Cheap snow tires, better than the best A/S tires...

[Sublimewind]

Hi all,Many of you see me harping about snow tires... well, they are a godsend in the snow.. PERIOD... many get hung up on price... well, what sort of price can you put on your nerves or confidence, or worst yet, your life or the lives/well-being of others???? For those that are concerned about price... I give you this recommendation.. The Firestone Winterforce.. http://www.tirerack.com/tires/...forceThey are slightly more pricey than when I got them, I also bought during the summer when winter tires are cheap.. I've run these tires through a Michigan winter on the Vibe, and while they are no Blizzak, they do very commendably in the snow... add 100lbs of weight over the rear tires and the car is as smooth as silk on the highway (most of my driving 90mi daily commute)So please people, do yourself the favor and make the switch, it's really cheap insurance, when you put the alternatives into consideration... Cheers,Aaron

[schroeder]

Aaron:Got a set 4 Firestone Winterforce on this weekend.06 Trix fwd.Driven just a few miles, but seem no much noisier than my all season Goodyear Assurance.Might get louder as tread wears.I am already feeling more confident, no snow here yet.Thanks for all your posts. Howard

[Sublimewind]

That's great man... Yeah, they will almost always be noiser, it's just one of them things... you'll see, when snow flies... Make sure you come back and report when it does... and consider puttting some weight in the back to... it' really help settle the car on the highway... Winter tires are really SOFT... so they feel a LOT different than the everyday tire... I put 100lbs of bagged corn in my trunk last winter and the car felt great...

[keithvibe]

this goes without saying but, you will get more seasons out of two sets of tires splitting them up then you will with an all season.

[rjp]

would you still go with 15 inch snows vs 16's?

[keithvibe]

15's or 16's would be fine. 15's would cut threw the snow better.

[rjp]

many peoplesay that corolla rims will work but the pic I have seen of corolla rims had 4 lugs not 5. I'm looking on craig's list and see a bunch of 15 inch rims but although they have 5 lugs can't tell if they will fit or not. any help would be appreciatedthanx

[Neouka]

just bought a set of Goodyear Nordic winters (only available from canadian tire)Just got a set of 205/55 16's and put them on my beatass OEM alloys, since the 17" matrix 5-spokes are going on in the spring :DNo snow yet, but my ride got smoother, and the wheels are finally balanced after owning the car for 2 years and not doing it

[Sputnik]

Yeah and if you're in Canada, you'll want to get your snows early because of Quebec's new law requiring them for all cars. Demand in Ottawa has been huge and some stores have sold out for the season already. I got mine in January and had them put on at the end of October. I've got Toyo G02 Observes.

[keithvibe]

Quote, originally posted by rjp »many peoplesay that corolla rims will work but the pic I have seen of corolla rims had 4 lugs not 5. I'm looking on craig's list and see a bunch of 15 inch rims but although they have 5 lugs can't tell if they will fit or not. any help would be appreciatedthanxask the sellers if they are 5x100 bolt pattern IF you own a 03-08vibe or the new BASE 09if you got the gt or awd 09 you will need 5x114

[pick41]

Quote, originally posted by rjp »many peoplesay that corolla rims will work but the pic I have seen of corolla rims had 4 lugs not 5. I'm looking on craig's list and see a bunch of 15 inch rims but although they have 5 lugs can't tell if they will fit or not. any help would be appreciatedthanxI think its the 03-07 Corolla, hopefully that helps.

[rjp]

Have found the following add in craig'slist and am considerring purchasing these rims and tires. Would I need hub adaptors as well?(Also found some from a bmw 3 seriesbut everything I have found leads me to believe that the bolt pattern is incorect for a 2003 vibe awd.)Thanx for your help195/60r15 Winter Tires and Rims! Magna Grip - $300Brand new only used less than a month last year 99% tread left bought them for 85 bux a tires also have 15" rims they are on rims are universal bolt pattern fits 4 lug and 5 lug tires alone worth over 325, im including the steel rims too. these dont fit my new car, my loss your gain.

[Sublimewind]

You need to know the bolt pattern 5x100 is what you need... ofset should be ~35.. 15's should work..

[rjp]

thanx, but how do you measure offset - I beleive it is from the middle of the tire to where the rim attaches to the axle?(would it be written on the rim somewhere or does it all depend on the width of the tire?)Thanx

[keithvibe]

Quote, originally posted by rjp »thanx, but how do you measure offset - I beleive it is from the middle of the tire to where the rim attaches to the axle?(would it be written on the rim somewhere or does it all depend on the width of the tire?)ThanxWheel offset is the difference between the center of the wheel and the mounting surface. Positive offset is when the mounting surface is closer to the outside of the wheel; negative offset is when the mounting surface is closer to the inside of the wheel. Negative offset will push the wheel outwards.Most wheels have a positive offset to allow more room for the brakes and suspension parts. Negative offset wheels are put on Hondas to make the car look funny.To measure the offset:1)- place the wheel flat on the floor and place a straightedge across the wheel. This will work for wheels mounted with tires too.2)- measure the overall width of the wheel/tire (from the underside of the straightedge to the floor):3)- measure the distance to the mounting face of the wheel.4)- Divide the overall width of the wheel/tire by two to find the center of the wheel. Subtract the distance measured to the mounting surface by the distance to the center of the wheel. This difference is the wheel offset.

[Sublimewind]

To add to the above... https://www.rsracing.com/tech-wheel.html

[rjp]

Keith and SublimeThanx for all your good info - it will help me once I find a set of rims to make sure I don't waste my money. Does the thought of dropping dpwn a size for snows hold true for all vehicles? My wife drives a a 4WD Jeep Liberty. Should I drop down a size for rims and snows for her? I think she's on 16s as well. Thanx in advance for your help.

[keithvibe]

for snows. The skinnier the tire the better. Not really size. Most say to downsize because the smaller the tire the cheaper the tire. You want it to cut threw the snow not ride on top. So yes it holds true fall all cars/trucks

[Jeremy_K]

I found a set of Blizzaks on Craigslist for $60. They look like they maybe had 1 season. They're in excellent condition and were marked as to which side of the car they came off of which is good. They're 225/50/16s and are the exact same diameter as the stock GSAs. They ride excellent and are actually quieter than the Goodyears. I gave up trying to find used 15" rims. I went to the biggest junkyard in the area and couldn't put together a matching set to save my life. I checked all the subies, toyotas, and GMs. I still have a set of 15" snows sitting in my garage.

[WaveAction]

i got goodyear nordics for about $415, installed them myself and love them, havent gotten stuck and we've had some good snowstorms, and they grip excellently, feels as if im driving in the summer with summer tires on and i live in an area where we've got some good steep hills and they've gotten me up them with ease while i leave others on all-seasons left behind..even left a 4x4 ford f150 behind too lol

[Sublimewind]

Quote, originally posted by WaveAction »i got goodyear nordics for about $415, installed them myself and love them, havent gotten stuck and we've had some good snowstorms, and they grip excellently, feels as if im driving in the summer with summer tires on and i live in an area where we've got some good steep hills and they've gotten me up them with ease while i leave others on all-seasons left behind..even left a 4x4 ford f150 behind too lolSo, I wasn't joking, was I.... SNOW TIRES ROCK...!!!

[WaveAction]

they do..and i got one of the lower end winters too..i wanted to get the blizzaks but didnt have 200+ per tire to do so..got the goodyear nordics for about 85 each

[Sublimewind]

Quote, originally posted by 13Vibe03 »Are you aware that only the first 60% or so is the snow/ice tread? The remaining ~40% is standard all-season tread. I had a set of WS-50 Blizzaks a few years ago and while they started out with amazing grip, the last season grip wasn't very impressive.I would carefully measure the remaining tread and compare to the stated tread depth for a new tire. Make sure there is still a decent amount of snow/ice tread left or you might as well stick with your all-season tires and invest in a new set of Blizzaks.Correction, the first 60% of the tread is the Bridgestone Multicell technology, the rest of the tread is just a "normal" WINTER tread and compound... The Mutlicell tech is what make a Blizzak a Blizzak, it's a super high density foam, as the tread wears, the cells in the foam open up, creating millions of biting edges.. The rest of the tire and compound is still a winter tire, but no better technology wise as my "winterforce" winter tire.. It's the Muticell tech that gives the Blizzak it's amazing "edge" against other snow tires.. The blizzak is NOT an A/S tire...