will 245/45/17 winter tires fit my GT wheels?

[wolfie]

Hi Guys,I found some good used snow tires and I'm wondering if anyone's tried mounting 245/45/17 tires on a GT. Belle tire said they should fit, but we'd have to mount them to see if they rub the control arm.Thanks for any help,Rob

[Raven]

They'll fit but you really don't want a snow tire that wide. Narrow is better for winter tires. Unless they are super cheap, I would pass on them.

[wolfie]

I should have mentioned that I have the factory wheels on the car and that I currently have 215/50R17 size tires.

[wolfie]

Wow that was a fast reply! They're 275 obo for four tires with 4000 miles on them. The seller said they have virtually no wear. He paid about 600 for them. They are Dunlop SP winter sport snow tires.Are you sure they won't rub the control arm?Sounds like a good deal to me, what do you think?Thanks again...

[Raven]

215 is 8.46 inches wide and 245 is 9.64 inches for a diff of 1.18 inches. We'll say 1 1/4" to make it simple. So you need 5/8" minimum clearance on both sides of your stock tires to fit. It shouldn't be a problem. The Dunlop SP is a nice tire, I have the Dunlop SP 3D. Measure the tread depth, new they have 11/32nds of an inch.

[wolfie]

thanks Raven. If you have a moment to check, could you tell me if I'd be better off with going with one of these?http://detroit.craigslist.org/pts/48805 ... htmlThat's a pretty long list i realize... maybe if you just clicked on one or two if you have a minute. It would really help me out a lot.Thanks very much.

[Raven]

The first set on the list would be good but you need to check on the tire tread depth and the bolt pattern of the wheels. You need 5x100 wheels with around 38 offset. The 3rd set, the Bridgestone Revo 1 are excellent tires but you will need to buy 16 inch rims to fit them. The rest are no good for you.Here's a tire size calculator to check sizes, you need to stay within about 3% of your stock size.http://www.1010tires.com/TireS...ubmit2 ... ,205/60/16, 205/65/15 are all excellent matches.

[wolfie]

Thanks a lot Raven!!! I'll let you know how it goes.

[DavidPIL]

Hey wolfie,I'm currently running A/S 245/45 R17's and they will fit fine but honestly... like what Raven said, you don't want that in a snow tire. I was considering getting dedicated snow tires this season and was going to go back to the OEM 215/50 size. I would stick to that size or get cheap 16" wheels and decent snow tires. I was going to get the Bridgestone Blizzak WS-50 because they were around $100 each on clearance through Tire Rack but it looks like they're not available anymore .

[wolfie]

Thanks a lot Raven!!! I'll let you know how it goes.

[wolfie]

hey guys, i just wanted to check in and let you know that I bought some snow tires today in preparation for a ski trip tomorrow (driving to the Traverse City area in Michigan). I ended up going local and just got what was in stock because it was a last minute move... so I ended up with Momo snow rims (they're silver and look really sharp on my silver vibe) and Hankook ICEBEAR tires (205/55R16). Hope this works for me... I've never had snow tires before and I'm anxious to feel the difference. thanks again...

[vibolista]

Hey Wolfie, you need to post a picture of your new Momo wheels so we can see what they look like on your Vibe. That is, if you don't get frozen in place up there. We may not be seeing Wolfie around until it starts to thaw this Spring. It's gotta be below zero up there this week.