I have Kumho Ecsta 712 on my 18's right now but I hear that they arent very good in ice and snow. Does anyone know of some good winter tires for 18's... or should I put my stock rims back on for a couple months and get some good winter tires for those? Any help is much appreciated. thanks

 

You really should go with the stock wheels + some snow tires, I dont even think snow tires come in 18" sizes. The width of your wheels will act like a snowshoe and keep you riding on top of the snow instead of digging in, so traction will never be great regardless of the tire.

 

alright cool thanks - do you know of some good tires that are relatively cheap? Thanks

 

The last guy was right about the snow tires The best thing to do would be to put the stock tires back on for the winter. That is what I have done for the past two years and it seems to be working out well. As for tires I like the tirerack.com I have bought a couple sets from them and was very pleased. I hope that helps.

 

For winter, you want narrow width, high profile tires--just about the opposite of what you have now...

 

I would put the 18 s away for the winter...Salt,sand and dirt doesn t really help the chrome or alloy finish. I wil use the steel wheels ,and go maybe for some Blizzacks or Dunlop Graspic.I have used them both before and I intend to use them again.Pricewise,the Blizzack is slightly more . What I didn t know until short time ago is the fact that is a good ideea to use one size narrower than regular. So if your all seasons are 205/65/15 , use 195/65/15. That is what I will do myself. It does make a lot of difference ,you can use the tires for some time (depends how much you drive). The snow tires wear a bit quicker than regular due to the soft compound , but I still prefer to invest in a set than to pay the deductibile when you rip your bumper off, or when you go in the ditch. I guess that the northern people are blessed with the white junk.

 

alright thanks a lot

 

I agree with using winter tires on your stock rims, that is exactly what I have done on my last two cars. I have been quite happy with my Michelin Artic Alpins, and have heard good things about Pirelli Winter 210's, but don't have any direct experience with them.

 

I have used both Alpins and Blizzaks. Both worked great. I wont run anything but winter tires in the winter now. They are so nice and the added safety is worth the price. I would not change tires on one set of rims if I were you. Use your factory wheels or buy a package from tirerack or something. Much easier and saves you the cost of mounting every year…twice.