As a new owner of an MS3 for my daily driver, and living in a snow belt, I need to get some help with winter wheels and tires. Will 16" steelies fit around the disc breaks or will I need to go to a larger wheel? Any good suggestions for wheel/tire combinations...I have used lower range Blizzaks on my wifes RAV4 and my old Matrix but I am wondering if I should spring for a higher quality winter tire considering the MS3 performance. Any input is appreciated....thanks.
Winter wheel questions-I know...sacriligeous!
- Thread starter Weedly
- Start date
It is only higher performance if you drive it that way. It can be as slow as my neighbors scooter if I drive it that way too.
So get a decent winter tire on some steelies and have at it. If you like the blizzaks, then get those.
As for driving the car in the snow/winter being sacrilegious...blah! I laugh at these people that think this thing is a Ferrari that can only come out in nice weather. It's a damn Mazda! lol
16s are the smallest we can go
Good point, especially about it being only a Mazda! The car actually does quite well in the snow with the right tires.
I had a cheap set of Cooper studded tires for winter and they worked awesome. The studs increased road noise a lot but were amzing for biting into the ice on take off and stopping.
I am trying a studless winter tire this year as I do a lot of highway driving and the stud changed the handling characteristics of the car a bit too much for my liking.
Nliiitend1
Member
I don't currently live where there's snow, but I did live in Chicago the winter that I bought the car so I bought a set of 17x7 et44 Ford Fusion alloys and a set of 215/50R17 Dunlop Wintersport M3 tires.
I decided I'd go with a more "performance-oriented" winter tire than I had in the past on my less powerful Focuses, and I ended up being very pleased with my decision...
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I decided I'd go with a more "performance-oriented" winter tire than I had in the past on my less powerful Focuses, and I ended up being very pleased with my decision...
You can go with 16s from TireRack. I got a set from them last fall with a set of cheap Revo snow tires that they were blowing out. Pay attention to the offset and width of the steelies you go with. The ones I got from TireRack were 16", +55 ET and 6.5" wide - it's a tight fit but I haven't had any problems with them.
6
60181
Blizzak LM-25's on mine and she handles amazingly well and makes driving on dry roads a good time too. They feel like All Season Performance tires they handle so nicely. I run 205/50/17's.
C
cymx5
It's not sacrilegious to run snow tires...but it is sacrilegious to run OZ Racing wheels in snow/ice/salt OMG!
I don't currently live where there's snow, but I did live in Chicago the winter that I bought the car so I bought a set of 17x7 et44 Ford Fusion alloys and a set of 215/50R17 Dunlop Wintersport M3 tires.
I decided I'd go with a more "performance-oriented" winter tire than I had in the past on my less powerful Focuses, and I ended up being very pleased with my decision...
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did u get TPMS for those ford rims too?
Silver Ecstasy
Member
- :
- 11 MS3 Sport
I run Dunlop Wintersport M3 215/50/17 on 17" MB "Gear" wheels. I like the dry weather performance but wasn't as impressed in deep snow compared to past experience with Blizzak WS-50's.
Nliiitend1
Member
No. I solved that issue with a strategically-placed strip of black electrical tape.
Of course the deep snow performance is not going to be as good as a WS-50, but IMO it's better to use a slightly more performance-oriented winter tire with this car for the added benefit of high-speed stability that you don't get so much with the WS-50 (or even a WS-60). With the LSD and traction control, I never had any problems in the Chicago-area winter using the Wintersport M3s.
I agree with where you're going here. If your area doesn't get a ton of deep snow or ice you probably could get by with a performance winter tire.
I found this interesting too.
That said, I am totally lost like the OP here. I need to figure something out pretty quick. I'd like to find an affordable solution but it's tough piecing together seperate rims, tires, then taking them to the tire shop. I'd rather get it all from tirerack, but I know I'll have to pay to play.
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires...6QR6AMAXA&vehicleSearch=true&fromCompare1=yes
I got these last fall on steelies from tirerack. I am very impressed with the preformance and I did go through a lot of snow. very good price.
I got these last fall on steelies from tirerack. I am very impressed with the preformance and I did go through a lot of snow. very good price.
Silver Ecstasy
Member
- :
- 11 MS3 Sport
Everyone says the studless snow and ice tires are horrendous on our cars and wear out fast due to the aggressive suspension. I'd say gauge your local weather and how your winters are. We hardly get dumped on in winter anymore like we used so, so the performance tires were a good compromise.
Im not everyone then lol. I cant even see any wear from last season (these things have alot of tread). Ive driven through 6 -10 inches of snow multiple times without ever having traction issues or feeling out of controll. For me living in the southern part of the lake erie snow belt and being a short commuter these are great. If you only see a few inches of snow rarely just get some all season tires. (bike)
LOL @ aggressive suspension.
it is not always about actual snow/ice... it is about low temperature when summer rubber is hard as ****.
will be running 205/60/16
Winter tires
I have run my winters (WS-60's) between 7 and 10,000 miles (I would have to pull my logs to be 100% sure on the exact mileage) and they still look very new. I figure I'll get atleast 4-5 total winters out of them as I already have 1.5 on them winters so far.
Snow tires were never meant to be run in warmer weather, on dry roads, and run hard (hard corners, quick accelleration/braking). Running them hard on dry roads will quickly wear them out. Running them in warmer weather will wear them out. Extremely soft compound = grips better in slippery conditions.
As long as you have a good alignment and drive intelligently, you should be good for several seasons.
I have run my winters (WS-60's) between 7 and 10,000 miles (I would have to pull my logs to be 100% sure on the exact mileage) and they still look very new. I figure I'll get atleast 4-5 total winters out of them as I already have 1.5 on them winters so far.
Snow tires were never meant to be run in warmer weather, on dry roads, and run hard (hard corners, quick accelleration/braking). Running them hard on dry roads will quickly wear them out. Running them in warmer weather will wear them out. Extremely soft compound = grips better in slippery conditions.
As long as you have a good alignment and drive intelligently, you should be good for several seasons.
Metro Gray
Member
Has anyone run 16" steel wheels without the TPMS? If yes, does it only cause the light on the dash to come on or are there other problems associated with wheels that don't have sensors on them?
FYI.....Tirerack has a great deal on Blizzak's mounted on 16" steel wheels for $580.00.
FYI.....Tirerack has a great deal on Blizzak's mounted on 16" steel wheels for $580.00.
