Winter Tires

[Got Turbo?]

So whats the verdict. When you all putting them on?

[Aaron Smith]

Soon. Hopefully some suggestions from the group will help.

On my 2000 VR6, I had Dunlop Sport SP A2 all-seasons, which did pretty well in winter (195/65R15) with the ASR. My GLI has the Michelin Pilot MXM4's (225/45R17) which blow in the conditions I've seen thus far! (Let alone a foot of snow!)

I'm thinking another set of SP A2's on 16" rubber for the winter. Calgary is too temperate (relative to my Saskatchewan upbringing, anyway) for winter rubber IMHO. Sooo....

1) are 16" steel wheels available? Is this a call to the dealership, or are generic ones okay. I'm pretty sure I have the 5x100mm diameter bolt pattern, right?

2) in order to avoid a speedo recalibration, I'm forced to 205/55R16, right?

Thanks all.

Aaron

EDIT: Answered my own question: there is less than 0.5% difference in circumference between 195/65R15, 205/55R16, and 225/45R17 tires. No speedo work required!

[Brian Cale]

I made the switch on Sunday which was good timing as I woke up to 10cm of snow on Monday morning

[MrHeavyFoot]

[quote]Originally posted by Brian Cale:
I made the switch on Sunday which was good timing as I woke up to 10cm of snow on Monday morning

---

Guess what I was doing at 7:30 Monday morning. Turns out the roads really weren't that bad, but given the current tread condition (or lack thereof) on the Kumho's, it was probably a wise decision.

[Pat]

I did mine close to two weeks ago!! I separated a tire on my summers so I said "ah screw it" and threw on the winters haha. I got some great michelin pilot alpins!

[Chris]

Aaron, if you don't mind keeping your monte carlo's on for the winter, I recommend getting Michelin Pilot Alpins to throw on them (225/45/17). That's what I have on mine and they are great! I actually prefer them to my all season's that came with the car, that as you mentioned, suck plain and simple. In addition to great traction, they ride really nicely too.

[Aaron Smith]

Thanks for the tip, Chris. I appreciate it!

I'm not sure what I want to do. I've narrowed tire selection down to two: the Alpins as you've recommended, and the Dunlop SP Wintersport A2. As I mentioned above, I've had good luck with Dunlop thus far.

Pilot Alpin (Tirerack.com)
Dunlop SP Wintersport M2 (Tirerack.com)

The only thing keeping me from throwing the Alpins on my MC's is that I don't want to put them into a curb. $600/ea to replace is a little steep for me! I've done it to a previous car (admittedly, without winter tires on) so I'm a little gunshy. Cost wise, it's pretty much a wash to buy 16" steelies and rubber or 17" rubber put on my MC's, as far as I can tell.

Where did you buy your Alpins?

[Aaron Smith]

Just for everyone's information:

Prices from Tirerack.com. All in $USD - too lazy to convert.

• Michelin Pilot Alpin
• 15" - $105, 16" - $117, 17" - $151
• Dunlop SP Wintersport A2
• 15" - $79, 16" - $99, 17" - $142

A

[Chris]

I got my tires from Tirecraft on MacLeod Trail (by Hooter's and the always pleasant Back Alley). After all was said and done (mounting, balancing, tire tax) the tab came to $1165.00 for the Alpins - ridiculous I know. I wasn't that impressed with the service there though, so now I take any tire-related business to KalTire on 42st. As far as I know, good 17" winter tires are all around the same price ($250/tire), but like I said, I've been really happy with my choice. Concerning the issue with curbing your wheels, I guess there isn't anything you can do about that other than be careful, but the Alpins are quite a bit more rugged than the standard Pilots on our cars, so they'd probably take blows with more panache. If you want to take a look at how they fit on our rims, I'll be at the meet on Saturday so you can check them out then.

[alien]

Seen this quote from www.performance-shop.com:

Kumho KW-15 performance winters - 205 55 16's:
CAD $138.00/tire inc. GST

WINTER TIRE SPECIAL ON BRIDGESTONE BLIZZAK MZ-01
Example price 225-55-16 perfect for Mustangs.
CAD $127.00/tire inc. GST

205/70/15:
$115.00/tire inc. GST for BFG Slaloms
$131.00/tire inc. GST for Michelin Alpins
$117.00/tire inc. GST for Toyo G-O2's $110.00/tire inc. GST for Pirelli Winter Ice
$129.00/tire inc. GST for Bridgestone winterbiters

[Simon]

Chris, did you get 17" winter tires??!?

If so, wouldn't it be cheaper to buy 15" steelies AND 15" rubber, and then ahve a better grip because its a smaller tire?

[Chris]

Yeah I got 17" winters. I suppose that it is ideal to have a higher profile, narrower tire for winter driving, but my dad had got 17" Alpins for his car and raved about them, so I decided to give them a shot too. Whether or not 15"ers on steel rims would be better, I'm not sure - but I'm really pleased with the way my tires perform.