After reading several threads on winter wheels tires (especially this one) I finally made up my mind and pulled the trigger. I have Brembo's so my choices were limited; I ended up ordering the 18" GT500 wheels paired up with 255/45/18 Bridgestone Blizzak LM-60's. I would have preferred to use a thinner tire, but I went with this size since it matches up perfectly with OEM specs.

All I can say is.... WOW WHAT A DIFFERENCE!

I've been driving on the stock Goodyear F1 Supercar tires, which are summer only. Since there's no snow here, just rain and not that cold like other parts of the country, I've been doing ok. I know it's not the best solution, and I would have to get winters before the snow started.

There's only a small amount of rain out currently, no snow or ice, but the difference in driving already feels like night and day. The car is way more surefooted, and the ride is even a little more comfy (since they're a higher profile tire than the 19's).

I was worried about the cost of getting rims for winter, since I couldn't use 16's or 17's like most other cars. However Shaun/Stinger1982 at Rehagan Racing had a great deal on the wheels and that sealed the deal for me. Originally I was going to just get the wheels from him, and the tires from Tirerack or a local dealer, but I ended up getting the whole thing from him = wheels, tires, TPMS stems, mount/balance, and then ship them to me.

Side note about Shaun = I had a first class experience all the way. This is my first experience with purchasing a high value car part online. I live in Canada and wanted the wheels/tires shipped to a package receiver in Washington state (it's a 30 min drive from Vancouver, and bringing the wheels/tires across the border myself saves a lot of $$$ in shipping and handling). The transaction went very smoothly and he really stepped up in other areas to make everything perfect.

I know what you're thinking: "WE WANT PICS!" Here's a few quick pictures, both day and night. Hope these can do the wheels justice.

If you have Brembos and are looking for a good winter tire/wheel package, I have to say these are an excellent choice.

 

Looks great Shawn. You'll be pleasantly surprised at how well the lm-60s do in the snow.

 

Nice setup, I was planning on doing the same thing. But I had a deal come by me that I couldn't refuse. My managers wife was getting a new car so she was getting rid of her 00 mountaineer awd with a 5.0. Mint condition and low miles for a cheap price.

 

Those GT-500 wheels are way too nice to be "winter" wheels!

 

Not compared to the Brembo wheels!

 

OMG, those are winter tires oh right, is it mandatory to run winter tires out there in BC ! Looks good with the Gt500 wheels, but man i'd hate to drive those in snow and salt.

 

Very nice. I'm sorting my winter setup right now... likely to go with some gloss black 18x9 GT500 replicas and Dunlop Wintersport M3s. I'll be so relieved to get a proper cold weather tire with snow capability on the car. Summers in winter are no fun!

 

Looks great! That's exactly what I would do as well.

 

It isn't mandatory out here for snows, but there was a "scare" story that ran on the news that ICBC (our govt insurance provider) would assign partial fault to cars that are in accidents without proper winter tires.

We probably get the least snow in Vancouver compared to anywhere in Canada (and half of the US), but I definitely feel more confident with these tires.
Not only does it protect my car investment, and maybe my life, but it'll double the life of my expensive stock tires since they'll now only be used for only half the year.

 

LOL I was thinking the same thing when I bought them. Way too nice for winter wheels!
But at the great price Stinger1982 had them at, they were not far off the price of ugly winter rims.. and I know they'll fit over the Brembo brakes... and our winters here are so mild that they won't get subjected to a lot of salt and should remain in great shape.

A lot of coworkers told me today when they saw them that they like these wheels BETTER than my Brembos, and that I should keep them year round and sell the Brembo wheels.
I love the looks of them, but I still love the Brembos more!

 

Yeah, its definitely a good idea to run a winter tire if you expect to encounter snow every winter. Here in the DC area our winters range from mild to wild, so you never really know when you're going to get caught out needing that snow capability. And since we average 20-40 degrees through most of the winter the winter compounds are a good fit (especially the performance winter category of tire) even if we don't see all that much snow.

And like you said, you really save wear on your "good" set. I'll be able to use my stock Pirellis through next year now that I am throwing a winter set on.

 

If you're somewhat only sees mild winters and occasional snow, I'd definitely look for a performance winter tire. You'll be surprised how quiet the car is with them, and the grip is uncanny. To go with a standard studless winter tire would be fine, but you're probably going a bit overkill for most.

 

What would you recommend? I need something for mild winters/occasional snow but I don't want to dish out too much $ either. Bah

 

Aren't you in MI?

Personally, I'd go with the LM-60s or the Pilot Alpin PA3's (haven't used, but have heard NOTHING bad about them) for winter. Proper load/speed rating, yet made to handle packed snow with ease.

 

No im in VA. I think those go around $210 a tire. It really blows when you can't run tires all year long and have to keep adding useless expenses.

 

Oh ok. Thought you were close for some reason.

Don't look at them as a useless expense. You probably won't buy another set for 3-4 years at the earliest, and they keep you safe.

 

It's definitely not a useless expense! You get the best cold weather traction with your winter set along with snow capability, then you get the best warm weather traction with your summers. As the saying goes, an all-season tire is a no-season tire!

You can get a set of 18x9 GT500 replicas for 579 shipped. 245/45 winters then would run you an additional 800 or so. Figure the tires should last you for 3-4 winters and your summers would probably last 2 or even 3 full years since you aren't running them year-round.

 

Where can I get the rims 579 shipped? Also, my biggest problem is storage. I own a condo but I can't store a **** thing anywhere. So I will probably have to go to public storage or something and mount the tires on there, lol. It's a pain

 

i went with falken HS439 and they were $720 for all 4 mounted from sears.com. i ended up getting them from discount tire since they price matched and i trusted my local discount tire to carefully mount the wheels.

 

Try THESE for $599 shipped. 18x9.5 and real FRPP wheels, not replicas.

...ned.