Winter wheels and tyres ordered

It's been a decent summer this year but winter is fast approaching and it won't be long before we are scraping our windscreens and slithering around on snow and ice. My little Aygo was pretty good in the snow, a combination of skinny tyres, a wheel at each corner and only 68 BHP... 

The 535d might be a different story with the automatic transmission trying to put down 286BHP and 580NM of torque into snow and ice through big fat low profile all season tyres. We've all seen the pictures on TV of rear drive BMW's and Merc's abandoned in the snow or slithering backwards down the smallest of inclines with tyres spinning.

So, before the first flurry of snow causes panic buying of winter tyres, I have decided to go ahead and order a set. Rather than use the existing 18" wheels, I ordered a set of 17" alloys which will allow me to increase the profile of the tyre from 40 to 50% which tends to be a bit more forgiving in winter conditions. I have also reduced the tyre width from 245 to 225mm to help cut through snow, slush and water more effectively. The full specification of the wheels and tyres is as follows:

• Wheels: Borbet CC Silver 8.0x17" ET20
• Tyres: Goodyear UltraGrip 8 Performance 225/50R17 98V

I bought this is a wheel and tyre package from Mr Winter Wheels for £934 including wheels, tyres, locking bolts, fitting, delivery and VAT. This also includes a discount of £10 for using promo code FB10. They should be delivered tomorrow.

It is a substantial outlay but I'm hoping this will last at least three winters, possibly four and will reduce the wear on the summer tyres. I expect to be putting these on within the next three weeks and will probably keep them fitted until early April. The important thing is that I should be able to drive my car safely in winter conditions and avoid making an appearance on the evening news...

Update: The wheels were fitted on 4th November and took about an hour to fit.