Winter Tire Recommendations?

Hi,

I just bought an MSP this summer with stock rims / fairly new Firestone Fuzion ZR1's. I have never bought winter tires as this is only my second vehicle and my last car came with a set of winter tires/rims.

Tire rack recommends 205/55-16's or 215/45-17's. Is going with a 16" rim going to affect the speedometer or is the sidewall an inch taller to make up the difference? In the winter I won't be cornering as hard etc so the performance gain of low profiles becomes less important I'm guessing.

I was thinking of getting basic black steel wheels but are they a lot heavier as to kill acceleration? $1000CDN is the most I want to spend on a complete package. Would alloys be worth the $ ?
 
You can also put 15" wheels and tires on there (I bought a set of winter wheels from a MSP owner). 15" wheels and tires are usually much cheaper than 16" or 17".
 
Go to discounttiredirect.com and put in your car as a 2002 Mazda 626. You can get 15" steelies with snow tires mounting and balanced with free shipping. I went with the Hankook iPike and they worked out pretty well and the wheels fit. I suggest going with a 195 width tire, because the steelies they offer have a smaller offset, so the wheels are pushed farther out. I got the 205 width and they rub the fenders when I have people in the car or hit big bumps.
 
I live in Canada.. specfically Toronto. I don't think I want to buy them online since most Tire stores seem to be US based and there is huge shipping / duties charges.

Is it better to go 15 inch rims with huge side walls for sno's? I'm going to be doing a lot of highway miles where the snow will be mostly non-existant but the side streets are going to have some snow. I'd like to be able to do 120-130km/h without killing the gas mileage. I also think the MSP might look bad with 15in wheels on it.
 
I run 15" steelies from the dealership, $55cdn each. For tires Nokian RSI, or Toyo Garret HT are the my recommendations.
 
I run Toyo GO2+ 185/65-15 size. Great tire and exactly the same diameter as the OEM tires. Best winter tire I had yet.
 
I also think the MSP might look bad with 15in wheels on it.
It's winter, your car is going to look like crap just like every other car out there. Running steelies tells me something about someone, they care about not crashing their car and realize they should run winter tires. 15" steelies are about 5 pounds lighter a piece than the stock Racing Hearts. A bigger sidewall will give you a smoother ride and is better for snow/ice traction. Wider tires, however, are worse for snow traction.
 
I also forgot to mention, if you have deep pockets, Nokian Tires are the best winter tires you can buy. They offer an All-Season+ tire, which is an all season but is rated for severe weather. My in-laws run them year round and love the snow traction. Bridgestone Blizzaks SUCK by comparison, especially for the price. A nice performance winter tire is the Dunlop Wintersport M3.
 
I'm glad I got onto this thread because I keep forgetting to purchase tires for my wife. I bought the Nokian RSi for $218 shipped (only needed two) in 205/60-15 size.
 
Where are you buying your Nokian tires from?

The Hankook iPikes are leading my decision tree right now.
 
here's a bit of what the MSP looks like with 15" nokians, they looked fine. a bigger sidewall is generally better for winter, definitely stay away from the stock tire size, and you want narrow. they were Qs (i believe, or 2s, i always forget) but they don't make them any more. on my car now i have nokian rsis and they're great as were the old Qs on the MSP though i would prefer the Q to the RSi in the snow as the RSi is more of a "street" oriented winter tire and the Q was more of a "snow" oriented tire if you know what i mean. nokians are the only winter tires i've ever owned and i have yet to be disappointed by them but can't really compare them to anything else fairly

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anyways with pretty much any winter tires the MSP is fun in the snow so make sure you go out and play
 
I got the Nokians online from TireFactory.net. I bought the RSi for my wife's car. I thought about going with the Hak 4 or 5 (they are closely related to the Q), but it would have been $20 more. My wife does most of her driving on the highway, so I figured the RSi was a better bet.

The Hankook iPike served me well last winter in my MSP, and most of my driving is back roads. I have run Nokian WR in my Civic, they were great. I used Firestone Winterfire in my Lancer OZ turbo and they worked fine. I drove my friends MSP with Blizzaks and was severely disappointed for the price they charge. The iPike has been the best bang for the buck. Long story short, ANY winter tire is going to work better than an all-season. The things to look for are directional tread patterns and the number of sipes. Basically look for tires that are trying to copy Nokians and you'll have a decent snow tire.
 
I bought a set of Pirelli SnowSports about three years ago. 195/50/16 tire size, if I remember correctly, on a set of 16" steel wheels. They're a fantastic winter tire. I've had them in all sorts of winter conditions -- light snow, deep snow, slush, ice, blahblah -- and they've never had a gripping problem unless I initiated it on purpose. As far as treadwear -- bought 'em three years ago, they're on the car for roughly four/five months per year, and they're still going strong.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Sizes.jsp?make=Pirelli&model=Winter+210+SnowSport

The whole package -- tires, steel wheels, mounted, balanced, shipping -- cost me $500.

And your MSP is going to look like crap in the winter no matter what.

Here's mine in the summer:
PHood3.jpg


And in the winter, after I managed to wash it a couple days earlier, LOL:
Winter06.jpg
 
so i always thought that the smallest rim you can run on a MSP is a 16" rim because of the front brakes? So i am incorrect on that? We can run 15 inchers? Makes it a HELL OF ALOT cheaper for me to buy 15"s.

Theres a group buy going on with the Toronto Nissan Club for like 540 CDN with some hankook winters and 15inch steelies...
 
^^^ Yes, you CAN run 15" steelies. It's a tight fit (too close for comfort, for me at least) .. but you CAN do it.
 
I had the Pirelli 210 Snowsports in 195/55/15. Lasted me 4 years. I think they are now called the Pirelli Wintersports.

Yes I do live in Toronto, but have also used them to go to Michigan, Illinois, Ohio through to Pennsylvania and also Quebec.

They work fantastic on dry roads and performed even better than the stock tires (in the summer) on the same corner! Snow and slush are generally no problem.

I had no problems going to top speed (which is over your 130kph requirement).

I do find them adequate on ice and I'm laughing at light snow under say 7 or 8 inches. I did get stuck ONCE in Ohio during that freak snowstorm a few years ago.

Highly recommended if you like to have fun driving!

In Toronto you can get them from www.wheels-direct.com or order them from www.tiretrends.com out in BC.
 
i bought my steelies at the mazda dealer.. there the same price as the aftermarkets.. i bought 15'' and everthing is fine

im also on spiked tires.. ( legal here)i still think there crappy cars in snow..
 
I bought a set of Pirelli SnowSports about three years ago. 195/50/16 tire size, if I remember correctly, on a set of 16" steel wheels. They're a fantastic winter tire. I've had them in all sorts of winter conditions -- light snow, deep snow, slush, ice, blahblah -- and they've never had a gripping problem unless I initiated it on purpose. As far as treadwear -- bought 'em three years ago, they're on the car for roughly four/five months per year, and they're still going strong.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Sizes.jsp?make=Pirelli&model=Winter+210+SnowSport

The whole package -- tires, steel wheels, mounted, balanced, shipping -- cost me $500.

And your MSP is going to look like crap in the winter no matter what.

Here's mine in the summer:
PHood3.jpg


And in the winter, after I managed to wash it a couple days earlier, LOL:
Winter06.jpg

thanks for the info and the link
 
15s will fit no problem. Under the search at tire-rack punch in a Protege5, fitment will be spot on.
 
I live in Canada.. specfically Toronto. I don't think I want to buy them online since most Tire stores seem to be US based and there is huge shipping / duties charges.

Is it better to go 15 inch rims with huge side walls for sno's? I'm going to be doing a lot of highway miles where the snow will be mostly non-existant but the side streets are going to have some snow. I'd like to be able to do 120-130km/h without killing the gas mileage. I also think the MSP might look bad with 15in wheels on it.

Another Toronto guy, you should check out www.toprotege.com

15's fit. I run steelies with 205-60-15 Michelin Pilot Alpin 2's (PA2).

I wouldn't get too aggressive a tire for Toronto driving, especially if you are doing a lot of highway miles.

Something like the PA2 which offers excellent wet and dry handling would be a good pick.

My buddy has the Pirelli 210 snowsports and he likes them. They would also be a good choice.

I think anything studded (illegal in ON) or even some of the Nokian's are overkill for our weather.

p.s. If you're interested im my set of steelies and PA2's, shoot me a PM as I am trying to sell them. They have lots of tread left (7/32's).
 
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