Has anyone tried Thule tire chains? I have a supercharged XF 2013 and am wondering if this a good solution.

 

I have a 2010 XF Supercharged and also live in the NE. I got a set of Pirelli Sottozero winter tyres (one of the few that fit our wheels) and had them put onto the 20inch wheels last winter. Worked great - traction and grip was fine, and coupled with the winter mode system I had no trouble at all.

I did look at a separate set of wheels to switch on (ideally 19 inch to give some more sidewall flex) but struggled to find anything that would fit over the SC large brake calipers. Several others have done similar - one or two found a 19inch wheel that fits, most seem to have gone the winter tyre route.

Let us know what you decide?

 

How well did the tires do? In what conditions?

Last winter was my first with the car and it was particularly brutal. It's also on a lease so I need to figure out if $2K on tires is worth the investment for the 17 months I have left on the lease.

 

Chains aren't the answer because you need cold weather tires.

Check out Tire Rack tech advice.

http://www.tirerack.com/winter/tech/...jsp?techid=215

Any major tire manufacturer will recommend cold weather tires. Snow isn't the issue, it's suitability of the tread compound.

 

do they still have that winter tire program for the folks in snow belt states? or not now that they have AWD option

 

What tires did you have on it last winter and was it hard to control? Mine was a CPO purchase about a year ago and came with summer sport tyres (not the original OEM ones, although I believe they were summer tyres in the SC model at least). As Jagular suggest, one of the biggest issues in very cold weather is that the rubber compound in summer tyres gets too hard when it's really cold and traction is poor - even when it's dry / no snow.

Overall the Sottozero's were terrific - traction on the 'dry but very cold' days (which is almost every day here for a few months at least) was a step-change better than the summer tyres and it felt completely stable and in control at all times. In my view, that was the majority of the benefit as it's seen every day.

I had it out in heavy snow conditions (i.e before it was ploughed or during storms) probably about 10 times through the season, and it was also very good. I could induce a tail-slide by pushing it hard, and on occasion the ABS came on when braking, but it was always in full control - even in heavy, loose snow. I did also put on the winter mode which seems to 'dull' the throttle response a little to help keep it in control.

I was also hesitant about the cost (and hassle of changing over twice a year) but I'm very happy I made the decision. You can really feel the difference - plus it's about the cost of one panel scratch / dent...

 

Winter mode is excellent to increase control. It does indeed slow the throttle response. It also cuts out first gear entirely. For loose snow or slush selecting TRAC in addition to Winter mode works well. Finally, for really tricky and slippery conditions also select S and manually paddle shift to the highest gear attainable. Works really well.

 

Winter tires with Winter mode really make the car for 4 season usable. Trust me, I'm on my fourth winter coming up with XFR, and it really is a daily driver with no issues even through 6 inches of snow.

 

Thank for all the responses!

Jagular, What do you mean by selecting TRAC? Is that the default traction control setting?

Britcars, are there any tire/wheel combinations that work to get an 18 or 19 inch wheel on? I have a separate set of wheels for the Rover, it makes swapping the snows on much easier.

Dave

 

Default is DSC on. One press of the DSC button backs off the traction control a notch allowing some wheelspin for soft snow or track driving. TRAC is displayed in the dash. This reverts to full DSC when you switch the car off.

Press and hold the DSC buttton for 11 seconds and the traction and stability controls switch off, until you restart the car.

 

I cekced my tires on the car today and I really feel stupid. I have summber tires. It's a miracle I made it through last winter. Somehow I thought they were all seasons.

Another question if may.

Can I use 255/35/20 on all four wheels or do I need use the staggered tire setup?

I'm thinking about the Blizzak LM-60's, I've used Blizzaks in the past with excellent results.

Thanks again for all the help!

 

Hi xfdave

You'll love te car with winter tyres then!

You can go same size all around vs the staggered setup. It of course means you can rotate the tyres. I believe you would put the size for the fronts all the way around and it can stretch the inch to deal with the wider rear wheels. But someone else chime in to confirm

There was a very detailed thread on wheel choices around last November time as several of us were looking to do the same. I don't think any 18inch will fit - issue on the SC models are that the brake calipers are very big and don't leave clearance for smaller wheels. A couple of us tried to get 19inch to fit with no luck - and dealers were inconsistent about which (if any) would fit. I believe two people managed to get 19inch wheels to fit the SC - if you can dig up the previous thread it will show you which wheels. My only advice is to be absolutely certain the wheels fit before mounting tyres etc as it's very tight

Given all these issues I have up in the end and got the winter tyres for the 20inch wheels and just swap them on each year. I went sottozero and stuck with the staggered setup

Good luck!

 

Here is the thread about non staggered winter tyres all the way around on an XFR (same as for the SC models)

Search for the thread called:
XF and XFR ( X250 )>Trying to Confirm 255-35-20 Winter Tires For XFR

 

And here is the thread for the 19inch options on the SC models. Looks like it was the Tamana and Auriga that might fit - but worth double checking as they all seem v tight

Search for:
XF and XFR ( X250 )>19 inch wheels that fit XF SC?

Good luck!

 

Thanks all for your valuable advice.

Ordered Blizzak LM-60's 255/35/20 from Tire Rack. On closeout for $240 each. Total $1011 with shipping.

I've had Blizzak's before and was very happy with them.

Will still try and swipe the wife's LR4 when it snows

 

How funny - my wife has an LR4 too! I discovered that had summer tyres on the first day of snow last winter (it came with them from the dealer - and very poor quality summer tyres at that!)

Any advice on when you suggest putting on the winter tyres. I'd normally wait another month or so, but mine is going in for annual service in early November and it would be convenient to have the dealer do them at the same time. But maybe too early??

 

Use ambient temperature as your main guide. When the road surface gets below 45F on average then you need to fit your winter or all season rubber. When the road is icy you need winter tires, all seasons are no good on ice.

 

No winter tires are good on ice. Winter tires are only good on dry, wet, snow, slush and packed snow road conditions.

 

I assure you this is incorrect. I drive on ice quite frequently and modern snow tires are extremely good on ice. There is no need for studded tires any longer and they are banned in many places.


I'm pretty sure a guy from the Carolinas won't have much experience driving on ice. I've been doing it for forty years and never felt the need for studded tires. Mind you, the newest winter tires are amazing, especially with Q rated studless rubber compounds.

 

See the test below completed by TireRack showing differences between summer, all season and winter tyres on ice.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=qWwK7kx7V4