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Ford Transit Connect Winter Tires Ford Transit Connect Forum - Driving on winter tires provides added safety and peace of mind in wet, snowy and icy conditions. Stopping distances are reduced, grip is greatly increased and the construction and tread pattern of winter tires is designed specifically to cope with extreme weather conditions. 1) Why should I fit winter tires? Primarily winter tires are designed for temperatures below 70C or 44.6 F. They are safer in cold conditions, wet or dry , because the tread compounds heat up quicker to create better grip in lower temperatures. Winter tires use a higher proportion of natural rubber in the tread, minimizing the hardening effect at low temperatures. This results in a higher level of grip providing improved braking distances compared to standard summer tires - 10% in rain, 20% in snow. 2) Are winter tires only for use in snow? Winter tires are not ‘snow’ tires and will outperform standard summer tires in all conditions below 70C or 44.6 F, not just snow and ice. The wider grooves on the winter tire tread pattern are more effective in slush as well as snow, giving additional traction. The large amount of ‘sipes’ in the tread area create a large number of biting edges which interlock with the surface conditions and improve braking and traction/acceleration. Sipes are tiny slits in the tread blocks that run across the width of many winter tires: they allow better contact between the tyre and wet, muddy and icy roads. The rubber compounds used for winter tires are much softer, which prevents hardening at cold temperatures resulting in improved handling. 3) How do winter tyres perform in wet conditions? Modern high-performance standard tires have a harder tread compound which is engineered to ensure grip at medium/high temperatures. The molecules in the tread rubber freeze and harden as temperatures fall, thereby increasing the risk of aquaplaning and increasing braking distance. When temperatures drop below 70C or 44.6 F, winter tiresretain more flexibility and are less prone to aquaplaning. 4) Why should winter tyres be fitted in sets of four? Tires need to perform consistently, particularly braking in severe weather conditions. Fitting winter tires only on the driving wheels is not recommended. If your car is front-wheel drive and the winter tires are only fitted on the front wheels you risk spinning. If your car is rear-wheel drive and the tires are only fitted on the rear wheels you risk sliding off the road while turning. You should ensure that all tires are of the same speed rating and load index. Consequently a mix of winter tires and standard summer tires should not be fitted to your vehicle. 5) Do Winter tires affect my insurance? While winter tires should reduce the risk of accident when temperatures drop below 70C or 44.6 F, their fitment may be viewed as a modification. They should be in line with the motor manufacturer’s specification and fitted by a reputable dealer. Although fitment of winter tires should not affect your insurance premium, it is best practice to notify your insurance company. 6) If I fit winter tires do I have to drive more slowly? Winter tires have a lower speed rating than standard summer tires. However the lower speed rating should be adequate in winter conditions – for example dropping down from a V rating (max 149 mph) to an H rating (max 131 mph). 7) Do I have to fit winter tires when driving in Europe? Before travelling to Europe in the winter months you should check the legislation as winter tires are mandatory in some countries such as Austria, Germany, Finland and Sweden. You should also note that some countries require a higher minimum tread depth (e.g. 3mm) than the legal minimum of 1.6 mm in the UK. 8) What happens when temperatures rise above 70C or 44.6 F? As the average temperatures between October and March are below 70C or 44.6 F., you should consider waiting until April before changing back to standard summer tires.

Here in Northern Europe winter tires have always been mandatory during snowfall months, lately from December to March. Having two separate types of tires on one vehicle is not allowed due to unexpected behaviour in actual winter conditions. Also, ABS/ESP systems are not designed to work with different types of tires at the same time. I recommend everyone living in temperate/nordic climate experiencing snow in winter to try out winter/snow tires. It changes everything you knew about winter motoring.

It's not the car, just the tires. TC is terrific in snow, perfeclty balanced and high clearance. The so called All Season tires are labeled like that for North America only. I am not sure what's the benefit in this but I guess it's the result of extreme competition. These tires are essentially just summer tires with a label which means nothing in terms of winter driving. They have the same hard summer compound, the same bare pavement tread with no snow extraction capabilities, standard block pattern no extra sipes to provide grip. Snow driving is all about grip and snow extraction, nothing else. For extra grip (in comparison with summer/all season tires) the compound is made much softer so it lays down on the surface like an octopus, the extra sipes (cuts in the rubber blocks) provide addidtional sharp edges which hook to the microscopic unevenness on ice. The snow tire technology has been around for several decades and developing every year in amazing pace. Every new model is better than the previous one. To illustrate the difference: you don't know what you're missing unless you've tried it yourself. You can drive on snow/ice virtually at the same speed as in summer, the braking distance is longer but it will stop when you like, given you started braking in time. You will retain full control over your car (up until some point, of course, there's no denying physics). Don't get me wrong - it will be slippery, but you will be able to control the slip and know the breaking point from experience. After you've gone sliding you'll be able to control the slide. Nokian's (Willie's post) snow tires are very good, Finns have always been pioneers in snow tire technology for the obvious reasons. So have most manufacturers provided their own technologies. Btw, I have Nokian All Seasons under my Mazda, for summer only. Not usable in snow at all. Bought Bridgestone Blizzak WS70 for winter, my TC has Kleber Krisalps for snow.

Based on the revs per mile, my speedo / MPG should be about 5.9% off. As far as MPG goes 20mpg (21.2 corrected for tires) all city driving, lots of hills

I just installed the Yokohama Geolanders in 205 70 R15, No rubbing and gained an inch of clearance in the front! Before shots: (Front) 7" clearance on front bumper 3.5" of fender / wheel gap After shots: (Tires) 8" clearance on front bumper ( +1") 2.75" of fender / wheel gap (-.5")

I have also decided to go with the steel wheels minus the factory wheel covers. I have ordered the center hub caps (comes only in black) from a UK Ford dealer that has supplied some of us on this forum with UK only parts. I will post a picture when they arrive, should be this week. The hub caps I ordered cover only the exposed hub, not the lug nuts. The UK also has hub caps (comes only in silver) that cover the lug nuts. Speaking of lug nuts, it looks like you do not have the original factory lug nuts. The originals are very expensive from Ford. There is a posting on the forum about why.

Attempting Option 2 Coilspring spacer: I purchased some 20mm Ford Focus spring spacers fromTH Motorsports made by ST Suspension. Let's see if they fit.... Looks like these are for a 2.5in coilover set up. It did however, give me an opportunity to take some measurements:

Perfect! One more suggestion if you do not mind. Check out Susquehanna MotorSports, www.rallylights.com. They carry the complete Hella line of lighting. Their website is a wealth of info. Very nice people to deal with. And no, I do not work for them! I went with the Hella Micro FF for a few reasons. They are rectangular to match the headlamps/the driving lights do not block too much of the grill/the two fog lamps fit in the existing holes for the cone carrier.

Aires offers mounts that fit anywhere along the top tubular bar. Look at the photo of my installation in the Gallery. My top lights are Driving and the two lights on the right side are fog. The fog lamps are mounted in existing holes that are used for an attachment for carrying cones I do not use. Hope that helps.

Mission 4- Operation Infinite Horizon. Aires Light bar installed with lighting attachment 5TABB (Special thanks to 103west43rd for this ) So many wires! Hella 700FF driving lights installed Hella 500FF fog lights installed More pictures coming soon! :bandance: I'll keep this forum updated on the progress of Operation: Adventure Transit.

Mission 2- Operation Rolling Thunder. Driving through Palm Springs on the way to Joshua Tree I noticed that having two speakers wasn't ideal for road tripping. The aftermarket system that was installed in the car was terrible, so an upgrade was in order. I took my transit over to Best Buy before Christmas break to have my friend install a system and make a custom box that wouldn't compromise the utility of my new toy. Kicker DX500 AMP Installed where the 3rd row windows would be. Kicker COMP 10" subwoofer Tucked out of the way in a custom sub-box. Kicker KS693 Speakers Mounted in the back doors. Pioneer Headunit Finished I'll keep this forum updated on the progress of Operation: Adventure Transit.

I have inreased the index by one: 65 to 70. It was visually more pleasing, less useless wheel well space and a some gained ground clearance.