Winter tires on stock 17\...good idea or not?

[///M]

After some more consideration I\'m thinking of skipping the steelies and mounting winter tires onto my stock rims, and getting a set of Volk GramLights 57C in spring 05. That way, I don\'t have to bother with selling my stock rims after when I get my new rims, and I\'ll save the money needed to buy steelis. Alloys look better than steelies anyway. :p

Are 17\" winter tires significantly more expensive than 16\", and how do they compare in terms of grip? Also, will the stock tires fit on 17x7.5 inch rims? I don\'t want to buy new tires before they\'re worn out, and selling is a hassle.

[MajesticBlueNTO]

Originally posted by autoexe


After some more consideration I\'m thinking of skipping the steelies and mounting winter tires onto my stock rims, and getting a set of Volk GramLights 57C in spring 05. That way, I don\'t have to bother with selling my stock rims after when I get my new rims, and I\'ll save the money needed to buy steelis. Alloys look better than steelies anyway. :p

Are 17\" winter tires significantly more expensive than 16\", and how do they compare in terms of grip? Also, will the stock tires fit on 17x7.5 inch rims? I don\'t want to buy new tires before they\'re worn out, and selling is a hassle.

Specs for the Goodyear RS-A (http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Spec.jsp?make=Goodyear&model=Eagle+RS-A&vehicleSearch=true&fromCompare1=yes&partnum=05VR 7RSA)

205/50/17 rim width range is 5.5\" to 7.5\" so you should be good.

205/50/17 winter tires are anywhere from $40 to $90 more than 205/55/16 tires. which begs the question, are you really saving by skipping the 16\" steelies when the extra cost per tire in the 17\" size are anywhere from the cost, to double the cost, of 16\" steelies?!

[Xenon]

There are 2 main reasons why I don\'t want to drive my car with the rims in the winter:

1) Ice, Snow and Salt will eventually corrode the rim

2) if you decide to get snow tires, Putting tires on and taking them off at the beginning and end of winter risks damaging the rim (scratches and stuff). Also the weights that balance your tire will need to be moved every time you change tires, again increasing the likelyhood of damage and/or scratching.

[bluntman]

Originally posted by autoexe


After some more consideration I\'m thinking of skipping the steelies and mounting winter tires onto my stock rims, and getting a set of Volk GramLights 57C in spring 05. That way, I don\'t have to bother with selling my stock rims after when I get my new rims, and I\'ll save the money needed to buy steelis. Alloys look better than steelies anyway. :p

Are 17\" winter tires significantly more expensive than 16\", and how do they compare in terms of grip? Also, will the stock tires fit on 17x7.5 inch rims? I don\'t want to buy new tires before they\'re worn out, and selling is a hassle.

I\'m in the same boat as you as I will be mounting a set of 17\" Kumho KW17 winter tires on my stock rims. Unfortunately, anytime you pick a tire that is over 16\" in diameter, it is deemed, industry wide, as performance/niche market tire, therefore you\'ll end up to paying a \"premium\" for the larger diameter tire. That\'s also the reason why there is larger variety of 16\" (and smaller) winter tires available on the market than 17\" and larger.

Are you wanting to install the stock Goodyear tires on your wider GramLights? The 205 tires will not fit/not recommended to be installed on anything larger than a 7\" wide rim...at least that\'s what it says on the sidewall of my Yokohama summer tires.

[DriverEd]

Another thing to consider is winter traction. A 50 series profile will have significantly stiffer sidewalls than a 55 series profile. While a stiffer sidewall is desirable for cornering performance, it will actually compromise your winter traction (that is why winter tires are hardly ever better than an H speed rating - softer sidewalls = better grip in snow). Also, the wider 17\" tires are more likely to sit on top of the snow, rather than cutting into it.

So, although it may be more cost effective over buying new steelies, it might mean that you\'re spending $400-$600 for winter tires that may only be marginally better than the all-seasons you have now.