Winter Wheels - 16s on a 3s
- Thread starter DetroitSP23
- Start date
MightyMouse
Member
DetroitSP23 said:
The 16" steel wheels do not come on any vehicle standard. They are strictly an accessory winter rim for any of the GT models.
MightyMouse said:
After reading this post, I called my dealership and they said they indeed have plain old 16" steel rims...but they are about $185 each! Yikes! I might as well slap some snow tires on my factory alloys and get some decent aftermarket rims and tires next summer!
MightyMouse
Member
BrianG said:
Holy crap, up here in Canada they are only $85 (I think that is what I paid) Canadian, which is about $65 US or so...??!?!?!???!
I also don't recommend using alloy wheels in the winter if you use salt on your roads. The salt destroys the alluminum and you get bead leaks pretty quick. And technicains REALLY hate cleaning all the crap out of the beads....
Well, I'd really like to get some steelies, but can't find anywhere online to get them. And I'll be damned if I'm gonna pay $185 for simple steel wheels! $55-$65 each is more reasonable, although I would have expected them to cost about $40 since I can get cheapie alloys from tirerack.com for $85.
Wait, so why does everyone want to go to smaller wheels during winter? More sidewall means more flex and less stability. 16's will actual make the car worse on snow/ice because more rubber and more air will make the tire less rigid.
Stick to the stock 17's and throw on goodyear triple threads. the best damn tire wet or dry available today (well worth the price). The best part is you don't have to change them again come spring...
just my $0.02, but hey I live in Tahoe what do I know? (cheers)
Stick to the stock 17's and throw on goodyear triple threads. the best damn tire wet or dry available today (well worth the price). The best part is you don't have to change them again come spring...
just my $0.02, but hey I live in Tahoe what do I know? (cheers)
mmathias said:
I don't speak for everyone here I'm sure, but the reasons why I am looking for 16's are:
reason 1: Ease and price of finding a steel 16" steel rim as opposed to 17" rims. The tires alone are 10-15% less expensive for 16". I understand the sidewalls are higher, but it's winter - I won't be taking corners at 70mph or zig-zagging through traffic when it's snowing. Also, it makes no sense to have a nice set of wheels when the rest of the car is coated in snow, ice, and grime from the road.
reason 2: I'd ideally like to have two sets of specific tires. A set of 18" alloys wrapped in nice tires for summer, and a set of functional, deep tread winter tires for winter. Sure, a good set of all weathers will do it all, but tires specifically designed for snow and another set for summer will perform better in each.
However, if I can't find steel rims at a fair price, I will end up using the stock alloys with a good set of all-weather tires.
marineaulu
Member
- :
- 2004 Mazda 3 Sport GT
16" steelies
I don't see why you would use your stock 17" mag wheels with the stock 4 season tires during the winter, unless you don't have much of a winter.
For the rest of us facing real winters, we need smaller wheels than the stock and good winter tires.
In term total wheel height, 205/50/17 = 205/55/16.
As Brian G mentionned, the rationale of using a smaller rim size is to get cheaper tires, but also to get more grip over rough snowy/icy surfaces.
Best example, ATV's. Lot of rubber, low tire pressure, lots of grip.
I do get good traction under snowy conditions with my 16" steelies with a 55 tire profile.
If you do cope with serious winters, you know what I'm taking about.
Else, don't worry about us, just use your stock 17"s and go in peace.
I don't see why you would use your stock 17" mag wheels with the stock 4 season tires during the winter, unless you don't have much of a winter.
For the rest of us facing real winters, we need smaller wheels than the stock and good winter tires.
In term total wheel height, 205/50/17 = 205/55/16.
As Brian G mentionned, the rationale of using a smaller rim size is to get cheaper tires, but also to get more grip over rough snowy/icy surfaces.
Best example, ATV's. Lot of rubber, low tire pressure, lots of grip.
I do get good traction under snowy conditions with my 16" steelies with a 55 tire profile.
If you do cope with serious winters, you know what I'm taking about.
Else, don't worry about us, just use your stock 17"s and go in peace.
MightyMouse
Member
mmathias said:
Have you ever even driven in snow? (confused)
You want the tire as soft as possible in the snow, and the skinnier the better (for cutting through the snow) 17's in the snow is absolutely horrible, going down to 16's make's the situation a little better, but our cars are really screaming for 15" snow tires. I am looking at having a set of 15" steel wheels custom built with a larger dropwell (that is the smallest diameter portion of the rim on the inside) to fit over the large brakes. Will just make tire changes a bigger pain in the ass (the smaller the dropwell, the less clearance you have for mounting tires)
Although, I have admitted to myself that our 3's will never be good in the snow, I will have to leave ice racing to my Honda Civic with the 145/80/13 Blizzaks (first)
goldwing2000
Turd in the punch bowl
- :
- 2004 Mazda3s Hatch; 269,000 miles
MightyMouse said:
Not to be disagreeable or anything...
I'm putting on P205/55 R16 for the upcoming winter. I was talking with the owner at my local tire shop (that has been in business since the 60's, when the owner moved from Germany where he did rally racing) and he recommended staying with the same size tire, just changing the rim size. Basically he said if I stayed on 17s it would be like driving "a pregnant duck". (His quote exactly).
I'm looking at putting Michlen Pilot Alpins on, and from what I've read they are one of the best "high-performance winter" tires on the market. They're asking about $1250 CDN for the tires, 16' steelies & install (tax inc.), but my buddy is gonna get them too so we're gonna try to swing a deal.
Anyways, If you're looking for something good for use in "real snow" (ie Canada) then the Pilots are a great way to go. Just on a side note, my other buddy has them on his 2003 Nissan Sentra Spec-V SE-R and he says they're the best tires he's ever used for winters.
I'm looking at putting Michlen Pilot Alpins on, and from what I've read they are one of the best "high-performance winter" tires on the market. They're asking about $1250 CDN for the tires, 16' steelies & install (tax inc.), but my buddy is gonna get them too so we're gonna try to swing a deal.
Anyways, If you're looking for something good for use in "real snow" (ie Canada) then the Pilots are a great way to go. Just on a side note, my other buddy has them on his 2003 Nissan Sentra Spec-V SE-R and he says they're the best tires he's ever used for winters.
DetroitSP23
Member
- :
- 05 Mazda 3 SP23 5 door
MightyMouse said:
Don't forget the increase in # of potholes, both paved and dirt.
DetroitSP23
Member
- :
- 05 Mazda 3 SP23 5 door
Nice find on the 195/55 - 16s but won't those be a little short?
goldwing2000
Turd in the punch bowl
- :
- 2004 Mazda3s Hatch; 269,000 miles
If you're replacing factory 16s (as somebody down the line was), 195/55-16 will work fine.
If you're replacing facdtory 17s, then yes, 195/60-16 would be better.
Unfortuntatly 195/60-16 doesn't seem to exist, so you have to use either a 205/55-16 or a 195/55-16.
If you're replacing facdtory 17s, then yes, 195/60-16 would be better.
Unfortuntatly 195/60-16 doesn't seem to exist, so you have to use either a 205/55-16 or a 195/55-16.
While attempting to find stupid steel wheels for a reasonable price, I came across this:
http://www.discounttiredirect.com/direct/findWheelsBySize.do?wd=16&bp=5-114.3*5-4.5*5-4.5/5&rw=
I had to search by wheel size specs rather than by car. $53 for OE Steel wheels. Not bad. From what I've read, the offset of stock wheels is 52mm. So, from the choice of 2 steelies, would 50 or 55 be preferable? Also, is this place a decent place to do business with?
I finally found a local place to get steel wheels, but they want $99 each for used wheels!
http://www.discounttiredirect.com/direct/findWheelsBySize.do?wd=16&bp=5-114.3*5-4.5*5-4.5/5&rw=
I had to search by wheel size specs rather than by car. $53 for OE Steel wheels. Not bad. From what I've read, the offset of stock wheels is 52mm. So, from the choice of 2 steelies, would 50 or 55 be preferable? Also, is this place a decent place to do business with?
I finally found a local place to get steel wheels, but they want $99 each for used wheels!
trees said:
I am not exactly against 17" snow tires, but they seem to be more expensive than their 16" counterparts. I'm just trying to find a good deal on 16" rims so future snow tire purchases will not hurt my wallet as much. As for performance, the general consensus seems to be that 16" wheels allows for a tire with higher sidewall, which is more cushy for winter driving. If I could get away with $92 per tire locally using my stock 17's, then I'd do that since I plan to get some 18's and tires (with tax return $$$) for next summer.
BrianG said:
check out these sites for tires...
www.tirerack.com or www.1010tires.com
just a few i found that do delivery, comparisons and packages...
waltmcgee said:
Yeah, I've checked out those places already. I just can't seem to find a 16" steel wheel and winter tire combo package for a reasonable price (~$600).
The salesman at a local Big-O tire place says he can come really close, if not under, my target price. I hope to find out more tomorrow or the next day.
