Winter tires / wheels

WokTato

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'14 Mazda6 Touring+Tech/Soul Red/Sand
I've decided to get rid of my current '02 GMC Envoy in favor of a '14 Mazda 6 Touring w/ the technology package in Soul Red / sand interior. No dealer in the state has more than 1-2 of any trim on the lot so they've put in an order for one and they're going to keep looking 1x/week for a dealer trade. I'm excited!

Until then, I'm trying to make sure I'll be ready for the Iowa winter. Mounting/remounting winter tires on the stock wheels would cost me $$$ so I'm looking to downsize to 215/65R16.

That will set me back ~$960 shipped from Tire Rack for Michelin Xi3s on cheap alloys. Does this look like a solid plan or should I change it up?

It's a 36 month lease so I'm not willing to spend $$$ on nice wheels etc. I just want the extra safety.

Edit: Mods, feel free to move to rims/tires section.
 
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I just got mine last week (Soul Red also) (cabpatch). OEM wheels are 225\55\17

I am going for 225\60\16. If you do the calculation, it is pretty much bang on.

I am going to go with Toyo Observe GSI-5.

After the initial outlay, you do save a lot if you change them yourself afterwards.
 
Nice! I'm probably going to need to wait another 7 - 11 weeks for mine. Let's hope it's on the low end of that.

I've done the math and for cars with 19" stock wheels, 215/65R16 is +0.12% diameter. I should be good there.

It does look like I'll save quite a bit. I've been quoted $80 USD to mount and balance each season.

I'm also thinking of going for steel wheels and plastic covers for $60 less since the extra weight will keep the overall wheel weight a bit closer to stock. I don't want them to be too much lighter than what the suspension's tuned for. There's currently a $70 rebate so I could be out the door for $830 + $20 installation (per season) = $850 USD.

Edit: I contacted Mazda USA regarding the fitment of 16" wheels and was told that putting anything other than the stock wheel size on the car could wear out the wheel bearings prematurely. This, of course, would invalidate the warranty.

What does everyone think of this? Will I really wear out the wheel bearings with 16" wheels? Their solution was to contact Dunlop/Goodyear about snow tires that will fit on the stock 19" wheels. No useful snow/ice tires exist for that size.
 
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Interesting, my dealership is offering the same package (i.e. tires an steel wheels). I am going to get the same tire and wheels from a tire shop for about $300 less. I this the same package the dealer is offering, I can't see how it can invalidate the warranty.

Maybe go for a 18" wheel
 
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Sounds to me like the dealer is trying to CTA should something go wrong. A lot of us run smaller or larger wheel/tire set-ups and if you are only street driving I don't foresee any excess wear and tear on the components. Now if you start getting crazy and running 25mm spacers and such, then....

If 16's are confirmed to clear the brakes, I would go with them. You'll find that tire prices are much cheaper and you can fit a narrower/taller tire, perfect for winter driving. And should a wheel bearing go out while the car is under warranty, just be sure to remove them before taking it in. ;)
 
I went with 16" steel wheels and the new 215/65R16 Dunlop Winter Maxx. Overall diameter of the OEM Yokos are 26.9" and the winter are 27.0". Narrower tire for better winter traction.
 
16" steel wheels and the new 215/65R16 winter/snow tires

I went with 16" steel wheels and the new 215/65R16....

I'm going to do the same as you on my 2015 Mazda 6, which I assume has the same brake configuration as your 2014. Therefore, I'm assuming that 16" will clear the gear on my car, the same way that they cleared on yours.

Would you mind sharing a few close-up photos of your car with the steel wheels and snow tires mounted?

Where did you get the steel wheels?

What did they cost you?

Do you have a model number or part number for the wheels that you could share?

Any other advice or tips you care to offer?
 
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Update: I've chosen to go with stock 17" wheels for my snow tires. I found a set (well, actually, 3 wheels from one person and one from another) for just over $600. Not such a bad deal since they should be stronger than the gravity cast cheap rims on TireRack etc. Not to mention the warranty and cosmetic benefits.

I decided against steel wheels in the end since I'll be driving on these ~40% of the year. I think it's worth spending a bit more to get something nicer.

The tire decision is still up in the air. I'm between the Bridgestone WS80 and the Michelin Xi3. I may go for the latter since there are some winter days that are 60*F+ in Iowa and the Xi3s have a treadwear warranty. Blizzaks might not last long under those circumstances.
 
Id stick to the 215 width tires. As wider tires tend to float on top of the snow giving you even less traction. Skinnier tire's cut through the snow giving you traction. I run a 195 wide snow tire on my 626, then a 225 on my summer wheels.
 
I was leaning towards 215 instead of 225 for that very reason. It's good to see someone else coming to that conclusion as well.
 
I personally wouldn't waste my $$ amd20x6. I drove from the Quad Cities to Iowa City every day last year in all the snowstorms and never had any issues with the stock 19" tires and rims. It's more for piece of mind than anything. But each to their own. Just my 2cents
 
I personally wouldn't waste my $$ amd20x6. I drove from the Quad Cities to Iowa City every day last year in all the snowstorms and never had any issues with the stock 19" tires and rims. It's more for piece of mind than anything. But each to their own. Just my 2cents

I've done the math and I should roughly break even at the end of the 10 years I expect to own this car. 17" Snow tires cost about half as much as good 19" tires and I'll be on them 40% of the year. The expensive tires will only see wear during the remaining 60%. This should about pay for the extra mount/balances, wheels, and the $20/season to swap sets.

Note that I didn't include the effects of the time value of money or inflation, both of which could sway the results.

Above all else- my number one priority in buying this car was safety. I started my search for a new car on the IIHS website in the "Top Safety Pick+" section. Any car not on that list wasn't up for consideration.

This is why I bought a new car with the latest in frame design and safety features over, say, a used Accord. No reason for me to skimp on winter safety just to save a few hundred dollars. I've already invested thousands more in a new car mainly for that reason.
 
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100% agreed on all accounts. You cant control other drivers, and snow tires just make sense. Otherwise it just means you will be buying another set of all seasons just that much sooner. If you swap back and forth, it evens out, and in the end you just so much safer.
 
I had the new Blizzaks installed on the stock 17" wheels. It must be less expensive to have your tires mounted each season over your 3 year lease compared to the purchase of new wheels. I can never understand why folks want a great looking car with trashy steel wheels for the winter. :) Cheers
 
U can have decent looking alloys for not much more than steel wheels. 2. Not everyone consider steel wheels offensive. 3. u can get used mazda oem wheels for next to nothing. What others said....u will not find a SINGLE person ever that went with winters and then returned to all seasons for entire year because he decided that these are sufficient ....once u put winter tires on...there is no going back...yet u will find hords of people advocating all seasons cuz good enough...it's called ignorance where I come from. I had my winter set on subaru for 4 years now. Tire swap twice a year would run me $16x8x4 = 512....more than what I have paid for a set of wheels.

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