Snow tires...

Jbird

Jbird

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When purchasing snow tires, do you have to get wheels to go with them? Or can you have the tire place take the summer tires off, and then in the spring put them back on again on your regular wheels/rims?

I drive a Chevy Cruze LTZ, the LTZ being the sportier looking model with the aero effects package and bigger, wider, sportier tires that are pretty much a 'summer tire'. I wouldn't mind getting some winter tires for the car, but don't really want to buy separate wheels which I'll be stuck with if/when down the road I get a newer vehicle.

I have 45k on these tires anyways, it's probably getting close to needing a new set of tires, though the tread really doesn't look too bad at all.
 
You can have a tire shop take your non-winter tires off and mount & balance your winter tires. But you're now paying for that 2xs a year, every year. That'll add up to the cost of cheap wheels in short order.

Couple ways to save money:
buy used winter tires & wheels off craigslist
buy a set of cheap wheels off CL and mount new winter tires

When you get a different car and can't use the snows anymore, sell the wheels & tires on CL


The downside to having a dedicated set of winter wheels & tires is that you need a place to store the wheels and tires that aren't on the car
 
What I would, if you have the budget for it, is have the snows mounted on your stock rims now, and come spring order a set of tires and rims premounted from Tirerack...that way you can have the lighter rims mounted most of the time, reducing unsprung weight and improving ride and handling with the added bonus of better looking rims...the rims will hold resale value down the road...
 
jelloman said:
What I would, if you have the budget for it, is have the snows mounted on your stock rims now, and come spring order a set of tires and rims premounted from Tirerack...that way you can have the lighter rims mounted most of the time, reducing unsprung weight and improving ride and handling with the added bonus of better looking rims...the rims will hold resale value down the road...
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My preference on a car w/ plus size equipped wheels/tires is to go minus size on the snows.
For example my factory summers are 17" w/ a low profile sidewall but my winter wheel/tire combo is a 16" narrower tire and more sidewall. A narrower contact patch is generally more advantageous for traction and handling in the slop.




FWIW, a 1 pound difference in wheel weight roughly translates to adding 10lbs to the car. Some vehicles are more responsive to wheel weights than others. You might want to find some feedback on your car from other owners to gauge what your expectation should be with a swap.
 
I remember in the 70's when my dad would have snow tires and summer tires but that was before radial tires. Once radial tires came out he stopped switching. I've never switched either not even when I lived in Wyoming and South Dakota and never had a problem. Most of the people I know who switch do so not for better traction but so their expensive custom rims won't endure the chemicals put down to melt the snow.
 
And there's the problem of tires on alloy rims losing pressure when there's a wicked cold snap.
Steel wheels are less prone to that problem.

I must have topped up the pressure in my tires about twenty times last year.
I've got steel rims this year. Just all-seasons because they came with the wheels, but the wheels be my platform for snow tires when these wear out.
 
Some modern snow tires are safe to use all year. Plenty of people do that in Colorado.
 
Jbird said:
You SoCal guys don't drive up to Big Bear to play in the snow?
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My car is sitting on a set of Michelin Pilot Super Sports, a high performance summer tire....it'd be damn near suicidal to take them out in the snow or icy conditions.
 
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I just bought studded snow tires for my truck. I'll be searching for a nice set of wheels over the winter and buy some summer sneaks to put on 'em. Changing the wheels out beats mounting and balancing twice a year.
 
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