question on winter tires/wheels

[jaye944]

ok, I know on some cars they specify specifics for winter wheels/tires sizes.

I also know form past experience know the idea is to use a thinner wheel so that the the weight is more on that surface area (kinda like a skate on ice)

ok, hypothetically (and I'll give you some examples)
if you have a a 205/55 tire on a 16x7 rim (as standard)
to keep the same rolling radius the same go up to a 17" you'd need a 205/50

is a 17" wheel better or negligibly no difference in snow, my theory is that 17" rims are heavier that a 16" combo

thanks for the "hypo theoretical advice"

[DavidV]

Unless you drive a lot in fresh snow there is no real benefit in going with such narrow tires on all 4 corners.
Do yourself a favour and get a set in the width you want.
And unsprung weight during winter circumstances is not that important.

[AlexQuattro]

is a 17" wheel better or negligibly no difference in snow, my theory is that 17" rims are heavier that a 16" combo

My experience with winter tires is that it is better to have a narrow tire as it helps evacuate water/slush better and has more weight on the surface like you mentioned. I don't see any benefits to going form a 16'' to a 17'' and I have never heard of any benefits of doing so.

[jaye944]

just to confirm (in this example through a tire calculator)

both tire widths are 205, only the height has changed because the rim is bigger to keep the rolling radius the same

Unless you drive a lot in fresh snow there is no real benefit in going with such narrow tires on all 4 corners.
Do yourself a favour and get a set in the width you want.
And unsprung weight during winter circumstances is not that important.

[jaye944]

ok cool thanks, and thanks for confirming what I thought to cheers

My experience with winter tires is that it is better to have a narrow tire as it helps evacuate water/slush better and has more weight on the surface like you mentioned. I don't see any benefits to going form a 16'' to a 17'' and I have never heard of any benefits of doing so.

[DavidV]

just to confirm (in this example through a tire calculator)

both tire widths are 205, only the height has changed because the rim is bigger to keep the rolling radius the same

I've been driving 4 winters with 205/17 square setup tires until I got fed up with not having any traction .
So I sold the set and went with 225/18 front and 255/18 rear tires and haven't looked back since.
My car is for enjoying driving not for tiptoeing around all winter.
Only on freshly fallen snow does a staggered tire setup feel like you're driving around with flat tires, but that's maybe 2x all winter. The rest of the time you'll enjoy the grip of a wider setup.

[AlexQuattro]

I've been driving 4 winters with 205/17 square setup tires until I got fed up with not having any traction .
So I sold the set and went with 225/18 front and 255/18 rear tires and haven't looked back since.
My car is for enjoying driving not for tiptoeing around all winter.
Only on freshly fallen snow does a staggered tire setup feel like you're driving around with flat tires, but that's maybe 2x all winter. The rest of the time you'll enjoy the grip of a wider setup.

OP is not talking about the width of the tire but the diameter of the wheel.

Question for you: what would have happened if you went from 205/17 to 205/18 instead of 225/18?

[DavidV]

I know he asked, that's why in my first reply I stated that in wintertime the unsprung weight of the wheels does not matter for you're not gonna road race the car on winter tires.
As long as the total diameter of the wheel stays pretty much the same it's going to be fine.
The biggest downside of losing that much width on the rear wheels is the total loss of traction.

[DavidV]

A word of caution though.
You cannot go too small on your rim size. The wheels must clear the brake disks and calipers.

[jaye944]

thankxs all

[Vernon Meyer]

Many brand of the tires is sealing the snow tires but i think the best time to buy winter tires is generally in the off season, you may not have the choice you do during the winter but they are cheaper..What do you think about it or any suggestion?

[Sticky]

^ Why do you come off weird...