Do you all think i should take off my rims for the winter?? They have only been on for like a month and i dunno if it is needed to take them off. They are 17s so the sidewall is pretty wide also they are 235s so they would prbly b better in the snow and stuff. Also what other things are needed to winterize-i checked all my fluids and all was good -please let me kno about the rims tho thanks

 

Wide tires are *worse* in the snow, not better.

Check/change fluids, wipers, I put on dedicated snows (tires and wheels).

Put a milk crate in the trunk with some amount of

-needed fluids,
-a blanket,
-2 or 3 flares,
-some wrapped snacks (just in case you go off the road and get stuck),
-a quart of that 'storable gas'
-a couple 'skid boards' to help drive out of getting stuck

... that kind of thing.

 

Wide tires are only worse in powder or loose snow. In packed snow they are better. That is of course if they are all seasons.

 

so do u thynk i should take em off or keep em on -its gonna go from that to my stock 16s-not that much of a diff-also if i should take em off should i do it right now i really dont think we are getton snow 4 a bit

 

what i do is once it snows the 1st time, switch back to my stock rims and goodyear all weathers, its a bit of work, but you keep your new rims in shape, who knows about salt and all that other **** that might happen during winter, just seems smart to me. \m/

 

Should I change my 2k3 wheels?

 

I'm going back to my 15's... sawblades rule!

 

Actually wide tires are worse everywhere except dry pavement.

For winter you want skinny tires. I suggest the stock steelies and some dedicated snow tires. Especially in NY

 

I got new really nice polished 17 inches rims Konig with 235/45 Toyo all seasons by November last year and didn't replace them with the stock ones before snowing because car looked so nice and after winter was gone and washed car and rims and found many scratches all over rims from salt, sand and hard snow/ice; I was so upset because paid lots of money for them. I learned my leason the hard way. This year will put back the stock ones as soon as I see snow coming. I strongly recommend you to switch to stock ones on the winter, so new ones last you long time in like new shape; besides wider/low profile tires are the very worse in the snow, have all seasons but still was close to have accidents several times.

 

I just bought the tripple thread goodyear tires. they were kind of expensive 104 ea, but they have been the best tires I have ever driven on. They have real good grip. It hasnt snow, but they are terrific in the rain.

 

Please explain. I don't see how this could be.

 

Wide tires are good on dry pavement because they spread the weight of the car out on a larger contact patch. This means that each square mm of rubber has less lateral force being exerted upon it when turning, therefore better cornering. When it snows, this means that the tires are essentially "floating" on the snow and the tires are not biting through to the surface underneath. Deep groved tires work better in the snow because they allow more snow to compact between the ***** of the tire and allow the tire to get closer to the road surface as well as creating a bond between the snow in the groove and that below the tire. If you have never driven with real snow tires then you can not appreciate how good they really are. The difference between all season and snow tires is amazing, and the difference between summer tires and snow tires is unbelievable. Good snow tires are worth every single penny. And get all 4, don't cheap out and go with 2 on the front, it is not the same.

If you do keep your wheels on, take a tub of axle grease and coat the wheels with the grease. Put it on nice and thick and in the spring hose it off to find shiny wheels like brand new!

 

Most definitely agree. I'd really suggest (since most people have their stock rims left over when they get new rims) to just put some snow tires on your old stock rims and just swap between your winter wheels and your summer wheels.

I actually had 3 full sets of wheel/tire combinations at one point - 1 set of summer wheels (17" BBS), my old 15" stock sawblades with all season tires (just in case something went wrong with the summer set), and I bought 4 old school '91 Q45 wheels from a junkyard and slapped some snow tires on them and painted them black for that ghetto-fabulous, "you're a jack***" look. They were so ugly, they almost looked good.

 

for the people whose heat takes a while to come on and if your temp gauge takes forever to move: i recently changed my thermostat (was $11.99 + gasket) and did a coolant flush and now my car heats up so good and so fast. definately valuable for winter time.

 

Haha thats what I was thinking then all the sudden it starts sleeting and snowing and we end up with about 2 inches and some ice. If I were you I'd just do it now saves the hassle in case you do get caught in the snow. Personally I had never driven a front wheel drive car in the snow and damn it sucks but it could also be my bald tires up front.

 

i had to move to saw blades last week. Its much colder where I am (30's) and my summers are losing traction. I can't seem to accelerate without spinnging the tires everytime.

I recently noticed something about the saw blade rims. The rims on the left side cut back on rotation and the right ones cut forward. Its horrible.

 

YEa, DEF snowed all day yesterday....A good reason to take your rims off is so the salt doesnt eat at the finish, thats why most ppl take em off.

 

Take them off. My car had so much trouble acclerating yesterday. I have 235/40/17.

 

Take them off and use stock wheels. You don't want salt, ice, and snow to damage your aftermarket wheels.

 

Wide tires are better in powder or loose snow if the tread is deep enough to clean itself out. Did you ever see a mud bog truck with skinny tires?? I have 12.5 " wide tires on my Bronco and only need 4wd in over 8" of snow. You want to float on top of deep snow and pack it down as you go. If you dig in you will get stuck. The wide tire myth comes from the fact that most wide car tires are street perfomance and do not clean themselves very well (Tread packs with snow = no traction) Skinny tires only work better in slush and rain as they don't hydroplane as easily and can dig down to the road surface (not good if there is ice on the pavement underneath). There are plenty of sport car snow tires out there that are wide and work extremely well in the snow (Blizzaks) It really depends on the driver and where you live as to what works for you.