265/65/17 winter tyres ?

[Fullmeister]

Folks ,

Heading to Norway in March and understand I need to have winter tyres fitted by law .
Seem thin on the ground on the tinternet ..
Any recommendations for a supplier and a reasonably priced winter tyre ?

Happy new year

 

[karl2000]

Can you use AT tyres with 3PMSF designation?

 

[Fullmeister]

The official website states Winter tyres ? No mention of 3PMSF I was going to play it safe and get the full winter tyre .

 

[karl2000]

Not sure what the difference is tbh! Do full winter tyres have some additional marking?

 

[Fullmeister]

Me either ! Just don’t fancy a hefty fine as well as £7 a pint ….

 

[Dave]

3PSMF are classed as winter tyres in Norway, note, not M&S. However, typical all terrain tyres, like BFG A/T are not particularly good, despite meeting the requirements. But its unlikely you would want to splash out on dedicated winter tyres just for the trip.

 

[Dave_S]

What I would say is, if you are going anywhere with serious snow, bring chains. Winter spec tyres will only get you so far - a good set of chains (Pewag cross chains or similar, not the crap Halfords ones) will work wonders and give amazing traction.

 

[Fullmeister]

Thank you

 

[karl2000]

My Cooper AT3 4S with 3PSMF were great in the bit of snow and -7C temps we had recently. Dont think you can buy them anymore though, maybe the equivalent are Sport 2s

 

[Juddian]

https://www.camskill.co.uk/m54b0s13102p148102/Yokohama_Tyres_Car_Yokohama_G015_Geolander_AT_Yokohama_G_015_-_265_65_R17_112H_TL_Fuel_Eff_%3A_E_Wet_Grip%3A_C_NoiseClass%3A_B_Noise%3A_72dB

I've had these on several years, paid £115 for them, have seen them as low as £90 ( a real bargain) and currently on tyreleader @ £135ish so £116 on Camskill plus IIRC correctly about £12 to send all 4 makes them a good buy in the current tyre market.
Lovely tyre on the road in all weathers, wet grip is best i've had in 4x4 tyres matched only by Vredestein Wintrac Extreme (full winter jobbies), and the few times i've had them in snow they coped easily where our Cooper full winter shod Outback struggled..though in fairness to the Subaru i hadn't turned off the bloody traction control so its also down to my uselessness, i would gladly have the Yokos again.

Whats missing in the listing is the 3 peaks and mountain symbol qualification, and i suspect these are a bargain because someone has ballsed up and missed these from the all season listing...mine have the 3 peaks symbol making them winter rated but it might be prudent to check the ones on Camskill still have that rating, but if they still have then they're worth snapping up sharpish.
Here's the tyreleader listing to confirm 3PMSF rating.

Tyre Yokohama Geolandar A/T G015 | Car tyres - TyreLeader.co.uk

Buy your tyres Yokohama Geolandar A/T G015 at the lowest prices on TyreLeader · Fast & Free shipping · Mounting near you · Best prices · Quick and easy ordering.

www.tyreleader.co.uk

Its shocking how expensive tyres are now, the Falken summers on our Forester are now over twice the price i paid 3 years ago, things is getting beyond a joke now.

 

[Fullmeister]

Thanks for that mate ! I’m about 5 miles from camskill I’ll have a run over there and have a crack with them .

 

[Dave_S]

Ive Yoko GO15s on both my Sprinter and Hilux - agree that they are well behaved and wear well, but I do have a concern that the carcass is nowhere near as strong as BFG or similar. For mostly road and mild off road they're great, but I would be wary if you plan much serious off roading. I wouldn't use them on a major overland trip. Just my 2p...

 

[Fullmeister]

Cheers for the info , No nothing too extreme off-road . More of an overland type trip with the odd forest track .
What sort of mileage are you getting from a set of GO15’s ? And Have you had a tyre failure off-road with them ?

 

[GeekOKent]

The g012's from Thailand were the problem child in that family. The g012 from Japan were generally considered good. The g015 are considered better. The bfgko2's are just a lump of concrete, they wear down slower, are worse on grip and comfort and generally more hype than fact.

The Falken are great tyres, i would rate it as good as the g015's. Take chains, March is still all proper winter , with much of the country still closed out.

Side note, would be amazing to hear more about the trip plans

 

[Fullmeister]

Again , top info thanks very much .
I’ve done nearly all of Europe ( W124 estate ) but only Denmark on the Scandinavian side of it ( is Denmark Scandinavia ? ) inspiration was the Harry’s garage Arctic Rolls videos . So ferry from Dover , up to Eemshaven and ferry to Kristiansand. Then Lillehammer, Trondheim and up to Bodo where we catch another ferry to the Lofoten islands . Fingers crossed. …

 

[AndycruiserguyLomas]

Another shout out for the Yoko Geo GO15's. I've been running a set on an 80 and while I havn't been mud plugging with them they seem to handle lanes and across fields ok. they are quiet on the road and wet roads seem no different to dry roads.

One thing I don't do with a Cruiser though is try to find the limits of adhesion on wet corners to compare BFG/ Yoko/GG/ Cooper so I have a definitive answer.

 

[Jacob100]

I've never come across that ferry route before. Could be useful. Have a good trip.

 

[Dave_S]

Mileage - I think we're around 25,000 miles on the Sprinter 4x4 and they're all still pretty good - I reckon maybe good for 35,000 at a. guess? They've taken more of a battering on the Hilux, probably because I drive it a lot harder - probably good for 20-25,000 miles (I've been cycling them front to back, I replaced one pair last year and just about to replace the other pair). Not had any failures (touch wood), my concern on strength is purely due to the weight of the carcass on fitting.

 

[uHu]

Up to Lofoten in March... -- Unlikely to find any snow on normal roads, depending a bit on whether early or late March.
There is always the possibility for a blizzard up to April, but they seem to be more and more rare. Adjusting to conditions is the key.

But yes, you still need legal tyres with 3 peaks marking. 3 peaks are further classified as Nordic type or Continental, where the Continental is better on wet roads above freezing and can take higher temperatures, while the Nordic type is better on ice and snow. The Vredestein mentioned above is a Continental type I believe.

If this is the only time you would need tyres for possibly icy roads, I would go with something you can use for other purposes as well, like the BFG AT. When new, they are quite good in the snow - not so good on ice. If the forecast says "icy roads", you can chose to postpone todays travel, or bring chains. You would have to check the handbook for use of chains though. (The 100 e.g. can only have chains on the rear. At the front they get too close to ball joints and height sensor)

If further north than Bodø - expect full winter.

 

[Fullmeister]

Cheers for that ! We intend to visit the Lofoten islands but using the ferry both ways .