Depends how you're going to store them when not in use, in a dark garage then they'll last a lot longer than being piled up outside under the glare of a summer sun.

So long as the discount is worth it, i'd rather buy the ones you mention than some freshly minted ditchfinders for the same price.

Vredestein tyres are widely recognised as good stuff, and always score highly in european winter tyre tests.

Uniroyal tyres are been excellent in wet weather, i have no doubt their winter specific offerings will be well up there too.

I've had Vred Wintracs, superb, daughters have both been on Vred all seasons, superb, i'd be happy with any of the makes mentioned at the right price.

Vredestein are quality tyres. They don't get recognition as such as they don't feature on new cars which apparently is a decision made by the company.

As winter sets in and demand for winter tyres soars, Vredestein prices will go up through the roof.

We use Vredestein Wintracs on our cars and have used Nokian and Avon winters on others. Vredesteins are very good, noticeably better than anything else we've used and although not cheap are typically priced below the "premium" brands eg Michelin, Continental, Pirelli.

Edited by oldtoffee on 02/09/2014 at 09:26

On previous vehicles I have had Nokian and Goodyear and, purely subjectively, I would say that the Goodyear felt the better tyre. However they are massively more expensive and my personal opinion is that the premiums they attract are unjustifiable unles someone more in the know than I tells me I am wrong. It's the tyre equivalent of the 'Supermarket vs Branded fuel' debate I guess.

I would be prepared to pay it if I was convinced that they offerd me more in terms of safety than a Uniroyal for example - these are £20 - £25 per tyre cheaper than the respective 'premium' tyre.

I would be wary of the reviews on tyreviews.co.uk - they seem to be written by those who have bought the tyres which in my mind will lead to people tending to justify their purchase, inflating the perceived quality. Also, on the whole they would not be in a position to make a comparison with other makes. If your German is up to it, try the ADAC site http://www.adac.de/infotestrat/tests/reifen/default.aspx (or use the Google translator), the section under "Winter- und Ganzjahresreifen". This gives a comparison of different makes of particular tyre sizes and should be independent (although this year there has been something of a scandal with the organisation having been guilty of fixing certain awards).