Winter tires/wheels for MS6

[koes]

Hi,
I'm thinking of getting 17" rims and 215/50/17 winter tires for this season. Last winter I drove on stock summer tires and it was hardcore on even light snow (luckily it snowed only couple of times at the end of February/March).
Does anyone have wheels this size? I'm going to get 7x17 ET 53 rims and Dunlop Winter Sport M3's or Michelin Pilot Alpin PA3's. Any thoughts?

 

[CHICO2003]

if I were you, I'd get some ultra high performance all seasons. speaking from experience, snow tires are overkill. unless you're a super aggressive driver, they'll probably be sufficient all year round.

 

[Jon06Speed6]

I would definitely get the snow tires.

Tirerack.com will set you up (burnout)

 

[3+5]

New London Mazda hooked me up with these from Town Fair, Conti Winter Contacts on Pruven 17"'s less than $900.
You maybe don't NEED snows on a MSP6, but with em you'll be the KAING!

 

[koes]

New London Mazda hooked me up with these from Town Fair, Conti Winter Contacts on Pruven 17"'s less than $900.
You maybe don't NEED snows on a MSP6, but with em you'll be the KAING!

What size did you get? I can't see anything on conti-online.com in 215/50/17 just 215/55/17.
I also think about getting all-seasons in 225/45/18 on stock rims (like GY Eagle F1 or Toyo Proxes 4), as my stock tires are almost gone. I hope there will be no problems with rubbing . It is just 9mm (approx. 3/8"), 1.36% bigger wheel diameter. I've read couple of threads about getting 225/45/18, but there is no clear answer - some people have, some people don't have issues with this size. Sticky thread says it should be OK
KAING? You meant KING, didn't you? Yes, you will, but only in snow, on dry/wet surface all-seasons should be better.

 

[CHICO2003]

exactly. how often, if ever, will you actually be driving on snow? that's the thing about snow tires... they're superb in SNOW (hence the name) but mediocre at best on dry. good all seasons will be more than sufficient in light snow... and, for the other 99% of the time, will at least give you some semblance of handling.

I went the snow tire route for my car... while I don't consider it a huge mistake (for various reasons, I've had to drive in actual snow at least a few times) in hindsight, I probably should've went with some good all seasons for the winter months.

 

[3+5]

Mine are 215/50/17. I bought them in January. Yea, I meant the KING (the A was there to give it some twang). Since you were talking about winter tires and wheels I assumed you'd keep sticky summers on the stock rims and so, be the "Kaing".

Went with 17's cause 18" snows are hard to find and expensive. The Contis are reasonably quiet too. In Ct I'll probably run them between December and March.

Going with 225/45's on your stock 18's, you'll be able to see the difference in the way the sidewall bulges. Tire/wheel will be 5mm taller, 10mm wider. That's 2.5mm taller sidewall and they'll stick out 5mm on each side. Instead of being straight, the sidewalls will curve inward from the street to the rim on both sides. On the stock wheels you'll really feel the difference. Every time you corner, the sidewalls will roll. A 5mm shift feels like a LOT. There'll be a delay before it "sets" into the corner. It'll be bouncy like the tires are balloons unless you increase the wheel width as well. Much better to buy good sticky tires that fit the rim than to go wider.

Going with all-weather's, make sure you aren't getting rain tires (type with curved water shedding tread). Although they're great in the summer, the channels that shed water aren't made for grip in snow. They won't be good for snow unless the treads have some lateral stagger (Not directly lined up the long way around the tire).

IMO, spending the extra for rims is well worth it for these cars. The right tires for summer & winter gets the most of the car's potential. If you spent a winter on summers, you just won't believe the difference.

Not to be discounting Chico's opinion , but as was stated, LUCKILY the snow wasn't bad last season. Some years we're driving in 6"+ every month or so.

 

[CHICO2003]

I know last winter was pretty mild... but even during the worst winters, how often are you really driving in/on snow? I mean, the vast majority of people out there are driving on avg all season tires. While snow tires are clearly the safest bet (hell, I've been driving on them the past 3 winters so I know) to me... I think it's overkill. the downside (in terms of loss of handling during dry) is far too great imo. We have performance oriented cars. Putting snows on them for 1/4 of the year basically forces us to (even during the dry, albeit cold, portion of winter) to drive like sallys. next time I'm faced with the choice, I'll take my chances with high perf all seasons. at least with those I can still have a little fun the other 98% of the time there's no snow on the ground.

 

[3+5]

lol, this could go back & forth forever. You got a good point, Chico. But the same argument that we have perf oriented cars holds true in the warmer months, and why would we want to compromise handling 8 months out of the year when we only need the M&S capabilities for 4. I bought the snows knowing I was headed to Mn last winter, where they really earned their keep. I didn't press the car in the cold & dry too much because out there there's always the threat of black ice. Now that I have em though, I'll run them in winter here in Ct. In summer I autocross, and all seasons won't cut the mustard. So Koes gets both ends of the spectrum, the great thing about forum discussion. It depends on your needs & your tire budget.

 

[koes]

That's true, it could be never ending discussion I'm thinking about getting 225/45/18 because there are few models of all-seasons I can choose from, in 215/45/18 I found only Pirelli's PZero Nero M+S, and opinions on tirerack.com are not as good as for Toyo's or GY's. I don't know if I will be able to feel the difference between 225/45 and 215/45, it is just 4.5mm higher profile than stock (9mm diameter). Another thing is that we really need winter/snow tires for 3, max 4 months in CT, but even then highways and main roads are black (clear). BTW: how long did you stock tires last?

 

[dutchbuffalo]

I'm also shopping for winter or all season tires to fit the stock 18" rim and not having much luck, is there anywhere other than tirerack to shop for these tires ? Or if anyone has any suggestions please let me know.

 

[petrashevsky]

I was also reasearching winter tires for my speed 6 as I'm in Toronto and I do need winters - especially for those days while on a skiing trip with a snow storm on the way back.
For the stock 18s I found Bridgestone Blizzaks and Pirelli PSotto - both 215/45/18 and both would run approx $1,000 a set including taxes here and probably about $800 on the tirerack, but that's before duties to bring them to Canada.
Of those two PSottos are getting better reviews mostly for longevity compared to Bridgestones.
I've heard from many different people that going down a size to 17s would give you a better grip in the snow (at the expense of performance in the dry). I did run winter Dunlops on my Mazda 3 in 205/50/17 and they performed just OK.
The problem then is that I have to buy rims and the entire set would be even more expensive than 18 inch tires. Plus 18s would still look better on a car.

Does anyone know where I could get cheap 17 inch rims? I don't care much for the style as long as they are not too ugly.
Thanks

 

[CHICO2003]

lol, this could go back & forth forever. You got a good point, Chico. But the same argument that we have perf oriented cars holds true in the warmer months, and why would we want to compromise handling 8 months out of the year when we only need the M&S capabilities for 4. I bought the snows knowing I was headed to Mn last winter, where they really earned their keep. I didn't press the car in the cold & dry too much because out there there's always the threat of black ice. Now that I have em though, I'll run them in winter here in Ct. In summer I autocross, and all seasons won't cut the mustard. So Koes gets both ends of the spectrum, the great thing about forum discussion. It depends on your needs & your tire budget.

My point was to keep/have summer tires for the warmer months... and, instead of putting on true snow tires for the 3-4 months in which there's a possibility of snow (of which there's maybe 10 or so days in which there actually is snow on the ground) go for all-seasons instead.

I agree, I'd rather have summer tires for the warm months and snow tires for the winter... instead of all seasons all year round. but that's not what I said.

 

[3+5]

Chico - I see now, misunderstood... That would be a good compromise, and snow grip would be almost as good.

My Contis are really very good in the dry, but certainly not as run-on-rails grippy as the stock Potenzas but no complaints. I can feel they're harder compound. Since I actually had the car delivered with them mounted and the summers in the back and trunk, I drove 5 months with them on, then changed to the summers (evidenced by all the green in the background of the winter tire pic) when I returned from Mn in July. They really bite in hard under fluffy and hard packed conditions. I would turn off the DCS to play a lot, and I could toss the car around easily and with full control.

Koes - I have 13,000 miles on my car, most of those are with winters. Maybe 3,000 of them on the summers. No appreciable wear except for one autocross worth, and that was pretty smooth, I'm not a thrasher. The winters still look plenty meaty.

petrashevsky - $1000/set/can - $800/usd for tires alone, that's exactly why I went to 17" for winter. My 17" Pruvens with the Conti's mounted & balanced including tuner lugs were $800 through the dealer. I was informed that I got "The discount", but who knows what that might have been. But why hassle with mounting tires every 6 months when you can change them in the driveway if they're on rims, for the same price? Mark the wheel location when changing them out and you're golden. Mounting & unmounting is not good for the tires & rims at all (sidewall stress, belt slippage and distortion, bead damage, etc,). Some places down here won't do tires that were previously on a rim.

 

[CHICO2003]

Couldn't agree more. As tempting as it might seem (cost savings, stock look remains in tact) you're better off getting yourelf another wheel and having them (your winter tires) permanently mounted. You won't have to pay the $x to have them mounted/balanced every winter (not to mention the hassle) assuming you can do it yourself... and you can. just make sure you spray some lubricant on the rotors after you get the wheel off the first time. My MSP was a b**** and a half (to the 18th power)... until I wised up that is. Maybe your car isn't as bad... But i digress.

Anyway... assuming you take that advice, find out what the min wheel size you can get by with on your car. I'm guessing 16-17"... If you're willing to sacrifice perf/handling for traction in the sh-now... then couple those relatively modest wheel tire combo with the narrowest wheel you can find. (in snow, the less tire the better) this will not only give you the best traction but will also save you a ton of dough. I've got 15" 195's for my MSP. handles like s***... (on the dry) but kicks ass in the snow. it really is astounding how much traction I get with my greendiamond snows.... (which is a place I'd start. really high quality, amazingly low priced snow tires. they've got chunks of diamond in the tread (hence the name) that you can actually see. s***'s crazy)

 

[petrashevsky]

chico - can you please elaborate on the greendiamond tires - what brand is that? And is it that many days in CT when the roads are covered in snow that you are willing to sacrifice that much handling/performance for excellent traction in snow?

And also does anyone know of websites except for tirerack that offer discounted wheels/tires?

thanks

 

[Coldspeed]

http://www.greendiamondtireofutah.com/

I've been researching what to do with my new MS6 during the winter. I've decided to get a set of 225/45-18 Dunlop Winter Sport M3 and run them on the stock wheels. I just bought a set of 18X8 wheels for the summer tires. I read through a lot of the reviews on Tire Rack for the M3's and the combination of dry performance, good wear, snow traction is what I'm looking for.

If you do want to downsize, I know the Rally crowd likes the Nokian Hakkapeliitta tires in the snow. I believe they have crushed walnut shells embedded in the tire for traction.

 

[f11]

I bought 17" wheels and snow tires from the dealer as part of the car purchase deal. I wanted the 17's with a higher profile tire so that I'd have more sidewall buffer for the all-winter-long-bumpy-ice-roads I have to endure here in Edmonton from December to March.

You only need to benefit from snow tires all-round once to realize they're worth it, especially on an AWD-capable car. And I'd definitely get separate winter-wheels for your snows so you don't kill your summer wheels with road salt and hidden curb rash.

Hot Tip - A Toyo tire rep once told our Miata club that you should NEVER leave your summer tires stacked up on the garage floor if your garage reaches freezing levels. The cold permanently changes the compound in your summer wraps that keeps them soft and sticky, and the change isn't reversible. One winter's exposure to a frozen garage floor and your summer stickies are permanent hockey pucks. Get yourself some $17 Canadian Tire "Tote Bags" for your summer wheels and tires (keeps the dirt and gravel under control) and store them somewhere in your basement or other heated area over winter.

 

[CHICO2003]

chico - can you please elaborate on the greendiamond tires - what brand is that? And is it that many days in CT when the roads are covered in snow that you are willing to sacrifice that much handling/performance for excellent traction in snow?

And also does anyone know of websites except for tirerack that offer discounted wheels/tires?

thanks

Hindsight being 20/20... I would have went with high perf all season rubber... there's always deals to be had on used wheels so I probably would've just got some halfway decent 17" wheels and call it a day.

Even still, those green diamonds are superb. they handle better than any snow tire I've ever owned. the customer service is phenomenal as well. last winter, so 3 years after I originally bought them, I noticed a bubble on them. (it was my fault... I stored them wrong) so I called them up ready to buy a new one. instead, they shipped one out to me for free. even covered shipping. in this day and age... who does that???

 

[CHICO2003]

Hot Tip - A Toyo tire rep once told our Miata club that you should NEVER leave your summer tires stacked up on the garage floor if your garage reaches freezing levels. The cold permanently changes the compound in your summer wraps that keeps them soft and sticky, and the change isn't reversible. One winter's exposure to a frozen garage floor and your summer stickies are permanent hockey pucks. Get yourself some $17 Canadian Tire "Tote Bags" for your summer wheels and tires (keeps the dirt and gravel under control) and store them somewhere in your basement or other heated area over winter.

That's an excellent tip. It's also important not to lean them up against the wall (like I eluded to above.) instead, place them on the ground (like a hockey puck) and of course... make sure it's warm enough.