Hey guys. Well, that lovely $600 has arrived into my bank account. Anyway, I have done most of what I want for my car, except, I need to get winter tires.

Now I'm struggling with the following decision. And honestly, I would like to see what you guys would do/have done.

Scenario:
Stock rims + Winter tires
New rims + stock tires (I still got plenty of tread left)
The rims I'm looking at are http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/Wheel...All&sort=Price

Also with that, is it better to get the 18x7.5 fitment or 18x8? Does it matter much at all?

The tires, I just need a good opinion on. Should I wait til winter rolls around to buy the tires? Should I take advantage of the Pirelli Snowsport tires for $139? Are these tires good enough for getting around safely on ice/snow? Sometimes in KS we just get piled on with a couple inches of ice, and this past winter i felt like I created my own rollercoaster that is my RX-8, except there was no track, haha.

Next winter i need to be able to get around using my baby, so I would spend a little more on better tires unless those are good enough by themselves.

Thanks ahead of time. BTW, any opinions on the rims is appreciated.

 

New rims with winters. Get some 17" and save on tires. Save the chrome for the summer set as the winters will be covered in crap most of the time anyway.

The general consensus is that narrower is better for snow traction. I'm not certain I agree with this as 750lbs (per corner) spread over over 20 sq. in. versus 15 sq. in. is probably not going to make much of a difference when it probably requires several thousand pounds over the same surface area to eliminate the boundary layer of snow. IMHO, you aren't going to be "cutting through" several inches of snow/ice to get to dry pavement just because you went from a tire that is 9.8" wide (245mm) to a tire that is 8.5" wide (215mm). I would go with whatever wheel (and consequently, tire) width you like. But I'm just some dude on the Internet, so take my opinions with a grain of salt.

Pretty much any snow tire is going to blow any summer tire out of the water when it's snowing. If you knowingly use your OEM Dunlops or Bridgestones next winter I'll personally nominate you for a Darwin Award. I think Consumer Reports had a snow tire comparison last year or the year before. You may want to look it up (at your library or with an online subscription).

 

Haha. I loved the Darwin award comment. And yes sir, I would be deserving. I had driven a Chrysler Cirrus before, and never really experienced a RWD car, let alone with summer tires in winter. I always thought people were wimps in snow.

Lets say I was like a wounded dog in learning my lesson last year. My favorite memories include pulling out of the garage, and not able to get back in the garage, haha.

 

You'd be wrong to think that it doesn't make a difference. I'm not going to elaborate on this as there's plenty of evidence out there and I dont have the time.

In terms of the OP original question, get a set of 17 inch wheels + narrow tires (i.e 215). You'll save money on the tires and the rims and you'll be much safer.

Avoid "performance" winter tires if you are living in an area with alot of snow/ice. They sacrifice traction and grip for a compound that can withstand a higher speed rating. Are you really going to be going even close to 99mph in the winter?

WS-60's or Michelin X-ice are two great tires, I have a set of WS-60s on my rx-8 and a set of michelin x-ices on my awd saab and they perform great.

 

That may be what I end up having to do. I may have to make the decision on if I should keep my stock rims as my summer wheels then, or try and sell them. Man these decisions for my 8 never get any easier.

Edit: I read somewhere that changing between different size wheels can make your speedometer and whatnot inaccurate. Is this true?

 

It's the overall height of your wheel + tire combo that can make the speedo inaccurate. Here's a link to a calculator that will tell you how far off different tire sizes will be:

http://www.1010tires.com/tiresizecalculator.asp

If you are sticking with 18", the width of the wheel shouldn't make a difference unless you are stretching a stock tire over a much wider wheel in which case the overall height may be off because the sidewall is at an angle.

 

When you drop down a size in rim size, you'll be increasing the sidewall, so overall the diameter will be pretty much the same, you're talking about differences of <2% so it shouldn't be much of a concern at all.

 

Thanks hippak. I actually used the previous posters link to a calculator after seeing how a 17" rim and Blizzak WS-60's would work, and it was actually like .2% difference. So when I am going 60MPH, I'm actually going 60.2MPH, oh noes. haha

Anyway, is NOW the best time to buy a winter wheel and tire package, or are the prices the same/better/worse closer to Winter?

 

There is usually rebates or incentives offered come winter time.

Your best bet is to only buy now if there is a closeout offer from tirerack.com. If not, i'd just wait and see what offers come up closer to winter.

Goodluck

 

I'll add a vote for the Blizzak WS-60's. Rode with them through winter here north of Toronto (one of the longest, coldest, snowiest winters on record) and had zero complaints of their ability to handle snow, ice and slush.

They are definitely soft and squishy in springtime when the roads dry out, but I would say that purchasing a performance winter tire for those transitional weeks while sacrificing some of the pure winter handling would be a bad choice if you live in an area that gets any kind of decent snowfall.

 

OK I think I am going to at the very least get some decent 17" rims with the Blizzak WS-60's. The price of the tires is nice alone, and the cost of the rims isnt nuts either. What rims/brands should I stay away from, if any?