So you went from 16" to 14"?

 

i did this on my previous car, ran the same 185/70-14 general altimax arctic tires. they worked very well, but were a little mushy on pavement. that and the ability to get a slightly taller tire is the reasoning i went with 15's for my fit.

 

All the online recommendations for the smaller size - and the lower price - convinced me to buy them. For about $50 more, I could have gotten alloy wheels, but I can live with the steel.

 

Yes, I run the stock alloy 16" wheels spring through fall, then 14" steelies with snows during the winter. The snows are 2/10" taller than the stock wheels which results in a 1/10" higher ride height. Going to 15" winters could get me another 10th of an inch or two ground clearance, not worth it to me for the extra money.

 

Sounds good.

 

not sure why you dismiss my opinions. no offense to Javious, but by his own accord, he has not even run these tires on his fit yet. last year i offered the 185/70-14 snow tires to you for nearly nothing, and you blew me off.

at the beginning of last snow season, i tested the 14's vs the 15's back to back, and the 15's won out, especially over 55 mph.

 

Are you referring to my comment, "Sounds good"? By "good," I meant "good."

 

SilverEX15, please keep us posted on how much better the snows are for you. I'm going to rely on my stock all weathers again this winter, but that has a lot to do with space being at a premium in my garage. I'm not sure where I would store 4 sets of tires year-round. Another benefit of having snow tires is that it makes tire rotations easier, especially if you only drive enough in a year to require two rotations.

 

As perceptive as I am, there's no way I'll be able to report on how much better the snow tires are than the all seasons. From everything I've read, snow tires are much better in the snow than all season tires. I've often driven all winter on regular tires, but I thought I'd play it safe this year. Every mile I drive on the snows will be one less mile of wear on my regular tires.

 

2c:

Last car I had was an E36 3-series, similar size and weight and power, just RWD. Snows made a night and day difference around here (Chicago). Of course, the rears grabbed better under acceleration, but everything was improved greatly, and things I cared more about than power: braking and handling were a lot closer to "wet" than "snow".

I considered the tires worth it just for accident avoidance. I no longer had to worry "will I stop in time" ever, nor about any downward slopes that might be icy. I've had cars just fly away on me before in winter without such tires. Not fun when you have literally 0 control.

So I'll be buying a new set of Blizzaks soon, plus steelies. Not sure on sizing yet, though.

 

Anyone running on 14" steelies? I have a set in my garage that will work and was planning on wrapping them in Altimax Arctic 185/70R14.... Very little Highway driving, mostly 45 to 55 mph roads.

 

i still have the old ws40's from the 2009 that im going to run on the GK this winter. probably one more season left on the tread.

not sure wat im going to do on the 2012 GE though... it has DWS right now, but its no good in anything deeper than 2" snow.

 

All right, you guys convinced me. Last week I bought 4 15" steel wheels shod with 185-60x15 Altimax Arctic tires. This will be the first time I run snow tires since I sold the '84 Shelby Charger.


One BIG reason is that I won't have to buy 4 extra pressure sensors for the winter wheels and have the dealer recalibrate the system twice a year, like the GE required.


This will be different for me, as I've gotten by with all-season radials since 1992.

 

Hey, it's winter. Nobody's going to be looking at your wheels.

 

Ordered a set of Michelin X-Ice 3s today. Did a -1 tire, 175/70/14 with steel rims for my Canadian base LX. I've never done a -1 for winter tires before, usually opting for the standard 0 size. The theory makes sense: narrower tire, same car weight means more pressure on the contact patch to the road. We'll see if the tire store guy is blowing smoke up my skirt.

Can't wait for a layer of snow so I can turn of the VSA and play with the hand brake into corners.

 

Yes, a smaller size is now the standard recommendation for snow tires. Tirerack has been recommending that for a few years, even though smaller tires cost less.

 

Snows installed today. I receive $60 discount/yr from the insurance company for having snow tires. I always have snows regardless. Yay Ontario.

 

I usually wait for the first heavy snowfall to install my snow tires.

 

some other threads and people have been saying 14" wheels DO NOT FIT on the "larger" 2015 front brakes. I put the aftermarket alloy 14" wheels on last weekend, no issues, about 1/4" to 1/2" clearance between caliper and rim. i would say 14" wheels WILL fit the 2015 EX. Hope this helps someone.

 

What the hay?!? You need snows in Vancouver?