Winter tire
- Thread starter kk52736
- Start date
kk52736 said:
Get some steel rims and winters ASAP! You'll be cursing yourself if you don't. First off, these "all season" tires perform bad in the wet, so you can imagine how they they'll react in snow/ice.
Also, I'm not exactly sure where in Alberta you are, and if they use salt on your roads, but if you keep the stock rims on, the salt's gonna rape the rims. It happened to mine, and I even made sure to wash them every week or so.
If you plan on keeping this car for a few years, then get out there and pick some up.
I can't recommend any specific brand, but I got a good deal on a set of 14" Goodyear Ultra Grip Ice. They weren't my 1st choice, but they work well. Look into getting some Nokian Hakkapelitta's that can be studded. It's illegal in Ontario, so I decided not to get them, but I think in Alberta it's ok.
Good Luck
-Erik
drumsbeloud
Member
- :
- 02 MP5-T
it's not absolutely necessary to get winter tires for our cars. i used my stock wheels/tires last winter, and i plan to use them again this winter. if you get a lot of snow, you may not want to, because when the snow is fairly deep the tires don't work all that well. erikvonb is right about the wheels getting damaged from the road salt though...if you're concerned about that, get steelies.
drumsbeloud
Member
- :
- 02 MP5-T
14's or 15's are good. check out http://www.dsm.org/www.dsm.org.1998/tools/tiresize.htm
drumsbeloud
Member
- :
- 02 MP5-T
what do you mean by lifetime tire switching....they will put on and take off your snow tires for you every year, or what? you should also check out canadian tire, they usually have good deals on winter wheel/tire packages.
drumsbeloud
Member
- :
- 02 MP5-T
i'm not sure what's best, but take a look at some of these posts http://protege5.com/vbb230/search.p...d=251629&sortby=lastpost&sortorder=descending and you should be able to find some good sizes. both 14 or 15" wheels would be fine though. as long as the diameter of the wheel/tire combo is close to that of the stock wheel/tire combo, you'll be fine. otherwise, your speedometer and odometer will be off.
kk52736 said:
if you want 14", go with 185/65/14.
if you want 25", go with 195/55/15.
(it's all in the manual by the way)
I recommend 14", especially if you get a lot of snow.
I think the only tire worth getting at Crappy Tire is the Michelin Artic Alpin, but that is up for debate. anyone else?
-Erik
kk52736 said:
I would go for the Nokians if I were you if you have heavy snow. The studs will make a huse difference. Or you can go with Bridgestone Blizzaks (studless), but apparently vey good in snow.
Artic Alpins are supposed to be better on ice.
By the way, I would definitely go with 14" tires & rims.
-Erik
I went through last winter with my stock rims and tires, and found them acceptable (better than the previous car I had, at any rate). However, because of the extra wear on both rims and tires - and the expense required to replace them sooner - I decided to get steelies and winter tires for this season. (Of course, just when I have to sell my car 
...)
After driving around with the new set up for about a week now in the snow, I have to say that I love them! I got the 15" steelies for the Protege from the dealership where I got my car (great price - $200 for the 4), and I decided to go with the Nokian Hakkapelittas (195/60R15). I've got great traction, and I really feel that the tires are gripping the road. Because of the slightly higher profile than the stock tires, I don't have any clearance issues, and the car still handles great - not that I'll be doing any 60 kph corners in the snow (at least intentionally! ). I know a number of people here in the Edmonton group have the Arctic or Pilot Alpins, and are happy with them. I personally would recommend staying away from the blizzaks - they're just too finicky.
...)After driving around with the new set up for about a week now in the snow, I have to say that I love them! I got the 15" steelies for the Protege from the dealership where I got my car (great price - $200 for the 4), and I decided to go with the Nokian Hakkapelittas (195/60R15). I've got great traction, and I really feel that the tires are gripping the road. Because of the slightly higher profile than the stock tires, I don't have any clearance issues, and the car still handles great - not that I'll be doing any 60 kph corners in the snow (at least intentionally!
). I know a number of people here in the Edmonton group have the Arctic or Pilot Alpins, and are happy with them. I personally would recommend staying away from the blizzaks - they're just too finicky.skyhawk174
Member
It's interesting that others have no problems with the stock tires on our P5s in winter while myself and many others think they are crap in winter.
Last winter I put on 15" steel rims with Michelin Pilot Alpins and the improvement was amazing. Never got stuck once and I always felt I was in control even with the roads pretty bad with snow and slush. Like MyZmZm, I bought mine from the dealer for $50 each and the tires I got from Costco but Canadian Tire has the Artic Alpins on sale I think.
Last winter I put on 15" steel rims with Michelin Pilot Alpins and the improvement was amazing. Never got stuck once and I always felt I was in control even with the roads pretty bad with snow and slush. Like MyZmZm, I bought mine from the dealer for $50 each and the tires I got from Costco but Canadian Tire has the Artic Alpins on sale I think.
I think our tires are GREAT in winter!!!!!! *ah, crap, I'm in Vancouver now, oops*
