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Author Topic: Winter tires for 17" rims?  (Read 1981 times)

Offline timeswang

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Winter tires for 17" rims?
« on: December 12, 2004, 10:45:57 am »
I just came from Can. Tire, where they told me they didn't have tires that fit the 17" rims on my gf's mazda3 gt, and quoted me $720 to change to 16" steel wheels + tires, the size and models of which i do not remember.

For my gf, that's too expensive, as she doesn't want to spend over $400... But the only 17" winter tires i found on tiretrends.com cost at least 140/tire...

so, having pored through threads on this forum and finding you to be much more knowledgeable and helpful than any CT tech, i humbly ask your advice...

is it possible, say, to change to 16" steel wheels + tires for under $500?  The rims on CTs website run from 50-70$, and I'm not sure how they differ, and they don't mention size.  Also, I assume that rim size dictate not just the tire diameter one can use (what "inch" tires) but also width and aspect ratio... could someone help me out with that?

thanks for any help you can offer.

cheers
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Offline davidy

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Winter tires for 17" rims?
« Reply #1 on: December 12, 2004, 01:15:00 pm »
Have you checked the local autowreckers for a set of 16 inch wheels with the proper offset (assuming that a 16 inch wheel will clear your brake calipers)? A few years ago, I bought a set of rusty 14 inch wheels for like $25-$30 per tire.

IMO, $500 is a bit tight, budget wise...especially for a newer car like the Mazda3? If you can go to $600....

What's the stock tire size on the Mazda3 GT? One can change the first number one step down (width), upsize on the second number (aspect ratio) and assuming the brake caliper issue, downsize 1 inch the wheel size, the last number.

Dave
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Offline timeswang

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Winter tires for 17" rims?
« Reply #2 on: December 12, 2004, 04:24:22 pm »
stock size is 205/50/17...

the question i wanted to ask was.. say i bought new 16" steel rims.  can i fit any size tires on these (with inside diam 16" of course), or only those within a range of particular widths and aspect ratios
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Offline davidy

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Winter tires for 17" rims?
« Reply #3 on: December 12, 2004, 05:57:58 pm »
195/60R16 is only 0.57% larger than stock. See a tire size calculator here: http://ejelta.com/tiresize/

There is typically a range of rim widths for each tire size of a particular brand. For example, for a BF Goodrich AT T/A KO, the 215/75R15 has a rim width range from 5.5 to 7.0 inches.

Dave
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Offline yvr

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Winter tires for 17" rims?
« Reply #4 on: December 13, 2004, 03:33:07 am »
Another good source to try out is Costco, for what it's worth.
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Offline blackdiamond

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Winter tires for 17" rims?
« Reply #5 on: December 13, 2004, 05:31:21 pm »
Hi Timeswang,

I have a Mazda3 GT as well, and I run 16" wheels on it. In the Mazda3 range, only the GT Sport and the GFX packages come with 17" wheels and all the others are fit with 16". The other advantage of going with 16" is that you'll have a lot more choice than with the stock size of 205/50/17. I went with 205/55/16, which is the stock size on the non-Sport of GFX Mazda3. I bought a set of Kumho KW17 from BigWheelz (www.bigwheelz.com) for about $880. If you are looking for a set around $500, you are going to have real trouble finding the tires as you'll probably want to go with H-rated tires and they are not cheap. The only tire cheaper than the KW17 I have found were the Hankook W300 Icebear. I didn't go with them as I have had bad experience with Hankook tires before.

You are also going to find that your choice is going to be limited at this time of year.

Good luck.
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Offline brian

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Winter tires for 17" rims?
« Reply #6 on: December 13, 2004, 08:03:00 pm »
Hmm, Blackdiamond beat me to most of the info.

Go with 205/55R16 since 195/xx generally isn't something you can actually find.  You have to keep the size within a reasonable size range for proper fitment, gearing, and spedometer reading.

I spent just about $900 total getting a set of 16" steel wheels and KW17 tires from TireTrends.  You will not be able to spend much less than that $720 quote you got as far as I can tell even if you get a cheaper tire.  I think the cheapest tire I've seen anywhere in 205/55R16 is about $90 and that's a generic "S" rated tire from Wal-Mart....

16" steel or alloy wheels aren't that easy to find, particularly for Mazda.

17" tires without wheels are going to be $600 or more by themselves, but then you are also going to have to pay to get them mounted and dismounted now AND in the spring time (twice).  The reason I just bought everything from Tiretrends was because they had everything I needed for a reasonable price and didn't charge for mounting the tires, which is a cost that adds up after a while if you don't get a second set of wheels...

It looks like you will have to either increase the budget, or forget the idea.  Cost became such an issue for the 3 that my parents own, I just BOUGHT the set for them! :p
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