WTB: 5x100 Winter Snow Tires/Wheels

[Jeikun]

I'm looking to spend $300-$400 on a set of winter snow tires and a set of wheels for them.

I'd like to stay away from steelies if possible. Does anyone have a set in 5x100, 17 inches or smaller?

[sperry]

Originally Posted by Jeikun

I'm looking to spend $300-$400 on a set of winter snow tires and a set of wheels for them.

I'd like to stay away from steelies if possible. Does anyone have a set in 5x100, 17 inches or smaller?

I've got some Outback XT 17's. No tires on them, but I do have a set of almost brand new 17" Dunlop Wintersport 3Ds on a set of 5x114.3 STi wheels that would fit on the XT wheels. I think the wheels are 17x7.5+48 and the tires are 245/45/17 (beastly tires!).

Not sure that fits in your budget since the wheels are probably worth ~$200, the tires ~$600 (they're over $800 new), plus there would be mounting/balancing costs. But if you're interested, PM me and we might be able to work something out since I've got too many sets of wheels and tires in my garage right now.

Or if someone else with an STi wants an awesome winter setup, I'm happy to sell the dunlops on the STi BBS's. The (silver) BBS's are a little beat up, but they're round and strong forged wheels.

[Jeikun]

Scott,

Let me look at my finances and get back to you. I guess I'd be willing to go up to ~$600, but that's my upper limit.

I'm looking around on NASIOC to see what they've got available as well. I'd definitely rather by locally though.

[Kevin M]

No way those tires fit on an Impreza, unfortunately. 245/40 would be tough to do with no fender contact.

[sperry]

Originally Posted by Kevin M

No way those tires fit on an Impreza, unfortunately. 245/40 would be tough to do with no fender contact.

They fit on my wrx. It's not like my fenders are pulled.

And now that I think of it, I think MattR ran that size on his STi w/o rolled fenders too at one point, didn't he?

[GusGus91]

My friend is selling a set of 17" rota tarmac 2's for $300obo..

[Kevin M]

Originally Posted by sperry

They fit on my wrx. It's not like my fenders are pulled.

And now that I think of it, I think MattR ran that size on his STi w/o rolled fenders too at one point, didn't he?

The STi struts have more clearance than all the other 5x100 struts do for larger tires (I found that out the hard way when my winter tires required spacers on stock struts when I took off the STi stuff on the FXT). That said, I think I confused myself with all the talk about 18" sizes for Outbacks and Foresters recently. It would be worth test fitting htem at least.

[Jeikun]

Originally Posted by GusGus91

My friend is selling a set of 17" rota tarmac 2's for $300obo..

It doesn't sound like there are tires included with those, yeah?

[cody]

I've got 17X7.5 Rota Torques in gunmetal with narrow summer tires with almost a full summer left on them now that I flipped the tires. One requires an $80 repair from Sierra Wheel Repair as it's got a slight bend (that I drove on for thousands of miles). $350 firm

[GusGus91]

Originally Posted by Jeikun

It doesn't sound like there are tires included with those, yeah?

Correct, no tires included.

[Jeikun]

What I'm thinking I may do at this point is pick up a set of 215/45/17 Blizzaks from costco for $619 out the door on my stock wheels and then pick up a new (to me, most likely) set of wheels when the end of winter comes around unless anyone has a deal that can compete with that... >.>

[Dean]

Which model Blizzak are they offering? You don't want studs, do you?

Local Discount Tire locations will usually match TR or their own web site prices and give you a break on M&B if you tell them you can get it doene at Walmart for <$8ea.

You will probably have more options in a 225/45-17, not a 215.

I have the older version of the Hankook I*Cept Evo W310 and like them alot.

The Michelin X-Ice Xi2 is better, and has a $70 rebate/gift card.

Continental ExtremeWinterContact is also a good option. (225 only)

All will outperform and probably outlast the Blizzaks in our mostly dry winters and be 1/2 decent 3 season tires later.

215:
http://www.discounttiredirect.com/di...sw=true&cs=215
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/TireSe...45&diameter=17

In 225:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/TireSe...45&diameter=17

Test:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/...y.jsp?ttid=135

[Jeikun]

Wow, great research, Dean! Thanks!

They were offering the WS70, I believe.

I'm looking at the X-Ice, ExtremeWinterContact, and the Blizzak WS70s still. I liked the snow/ice performance of the ExtremeWinterContacts, but since Reno stays relatively ice free, I may want some dry performance, like from the X-Ice.

From the spider charts on the test you linked, it shows them all relatively close, but the X-Ice has better wet stopping but the blizzaks have the best dry stopping (by quite a bit at that). Other than that, as far as acceleration and braking distances, they look to be about the same.

I'm fairly convinced that the X-Ice's are the best choice since our roads are more often dry than not, especially since they've got a $70 rebate (in a pre-paid card).

As far as tire sizes go, my OEM size is 215/45R17. Those are the most expensive at $162 ea. Could I go to a bigger size, like 215/55R17 to put the price at $144 ea.?

Originally Posted by Dean

Which model Blizzak are they offering? You don't want studs, do you?

Local Discount Tire locations will usually match TR or their own web site prices and give you a break on M&B if you tell them you can get it doene at Walmart for <$8ea.

You will probably have more options in a 225/45-17, not a 215.

I have the older version of the Hankook I*Cept Evo W310 and like them alot.

The Michelin X-Ice Xi2 is better, and has a $70 rebate/gift card.

Continental ExtremeWinterContact is also a good option. (225 only)

All will outperform and probably outlast the Blizzaks in our mostly dry winters and be 1/2 decent 3 season tires later.

215:
http://www.discounttiredirect.com/di...sw=true&cs=215
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/TireSe...45&diameter=17

In 225:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/TireSe...45&diameter=17

Test:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/...y.jsp?ttid=135

[Dean]

225/45-17 is a better size and why I mentioned it. It is/was stock on the 17" STIs

Misc other reviews/ratings and links to scans, etc...

http://forums.redflagdeals.com/archi...t-1089871.html

[Kevin M]

Definitely 225/45 if given the option.

[sperry]

I've got the WS70s on my outback. I originally bought them for my wife's car but have since decided to run the conti DWS on her car year around, while I'll use the michelin sports in the summer and the blizzaks in the winter.

So far, I much prefer the Dunlop wintersports I've run on other cars in the dry over the ws70s. But the ws70s should be much better in the snow/ice considering they're not sportscar snow tires like the dunlops. I'll let you know after is snows, though my wife loved them on her car last winter. Not sure how that will compare to the other tires mentioned above since over the years the only snows I've used are the wintersport m3/3d and the blizzak lm-22s and now the ws70s.

[Kevin M]

I had a set of WS70s on something, I think it was the Aerostar I had for one winter. Like Scott said, they are mediocre on dry pavement, but they absolutely rock on snow, slush, and especially ice. Unless you're running to Tahoe every weekend to go boarding, I'd stick to a better dry tire like the Dunlops. Currently I'm running the General AltiMaz Arcics on the FXT, and I actually like them a lot. Very cheap, but quiet and nice riding, plus very good ice and snow grip.

[k-dogg39]

Originally Posted by Kevin M

I had a set of WS70s on something, I think it was the Aerostar I had for one winter. Like Scott said, they are mediocre on dry pavement, but they absolutely rock on snow, slush, and especially ice. Unless you're running to Tahoe every weekend to go boarding, I'd stick to a better dry tire like the Dunlops. Currently I'm running the General AltiMaz Arcics on the FXT, and I actually like them a lot. Very cheap, but quiet and nice riding, plus very good ice and snow grip.

Agreed. I had the same experience, but I had WS60's before the 70's came out. They were great in the deep stuff and ice, but wore pretty quickly in the dry. I too am now on the Altimax Arctic's and like them very much. Last year was the first year on them, and they seem just as good in the snow and ice, and a touch better on the dry.

[A1337STI]

For snow tires? I'd go for more sidewall . 225/50 or maybe a 215/50 .

A little bit of extra sidewall may be all you need to not get stuck one day. and a bit more sidewall for those pot holes you can see in the slush and will end up hitting.

summers low pro
Winters hi pro

[Dean]

Heck, if you are not going out in the deep stuff regularly, there are some great M&S all seasons that will last much longer as long as you don't autocross on them.

[Kevin M]

In my experience, performance winter tires last about as long as M&S. I got 30k out of a set of Dunlop M3s one summer, and they weren't even down to the wear bars.

[sperry]

Originally Posted by Kevin M

In my experience, performance winter tires last about as long as M&S. I got 30k out of a set of Dunlop M3s one summer, and they weren't even down to the wear bars.

This.

The wintersports are more like an all season than a snow tire IMO. I ran a set on the SVX for eons, including a whole summer. In fact I just put them back on the car last weekend because they're still on my stock wheels.

[Dean]

I think for the first 4/32 or so go faster on snows than AS. A good AS will also typically have better handling in the dry and wet.

[sperry]

Originally Posted by Dean

I think for the first 4/32 or so go faster on snows than AS. A good AS will also typically have better handling in the dry and wet.

The dry handling of the Dunlops is pretty good though. Much better than the non-sporty snow tires, and easily as good as most all-seasons. But that's why they're "sportscar snow tires" that come in low-profile sizes for Porsches and Vettes. The intent is to have a way to drive your AWD 911 year-around and still have it feel like a 911.

The down-side of course is that the snow/ice performance is compromised... which, on a Subaru and in Reno, isn't a big deal because Subaru's AWD is so capable and Reno really gets very little actual snow/ice on the roads. So, unless you're driving a non-sporty car, or taking lots of trips into the mountains, I would recommend trading ultimate snow/ice performance for something that's better in the dry... which might be a good all-season (which is what I did for my wife's Outback), or if you're running dedicated summer tires you can get by with something like the wintersports which will be even better in the snow than an all-season while still having decent dry performance in the cold (which is what I'll do again once my WS70's are spent).

[Dean]

Researching for Sue, Jake and Doug, in the AS world, right now, I only see 2 real contenders, though there are a ton of runners up:

Best bang for your buck is the Kumho Ecsta 4X at $101/tire (215/45-17) - $50 rebate = $88.5/tire!!! and it should be half decent in the snow.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....n&autoModClar=

The Continental ExtremeContact DWS for $117/tire. I think MattR and others have touted with probably a little better snow and dry performance and slightly longer life than the Kumho.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....n&autoModClar=