Cheap winter alloy rims

[pastuch]

Originally Posted by MTD

Not saying they would look good, but just that they would fit. Im not a fan of steelies either, but a simple alloy wheel from another Toyo or Suby might be a better option for some people.

I cant even put steelies on my car because of the Brembos.

My bad....

Just finished reading a bunch of reviews on the Michelin Primacy Alpin PA3 vs Bridgestone LM-60. Consumer reports actually recommends the Michelin X-ICE2 over both of them. I've seen mixed reviews on all. Quite a few people also suggest the General Altimax Arctic too.

[MTD]

Ive had great luck with the Hankook w409 tires. Used them on my Si and my Genesis and they have been great. Probably the most popular tire with my fellow Gen owners. They are affordable too, but more of a dedicated snow tire then one made for wet roads or small amounts of snow.

[Sport-Tech]

Originally Posted by pastuch

Just finished reading a bunch of reviews on the Michelin Primacy Alpin PA3 vs Bridgestone LM-60. Consumer reports actually recommends the Michelin X-ICE2 over both of them. I've seen mixed reviews on all. Quite a few people also suggest the General Altimax Arctic too.

From what I've read so far I can understand why, the X-ICE2 is more of a mainstream tire - quieter, smoother; the Primacy more of a performance tire - handling/cornering power are its focus. CU is mainstream, going to favour the former.
Tire Rack does some objective testing - have to check that out yet.

EDIT: Tire Rack already has the FR-S in their database. (Should make it easier to find rims as well.) They come up with 3 performance winter options: the Primacy Alpin PA3, Bridgestone Blizzack LM-60, and Pirelli Winter Sottozero Serie II. First 2 rated very well in PMC winter tire evaluation 2011.

[Sport-Tech]

Might have found the ideal tire - check out this review of the upcoming X-ICE 3 coming in July.
http://www.beyond.ca/michelin-x-ice-...ews/12491.html

There is an autos123 review out there as well.

[Klinn]

Originally Posted by pastuch

I plan on using the stock 17s for my winters and put some Enkeis on in the summer (After I wear out the stock Prius tires)

If you've got the room, store the original tires until you eventually sell the car. In a cool dark basement, away from sources of ozone (furnace electric motor), they'll last many years without cracking or otherwise going bad (unless you expect to keep the car for 10 years or more ;-)

I've done that with several cars so I get to enjoy the tires I want right away, and the next buyer gets whatever compromise the manufacturer supplied originally.

[pastuch]

Originally Posted by MTD

Ive had great luck with the Hankook w409 tires. Used them on my Si and my Genesis and they have been great. Probably the most popular tire with my fellow Gen owners. They are affordable too, but more of a dedicated snow tire then one made for wet roads or small amounts of snow.

I've heard good things about them too but they are hard to find and I don't know if thy come in 215/45-17

[Sasquachulator]

Originally Posted by Scion FR-S

Might have found the ideal tire - check out this review of the upcoming X-ICE 3 coming in July.
http://www.beyond.ca/michelin-x-ice-...ews/12491.html

There is an autos123 review out there as well.

I ponder the reasoning for changing out the competitor tires for each test condition.....shouldnt they just keep using the same ones for each test?

And i dont mean same ones as in same tire for all tests (although that would probably be most ideal) but the same brand/model tires used in one test should be used in all the others.

doesnt take away the capabilities of the XI3, but it wonder if what they did made the tires look better than they actually are.

[pastuch]

Originally Posted by Klinn

If you've got the room, store the original tires until you eventually sell the car. In a cool dark basement, away from sources of ozone (furnace electric motor), they'll last many years without cracking or otherwise going bad (unless you expect to keep the car for 10 years or more ;-)

I've done that with several cars so I get to enjoy the tires I want right away, and the next buyer gets whatever compromise the manufacturer supplied originally.

This is a great idea, but I want to drive the car on the Prius tires for the rest of this year anyway to see how it handles stock. Then I'll either sell them or store them in my basement.

$70 rebate right now in Canada on all Michelins so you could get the Michelin Primacy Alpin PA3 for under $1000 after tax and rebate. Though I'm probably going to wait for the XIce3.

Summer tires I was thinking Hankook Ventus R-S3 or V12 EVO on 18 inch Enkei Raijin. (That should be around $2000 I think).

[Klinn]

Originally Posted by pastuch

Summer tires I was thinking Hankook Ventus R-S3 or V12 EVO on 18 inch Enkei Raijin. (That should be around $2000 I think).

Those Enkei's look very nice. I will probably go with the Kumho XS for summer.

I'm using them on my current summer toy and have been quite happy with how they performed in their second year. When I tried the Dunlop Star Specs, they were great the first year but the performance seemed to drop off the next summer. I've also had good experience with the Yoko Neova AD07 but they weren't quite as sticky as the Star Spec/Kumho XS/Hankook RS3 class of tires. Not sure if the AD08's are stickier than the old AD07's.

BTW, since you're in Ottawa, you should check out the Motorsport Club of Ottawa's autocross or solo2 series. It's a blast, much more fun than you can ever experience on the street. Solo2 is intended as grassroots entry-level events and we try to keep things casual and fun, not rules-bound and hyper-competitive.

MCO normally puts on the events at ScotiaBank Place. Unfortunately this means we can't firm up the schedule until the Sens lose and the place becomes available for our use. The latest news will appear in MCO's Autocross forum here: http://www.mco.org/phpbb/ and background info about Solo2 can be found here: http://www.mco.org/cms/index.php?opt...d=12&Itemid=15

Even if you're not sure about joining in the fun and competing, come on out and spectate. I'd be happy to give you a ride so you can see what it's like.

[MTD]

Originally Posted by pastuch

I've heard good things about them too but they are hard to find and I don't know if thy come in 215/45-17

Hard to find because they are popular. They do come in that size along with 205/50/17 and 205/55/16, both would be very good alternatives to the OEM sizes.

Even a cheapo winter will perform better then an all-season in the winter. Ive had the high end Michelin and Continental tires in the past and yeah, they were great tires, but for the small amount of snow we get these days, I dont think Id personally spend all the cash on them again. The Hankooks for example are much cheaper then the Michelin tires and they perform just as good under most circumstances.

Having driven my RWD Genesis for the past few winters, a good set of winter tires is a MUST. But, driving cautiously, keeping your distance and paying attention to all the idiots on the road is just as important.

Oh, RWD in the snow is tons of fun too.

[Sport-Tech]

Originally Posted by Sasquachulator

I ponder the reasoning for changing out the competitor tires for each test condition.....shouldnt they just keep using the same ones for each test?

And i dont mean same ones as in same tire for all tests (although that would probably be most ideal) but the same brand/model tires used in one test should be used in all the others.

doesnt take away the capabilities of the XI3, but it wonder if what they did made the tires look better than they actually are.

Exactly - I had the same suspicions as I read it, as a researcher I've seen many of the tricks that can be pulled by unscrupulous groups to produce the results they favour out of an apparently "objective" test scenario.