Mrsuitcase

I'm currently shopping for winter tires and rims, and I'm hoping someone can help with some questions.

I've got a 2014 coupe with pony package, so the OEM tires and rims are 235/50/18's.
Tirerack suggests a package based on an automatic coupe with 215/65/17's. I believe I've read that a narrower tire is better in the snow, so I tend to agree with the 17" rims and the narrower 215 tread. However, I'm looking up size comparisons, and I think the 215/60/17 is closer in diameter for the speedometer. Before I pull the $1000 trigger, is
that correct?

I am also considering getting new steel rims (I'm guessing the only hub-centric ones come from Ford?) to mount them on. Alternatively, I could get someone's used rims (maybe OEM alloys); but the way people post
them on Kajiji is not by size - it's usually by Mustang model and year. I'm
not sure whether the older mustang model 17" rims will fit on a newer
model. Any idea which older model 17" rims fit on the newer mustangs?

Last question: Any opinions on Blizzaks vs Michelin X-Ice 3's? Those are
the 2 tires I'm thinking about.

Any help appreciated.

Thank you,
Justin

kylerohde

I'm terrible with tire sizes so can't really help you there, but I will say the customer service people at Tire Rack are awesome. Give them a call and they can walk you through all the options.

Personally, the cheapest option is probably buying somebody's OEM rims they don't want anymore. There's constantly guys on here selling whole sets with brand new A/S tires on 'em for <$500. Buy a set of those close to you and get your new snow tires mounted on the rims.

I've got Blizzaks and have had good luck on them so far - no experience with the Michelins.

Mrsuitcase

Thanks for the advise Kyle.

Reason I asked about sizes is that I phoned 3 different Ford dealers for winter packages, and I got 3 different tire sizes with their responses. So I looked up tirerack.com for information purposes, and they don't recognize my specific car type (a premium has 17" oem A/S, but mine is a pony package which has 18" A/S).

Can't order from tirerack anyways because I'm Canadian and I'm sure the duties would be exhorbitant.

This is kind of frustrating to be honest. I figure by the end of all of this I'll probably know way more than I ever thought was possible about tires.

Siber Express

Actually your speedo is off with the 235's. Your Speedo is set between the 215/65/17 and the 225/60/17 from the factory

Shelby Mama

Don't know about tire sizes but, my hubby has 16" steel rims for his 07' monte carlo SS for winter. This car has factory 18" rims. Typically, the smaller the rim, the better the tire price. We run Bridgestone Blizzaks. BEST SNOW TIRE EVER! As far as ordering tires we buy through tirebuyer.com best price on the internet, delivery in under 24 hrs to your door. I even completed a survey and received a 25$ restaurant gift card. Not sure if they deliver to Canada though.
I even have a set of Blizzaks on my Avalanche because I don't want my chrome rims ate up by the salt. I have 17" rims for my truck. I can do 70 MPH through 6 inches of snow with now issues.

det97

I have an 11 pony vert. I went a little crazy any got 235/55R-17 Firestone Winterforcetires on the cheap 17x7.5 MSW Type 14 Silver rims. I never had a problem with the super wide tires here in Minnesota. Get the TPMS sensors for less error lights on the dash.

XEDES

Sorry OP but like the rest, I suck at calculating tire sizes but www.1010tires.com has a calculator to help you. Also, I'm debating between the same two tires for winter. Both have great reviews but I'm leaning towards the Michelin myself. I've used Blizzaks in the past and I want to check out something different.

Also, for those getting a second set of wheels, get your sensors from eBay and save yourself a pretty penny. The person I bought from was from Ohio and they worked great and were only 1/4 of the price that discount tire wanted for them.

eurocobra

I had the Michelin XIce2 and XIce3 on my 2011 V6 Pony Package and my 2013 V8 5.0 mustangs.

The tires perform very well. I used the in several conditions from deep snow on hills to clear German Autobahns. Never an issue. Just have to use common since and always keep in mind no tire provides superb traction on a sheet of ice regardless of the tire name.

Here is a link- Check out all of the photos: https://themustangsource.com/f652/wi...el-set-525957/


Ray

ustabawannab

As you can see, my car has the Pony Package's 18's. I purchased the following...

Used, Base Mustang 17" take-off wheels from eBay $350 shipped

Michelin X Ice-3's 215/65R17, 4 TPMS Sensors, Ford TPMS Trainer $825.27 shipped

A $70 Visa rebate card which I used to pay for mounting and balancing at my dealer $66.00


Note the directional tread pattern

Ltngdrvr

Who told you this fairy tale?

Ford sets the tire size in the tune, each size tire has a corresponding factory tune set for it.

They are all off a little, but not as much as if they had a 215/65/17 tune on a car with the much shorter 235/50/18's.

in.s0mn1ac

I put on 215/60-17's for winter, on the cheapest alloy wheels that would fit - they are the closest to exact match for the 255/40-19 summers (V6 w/PerfPack), and I wanted to have no more than a '60' sidewall so that responsiveness/feel wasn't thrown out the window (taller sidewalls and the tires feel like mush...). The TireRack folks were very helpful in pointing me to the right wheel - apparently, all 17" aren't suitable. If you live close to the border, it's worth getting delivery to the closest UPS/FedEx store - I live close to Ottawa and picked mine up from Ogdensburg NY, saved me ~$400 compared to local tire stores, including import duties. I went with Conti ExtremeWinterContact; great tire, well suited to the Mustang.

David Young

I don't get very much snow where i live. I would go with these tires if i lived in Canada. They have very good reviews

Mrsuitcase

In the end, I got quotes from Costco, Cdn Tire, and 3 Ford dealerships.

Oddly enough, each Ford dealership gave me a different recommended size... (?)

At Costco, rims are generic (not hub-centric).

A mechanic friend of mine mentioned to be careful with used rims, as some defects can be hard to see at someone's garage.

For Tirerack to be effective, I would have had to drive to the states...

So in the end, I went with the Ford dealership that gave me the correct (down)-size of 215/60/17 as a replacement for my 235/50/18's.

The tires themselves I picked Michelin X-Ice3, as they are well reviewed (and they currently have a $70 mail-in rebate offer!). The price of the tires at the Ford dealership was actually $30 less per tire than costco, which was a shock. I also got steel rims for now, and with the money I saved I even purchased the TPMS'.

ustabawannab

Yes takeoffs are a risk. My Ford rims were from a Roush Dealer so I felt pretty good. They claimed less than 10 miles on them on their listing. They were well packed and look brand new. My Ford dealer inspected them prior to mounting and balancing. No issues.

I had two winter aluminum wheel sets for my TT and GLI that were Chinese imports sold by Tire Rack. Nothing wrong with them. No issues.

My last set for my CC where generic steels, also from TR. Looked similar to the spare VW wheel but also were stamped made in China. Bent two of them on potholes. I am not a "only buy American" kind of person, but won't go with steels again. Milwaukee potholes are too rough on them.



UPDATE: Here are my X Ice 3's on my eBay base mustang wheels




My summer Pony Package wheels and P Zero tires are 235/50 R18s. My winter wheels and tires are 215/65 R17s. My speedometer reads 1 mile an hour slower than I'm actually going with the winter wheels vs summer setup according to my GPS. No big deal. Because my car has the Ford Racing Handling pack on it with about 1.25 inch drop, my hope is the wheel wells don't pack in with snow too much. We'll see.

GadgetKen

I'm running 4 studded Cooper Weathermaster WSC 235 50r/18 tires on the stock rims on a 2013 pony package convertible for the second winter. Need the studs because I live in a rural area with steep hills and a rather challenging uphill gravel and dirt driveway with two curves. Excellent traction on snow and exceptionally good on ice. But the flip side is all studded tires are noisy(particularly on dry pavement), and they are not legal year round in some states or provinces (I put them on in Connecticut this year in mid-November right after they became legal). Found this to be a good list of when and where they are legal: http://drivinglaws.aaa.com/laws/studded-tires/ (there's also a click through for Canada).
Alternative to the Cooper Weathermaster tires I seriously considered were Nokian Hakkapellitta studded tires. Really nice imported tires from Finland but too pricey for me.

In a non-studded tire I considered the Michellin X-Ice tires, the Bridgestone Bilizzak's and the Nokian Hakkapellitta non-studded tires. All fine choices but I really needed the studs for ice (and I carry some plastic traction mats, a collapsible shovel, cat litter, etc. in case I get stuck). Comments from people I know that use these tires are positive. Michelin X-Ice tire probably better for a smoother ride and a decent warranty. Bridgestone Blizzak's have a good reputation for handling on snow.

apial

I bought brand new standard 17 inch wheels on Ebay for 69 dollars a piece and put 225/60R17 Michelin Ice X3 on them.

Runs pretty good but don't put them on to early, they are very very soft and running not pretty good in to "warm" conditions (but I think the will do a great job during the winter).


regards
Sascha

P.s Picture with the tires:

mikesnickname

Hey,

Sorry to resurrect an old thread.

I'm wondering if I can gather some feedback from those of you who used winter tires on their mustang this past season.

I need to buy a new set and a lot of tire depots are now having sales on their winter stock.

I am currently using OEM 19 inch rims for winter driving, so will need a tire that can accommodate the same specifications.

Thanks in advance for any input.

kylerohde

Blizzaks are fantastic - 3 winters on the set I have so far and they've performed great.

Joeywhat

I picked up a set of Nokians for mine. Great winter tire, see if you can get a set where you are. They drive well on dry pavement, and are downright fantastic on snow & ice.

Mrsuitcase

We had a brutal winter - tons of ice and snow.

There were times where I'm driving behind an SUV, and their backend was fishtailing back and forth. And as I followed them, my mustang was.... straight as an arrow.

I have the Michelin X-Ice3 tires. I think that those tires along with the traction control probably gave me a lot more peace and calm than I otherwise would have had during this winter from hell.

Now, don't get me wrong - you can still kick out the backend of the car if you try to gun it around a corner on icy roads; but, driving normally, I had no problems.