[quote="AJS4X4"]
Your Continental Cross Contact are poor in snow and cold conditions.
[/quote

ABSOLUTE NONSENSE
In head-to-head tyre tests conducted annually by the official motoring organisations of Austria, Germany and Switzerland Continental Cross Contact Winter have finished in the top three best rated tyres for winter motoring since we have had our FL2 in November 2009. These test, and others are freely available online - just do a Google search on their websites| ADAC, TCS ana OAMT.

In contrast , the tyres you promote in your post - Vredestein Wintrac 4 Extreme come down the rankings into the middle order of performance.

I have no vested interest in recommending any one tyre manufacturer over another and unlike yourself I am not in the business of selling tyres. I do however trust independent testing bodies. It is no coincidence that the majority of western Europes motoring organisations place Vredestein in the middle order rankings for winter tyre performance and Continental at the top table.

However, each to their own FL2ers - you pays your money and make your own safety call.

I do not think AJS was referring to the Cross Contact Winter tyre but the Cross Contact M&S in Noodle 42's post. You mentioned in your post on the 18th that you could not comment on the M&S efficacy but you could endorse the Winter variant. MY 09 GS manual in Lago Grey, Wood Co arm rest and side bumper strips - now sold.

MY 15 SD4 SE Auto Orkney Grey with colour coded Bumper Door Mouldings

Tenet,

You are quite right.

Not once did I mention Continental Cross Contact Winter. Andy.
www.ajstyres.co.uk www.ajs4x4.co.uk
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Kal-El wrote:

So I have a couple of questions about the continental tyres that it comes with.

Tenet - my mistake, and you are quiet right to correct my poor observation in that instance. I am though reminded of the phrase: "obscurity can pass through the eye of a needle not so for the fair damsel transparency." Nonetheless I stand by my case against Vredestein vis-á-vis Continental.

Having presented my data with references to European motoring organisation web site's test result for WINTER TYRES it did occur to me (whilst awaiting my two ladies to come out of the dentist's grasp) that some FreeL2 members would prefer a broader test bench i.e all types of tyres not just winter, and, in their native English. And so, I refer them to www.tyrereviews.co.uk

Therein they will find a host of tyre test results, winter, summer, m&s, high performance, heavy vehicles 4x4 etc.. If they do a detailed examination they will discover that "Tyrereview" post as follows:

a) Top ten tyre brands: Nr.1 Bridgestone, Nr.2 Continental - and last in 10th spot, Vredestein.
b) In all types of tests there is no instance of any comparative like-for-like tyre where Vredestein scores higher than the equivalent Continental tyre.
c) Whilst by no means being the worst performing tyre in many categories and tests the Vredestein product only reaches 5th as its highest ranking. Below the lowest ranking for any Continental tyre.
d) In a number of different tests the following comments have been attributed to the Continental tyres that have been tested by differing motoring organisations. I quote:

"The Continental is objectively the best overall, which it combined with solid results to win the test"
"Great all-round performance with no real weakness"
etc etc etc

Now Continental do NOT come out Nr.1 in all tyre categories and their subsequent tests but they do sit at the top table. The same cannot be said for Vredestien.

Unless I have been negligent in my research I cannot find any such accolades for any type of Vredestein tyre by any contributor to the Tyrereview website. They have been judged by their peers and have been found wanting. I rest my case.

The Vredestein has a huge following in the UK and we have very many happy customers who would use nothing else.

We are happy to help any of my customers with whatever tyre they choose.

And I should add that I am happy to quote on ANY brand of tyre whether it be Winter, Summer or All Terrain tyre.  Andy.
www.ajstyres.co.uk www.ajs4x4.co.uk
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I can say with absolute honesty, that the Avon Ranger Ice I have got are superb. I do not claim that they are anywhere near as good as the top end stuff that Athelstan mentioned but they never put a foot wrong for me.

I went up Old Hill in Ashbourne last winter when it was covered in a nice thick layer of untouched snow. Only people out walking were there, no cars. It cruised up with no fuss at all and Old Hill is fairly steep. Very happy with them. LL.B (Hons) - University of Derby
LOT (Lord of Time) - University of Gallifrey