Hey guys,



Looking for some help with rims and tires for the winter for my GC. I would much rather have a separate set to change out than going to have the tires changed every winter. Can you guys recommend any wheel choices and/or any good choices for winter tires? I have looked at some stuff on tirerack, but I wasn't sure of any other sites people may have used. Not looking to break the bank here so the wheels don't have to be expensive, but I do see the tires are probably going to be. And its not a big deal if the wheels aren't the most attractive hehe just as long as they are functional. Any help is really appreciated

 

question 1: budget

question 2: where do you live and do they allow studded tires



best of the best?



Nokian Hakka 8's studded with the smallest wheel that will fit over your brakes in the narrowest tire that will safely operate your vehicle







they are f*cking pricey though.



my favorite midranged is the hankook ipike- they are studdable





firestone winterforces are good too although i like the ipike better





i HATE the blizzak. way to pricey for what it is and is not any better than the tires i just posted. i dont understand why they are recommended so much.



as for wheels, as i said before, get the smallest wheel that clears the brakes cuz they are typically cheaper and the tires run cheaper as well. some steelies work great for winter tires. expect your tire light to be on all winter with another set of wheels since they wont have the tire sensors in em.

 

I do a lot of mountain driving for work, so I tend to keep my winter tires on from Oct to end of March. That said, I decided to get some decent looking rims that I would enjoy when the weather sucked. 5 months of seeing my car in steelies would just plain suck.



Like Faith said, all depends on your budget. I actually prefer the Cooper studdable winter tires then the iPikes that I'm running now. The iPikes are good and on par for a mid level snow. Plenty aggressive enough for Colorado winters. I have ran both and can aptly say the coopers were the better tire.



Best combo is exactly what faith said.



But, I'm rocking some bronze drag rims from DT, 17x8s with ipikes. Love how they handle AND how they look!

 

I have iPike on my RD2 and the Forester. I liked how they performed in the Forester last winter, so this year I bought a set for my RD2.

 

Thanks Guys! I don't really have a budget persay, but I'd like to stay under $1000 if possible. I don't think I can used studded, I'm not actually sure though. I live in NJ to answer question #2 up there. Earlier this year was my first time in the snow with my GC and it was not the most fun. I only got stuck once trying to turn around by my fiancee's house but that's because I was sitting on solid ice. Other than that I just had to be careful with my driving, but I'd like to have something to keep me on the road. Any other recommendations as far as wheels go?

 

When I ordered my Continental ExtremeWinterContacts they were around $450. Protip: Shop around for the absolute Cheapest price for TIRES ALONE then go to Tirebarn/Discount Tire and tell them that's what you can get them installed and aligned at XXXX can you match it, more likely than not they will.

I didn't get the same price because I found Dealership wholesale prices which was the same price Tire barn orders them at so they would be losing money to pay the techs to install them. If you want me to find prices I could try to use the dealerships login, no promises though I don't work at the dealership anymore.



These were my first set of snow tires and I absolutely love them. I've never driven with Studded tires so I cannot compare to them, and the Continentals aren't Studdable.



Also I went up a profile size so I'm running 195/60/15s

 

New Jersey



Studded tires are permitted November 15 to April 1.



http://drivinglaws.aaa.com/laws/studded-tires/

 

Psh



Steelies are aesthetic

 

plastidip the whole car, steelies with caddy hubcaps



ratrod gencoupe lol