Poll: Winter Tires and Rims
 

Please indicate which option you chose, or will choose.

Mine has 205/55/R16 Gislaved NordFrost 5 on black steel rims.

I have a lot of customers buy good looking summer wheels with summer tires, and just use the OEM wheels as winter wheels... I'd say 80% of my customers do that. Not voting though, as I'm in California, don't need to run winter tires :D

215/45/R17 Dunlop Winter Sport M3s on the OEM wheels. They'll be winter-only from here on.

Just picked up a set of 16x6.5 TireRack steelies with 205/55/16 Dunlop SP Winter Sport 3D

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I'm going the same route.

Put on my 17x7 Kosei K4R and 215/45R-17 X-Ice Xi2 rims/tires yesterday. Some comments:

• As expected, steering feel is diminished significantly.
• I like how easy it is for winter tires to break loose on the dry. If they had better steering feel, I'd just run them all the time. Yes, you read that correctly (I must be the only FT86 owner that thinks the Primacy HPs have too much grip on the street).
• I went with 17s for a few reasons:
  1. To hopefully minimize degradation of steering feel (these will be on 5 months/year). I think it helped as the steering isn't nearly as dead as it was in my MX5 with X-Ice Xi2 tires on 14" rims (vs the 15" rims I ran with Summer tires).
  2. At 14 pounds, these rims are lighter than most 16" rims (and they weren't much more expensive).
  3. Flexibility. Next year I might put my Summer tires on the Kosei K4Rs instead (the package came mounted and balanced, so for at least this winter I'll run with the nice rims).
• I installed TPMS sensors, but haven't programmed the car yet (I plan to pick up the ATEQ tool at some point). So far my light hasn't come on (after 30 miles).
• I'm running 36 PSI all around.

http://www.ft86club.com/forums/attac...0&d=1352773499

Those are nice rims. They go well with the car.

I mounted 205/50/17 Pirelli Sottozero Series II (v rated!) on my OEM rims.

dunlop winter sport 3D 205/55/16 on these http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/Wheel...um=W29031501BR

hopefully going on the car thursday or friday this week

Michelin X-Ice2 225/45/17 on 05 Legacy GT 17x7 +55
Fairly sunk in all around but they look decent and I got 'em free from my friend. Tirerack had a deal on the x-ice2s and the 225/45 is the best size I could find for the 17s.
Also, no TMPS. Just going to ignore the light for a few months.

Smallest picture in the world.
http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphoto...18414564_n.jpg

Blizzak WS70 ftw

That is a bad-ass name for a snow tire. GISLAVED NORDFROST! Sounds like a villain that Thor might battle.

Tire rack 16" steelies with Blizzack tires.

Tirerack 16" steelies with X-Ice 2's.

Changes the ride and feel noticeably with the softer rubber. MPG's don't appear to have changed. Grip in the dry hasn't been a problem. Not enough cold and wet to comment.

OEM wheels with Nexen Winguard Sport 205/50/17.

Had Dunlop Wintersport 3Ds on my BRZ last week (from my WRX, 225/45/17) but two of them developed bubbles. Rather than replace two ($286 each!), I just swapped all four.

Based on my less than 24 hour experience with the Nexens in the dry..

http://gifrific.com/wp-content/uploa...evelopment.gif

Hopefully they'll redeem themselves in the snow.

I thought they sounded badass as well when I first got them (had them on my old 2011 GTI last season). Not just a badass name either, they are badass winter tires too!

WS70 on 16" Turd Alloys waiting until last minute to install.
No TPMS.

OEM wheels with 225/45r17 Pirelli Sottozero's, they handle better than stock tires lol.

Curious, are your Scottozero's flat or regular and are they series 1 or 2?

I was thinking those tires (non-flat in either series of 1 or 2) would be a great for the BRZ/FRS.

I picked up some used Blizzak LM70s with plenty of tread left on Craigslist for dirt cheap and had them mounted on some 17" Alloys I had left over from another car.

http://i1152.photobucket.com/albums/...ps95eafb38.jpg

How are they working for you?

It's not easy fitting four rims in the trunk. It wasn't like the diagrams with four neatly fitted. I could only fit one in the trunk. Then I stacked two kind of in the middle under the rear window and the fourth jammed up forward against the passenger seat pushed all the way forward.

Well snow only stuck around for about a day, but what driving I did on them seemed pretty good. I've used snow tires on many cars including other RWD, and I personally think they're a must for winter driving.

I favor Blizzaks and Continental Extream Winter Contacts.

They are the series ii regular ones V rated. They are a lot of fun in the dry, in the snow they are decent.

I bough a set of 205/55/16 Continental Winter Contacts with steel wheels from TireRack. I had a set of wheels/tires liberated by the local wheel freedom fighters last year, so I'll be keeping the stocks for summer use (seriously, who the heck steals 11 year old rotas?).

No TPMS sensors. I'll deal with the light for a couple of months. I should be able to make it through.

-Justin

People will steal anything these days just to make a quick buck. Or deck out their lowered accord with cut springs and some new rims.

I ended up keeping my rims and putting Blizzaks on them. I plan to get some nice rims come summer :D

What does this mean? That you knowingly bought stolen property?

The way I interpreted it, he had wheels stolen off of his car...I could be wrong.

Do'h. My bad.

I just received my Michelin X-Ice Xi3's on steelies from TireRack. Sadly, I didn't have time to put them on the car before today's mini-storm. Oh well.

Nah. My wife went out to find her xB sitting on blocks last year. I still search craigslist to see if they turn up.

-Justin

i can just feel your frustration with that!
you tellin' me this happens outside "lawrence?"
who da thunk!..lot of "busy" people out there!
just sayin'

I put 205/55/16 Dunlop Winter Sport 3D snow tires on 16" Sport Edition wheels. Wanted something that was a performance/sport winter tire because of all the dry pavement driving I do up and down 128.

http://i.imgur.com/KASWq.jpg

Had them come from Tire Rack with TPMS installed too, but I didn't get my ATEQ Quickset until this week. No more warning light now!

Picked up used TireRack Steelies with 205/55/16 Dunlop Wintersport 3Ds off a guy who had them for 1.5 seasons on hIs 2010 WRX. His buddy wrapped the car around a pole taking it for a test drive so he bought a Jeep. Sunk in as hell but worth the $400 seeing how great of shape they were in.

Currently testing experimental clonable TPMS sensors for work (I work in product development for a manufacturer.) Using a clonable sensor will prevent the need to relearn each time so the car never knows I switched wheels. I love getting free TPMS :)

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I just put on Goodyear Ultra Grip Ice WRTs on Scion FR-S wheels yesterday. All is well so far - the ride, handling, and tire noise are better than I expected. TPMS light came on after about 30 miles. I have my OEMs in the garage a few feet away from the car, so if that trick works (I can't see how) I'll let you know.

Per the suggestion of another forum member, I bought LightDims blackout stickers. One sticker perfectly blocks the TPMS light.

Report #1: Drove home from work with the TPMS light on. The car was parked next to the sensors for a couple of hours before I went out. When I started it, the TPMS light was out! Drove about 7 miles, out for 2+ hours, drove the return trip home and the TPMS light is still out. Still not convinced this is going to be the long term scenario because I don't understand how this system works.

Not to pick on you or your industry, but what is the holdup on delivering this tech to customers? I started looking into cloneable TPMS around 2010 for my old Altima, and Schrader had some info on their website about their concept cloneable sensors. Two years later and I have not seen any significant adoption of what seems to be a really good idea. Is it just that getting devices approved for automotive use is a huge PITA?