Decent winter wheel/tire combo?

[dano285]

I'm looking at wheels and tires for my 2010 MS3 for winter. Something about Blizzaks on 18's just seems weird so I was thinking of getting 17's.

Anyone have a combo they can recommend? I don't want to spend more than $150/wheel, if I beat them up I don't want to cry. Michigan winters with the salt can really wreck a set of wheels in no time. I would prefer silver rims and non-multi spoke (10+) for ease of cleaning.

Found these linked in another thread here, these would be close to what I am looking for in style:

http://www.discounttiredirect.com/d...2009&pc=73139&counter=1&wd=17&rw=7&vid=015311

This is my first car with TPMS too. Anything else necessary when getting different rims?

Any input/feedback is appreciated. I have never purchased winter tires before and am still quite a newbie to the Mazda scene.

 

[skatethesea]

If you are looking to just get something safer, dont worry about getting nice wheels. Aside from probably sliding once and a while and getting curb rash. The salt will mess up your wheels also. So just suck it up and get some cheap wheels. The tires on the other hand are what you need to look at. Try some Hankook or Yokohama winter tires. But if you go to tirerack.com, they have full reviews of every tire they sell and its really helpful. Hope this helps you a little bit though there was no real info in it.

 

[mntbiker2008]

i too was just looking at how much I need to save up for a tire/wheel winter combo. I was concerned about the TPMS as well. How do you avoid any problems with this? This too, is my first car with TPMS

 

[ibrewalot]

I got 4 Mastercraft Glacier Grip II (205/55R16) snows installed yesterday on steel wheels (16x6.5) for $629. Living in the Northeast, winter is pothole season and I didn't want to dent up alloy wheels, but I already miss the look of my factory wheels. We'll see how they handle in snow, but they fit with no problem and are not loud at all. I opted out of using the TPMS for winter...just have to deal with the little yellow light until Spring, but it doesn't hurt anything.

C'mon SUMMERTIME!!!

 

[dano285]

I went balls to the walls and got some MB Wheels Seven X 17x7's (listed in my original post), and tossed on Michelin X-Ice Xi2's (215/50/17) with TPMS sensors.

It cost a pretty penny, but I didn't think I'd be able to tolerate ugly steel rims for months, and I definitely couldn't tolerate a dash light being on. I have a good friend at Belle Tire who hooked me up, so I did save quite a bit as well.

For anyone considering winter tires, Michelin has a $70 rebate on a set of 4 winter tires up until the 15th of this month.

 

[CTt3P5]

^^^^My wife is running the same wheels albeit in a 16x7 on her 3i with some Kumho KW22 tires. Just mounted them on the car this weekend....dare I say "bring on the white stuff".

 

[dano285]

Man they look so tiny on the car lol

 

[Ryank401]

Perelli winter carving edge $85 each on tire rack on 16" black steel $225. That's how I roll

 

[Cannondale]

Borbet 17" LV5s w/ Conti ExtremeWinterContact tires from Tirerack.com on my '10 MS3. They kicked ass during Snowmageddon last year in the Washington, DC area. I highly recommend the tires. As for the wheels, I'd definitely downsized to 17".

 

[Ryank401]

Pics!!

 

[Tukalama]

I got 4 Mastercraft Glacier Grip II (205/55R16) snows installed yesterday on steel wheels (16x6.5) for $629. Living in the Northeast, winter is pothole season and I didn't want to dent up alloy wheels, but I already miss the look of my factory wheels. We'll see how they handle in snow, but they fit with no problem and are not loud at all. I opted out of using the TPMS for winter...just have to deal with the little yellow light until Spring, but it doesn't hurt anything.

C'mon SUMMERTIME!!!

I ran Glacier Grip IIs last 2 winters and they did great!

 

[Skelshy]

I downsized to 215/50/17 Michelin X-Ice on Wheels from TireRack. Just had them put on since yesterday so not much to report. The tire/wheel combo was less then just 18in winter tires, and I got them put on for free with an oil change.

 

[cclngthr]

I run my stock rims for my winter setup. Have my 18's for summer use.