should I use winter rims??

[Buckpostie]

Hi, I live in Regina, have a new 2008.5 M3 Gt Limited, stock 17" wheels. Should I replace them this winter with winter rims. snow tires are agiven out here. How do the alloy rims do in snow, salt etc????

thanx.

[mleblond]

depends on how much you value your rims? I would suggest steelies any day for winter or keep your stockies and get after market rims for next summer. The important thing really is the winter tires :)

[DumpInfo]

If they give out winter rims use them. Kinda beats the purpose of having them. Don't put your stock rims at risk of bubbling cause it occurs with time.

Good point MLeBlond stated, get winter tires!

[monstar]

i prefer to have a separate set of steel rims for the winter months. you don't worry as much about damaging your rims and stuff. but it's your choice.

[monstar]

oh, plus if you get a set of 16", tires would be cheaper than getting a set of 17". just my two cents.

[shootemup]

Winter rims make the most sense. I used to hate changing over tires on stock rims during the seasons (used to work at Crappy Tire). Makes no economical sense either... if you think about it, a rim runs you about $50. Well, to change over one tire and balance, you are looking at about $15. Sure the original price tag is higher, but in the end, it only takes 2 years (4 change overs) to exceed that cost. Not only that, you reduce the risk of some yahoo damaging your rims when they use the machines to take off and install the tires.

[Cardinal Fang]

+1 for Winter rims. They pay for themselves.

[Mazda3X2]

+1 for Winter rims. They pay for themselves.


+2

I make sure to give my steelies a good cleaning and wipe down with Krown every spring when I take them off. Spray them off thoughout the winter. Been on every winter for 4 winters now and the wheels actually still look very close to new. No joke. No rust and just a few scratches.

[shootemup]

Oh and another good point about using winter rims...

If you accidently slid into a curb (Winters bring an increase risk of this), it is a lot cheaper to replace a $50 rim over a $400 rim (est.) rim.

[cwp_sedan]

Winter tires will definitely make a difference.

[MSMitch]

Winter rims and obviously, tires - the cost of swapping them twice a season will end up being more after a couple of years as opposed to investing in the winter rims today!
I used to live in Saskatoon, and for some reaosn, not many people get winter tires, but MAN it gets icy there (not to mention the 50 below days). Get 'em, you won't be sorry!

[whiteomega]

i used my stock alloys for one winter and they were pretty badly beaten after that. Lots of salt chips and the like on mine. The next winter I switched to steelies and winter tyres and haven't looked back since.

[CamelFilters]

I use regular steel rims for winter.

I bought them from canadian tire for $50 bucks a piece on sale for the 17 inch ones.

I then went to the dealer and bought 4 bridgestone blizzaks and had them install and balance them.

good luck

[Olestra]

How do the alloy rims do in snow, salt etc????

The stock alloy rims do terribly in the winter. I made the mistake of using winter tires on my stock rims thinking I didn't want to go with ugly black steel rims.
After 6-9 months, my stock rims were already bubbling and peeling with corrosion showing on the inside of the rim.

I put up with it for 2 years and finally got the rims replaced under warranty. It really made my car look crappy with it's peeled rims.
It's much better now with new rims but this winter I'm going to crappy tire to get some steelies.
Also, go with 16", they are cheaper and you won't notice any difference.

[p-o-g-i]

Well, in my case I already have a set of summer wheels so I just plan on putting winter tires (which I already have in my garage) on a set of 16" OEM wheels that I acquired in another deal on the boards here. I'll just paint them and call it a day. They're going to be my winter set, so do I really care if they get stone chipped :) As for teh color, I was thinking of doing something different (not your typical balck, white, bronze, gold, gunmetal, etc.)......... guess you'll have to wait and see..... :pop

[kaval]

Winter rims, winter rims, winter rims!

The clearcoat's life on your stock rims will be decreased significantly!

[Noisy Crow]

The other think about winter rims is you can go with a different size tire. My winter rims are 16" which means I have a taller sidewall on my winter tires. Provides a bit more protection against potholes, curbs, etc. Even though the RIMS are just steelies, I have a fair investment in my tires!

Plus winter rubber just sticks better in cold temps.



As for teh color, I was thinking of doing something different (not your typical balck, white, bronze, gold, gunmetal, etc.)......... guess you'll have to wait and see..... :pop

How about salt-coloured? Or, you could do each spoke a different colour: red, yellow, purple.... then we could start a rim-abuse thread! :gone

[bj21]

ok - i'm going to chime in with a different opinion

just my take - but life is short in general....

that being said - i dont want to run 4 months out of the year (that is 1/3rd of the year) on steel rims...that's just my opinion....and being in Sask you may even have them on for more than 4 months

i have bought 2 sets of almost new snowflakes (mint shape) for less than $400/set - one on Kijiji and one here so it can be done for a reasonable price and am running them with Hankook ice bears...sure you are buying 17" snows instead of 16" but the entire setup cost me $1000/set installed and balanced

just my .02

bj21

[p-o-g-i]

.....

How about salt-coloured? Or, you could do each spoke a different colour: red, yellow, purple.... then we could start a rim-abuse thread! :gone

My last set of winter rims I used (which was on a previous car) I painted orange. They were OEM multi- spoke EL rims.

To each his own, but I liked them :)

Not sure yet what color to paint these OEM rims, but I have a few colors in mind :)

[mazdathree]

winter tires are a must as it makes a hell lot of a difference when driving in the snow. As far as the rims are concerned its personal preference. If you dont want your stock alloys to get stained or suffer from corrosion due to road salt then get yourself steel rims.

I have my winter tires on steel rims as I wanted to protect my alloys and drive safer during winter months.

Hope this helps.

[Wild Weasel]

Not only that, but in the long run it's cheaper to use steel wheels, especially when you can get a smaller size.

Between the savings from not having to swap tires on the wheels twice a year, and the savings of getting 16" winter tires instead of 17" tires, you should easily make up the $200 or so cost of steel wheels over the 3 or 4 years you use the tires, and then you're laughing when it comes time to buy the next set.

[mazdathree]

Not only that, but in the long run it's cheaper to use steel wheels, especially when you can get a smaller size.

Between the savings from not having to swap tires on the wheels twice a year, and the savings of getting 16" winter tires instead of 17" tires, you should easily make up the $200 or so cost of steel wheels over the 3 or 4 years you use the tires, and then you're laughing when it comes time to buy the next set.

+1

[loganm3]

I'll chime in with my usual rant about protecting the brakes....since they are expensive and the 3 has disk brakes all around.

With steel rims you get 3 benifits, the first two have already been mentioned.
Cost to replace when hitting a curb/pothole/baby in the road
Smaller rims means cheaper tires

and My point..... Protection of the brakes. See steelies cover the brake components better than any stock rim and reduce the amount of road grime that gets in there, thus giving added protection. Steelies pay for themselves in 1 winter! And winter tires pay for themselves after the first snowfall.

The other benifit of steelies is you can buy cool spinner hubcaps and be a baller when heading out to the clubs!

[ICEBOX]

winter tires are a must as it makes a hell lot of a difference when driving in the snow. As far as the rims are concerned its personal preference. If you dont want your stock alloys to get stained or suffer from corrosion due to road salt then get yourself steel rims.

I have my winter tires on steel rims as I wanted to protect my alloys and drive safer during winter months.

Hope this helps.


I have been doing this since I started driving and snows are the best investment one can make for a car.

[Go_Habs_Go]

they passed a law here in Quebec this year where you are required by law to drive on winter tires as of December.

Mind you I've always put on winter tires on all my cars (the snow in Montreal can be insane!) and I always use steel rims for the winter tires.

I definitely would NOT use mags in the winter they will get ruined!!

[x_o_k_x]

using aluminum rims in the winter may cause heck of a lot of damage if you hit a curb. Including struts, control arm.. I you use steelies, the impact will damage (bent) the rim only. Cheaper to fix

[mazdathree]

they passed a law here in Quebec this year where you are required by law to drive on winter tires as of December.

Mind you I've always put on winter tires on all my cars (the snow in Montreal can be insane!) and I always use steel rims for the winter tires.

I definitely would NOT use mags in the winter they will get ruined!!

Its good they passed a law for winter tires as mandatory...they should do the same in ontario as well!

[Go_Habs_Go]

Its good they passed a law for winter tires as mandatory...they should do the same in ontario as well!

yeah it makes sense though a study showed that about 80% of Quebec drivers already use winter tires anyway but it makes the roads that much safer if the other 20% are using them too.

Also the provincial gov't figures they'll make more cash off the provincial sales tax on each tire sale not to mention the 3.50$ 'tire tax' that they add on top of that...sheesh, what a tax grab! :complain

[stefm3]

Oh and another good point about using winter rims...

If you accidently slid into a curb (Winters bring an increase risk of this), it is a lot cheaper to replace a $50 rim over a $400 rim (est.) rim.

I put my winter rims on early one year and within days I hit a major pothole and bent the rim! Rims are a lot cheaper than mags!

[kevcol74]

using aluminum rims in the winter may cause heck of a lot of damage if you hit a curb. Including struts, control arm.. I you use steelies, the impact will damage (bent) the rim only. Cheaper to fix

Not true, all depends on how hard you hit whatever. I tagged the barrier on the 401 years ago (car merging on spun across 3 lanes out of the service center, avoided him but the slush pulled me into the barrier). Steel rims on a sweet Ford Tempo! Bent the rim, but also did some damage to the suspension, namely inner and outer tie rods and the sleeve.
A bent steel rim or a bent and cracked aluminum... both need to be replaced, just cheaper to replace steel.

[jaimie08mazda3]

i would. especially if you have the toyo proxes. those things are shit in the winter *excuse my language* spend the extra 600 bucks and save your alloys and get tires that are well worth it.

[quality control]

Winter tires and rims. I decided that last year I wansn't going to drive that much so I kept the stockers, well I wasn't worried about bubbling or anything as I keep my car clean, but the problem lies with snow and ice forming in your spokes, causing balancing issues that really could damage your ride, also to mention the damage to brake components if ice were to smash up against them.

I was told that winter rims keep the snow out. A bigger sidewall is prefered as it makes the tire softer so it handles and grips better in snow and slush but shines on those icy days.

[Go_Habs_Go]

yup I'm definitely getting winter tires and steel rims for my ride. I've done it on all my other cars and it's really worth it. Don't see how I could drive in Montreal in the winter without them

Anyway I'm trying to decide between Bridgestone Blizzak's or General Tire Altimax Arctic's. I know it sounds like the General Tire doesn't even belong in the same discussion as Blizzak's but I read some really good things about them so I am seriously considering them.

[Fezuki]

If you are planning to pick up or already have aftermarket rims for the summer, I'd say just use the stock rims for the winter.

[bunchi]

so when's everybody switching to their winter setup???

[Go_Habs_Go]

I gotta buy my tires and rims first LOL!

But I'm thinking of putting on the winter tires around the end of November, not earlier than that.

Anyway Quebec passed a law this year where you have to put on winter tires and the deadline is Dec 15th. However I think it was pushed to Dec 15th this year since it's the first year the law is in place and it will give people time to adapt. Otherwise starting next year the date will be Nov 15th.

[mazdathree]

Im switching mine 2nd or 3rd week of November. Thats the time I usually switch every year.

Winter Tires (mid Nov to mid April - 5 months)
All Season Tires (mid April to mid Nov - 7 months)

[stefm3]

yup I'm definitely getting winter tires and steel rims for my ride. I've done it on all my other cars and it's really worth it. Don't see how I could drive in Montreal in the winter without them

Anyway I'm trying to decide between Bridgestone Blizzak's or General Tire Altimax Arctic's. I know it sounds like the General Tire doesn't even belong in the same discussion as Blizzak's but I read some really good things about them so I am seriously considering them.

I ordered the Blizzaks as well...

[jaimie08mazda3]

why is it in montreal you have to have snow tires. wierd thing is if you live in canada you should have winter tires. all seasons dont do anything

[stefm3]

why is it in montreal you have to have snow tires. wierd thing is if you live in canada you should have winter tires. all seasons dont do anything

You could probably get away with all season tires in Vancouver.

[mazdathree]

You could probably get away with all season tires in Vancouver.

+1
Vancouver does not get much snow so thats probably why all season would do the job there.

[jaimie08mazda3]

yea but as you alll know in ontario those do not cut it. at all

[wluu]

damn canadian winters... spend so much money on this stuff...

[mazdas3sporte]

after the temperture dips below a certain degree the all seasons dont perform as well, and this applys to the cheap winter tires as well.

[FlashEngineer]

I would stick with a forged wheel or a decent aluminum wheel. Why downgrade to a crappy steelie when you don't use it in summer?

[jaimie08mazda3]

because its the winter, your car looks like crap anyhow right.

[FlashEngineer]

Not about looks, it's about structural integrity. Those cheap ass steel wheels are low quality, usually manufactuered in bulk probably in China or India. QA on those aren't great and the wheel isn't usually quite balanced or circular. Driving a sporty/higher performance car while using crap wheels, regardless if it's winter or not, doesn't seem too smart... When you're driving that 250+ HP car with forged rims or just regular alloy rims, they can take the abuse from the torque transferred, compared to steels which even 1 small pot hole can dent it easily.

[kevcol74]

I'm pretty sure you aren't putting that 250 HP to the ground in the snow, and if you are driving the your car like that on winter tires, using its full potential on soft winter rubber, then you need to give you head a shake! :bang


If you are concerned about looks, get aluminum. If you are concerned about worst case replacement cost, get steel. To each his own.

Personally I have steelies for my 3, and aluminum winter rims on my Escape. Reason? Price, thats it. I don't show either cars, they are for transportation, why do I really care what my car looks like in the snow and salt? I care about safety and saving $$. Just my 2 cents...

[phoenix_bladen]

if you plan to sup up your car and you are planning to get better rims for your car

keep your 17inch set and use them for the winter time as snow tires

you wouldn't care if the 17inch gets screwed up in the winter time because you have a real set for the summer

and it will look way better in the winter time

but if you're not

then get steelies

cause if your steelies rust who cares?

[condor888000]

Yeah, but then you're paying for 17" tires instead of 16"s or 15"s.

Looking at 1010 Tires, if you go for the Dunlop 3D thats a difference of $40 and $14 a tire respectively.

If you go with the Hankook Icebears you're looking at $5 and $34 difference respectively.

With Michelin X-Ice the difference is $25 and $30.

That adds up quick when you're buying 4 at a pop. And the salt will eat away at the finish of your alloys which may be an issue if you try and sell the car with them on.


damn canadian winters... spend so much money on this stuff...

But our summers end up lasting longer, so it doesn't really matter.

[phoenix_bladen]

not if i'm getting a used set

:)

i'm planning to scoup up marangoni metro hp from allen's friend for 400 and 85% tread left.

and i don't mind paying a lil bit more for something that will look way better

you don't buy winter tires every year lol and this set will probably last me at least 5-6 years!

[condor888000]

At 85%? Wow....you must not drive your car.

Remember too, the tires are softer than summers/all seasons and should wear faster.

[phoenix_bladen]

lol sorry

my mistake!

well the set i sold was driven 1 winter

and the set i'm gonna buy has 85% tread left driving 1 winter by a lady.

so i guess it's ok!

[stefm3]

If you go with the Hankook Icebears you're looking at $5 and $34 difference respectively.



I had icebears last winter and will never buy those tires again. Consumer reports rated them a 2 out of 5.

[condor888000]

I know, I was just grabbing tires to find the difference in price.

[CamelFilters]

i'm using bridgestone blizzaks right now, but it seems i'm going through them pretty fast.
Only had them for one winter season and it looks like i may need to change next year.
Michellin just came up with a new product called the X-ice Xi2.
it looks good on paper and i'd like to knwo what you guys think or maybe i should stick with bridgestone blizzaks.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Michelin&tireModel=X-Ice+Xi2

[fairleymac]

most definately go get winter tires... i bought pretty much the cheapest tire/rim combo i could find (at consumers tire in markham) and the difference was night and day (especially for those with a GT on 17s)...

my personal experience is that the difference between a name-brand (aka expensive) winter tire and just any old winter tire isn't that big. so unless you do A LOT of winter driving, or live in the snowbelt (barrie, etc) dont waste your money on "top-of-the-line". the big difference is just in the rubber composition, which is what makes them "winter" tires.

one advisory warning though, make sure to talk to someone who knows what they are doing, so you get the right tire/rim combo that match each other and your car... you dont want to drive around all winter on tires that have the wrong outer circumference, etc..