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Login to post Forums » Grassroots Motorsports » Winter tires (Now with more 17" wheel!)

Sept. 6, 2011 2:17 p.m. 92CelicaHalfTrac SuperDork

I'm a fountain of stupid questions today.

Now keep in mind, this will be the first time i have ever bought winter tires.

I've come to the realization that i'm not going to get rid of the MX6, (much as i would kindof like to) which means that i have to try to drive this thing through winter.

3rd on my list of worries, but the one that i have the most control over, is tires. Currently it's sitting on two good Nexen N5000s, and two good Toyo R28s (from the MSM). Combine that with the other two worries that i don't have much control over:

1) Lighting sucks (maybe i'll put a light bar on it. seriously, why not?)
2) Ride height is entirely too low for this stuff. I have 3" of clearance from ground to crossmember

I need good tires.

But i was just hit with sticker stock. Blizzaks in 205/40-17s are about $550 shipped. OUCH.

Any other more budget-friendly options out there in that size or similar? I have 17x7 wheels.

Or does anyone nearby have some awesome 5x114 15" steelies?
Sept. 6, 2011 2:25 p.m. pilotbraden HalfDork

Get smaller steel wheels, it will be cheaper and the tires will perform better in the snow.
Sept. 6, 2011 2:27 p.m. 92CelicaHalfTrac SuperDork

That's what i'm finding.

Ugh. I REALLY didn't want yet another set of wheels sitting around.

Seems i have my pick of the litter for $350 shipped in 195/60-15 or 205/60-15.
Sept. 6, 2011 2:39 p.m. neckromacr Reader

+1 on more wheels. I went through something similar a few years back. Finding 15" winters for an older VW had slim pick'ns and they all started around $120 each and up.

Since my big brake plans had been scrapped, I did a straight trade for some factory 14" alloys and suddenly had a plethora of options that were half the cost and went through the powdery white stuff better.
Sept. 6, 2011 2:52 p.m. pres589 Dork

Lighting shouldn't be that bad. Are you still running those painted headlights? That said, if you remove the grill it may not be that hard to fab up a small bar up there to carry a set of 4'x6' aux lamps.
Sept. 6, 2011 3:04 p.m. 92CelicaHalfTrac SuperDork

pres589 wrote:

Lighting shouldn't be that bad. Are you still running those painted headlights? That said, if you remove the grill it may not be that hard to fab up a small bar up there to carry a set of 4'x6' aux lamps.

Yeah, they're on the short list to re-do/get better bulbs in there.

The main issue with lighting is that the current ride height of the car is low enough that there isn't enough adjustment there to light up anything past like... 8 feet in front of the car.

I would love to get a ZKW fog light grill, but don't care enough to actually pay for one.
Sept. 6, 2011 4:32 p.m. cghstang HalfDork

Sent you an email 92Celica.
Sept. 6, 2011 4:45 p.m. 92CelicaHalfTrac SuperDork

^Replied!

This picture illustrates the bigger problem that i have...

The car is just.... LOW.

Although, i'll be finally finishing the wiring on the aux fogs this week to see if that helps any.
Sept. 6, 2011 4:52 p.m. cghstang HalfDork

Do you guys get a ton of snow in Indy that we don't get two hours to the east? Generally we'll get two or three "significant" snow falls where it would be somewhat detrimental to be really low. Winter tires are a huge help in all the slushy/icy/generally crappy road conditions encountered over the course of the winter.
Sept. 6, 2011 4:57 p.m. 92CelicaHalfTrac SuperDork

No we don't get much snow at all, and normally i wouldn't feel the need for snow tires, honestly...

The Escort was just fine on all seasons for the last two years, and i even made it through a winter with the Celica on RS2s.

They just don't know how to deal with snow here in terms of clearing. We have about 7 snow plows for the entire area, so if we get 6", the roads have 6" for at least a day, sometimes two. Then they do a half-assed job of clearing it, which makes for huge berms in the center of the lane.

And then the big ice chunks that seem to stick around on the highway. Those weren't real fun to hit with the Escort, let alone this thing. I'll drive the MX6 out to pick up the wheels, and it'll probably make more sense once you see the thing. I never thought this car would really see winter, and it shows the way it was put together.

Winter tires would have to happen either way... the clutch engagement on this thing is very hard and violent, so i'll need all the help i can get in the lower gears.
Sept. 6, 2011 5:20 p.m. EvanB SuperDork

How about 15s and snow tires on the Miata?
Sept. 6, 2011 5:20 p.m. imirk Reader

y no snos for the MSM?
Sept. 6, 2011 6:38 p.m. clutchsmoke Reader

General Altimax Arctic are supposed to be the hot ticket.
Sept. 6, 2011 6:40 p.m. belteshazzar SuperDork

^^^

I've used those two seasons now. Very nice.
Sept. 6, 2011 6:50 p.m. neon4891 SuperDork

clutchsmoke wrote:

General Altimax Arctic are supposed to be the hot ticket.

Mrs. Neon's car is gona get some down sized steelies and a set of these from Tire rack for the winter.
Sept. 6, 2011 7:09 p.m. MrMook New Reader

My Golf was pretty low, and it was badass in the Vermont winters. Aside from mounting the snows, all I ever did was change the front valence to the shorter stock lip. I found a set of 90%-tread Winterforce tires at a tire shop that sells used rubber. I think I paid $150 for a set of four mounted to my 14's. I swear by those tires. Meaty as hell with lots of bite. Will buy again.

Also, I say go for the light bar. I've always wanted one. Might fab one up this winter, even though we live in the big city now, and don't really need it. Really wish I had one up in VT.

Anyway, buy used and save a ton of money. Especially if you don't really see that much snow.
Sept. 6, 2011 8:02 p.m. familytruckster New Reader

My 318ti is lowered and I did great with the all seasons, and plain stupid with winters on it. I drove it 100 miles in the worst snow of the year with no problems.

15-16" 5x114.3 wheels should be easy enough to come by...80s-90s crown vics had em, i think the will clear the brakes...any old mazda sedan in the JY should have steelies...

Come to think of it....I know someone that might still have a set or a pair of stock protege 5 wheels FS cheap in MD....

As for lighting..... 1500 grit wetordry sandpaper and some rubbing compound might help those headlights.
Sept. 6, 2011 8:16 p.m. kazoospec Reader

I looked for a while for snows for the 17's on my SE-R. Ended up buying a second set of 15 inch wheels off from Craigslist and a set of snow tires for significantly less than just the 17 inch tires. There are very few choices out there and the ones that are available are pricey. I wasn't crazy about the extra wheels either, but its actually worked out well. I just swap them and my summer wheels every spring and fall, takes about 30 minutes rather than 2 hours sitting in the tire store and paying $50 to switch them over on the same rims. Snow tires are the stuff in the winter. The very best all seasons don't hold a candle to even crappy snow tires.
Sept. 6, 2011 8:55 p.m. dansxr2 Reader

You could just swap it to me for the Mx-3, it sits plenty high... :P lol....

Ordered a set of Ebay Coilovers for it to stiffen it up and drop the amount of bodyroll... If I keep it I'll spring for a Whiteline Swaybars and Ksport Pro Coilovers in the spring.

I grabbed a set of 5x114.3 FWD offset Steelies off of all things a Caravan to mount my stickies on, they fit great and are rather abundant!
Sept. 6, 2011 9:44 p.m. 92CelicaHalfTrac SuperDork

EvanB wrote:

How about 15s and snow tires on the Miata?

Lol i'm not driving a low miles turbo miata that happens to be the nicest AND most expensive car that i own through winter. That car was bought to be a summer toy, and nothing else.
Sept. 6, 2011 9:46 p.m. 92CelicaHalfTrac SuperDork

familytruckster wrote:

As for lighting..... 1500 grit wetordry sandpaper and some rubbing compound might help those headlights.

The headlights are fine. What you're seeing is the results of an experiment that was never finished a year later. That's just yellow glass paint that i never buffed and cleared over. It comes right off with paint thinner, and those are glass housings that are still like new underneath. They'll be "fixed," it'll take me about 5 minutes a side at most.

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