Topic: It's June, May As Well Ask Now!

[Thinking Out Loud]

Ryan:  What would be the most cost effective winter tire / steel rim combination for my 2009 Sentra SE-R? 

The current OE size is 225 45/R17, and to say they are inadequate is an understatement!!   

Is going to a 16" rim and steelies for cheaper/more variety in tire options make sense.

Appreciate your thoughts!

TOL

[ktm525]

225 is a wide tire for a Sentra in the winter for sure. Basic advice, try to find some OEM steelies as multi-fit rims suck. You have all summer to try to get some cheap though flea bay or Kijiji.

[Nathan@1010tires]

To be honest with you, if you want steel wheels, we can't answer this question real accurately for a few more months until we start bringing our stock in, depending on a few factors the costs of the wheels will vary a bit, although (winter) tire prices right now are pretty solid for the rest of the year. We don't generally update the site until August however.

At this point direct fit new steel wheels in 16" are $70 each, but again that may change (lower) in the coming months as we bring in more quantity. Generally a 205/55R16 tire is what you would go down to, and the least expensive ones we carry are Federal WS-1's at $119.99 each, which is more of an ice/snow tire. If you want something a little more sporty, it's hard to beat the Falken Eurowinter at $129.99. If your car has TPMS the set of four sensors with the TPMS reset tool is $399.99.

[Thinking Out Loud]

Thanks KTM and Nathan!       The Falkens look great!
 
Should I just wait until August then (i.e. these prices are a theoretical high-water mark)?  Are there alloys that are in that price range-ish or a little more worth considering NOW rather than waiting about steelies?

[airbalancer]

Thanks KTM and Nathan!       The Falkens look great!
 
Should I just wait until August then (i.e. these prices are a theoretical high-water mark)?  Are there alloys that are in that price range-ish or a little more worth considering NOW rather than waiting about steelies?

I rather pay a bit more for alloys then run black steelies for 5 months

[ktm525]

Thanks KTM and Nathan!       The Falkens look great!
 
Should I just wait until August then (i.e. these prices are a theoretical high-water mark)?  Are there alloys that are in that price range-ish or a little more worth considering NOW rather than waiting about steelies?

I rather pay a bit more for alloys then run black steelies for 5 months

I disagree. I have alloys for my winter set and while they look good, they perform badly. In the mountains the parks use a lot of salt/sand mix. The wet sand (snow melted by the salt) coats the inside of the wheels and then hardens. The open nature of the wheel spoks allows a lot of this stuff in. This stuff gets real thick throwing the wheel balance off. As an added bonus the wet sand/salt hardens to a rock-like substance. I have to either chip off with a screwdriver or be real patient with a pressure washer. Unfortunately the stick-on weights that are used on alloys don't always survive the process.

If steel wheels were available for the Volvo they would be on, along with some solid ugly hubcaps.

[EV Dan]

I rode on alloys + all season past winter in GTA and never had any dirt build up inside and absolutely no probs with balance. You have still plenty of time to find used alloys on kijiji and mount new rubber on them to have a set ready for the first snow.
Also websites mentioned here before often have clearance specials on rims/ combos.

[airbalancer]

Thanks KTM and Nathan!       The Falkens look great!
 
Should I just wait until August then (i.e. these prices are a theoretical high-water mark)?  Are there alloys that are in that price range-ish or a little more worth considering NOW rather than waiting about steelies?
OP is from GTA, like Dan wrote, last year there was almost no snow
And in the GTA I would get an Ice tire as compared a heavy duty snow tire

I rather pay a bit more for alloys then run black steelies for 5 months

I disagree. I have alloys for my winter set and while they look good, they perform badly. In the mountains the parks use a lot of salt/sand mix. The wet sand (snow melted by the salt) coats the inside of the wheels and then hardens. The open nature of the wheel spoks allows a lot of this stuff in. This stuff gets real thick throwing the wheel balance off. As an added bonus the wet sand/salt hardens to a rock-like substance. I have to either chip off with a screwdriver or be real patient with a pressure washer. Unfortunately the stick-on weights that are used on alloys don't always survive the process.

If steel wheels were available for the Volvo they would be on, along with some solid ugly hubcaps.

[Thinking Out Loud]

The vehicle is leased....hence my reluctance to overspend on a car that MAY go back to the dealer in 3 winters.  That said, if it is only $25 or so more per wheel to go alloys, its worth it appearance wise.  I like this one enough at this early stage that I may want to keep it. 

I was looking for a combo deal indeed if I'm getting the wheels and rims on a clearance deal too, if available.

[footlong58]

I've got a '10 SE-R and have started inquiring about winter tires/rims as well... A local dealer quoted me on OEM 15" steel rims... I know the SE-R's have bigger brakes up front and disc's instead of drums in the back, so I was suprised to learn that 15" would fit...

[ktm525]

I rode on alloys + all season past winter in GTA and never had any dirt build up inside and absolutely no probs with balance. You have still plenty of time to find used alloys on kijiji and mount new rubber on them to have a set ready for the first snow.
Also websites mentioned here before often have clearance specials on rims/ combos.

Missed the GTA part. My experiences have no relevence. Heads up if you venture to the Rockies though.

[HeliDriver]

I rode on alloys + all season past winter in GTA and never had any dirt build up inside and absolutely no probs with balance. You have still plenty of time to find used alloys on kijiji and mount new rubber on them to have a set ready for the first snow.
Also websites mentioned here before often have clearance specials on rims/ combos.

Missed the GTA part. My experiences have no relevence. Heads up if you venture to the Rockies though.

I had alloys on my Civic for eight winters here in the Rockies and didn't have any problems. Well, no worse than with the steel wheels on our other vehicles, anyway.

Maybe there's something funky about the wheel design on your Volvo?

[Thinking Out Loud]

I've got a '10 SE-R and have started inquiring about winter tires/rims as well... A local dealer quoted me on OEM 15" steel rims... I know the SE-R's have bigger brakes up front and disc's instead of drums in the back, so I was suprised to learn that 15" would fit...

I'd go to 15" but the increase in sidewall size would make for a pretty wonky ride for a car typically running a 45 aspect ratio - what would 15" be - 65 series - on an already soft winter tread?  From leopard traction to newborn wobbly kneed giraffe!   

16" as Nate pointed out seems to have some reasonable prices on winters.  Being in the GTA, the roads are generally clear even in snow-season, so handling is still relatively important methinks.

[quadzilla]

I ran Hankook I*Pike sized 225/45/17's on alloys (-1 setup) this past winter with no issues. Full setup including taxes was around $1300 bought locally. I think the same setup on 16" steels was around $900 w/taxes for a cost comparison.

Although this past winter was somewhat mild I did get a few good snow runs to Tobermory and Lake Placid and they ran really well.

I went with 17's as I wanted to keep as much handling as I could since most of my winter driving is on cleared highways. If the snow is above the front air dam of the car, I shouldn't be out in it at that point.

Good luck in your search and balancing cost vs performance.

[Nathan@1010tires]

I've got a '10 SE-R and have started inquiring about winter tires/rims as well... A local dealer quoted me on OEM 15" steel rims... I know the SE-R's have bigger brakes up front and disc's instead of drums in the back, so I was suprised to learn that 15" would fit...

I'd go to 15" but the increase in sidewall size would make for a pretty wonky ride for a car typically running a 45 aspect ratio - what would 15" be - 65 series - on an already soft winter tread?  From leopard traction to newborn wobbly kneed giraffe!   

16" as Nate pointed out seems to have some reasonable prices on winters.  Being in the GTA, the roads are generally clear even in snow-season, so handling is still relatively important methinks.

15" wheels won't clear the brakes on your car anyway, so that makes the choice pretty easy. I'm pretty sure the dealer is incorrect.

As far as when to buy, we personally don't charge more during certain times of year, we figure out our selling price based on list price and list price for winter tires usually comes in April. You may choose to purchase earlier to avoid HST, but generally August/September is early enough to have full selection of product.

[Railton]

Nathan, What about on my G37S M6. The summers are on 19". Do you know if I can go -1 or -2 on the Winter set-up?
Railton

[Nathan@1010tires]

Nathan, What about on my G37S M6. The summers are on 19". Do you know if I can go -1 or -2 on the Winter set-up?
Railton

18" with a 225/50R18 tire is a definate go for both the coupe and the sedan, 17" won't work however.

[footlong58]

So 16's for the SE-R then?  Those will fit?

[Nathan@1010tires]

So 16's for the SE-R then?  Those will fit?

Yes

[footlong58]

Just a quick question, Nathan, or anyone else...  225/45R17 is my stock size... do you see any major issues with going to a 215/55R16 rather than a 205/55R16?