Blizzak's on OEM wheels

[creina1221]

Today I bought the Blizzaks for the factory wheels. They are expensive but on dry road, they seem fine, I just hope they're worth the bucks when the snow comes. I got stock on the Potenza's last years in the snow and that was scary to say the least
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I know it would've been more cost effective just to by a rim/tire combo for the winter rather than buying these tires for the OEM rims, but my summer wheels are off and these are on, and for snow tires, they really don't look bad, plus it would've been hard justifying having a second set of wheels laying around in the off season.

Anyone else put the snows on the OEM wheels last year? How did they work for you?

 

[strytnyne]

>.> dont stock potenzas become useless under 36o's?

 

[ChrisG]

I put LM22's on my OEM wheels last Saturday. It snowed very lightly here on Tuesday, so my timing worked out pretty well. I, too, am curious as to how they will fare in heavy stuff.

I intend to spend the winter finding another set of wheels for the summer tires.

 

[redspeed3tk]

they worked great for me last year i have them on the stock wheels they are nice ya can speed in nice weather and they grip really well in icy deep snow just keep out of boost ha

 

[di81977]

I put LM22's on my OEM wheels last Saturday. It snowed very lightly here on Tuesday, so my timing worked out pretty well. I, too, am curious as to how they will fare in heavy stuff.

I intend to spend the winter finding another set of wheels for the summer tires.

Ditto here. Put the LM-22's on last week. Weather in the Denver area has been very warm, waiting on the snow to see how they will do.

 

[skubidoobie]

Had some rain here a week ago and it was in the upper 30's and my potenzas sucked! And why put snow tires on 18's? Cheaper to get a set of 16" wheels and tires, plus more tire less and wheel is ideal for winter conditions.

 

[ChrisG]

And why put snow tires on 18's? Cheaper to get a set of 16" wheels and tires, plus more tire less and wheel is ideal for winter conditions.

Reasons I put the winters on my stock 18's: 1) Here in NJ, heavy snow is not guaranteed, but is certainly possible, and temps begin dipping down around freezing by the beginning of November. So I need to run my winter setup for about 5 months. I'd rather keep as much of the car's capability as possible intact when there isn't any snow on the ground, so a 17 or 18 inch setup is preferable. 2) Along the same lines, I'd rather not look at 16" steelies every winter for 5 months. 3) I intend to buy another set of wheels for my summer tires anyway, this isn't that outrageously cost-ineffective.

 

[davegutz]

Like the Bridgestone Blizzaks on MS3

I bought the MS Rays Wheel upgrades for the summer tires and used the OEM snowflake wheel for Blizzaks. We had a very snowy winter last year and felt more secure on those 4 snow tires than any other setup I've had on any other car. I pulled out of some seriously nasty unplowed lots in New Hampshire without hardly a slip. Secure on ice too. Lug down that big engine slightly and you can roll along like a tank.

Admittedly expensive way to go buying the Rays wheels for summer tires but worth it to me to have a nice looking car with winter tires on the OEM wheels in a place where you have to wear the tires for much of the year. And I could also justify extra set of wheels to avoid remounting charges at the change of seasons.

 

[Flightmedic]

I prefer to spend the extra hundred bucks and not have to put little steel wheels on my car for 6 months out of the year

 

[skubidoobie]

Extra $100? 6 months of snow? Dude you have some bad math skills....

 

[Flightmedic]

Extra $100? 6 months of snow? Dude you have some bad math skills....

Really? It is about $25 dollars cheaper per tire to down grade from an 18" inch winter tire to a 17" winter tire so lets bust out the crazy math skills for this one shall we? My car has 4 tires soooo 4x25=? if you aren't slow like skubidoobie that would equal about $100 dollars in my book...

And as far as the season most people I know leave the winter tires on until the temps break out of the low 40's which is where summer performance tires start to loose traction. Around here that's November to April about 6 months. Yeah you're right my math sucks...

 

[skubidoobie]

I prefer to spend the extra hundred bucks and not have to put little steel wheels on my car for 6 months out of the year

Really? It is about $25 dollars cheaper per tire to down grade from an 18" inch winter tire to a 17" winter tire so lets bust out the crazy math skills for this one shall we? My car has 4 tires soooo 4x25=? if you aren't slow like skubidoobie that would equal about $100 dollars in my book...

And as far as the season most people I know leave the winter tires on until the temps break out of the low 40's which is where summer performance tires start to loose traction. Around here that's November to April about 6 months. Yeah you're right my math sucks...

Well lets see, first you start off my saying little steel wheels, which I got snow tires for $67 each for my little 16" steel wheels. Oh wait, now you changed your mind to 17" wheels to try to make your math skills look better, I have yet to find 17" steel wheels. As far as 6 months of winter, I live in Western MA and do a lot of driving in Connecticut as well, Litchfield, Bantam, Morris, Terryville area, not well plowed big cities. Maybe in the most extremes of years you need snow tires for 6 months.

 

[60181]

I prefer to spend the extra hundred bucks and not have to put little steel wheels on my car for 6 months out of the year

I agree....it's not worth cheaping out on wheels and tires. Here in OH we usually put snows on in Nov and pull them off in March and for five months of the year, I'll be damn if I'm going to drive around on Steelies. Hell, you can get half-way decent looking wheels for $100ea.

Tire wise, I went to 17" for style, cost and performance reasons. Don't cheap out on rubber either. As the saying goes, Everything is riding on your tires....and winter is the time you really don't want to comprise traction and quality.

Just my two cents.

 

[CamelFilters]

and winter is the time you really don't want to comprise traction and quality.

.

I agree.
I live in canada and i had no problems with last year's winter.
when my blizzaks wear out i will definately buy again or i can also look at the michellin X-ice Xi2.

 

[Gmac03]

I just put Xice's on a set of ms6 rims for my ms3. They are garbage! For a little more I could of put the blizzaks on there. Or for a lot less I could of put the Goodyear performance winters on there.

I haven't had enough snow to give the Xice's a rating there, but i've had plenty of dry pavement over the last two weeks and I honestly have to do some heavily focused driving with these things on. I've never seen a car get so squirrelly so quickly with this set of snows.

Bottom line: I don't recommend the Xice's.

Gmac

 

[SCCA_MS3]

Winter Tires for OEM Wheels

Other than the Blizzaks, any recomendations for winter tires for OEM Wheels? I was looking at the potenza's but no one seems happy with them and reviews suck. I have found its hard to find 215/45/R18 in all seasons.

 

[chief_wiggum]

I'm running Goodyear Eagle F1 All Seasons (225/40-18) on a spare set of stock rims. I've put about 800 miles on them so far. For a ultra high performance all season, they grip very well in the dry and pretty good in the wet. No snow yet, but we rarely get a lot of snow...and if we do, I'll stay home.

Overall I'm pleased with them.

 

[Wisconsin Proud]

Even in Wisconsin, the winter season is not six months. Rarely do we have snow before thanksgiving and the weather breaks in late March early April. At most, 4.5 months of winter driving.

 

[chief_wiggum]

I'm running Goodyear Eagle F1 All Seasons (225/40-18) on a spare set of stock rims. I've put about 800 miles on them so far. For a ultra high performance all season, they grip very well in the dry and pretty good in the wet. No snow yet, but we rarely get a lot of snow...and if we do, I'll stay home.

Overall I'm pleased with them.

Well, since we've resurrected this post; an update: F1 all seasons are alright in snow up to about 3.5-4 inches; anything more, forget it. They're also loud and with the lower profile, they ride noticeably stiffer (though they did not too bad in autocross for a high performance all season tire). I won't buy this tire again in this size for the stockers; i'll try something different.

 

[Gmac03]

I have a set of Michelin Xice's on MS6 wheels. They do great in the winter, snow and ice, not so hot on dry roads or above about 45 degs. But that's expected on snow tires. If I had to buy again and money isn't an issue, then I would go with the best snow tire I've ever had to date which is a Nokian Hakkapaletta RSi.

Gmac