effect the range.
November came early here in NH. ;) I put the old Passat B5 steel rims with Hakka 5s on last week after seeing the forecast. It snowed here Sat night but the car was parked. Today I drove 60+ miles on rural roads with many hills but the roads were dry. I had it in B and eco mode. When I got home I checked and got 4.7M/KWH same as the stock tires. Top speed was about 55mph, screen read 37mph average, it said I had 32 miles of range left. I also used the heater at 68F as it was in the 30s. Looks like I won't have to spend the $500+ for a new set of Hakka R2 tires!

Anyone looking for rims for winter tires the 15" B5 steel rims fit perfectly on our 15 SEL. I'm running 195/65-15 tires inflated to 42psi.
 
Thanks for the info. Those are studded tires? I'm amazed that they didn't reduce your range.

I avoid studs here in Oregon as our winter can be a mix on snow-less trips to Portland and snow-packed trips up the valley. So I look for good stud-less snow tires to cover the range of conditions.

Have you driven the eGolf in snow and ice yet? Wonder how it performs. Last winter I had a surprisingly hard time getting up an icy driveway that the Subaru ate up. (We didn't give up the Subaru!)
 
I'm sure the mileage will drop when it get colder and I'm driving in snow which I haven't done yet. I did "baby" it on the initial drive, accelerated more slowly and drove close to the speed limits 30-35 mph on back roads I normally drive 40+ where it is safe to do so. I also had it in eco which I usually don't use but I was still very surprised the mileage wasn't in the low 4.2 or3KWH/mile or even lower. I'll report again after driving in some snow.

The tires are studable but unstudded Hakkapeliitta Nordsman 5. This is an older style then their new R2 low rolling resistance unstudded winter tire. They were used for a couple seasons on the B5.
 
Quick update, I've driven several times since the 60+ mile drive Monday and had to reset the TPMS. The light came on about 50 miles into the 60+ mile drive when I got better than expected mileage. I checked the tires and they were all at 40 PSI. I reset according to the OM, and inflated to 41psi, no more light. So now I'm getting 3.9-4.2 m/kwh, not sure why resetting the TPMS would make a difference but it has been cooler and rainy on the last few trips thus more drag. I also didn't drive in eco and drove as I normally drive. I'll post again after driving in snow
 
So still no snow here in NH this season. We've seen an average .6-7 drop in the mileage with the snow tires on so far in 500+ miles. I bought a set of 1/2 worn Hakka R2 tires and just had them put on today, $80 including mounting and balancing. Too soon to tell if the mileage increases over the older Hakka Nordman 5 that were on it. Snow is forecast this weekend so I should see how well they perform and I'll report back in a bit.
 
So we've had snow, ice and very cold temps since I last reported. I ditched the partly worn R2s as they were not good on icy/slushy roads though they were fine in deep snow. I got a set of General Altimax Arctic studded mounted on the 15" B5 Passat rims we have. These have reduced the range considerably but we're willing to have less range and great winter traction. We've had a set on our 13 Passat TDI now each winter since we bought it in 2014. They haven't shown any noticeable wear and are quiet on the TDI due to the extra soundproofing but somewhat nosier in the eGolf. The worst m/kwh we saw was 2.2 when it was snowy and 0F with the heater/defroster on. Snow was also packed in the wheelwells. On dry roads, in the mountainous region we live in, we're getting about 3m/kwh using the heater. This is sufficient for the driving we use it for.

We did just order a Clipper Creek HCS-40 hardwired charger as we have been running down to very low battery charge as a result of the increased consumption. It was just taking too long to charge with the 120V charger that came with the car. This will also serve us if we replace the TDI with a plug-in hybrid for longer trip. It'll be installed by the end of the year to get the 30% fed tax credit.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
 
Drove the past 2 days on dry roads, 20F to 30F, averaged 3.4m/kwh.....snow and very low temps makes a big difference apparently.
 
recent observations; the General studded snows don't seem to be affecting the range all that much over the worn Hakka R2s. I did a 50+mile trip the other day, only about 3 miles on an interstate and got 3.7m/kwh wet roads mid 30sF. I had 21 miles remaining on the guess-o-meter. Snow/slush and cold really drop the range in my view more than the tires. The new studded tires have been great in recent storms.
Happy New year
 
Take the passat TDI, drive more and worry less, staring at the guess o meter and are you going to make it on what is left in the battery.
 
JoulesThief said:
Take the passat TDI, drive more and worry less, staring at the guess o meter and are you going to make it on what is left in the battery.

Why?? when we are sure we can get to where we want and back within given limitations, we're not worrying. Longer trips, the TDI for sure,, local driving it's in the eGolf on free juice from our solar panels, besides the egolf is more fun to drive.

I've just been posting to let others in cold regions about our findings.
 
Thanks for keeping this thread updated Rsolaregolf. I am about to buy some 16" wheels from an audi with snow tires on them for my 2015 SEL. I was worried about getting a huge efficiency hit, but it seems like I should be OK.
 
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