Right now I have a set of 15" rims with all-seasons and a set of lightweight 16" rims with summer tires. My 15s are no-name and scraped/scuffed/curb rashed to hell, so I didn't think selling them was much of an option, but I wouldn't mind pushing them off for a few bucks here and there.

Rain traction is a priority in the summer; I figure any good performance tire that's good in the rain will be good enough for me on the streets in the dry, so I'm not getting picky about that. Snow traction is a priority in the winter, but Philly winters are so manic and on/off that I don't want to get true snow tires. Light weight is a priority all year round (23 lbs per tire maximum)


Scenario 1:
- 225/50/16 Toyo Proxes 4 for the lightweight rims
- Ditch the 15s

Scenario 2:
- 225/50/16 BF Goodrich g-Force Sport or Yokohama AVS ES100 for the lightweight rims
- 205/65/15 Continental ContiExtremeContact for the 15s


From what I've read, the Proxes 4 would be fine for my purposes in the snow. My only worries are whether they'll wear out so much in the summer that next winter will be hellish anyway, and whether having a 225 tread width instead of 205 will really hamper my snow traction.

Thoughts?

 

I would keep 2 sets

 

Unless you're going with Nokian WRs, you wil need two sets.

 

If you have the money for two sets of tires and the extra space to store them go for it. I dont have the money to spend on a second set of tires and the A/S' are treating me well.

 

I would suggest two sets as well - but would go about it a different way: a winter-specific tire (Blizzak, Wintersport M2/3, Nokians, etc) and an all-season tire (particularly the Proxes 4), which is superior in the rain to the summer-only tires.

I say this with a as I use the proxes 4 in the spring/summer/fall and Blizzak LM-22's in the winter. The Proxes are fine for pretty much any kind of street driving, and if you drag occasionally they will hook up fine, IMO.

That said, I have a third set of wheels/tires for track use (primarily autocross, not drag).