OT: Need some tires for our new VW Golf Sportwagen

[smontanaro]

I am one of those people who turned in their Golf TDi during DieselGate. We wound up buying a base model 2017 Golf Sportwagen. I rarely drive the car, but my wife said it sucked during the recent first snow of the season, so I guess the OEM Bridgestone 195/65R15 tires have to go.

We live on the Third Coast, so aren't going to face a lot of severe winter driving, but it does snow, so we'll need something better than the OEM tires. What do people recommend? Where do you shop, local or online (e.g., Tire Rack)?

[Black Dog]

There are really no "all season" tires that will perform well in snow. Winter tires will.

[thwart]

When you look at the big picture, $600-$700 spent on decent snows mounted on steelies or cheaper alloys is well worth it... but only if you're planning on keeping the car for more than a couple of years, or plan on replacing it with another VWoA product with similar offset and bolt pattern.

[Bruce K]

We live here n New England andI gitsome Conti Contacts for my wife’s car.

They worked well in light snow conditions.

After more than a couple of iniches, nothing beats winter tires.

BK

[TDot]

Got a good deal on Pirelli all seasons about a month ago at Costco, but up here in Toronto. Paid 650CAD. As another poster said, all seasons are only so good in the snow.

[zmudshark]

It's not snowing this year. Buy bike wheels.

[kgreene10]

Just wanted to say that I did the same - sold back the diesel and got the base gas model. For my limited driving, it’s much more sensible.

[pbarry]

One of the best purchases I've made were dedicated winter tires. As usual, this forum had invaluable advice when asked: https://forums.thepaceline.net/showthread.php?t=197254

[Gsinill]

Nokian WRG3 all-weather.

I have them on my wife's X5 and on my old beater Mercedes (which is horrible in winter).
Both of them are daily drivers and the Nokians work perfectly all year long in the Chicago flatlands.

[Ken Robb]

Go to Tire Rack website and read the tests and reviews on various types/models of tires. Assuming that you are going to decide to go with real snow tires vs. "all-season" since your car probably came with all-seasons, you can order a tire/wheel package delivered to your home and mount swap them yourself.

[tv_vt]

Michelin X-Ice. Really good non-studded winter tire. Nice and quiet too.

Can order from TireRack with wheels or just as tires. Have them mounted at your favorite shop (LAS, not LBS...)

[shovelhd]

There are really no "all season" tires that will perform well in snow. Winter tires will.

This.

I have Goodyear UltraGrip Ice on 16's (-1) for the GTI, but I bought them for the JSW TDI. They work really well in all conditions at 32psi and wear exceptionally well for winter tires.

[572cv]

Michelin X-Ice. Really good non-studded winter tire. Nice and quiet too.

Can order from TireRack with wheels or just as tires. Have them mounted at your favorite shop (LAS, not LBS...)

Did this too, on the west coast of Vermont. Quite good.

[Mikej]

Be aware of your TPMS -this can be a real pain when swapping tire rim combos. Some cars run off of the abs sensor, some have a signal from a battery powered device mounted in the air stem like my wife’s Subaru. This can be expensive, I was quoted $200 usd to re program wheels, this would be per season if I mounted winter tires on steelies.

[R3awak3n]

dunno what tires to recommend but the stock tires that came with my 17 sportwagen do indeed suck, even when its not snowing. Subscribed to this thread. My plan is to keep the stock wheels with winter tires and get some 18in wheels and summer tires in spring. Will be a nice setup

[smontanaro]

Be aware of your TPMS -this can be a real pain when swapping tire rim combos. Some cars run off of the abs sensor, some have a signal from a battery powered device mounted in the air stem like my wife’s Subaru. This can be expensive, I was quoted $200 usd to re program wheels, this would be per season if I mounted winter tires on steelies.That doesn't seem like it will be an issue, at least based on the small but of reading I just did. VW appears to use indirect TPMS based on the ABS wheel speed sensor. On newer cars, the infotainment system contains a page where you can reset things after tire changes. On older VWs, a button in the glove box does the trick.

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[smontanaro]

Thanks for the responses. Oddly enough, the thought of storing a set of tires/wheels in the garage seems to bother Ellen. Can't possibly have anything to do with the fact that we have perhaps ten bikes in the garage. ;) Or that we continue to store a bunch of our adult sons' stuff. :( Seems like we have some further thinking to do.

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[oldpotatoe]

That doesn't seem like it will be an issue, at least based on the small but of reading I just did. VW appears to use indirect TPMS based on the ABS wheel speed sensor. On newer cars, the infotainment system contains a page where you can reset things after tire changes. On older VWs, a button in the glove box does the trick.

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Correct, I just did this after getting a flat on my GSW 4Mo-S..easy...

I'd say get wheels/tires(TireRack)and swap yourself.

[AngryScientist]

depends on the kind of driving you primarily do for the optimal winter tire.

pretty much any dedicated winter tire is going to perform worlds better than an all-season (read "no season") tire.

but, if the driving is mainly at lower speeds, in the city, etc, look for a tire with heavier lugs or a standard winter tire. if the driving is mostly highway and lots of miles, look for a "performance winter" tire. they will ride quieter and last longer than regular big lug winter tires.

when i used to put heavy miles on my BMW, which i dont anymore, i was a huge fan of pirelli sotozero's for the winter. nice and quiet on the highway and lasted well. they give up some deeper snow traction, but it's worth it for the nicer ride.

[saab2000]

There is no "all-season" substitute for winter tires in a cold, wet, slushy or snowy climate. Period.

I drive a VW GTI and when I made the switch the car went from a wild ride and scary handling to totally controlled and manageable.

VW dealers push this and if you stop by your dealership I'll bet they have wheel/tire combos on display and on sale right now. It's totally worth the peace of mind and drivability to make the investment in winter wheels.

I keep mine in plastic bags out in the back yard shed. I'm probably installing them this week.

[VTCaraco]

No matter the car, we always pick up a second set of wheels (inclusive of any TPMS sensors) and run separate winter/summer wheels. Granted we're in VT so snow/ice is a potential factor for 4-5 months, but it's never felt like wasted money given the wear-and-tear that you save on each type of tire. Plus, this allows better tires for each purpose.

Like others have said, Nokian are tough to beat. We run Hakkas on everything...and ran a set of Nokian e-Tyres as summer-wheels on the Subaru and have been very happy with how they ride, too.
But a lot of manufacturers make good tires.

I have run other snows including the Michelin X-Ice mentioned. They were good, but not great. First season was fine, 2nd-4th I longed for Hakkas. But again, road conditions matter. The Michelin's had a good feel on dry and low-snow roads, but didn't compare when it was really sloppy/slushy. And NOTHING but studded tires work worth a hoot when there's ice on the roads.

[YoKev]

Check out the General Altimax RT43.

I had good luck with them in a few inches of snow, both brand new and with 30,000 highway miles on 'em.

I know it sounds counter intuitive, but turning off the traction control on my Jetta Sportwagen was just the ticket for snow and ice driving. That may help your GSW too.

[Gurpil23]

Got the Bridgestone Blizzak WS80s on a 2014 Jetta SW two weeks ago through Tire rack (after following good discussions and advice in this forum). I live in the Midwest and havent't have a chance to try them on deep snow or ice yet, but they already are a big improvement from the original tires when temperatures are below freezing on dry roads. So far so good.

[smontanaro]

Got the Bridgestone Blizzak WS80s on a 2014 Jetta SW two weeks ago through Tire rack (after following good discussions and advice in this forum). I live in the Midwest and havent't have a chance to try them on deep snow or ice yet, but they already are a big improvement from the original tires when temperatures are below freezing on dry roads. So far so good.Thanks. I knew this is a VW friendly crowd, so searched before posting, but didn't see anything immediately obvious. Maybe we should have a VW subforum. :)

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[gavingould]

i ran General Altimax Arctic on my TDI before they bought it back, just sold the steelies and snow tire set this week to a buddy with another VW model.
as others said, changed the behavior of the car in snow from not very good to very good.

[Polyglot]

There must be some forum dedicated to your car, join it and look for somebody selling some used wheels with snows. I both a set of 5 alloy wheels with snow having 50% wear for my Saab that way for $200. Normally one single alloy rim costs that much...

[saf-t]

Michelin X-Ice. Really good non-studded winter tire. Nice and quiet too.

Can order from TireRack with wheels or just as tires. Have them mounted at your favorite shop (LAS, not LBS...)

This. Been running them for several years, and have been very happy with them.

And I didn't bother to get the pressure sensors installed in the spare wheels- just mentally ignore the warning light until I change back in the spring ;-)

[cnighbor1]

I advised a friend that for his Volvo instead of remounting his snow tire each fall just buy a set of used Volvo rims and mount them once and be done with it
Mounting and demounting each fall and spring
He got the used rims had snow tires mounted and installed on his Volvo
Wait for it!
We didn't know a lot of Volvo rims in his size were defective Leakedair slowly
He went to go to work the next day One of the snow tires was near flat
got it fixed and off to work
Repeat for the other tire the next morning
Happened a few more times till they mentioned best to add a tube has these rims leak

[shovelhd]

That doesn't seem like it will be an issue, at least based on the small but of reading I just did. VW appears to use indirect TPMS based on the ABS wheel speed sensor. On newer cars, the infotainment system contains a page where you can reset things after tire changes. On older VWs, a button in the glove box does the trick.

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It depends on the vehicle. My MkV GTI uses true ABS sensors in each wheel. There is no reset button. You can get new old stock sensors for $80/set. Programming was done by the tire store at no charge.

[carpediemracing]

Some tire places will store a set of tires for you. We don't at our store (simply no room), but some other places will.

Often a tire place will do changeovers to snows for free. With us, starting this year, it's a $20 surcharge when you first buy the tires (to buy lifetime balance), but after that it's free changeovers vs paying about $60 for each changeover. Customers who already got their snows are grandfathered in (at our location).

I personally prefer having a second set of rims for snows. There's wear and tear in mounting/dismounting tires, risk for damage, and it's much quicker to just change wheels rather than tires. Think of two sets of clinchers for a bike, much easier to swap wheels than actually change tires.

With our 2010 JSW we had a second set of TPMS sensors. With our 2011 Golf they were wheel sensor based so no second set of sensors.

With WS80s we got 4 seasons out of a set of snows, then when they were a bit worn down we just left them on for the warm weather (as all seasons) and bought new winter tires the following fall.

[fignon's barber]

Highly recommend Tire Rack. They have an easy to use tire selector and unbeatable price. When you narrow your choice down, call and speak to a customer service person. They will ship directly to your auto mechanic to install as well. I ordered on a Tuesday at 11am, shop had them by noon the next day.

[shovelhd]

Highly recommend Tire Rack. They have an easy to use tire selector and unbeatable price. When you narrow your choice down, call and speak to a customer service person. They will ship directly to your auto mechanic to install as well. I ordered on a Tuesday at 11am, shop had them by noon the next day.

Also, check to see if they have a warehouse in your area. I have one about 25 miles away. Saves on shipping.

[AngryScientist]

also, they have agreed upon rates with many local installers. you can see exactly what it will cost for mount and balance, and they tire shop cant make up silly prices on the spot. i have found that to be very helpful over the years.

[Hakkalugi]

We survived Dieselgate and replaced our 2 leased GSW TDIs with new GSW-S with All-wheel-drive. I didn’t want the All-track because we had 2 sets of 16” Nokians already. The first night we brought the cars home, our driveway had 4” of fresh snow, the cars zipped right up with no issue. The TDIs struggled due to the steep grade (22% max, average 12) but the new cars with those tires were unstoppable last winter.

I’ve since been told that the S model in AWD is out of production due to demand for the All Track. Also, there are no TPMS in our cars but in mine, the system will tell me I have a pressure loss about once a month. I check the tires, restart the car, and the warning goes away.

[Mr. Pink]

Highly recommend Tire Rack. They have an easy to use tire selector and unbeatable price. When you narrow your choice down, call and speak to a customer service person. They will ship directly to your auto mechanic to install as well. I ordered on a Tuesday at 11am, shop had them by noon the next day.

Yeah, that happened to me once. Less than 24 hours for four tires mounted on wheels. Amazing.

[IFRider]

Michelin X-Ice. Really good non-studded winter tire. Nice and quiet too.

Can order from TireRack with wheels or just as tires. Have them mounted at your favorite shop (LAS, not LBS...)

This is exactly what we have done for years in New Hampshire. Very happy with these tires for grip, noise and wear. Mounted on steel wheels pays for its self in a couple of years in the mounting/unmounting costs and your nicer rims don't take a beating.

They way I see it, you are extending the wear on you regular tires, getting better traction (even without snow, winter tires drip better in cold that all seasons) and if it saves me a single deductible from sliding into another car/curb/tree then it is a win. Only downside is storing them.

Warren