mookiebarras
Member
205/50/16
barely fit, but no problems. clearance is good all around.
the ride is great on the bumps. defintely going to go 17's in the spring with more rubber.
New wheels/tires on your MS3? - Post Here!
- Thread starter jcrystal
- Start date
205/50/16
barely fit, but no problems. clearance is good all around.
the ride is great on the bumps. defintely going to go 17's in the spring with more rubber.
Help me understand......
I'm new here...I have a 96' 626, which I plan to swap out for MS3, maybe MS6, but deffinately leaning towards the MS3 after test driving both back to back last week. Even with the great discounts on MS6, the MS3 just seems like the better all around machine IMO. Anyway onto my question for you veterans......Is there some reason why an owner can't just buy a set of winter tires and have them put on the stock rims each winter and then remove them in the spring? Do you really need to get a new set of rims? Also, I'm assuming folks are getting steel rims to save $$. Dealer has rim (ugly alloys)/tire package (Blizzaks) for $1100 for MS6. Any answers, comments much appreciated.....I live in MN BTW so winter tire is a must. Thanks!
I'm new here...I have a 96' 626, which I plan to swap out for MS3, maybe MS6, but deffinately leaning towards the MS3 after test driving both back to back last week. Even with the great discounts on MS6, the MS3 just seems like the better all around machine IMO. Anyway onto my question for you veterans......Is there some reason why an owner can't just buy a set of winter tires and have them put on the stock rims each winter and then remove them in the spring? Do you really need to get a new set of rims? Also, I'm assuming folks are getting steel rims to save $$. Dealer has rim (ugly alloys)/tire package (Blizzaks) for $1100 for MS6. Any answers, comments much appreciated.....I live in MN BTW so winter tire is a must. Thanks!
slammie said:
Winter tires in smaller wheel sizes perform better, and are cheaper. Plus 18s can get beat up easily.
If you look at prices, a dedicated winter tire in a 215/45/18 will run between $150-200. Whereas a 205/60/16 winter tire ranges from $65-110.
If you buy a 16in tire, you can pretty much buy a set of steel wheels or some cheap cast wheels to mount them on for $150-200 a corner.
If you go to tirerack, you can get a set of 16in steel wheels and tires for around $450 mounted/balanced + shipping. Or you can get a good quality snow tire and some alloy wheels for ~$750 + shipping.
If you go with a stock sized snow tire, you will spend >$600 on the tires and still have to have them mounted and balanced. Then next spring, you will have to pay the mounting and balancing costs again. So it just makes more sense to mount your winter tires on a a dedicated rim.
17" good compromise
Personally, I think going down to 16" with high profile tires will really spoil your fun for 6 months of the year. It won't handle nearly as well as the stock 18's, and you'll miss that for the 80% of the time the winter roads are clear. I went with 205/50x17 high performance snows for that reason....
shark77 said:
Personally, I think going down to 16" with high profile tires will really spoil your fun for 6 months of the year. It won't handle nearly as well as the stock 18's, and you'll miss that for the 80% of the time the winter roads are clear. I went with 205/50x17 high performance snows for that reason....
jcrystal said:
Good option too. I was trying to highlight the financial differences, and a 16in setup showed a greater difference. But I agree, a 17in setup is a perfect compromise for snow/dry weather.
Although, I went with a 16in setup. 215/55/16 Kumho ASX's mounted on Kosei K1 Racing wheels.
My reasons:
Relatively lightweight wheel/tire combo (won't help for snow, but it will make it more responsive)
Kumho ASX's worked well on my last car. For an A/S they are great in the dry and decent on snow.
The whole thing was mounted and shipped for ~$800. Plus I like the way K1 Racing wheels look and they are being discontinued.
Look into as many alternative options you can think of, evaluate the prices, weigh the pros and cons, and then pull the trigger.
mookiebarras
Member
jcrystal said:
the 16" wheels actually give a way better ride. more rubber = better on bumps and rough roads.
its not the size of the tire, its the compound of the rubber that gives you grip. larger rims with lower profile tires just give a better look.
i am done with low profile tires. bent way too many rims, over that.
i will be getting some 17's in the spring with a bit more rubber. the stock tires dont have enough rubber for my liking. can get the same performance from a high profile tire in 17".
I went with 16-inch Sport Edition D4's with 205/60/16 Blizzak Revo's from TireRack - total package was about $807 shipped to my door. The combination of snow tires and higher profile make driving MUCH less fun on dry pavement, but it helped alot this morning during the first morning rush hour with snow and ice on the roads. It is a tradeoff I'm willing to make for safety in the winter.
Sorry about the poor quality of photos.
Sorry about the poor quality of photos.
RPI-Speed3
Member
- :
- 2007 Mazdaspeed 3, 2004 Mazda RX-8
I currently have 225/45/18 Dunlop Wintersport M3s mounted on stock RX-8 rims which are 18x8 +50mm offset. This will be my 4th winter on these tires (3 previous winters with these tires on my RX-8) and they perform phenomenally. I stayed with 18 inch snow tires for the following reasons:
1. I wanted to keep the stock tire/wheel size when I bought them (I was driving my RX-8 in the winter at the time)
2. I wanted to keep the stock handling feel of the car.
3. I got a smoking deal on these @ $135 per tire at the time.
I live in the Boston area. Most of the time here there isn't standing snow on the primary or secondary roads. Usually it snows here and within a week or two its melted. If I lived somewhere that caused me to drive through standing snow more often, I would go down to 17s or 16s and get a more aggressive snow tire. The Dunlops have good snow performance and good dry road handling characteristics.
1. I wanted to keep the stock tire/wheel size when I bought them (I was driving my RX-8 in the winter at the time)
2. I wanted to keep the stock handling feel of the car.
3. I got a smoking deal on these @ $135 per tire at the time.
I live in the Boston area. Most of the time here there isn't standing snow on the primary or secondary roads. Usually it snows here and within a week or two its melted. If I lived somewhere that caused me to drive through standing snow more often, I would go down to 17s or 16s and get a more aggressive snow tire. The Dunlops have good snow performance and good dry road handling characteristics.
Attachments
18's for winter!!! from my eclipse, I put on some Kumho 225 40 18 Asx's seems like they do well in the snow and ice so far, CANT EXCEL FOR CRAP THOUGH!!! Dry or snow 
I was doin some snow testing in an old mall parking lot and the Dsc seems to do a pretty good job from this thing losin control... They fit great and look pretty good though, so for the winter I couldnt be happier!!!
I was doin some snow testing in an old mall parking lot and the Dsc seems to do a pretty good job from this thing losin control... They fit great and look pretty good though, so for the winter I couldnt be happier!!!
Glad to see some people are actually using 18's for winter --RPI-Speed3 + Voice Koil-- and having reaonable traction/performance in the wet stuff. In MN, the snow tires can be on the car for 5-6 months so I'd really like to stick with 18's since they look a whole lot better and conceivably will maintain the handling characterisitcs of the car on dry pavement. For most of the winter I'm driving on dry pavement anyway because the roads are pre-treated and sanded/salted to death.
MightyMouse
Member
MM3Canuck said:TireRack does not ship to Canada
Thanks
Yes they do, I have had tires shipped directly to my house several times.
Mazdaspeed 3 - new Fusion rims / Kumo ECSTA's
Hey I found a set of New Ford Fusion 17x7" rims on Ebay for $250 (local pickup too). These have a 43mm offset and they fit perfectly. I got the Kumo ECSTA's 215xr50x17 and they handle great. The ride is a little softer than the stock setup. I haven't tried them in snow yet, but the stock tires were like iceskates, so these should be way better than stock. I got the Kumo's for $390 delivered from Tirerack. So I have $650 in the whole setup. Here's a pic:
I think they look better than steelies and for $250 the rims cost about the same. If anybody wants a set the guy has more - PM me.
Hey I found a set of New Ford Fusion 17x7" rims on Ebay for $250 (local pickup too). These have a 43mm offset and they fit perfectly. I got the Kumo ECSTA's 215xr50x17 and they handle great. The ride is a little softer than the stock setup. I haven't tried them in snow yet, but the stock tires were like iceskates, so these should be way better than stock. I got the Kumo's for $390 delivered from Tirerack. So I have $650 in the whole setup. Here's a pic:
I think they look better than steelies and for $250 the rims cost about the same. If anybody wants a set the guy has more - PM me.
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Snows.
Where did you get the steel rims?
Where did you get the steel rims?
205/50/16
barely fit, but no problems. clearance is good all around.
the ride is great on the bumps. defintely going to go 17's in the spring with more rubber.
