Snow Tires!!

[sk_tle]

You will never regret getting your winter tires mounted on their own steel rims. Plus the fashion these days is a low-profile tire, and you want to go down a size on your rims so you can get more sidewall height, for when you crash into a pothole hidden in a puddle.

+1

Purchased the winter tires on steelies. With salt and all your car will look like crap everytime you go out so there is no point trying to be fashionable with expensive alloy wheels. Add to that downsizing the rim help you get cheaper winter tires and gives you more comfort.

[ides1056]

For the record, I just have my mechanic swap tires onto the stock rims. No extra set of steel rims. I'd have to ask around to a few friends who do have snow tires on steel rims to see if they have seen any significant savings.[/QUOTE]

We went with a second set of rims after the kids swapping tires onto Toyota rims almost broke his wrist: something about the shape of the interior of the rim makes it particularly difficult to mount tires. Aluminum rims were cheap, and have lasted well.

[lumpy]

For the record, I just have my mechanic swap tires onto the stock rims. No extra set of steel rims. I'd have to ask around to a few friends who do have snow tires on steel rims to see if they have seen any significant savings.

[/QUOTE]

The savings for me is in time. I can do it at home quick fast in a hurry.

[thollandpe]

+1 on extra rims (well there are four sets in the garage, two for kids' cars).

Like others have said it's dent insurance and salt insurance, and it makes tire swap a job I can do at home. The black steel wheels make the cars look a little thuggish, even the Prius and the Miata.

TH

[sailor]

I am in the extra rims category and a size smaller, the swap takes ~40 minutes with a floor jack and needs to be done this weekend. If you do a lot of non-snow driving on your winter tires the performance winter category is worth considering.

That said, I plan on trying "all weather" tires on my wife's car when it is due for new treads and see how they do in both the snow and the rain.

[Lionel]

I have Michelin Pilot Alpin on the S4. They are ok.

[72gmc]

Another data point for the snow tires on their own rims conversation: fewer chances for your tires to be damaged. My wife doesn’t want black winter wheels, and I just wasted 2 hours because the tech damaged a snow tire swapping it last spring. Now I get to redo this dance on Wednesday.

[sk_tle]

ordered 4 new snow tires today. I should have known better but found out a few days ago that 8y old winter tires end up being way less grippy than new ones even with a good amount of profile left.