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I do agree in principle with much of what you say but its not true to say that other owners experiences count for nothing, especially if they drive lots of miles and get through tires regularly.In my view it's actually pretty pointless asking fellow van owners "what do you think of tyre A/B/whatever?". Practically none of us have the opportunity to try different brands of the same size/profile/rating tyres on the same van in exactly the same conditions on a road, let alone on a timed/measured track. I defy anyone to say conclusively whether Goodyear or Michelin all-seasons are "better" under particular conditions on the road.
Tyre reviews, run by Autobild etc, do however do such tests and you can easily find how different brands within a category performed "blind" (ha ha) under strictly controlled test conditions.
But even then, there's never going to be a perfect all-round tyre, it depends on the road conditions you're trying to cater for and whether you're most looking for traction, handling or braking performance.
People may report differences in road noise, but why you'd try to compare the sound made by the worn Brand As you've just take off, against the squeaky-new Brand Bs you've put on, beats me. But again, the tyre review sites do proper comparative tests and that's probably worth looking at.
Only on a VW Golf which has Cross CLimates on back - they've performed really well in bad weather (Rain and mud but no snow yet).Has anybody got experience of the Goodyear vector 4 seasons?
I suspect you're right.I'd reckon there is little to choose between the All Season tyres that have a 'V' tread design, which seems to be common across the top Brands.
Mud would be the main problem area but the odds of spare being on in mud are low.I suspect you're right.
A disadvantage of the V-tread tyres is you can in theory only use your spare on one side of the vehicle. Having said that, I'm reliably informed (by some very good rally drivers) that it doesn't actually make a whole heap of difference in the real world which way round you put them on.
Got a set laster last year, 10k on them now.Has anybody got experience of the Goodyear vector 4 seasons?
We have had a similar discussion going whilst I and another Cali T6 also have been travelling through the Arctic in North Norway and North Finland.
The conditions already the worst driving conditions I could of imagined have amazingly got even worse, temperatures have been at low as - 17, freezing winds too. We travelled on both ploughed and unploughed roads, day and night.
You may find this post interesting.. I'll be adding some more photos of the conditions and other comments about our experience of using the Cali in this weather too. Here is the thread title
ROAD TRIP TO ARCTIC CIRCLE - WHICH TYRES
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