The Irish Mitsubishi FTO Owners Club

Anyone know who would be a good stockist for some budget snow tyres.

Not for me as I know that me FTO can handle a lot of what was thrown at us for driving around the city, but got some BMW driving mates who want to order now to beat the rush !!

Anyone do any research last year on this one ?

I just had goodyear eagle f1 on my fto last winter and didnt have a problem in the snow at all. dont really see the point in tyres just for the snow in this country for all of 2 weeks a year that we have snow on the ground

A mate of mine is getting snow chains for the winter, easier to handle, just put them on when you need them and clip them into place and take them off when you get to a good patch of road. And to be honest after the last few winters I think its a good idea, I know in my home place there was a stage of 2 weeks last christmas where it was only one neighbour with a 4x4 that was able to travel to the shop for people. Even if it is only 2 weeks a year we get it try living without food and water for that amount of time and you won't be long thinking chains or snow tyres are a good idea then.

I too was thinking of investing in a set of winter tyres for the VRS on the proviso I could pick up a cheap set of VAG 16's - a set of steel rims and Conti's on eiretyres.com comes in at €700 or so, not cheap. Personally, I'm more concerned about sustained cold / icy weather with a bit of snow thrown into the mix, I'd be inclined to leave the car at home during heavy snofall periods. On a side note, the old BMW was a disaster in an inch or two of snow last year, so much so that HGVs wehere speeding past me on the motorway.

On side note, has anyone actually tried sticking a few bags of sand in the boot of a RWD during snowy weather to aid traction? It gets talked about each year but I've yet to hear anyone comment on its effectiveness

CJ wrote:........On side note, has anyone actually tried sticking a few bags of sand in the boot of a RWD during snowy weather to aid traction? It gets talked about each year but I've yet to hear anyone comment on its effectiveness

More weight over the rear wheels in a front engined RWD car would make a lot of sense. Its the main reason that front engined FWD cars are that much better in the snow. Neither can get near a 4WD though. The last two winters here in the West have been brutal what with the floods and then the big freeze - the Murano (and particularly the RRS) were just fantastic to the point I was looking forward to the brutal weather. This year the 4WD in the household will be a Paj EVO which I'm pretty sure won't let the side down - just buying tyres for it this week and contemplating whether I should just stick with a good 4WD road tyre or a snow/ice tyre - Camskill have plenty of both.

Heres some you could consider for the FTO and if you're feeling really brave just buy a set for the front for that tail out feeling on the way to work - http://www.camskill.co.uk/m96b0s628p0/W ... 05_50_R_16

CJ wrote:so much so that HGVs were speeding past me on the motorway.

They do that all the time -frightening

Mustang wrote:They do that all the time -frightening

Agreed. At least once a day, I see HGVs pullling out onto fact moving motorway traffic at sub 100kph speeds without signalling, I've been caught short myself once or twice.

Back on topic - if anyone has a set of 16" VAG alloys or steel wheels (5 x 112 PCD) for sale, get in touch. I'm seriously considering investing in a set of winter tyres this year. Standard FTO 16's can be picked up pretty cheaply these days, if you drive the FTO daily throughout the winter, you could do worse than to invest in some winter rubber.

Check ebay.de - would've been better off in the spring but there's nearly always winter tyres for sale.. fairly sure there's a small selection on eiretyres ..

CJ wrote:...On side note, has anyone actually tried sticking a few bags of sand in the boot of a RWD during snowy weather to aid traction? It gets talked about each year but I've yet to hear anyone comment on its effectiveness

Tried this with the S2000, in the really bad snow, had little effect TBH. The lightness of the car and the big wide tires meant that even with ~50kg of gravel over the rear axle didn't help much. I've driven a BMW through a bad winter too, but the S2000 even worse. I had to just park it up and walk to work several days due to a very slight incline that the car stopped, and started rolling back, on one day.

From that point of view, I'm looking forward to having a boring old FWD car for this winter, but even at that, I'm thinking of getting a pair of snow tyres for the front. Was it SOC that gave an bit of a review of them on his BMW last year? I remember someone on here giving them a very positive view anyway.