Why do people buy winters wheels instead of swapping tyres?

Why do people buy winters wheels instead of swapping tyres?

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Discussion

mouseymousey

2,641 posts

236 months

Friday 30th January 2015
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Vroomer said:
It costs £40 to swap tyres, so £80 year.

It would take a long while to get your money back if you bought extra wheels instead.

(Cost of tyres disregarded as you are simply using these in place of existing tyres which will have their life doubled.)

So can't see argument in favour of extra wheels on cost grounds, but do understand argument about thinner wheels in snow.
Cost me 1018 for 4 alloys with 225/40 Continental Winter Contact tyres. That was about 200 cheaper than buying tyres to fit the standard alloys. I change them myself thereby saving another 80 a year!

And they were worth every penny this morning!

ashway

532 posts

164 months

Friday 30th January 2015
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I'm in the separate winter wheels and tyres camp, swapping over and storage isn't a problem for me. I'm a little more careful than tyre fitters when I'm using a trolly jack and a puck to locate the jacking points. Damage caused by removal of weights with a knife and wheel bolts tightened up with a air tool are enough to put me off. Not sure how good it is for tyres to be swapped from the rims twice a year either. Once you factor in a potential refurb for the wheels the cost factor, if thats the driving force, is minimal.

All in my opinion of course

Zod

35,295 posts

257 months

Friday 30th January 2015
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I used to change my own, but have got lazy after changing the X5's wheels. The 20" summer ones weigh a ton!

pauldavies85

423 posts

185 months

Friday 30th January 2015
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I swap, got cheap alloys with writers on them. 325d RWD auto

I can vouch for there effectuveness, driving 30km mountain roads in alps, 50cm snow, hard pack and ice.

Full control and grip. Yet I witnessed an audi quatro spinning all 4 on the same hills.

I would choose this over AWD cost and economy/maintance negativity

pauldavies85

423 posts

185 months

Friday 30th January 2015
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I swap, got cheap alloys with writers on them. 325d RWD auto

I can vouch for there effectuveness, driving 30km mountain roads in alps, 50cm snow, hard pack and ice.

Full control and grip. Yet I witnessed an audi quatro spinning all 4 on the same hills.

I would choose this over AWD cost and economy/maintance negativity

Crackie

6,386 posts

241 months

Friday 30th January 2015
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Fitting 19" winter tyres made no financial sense to me. 19"s winters cost more than 17" winter tyres and refurbed genuine BMW alloys from here http://www.bmautosport.co.uk/showroom/index.php/e9...

The 17" rims cost £350 four years ago; the 17" Dunlop wintersport tyres were £340 from Camskill. £690 total in Jan 2011 + £40 to fit tyres to rims. No costs since because I swap the wheels over myself.

Assuming £80 a year to pay for swapping tyres on the 19" rims, 19" winter tyre option would have cost £ 400 more over the same period.

Edited by Crackie on Saturday 31st January 23:07

tr7v8

7,185 posts

227 months

Friday 30th January 2015
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I run a second set of wheels on the wife's MX5, set of 14" daisys were £50, set of 6mm winters to fit £110 from EBay & £40 to the local guy to fit. I swap them when needed takes 30 mins or so & it saves her 15" super dooper alloys & summer tyres from the salt & crap. Especially as the summer tyres are track type oriented so would be useless in the snow.

Ranger 6

7,040 posts

248 months

Friday 30th January 2015
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Staggered Pirelli P Zeros on 19" wheels for the summer - all square 17" wheels with Michelin Alpin winters on for the bad weather.
The 17s are a set of E53 X5 wheels I got from eBay for £65. The michelins were almost new again from ebay for £240.

The set has lasted 5 winters now and still has nearly 5mm so at £80 a year to change I'm a year in credit with the possibility of another winter's use.

tbush70834

3 posts

110 months

Saturday 31st January 2015
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I have a BMW 1 series coupe with 18" wheels. I am considering winter wheels and tyres but have the option of 16", 17" and 18" wheels. Which size would be the best option for getting out and about in the snow?

RichardM5

1,733 posts

135 months

Saturday 31st January 2015
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Best to check the tyre spec in the user manual or tyre pressure sticker inside the drivers door. But usually go for the smallest wheel diameter and tyre width you can - within reason of course.

g3org3y

20,606 posts

190 months

Saturday 31st January 2015
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Easier from my point of view.

£100 set of OEM 16s on ebay. Also meant I could buy cheaper tyres and wouldn't have to go through the rigmarole of changing tyres on the rims.

trashbat

6,005 posts

152 months

Saturday 31st January 2015
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Ranger 6 said:
Staggered Pirelli P Zeros on 19" wheels for the summer - all square 17" wheels with Michelin Alpin winters on for the bad weather.
The 17s are a set of E53 X5 wheels I got from eBay for £65. The michelins were almost new again from ebay for £240.

The set has lasted 5 winters now and still has nearly 5mm so at £80 a year to change I'm a year in credit with the possibility of another winter's use.
You're five years in credit, unless your car has eight wheels anyway.

mark.c

1,090 posts

179 months

Saturday 31st January 2015
quotequote all
I'm in the spare set of wheel camp....the other thing that I haven't seen mentioned yet is potential damage that can be done to a perfectly serviceable tyre that's regularly taken on and off a rim. Next time you get a fancy new tyre for your 19/20 inch rim, see how much distortion it goes through to get it on. Over the years I've have several expensive tyres damaged whilst being swapped over to a different rim.

Cheap rims off ebay is a no brainier to me.

Mustard

6,992 posts

244 months

Saturday 31st January 2015
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If your canny a spare set of winter wheels need not be expensive

My E39 set I put together I actually had two winters out of and sold for fractionally more than what they cost me!

My current F20 set, 4 as new alloys (16" SE design) cost me the grand total of £100 (cost £200, but got £100 for the decent summer tyres on them) then about £150 for 4 6mm plus part worn michelin alpin 4's. So total cost £250!!!

My current E90 set (17' style 284's) purchased used of ebay from a local main dealer in virtually as new condition with 17" runflats bridgestone blizzaks £339! (List price new £1600)

Buy in the summer (or now on the back of our nearly over mild winter) and sell in October! Then factor in the reduced wear and longer life of your summer tyres by using the winters and it makes a great deal of sense


Blaster72

10,772 posts

196 months

Saturday 31st January 2015
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My winters are 16" on steel rims compared to my normal 18" polished alloys.

It serves two purposes for me, lets me have cheaper winters that are higher profile and ride through the potholes and cracks in the roads that normally appear over the winter months and stops my nice shiny 18" alloys from getting damaged or needing washing every couple of days to keep them clean.

With the winters I just stick them on, put on some wheel trims and forget about it until the spring. They only extra cost really is the steels when you first get them because any cost of tyres is offset by the fact the normal tyres aren't being worn down.

I do 8000 miles or so normally each winter and a set will last me 3 years or more before replacement. £65 each for the winter tyres. In contrast the 18" tyres are over £100 each.

blueg33

35,573 posts

223 months

Saturday 31st January 2015
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I have winter wheels, the reason - I can change all 4 in 20 minutes myself without having a 30 minute drive each way, without paying a bloke £40 to change the tyres.

Therefore I can be more reactive when the weather changes.

Yes the whells cost me about £600, but they will probably still be worth around £600 when I come to sell them.

It a;lso allows me to get the wheel sthat are not in use properly cleaned all round, waxed and polished. If I had damages any, I would also be able to get the refurbed and still use the car.

I also like the change, winter wheels are black, summers are silver:

Summer


Winter

GreigM

6,726 posts

248 months

Saturday 31st January 2015
quotequote all
Vroomer said:
It costs £40 to swap tyres, so £80 year.

It would take a long while to get your money back if you bought extra wheels instead.

(Cost of tyres disregarded as you are simply using these in place of existing tyres which will have their life doubled.)

So can't see argument in favour of extra wheels on cost grounds, but do understand argument about thinner wheels in snow.
Nope, the wheels retain their value (so long as you bought sensibly), so in the first year you save £40 and each subsequent year you save £80.

Your sums only work if the 2nd set of alloys are disposable.

Ranger 6

7,040 posts

248 months

Saturday 31st January 2015
quotequote all
trashbat said:
Ranger 6 said:
Staggered Pirelli P Zeros on 19" wheels for the summer - all square 17" wheels with Michelin Alpin winters on for the bad weather.
The 17s are a set of E53 X5 wheels I got from eBay for £65. The michelins were almost new again from ebay for £240.

The set has lasted 5 winters now and still has nearly 5mm so at £80 a year to change I'm a year in credit with the possibility of another winter's use.
You're five years in credit, unless your car has eight wheels anyway.
laugh you could say that - I took it as 4 years paying for swaps is what I paid for the winters. You could also look at it as a lot more credit as try costing 255/40/19 (*) marked BMW winter tyres.......

mph1977

12,467 posts

167 months

Saturday 31st January 2015
quotequote all
trashbat said:
You don't have to pay for tyre changes twice a year.

Salt doesn't corrode your nice alloys.

You can use a different tyre size that might be more suitable for winter tyres (including pricing) and winter driving

However, the downside is you have to pay for and store them.
and unless you are a complete mechanical dunce or have a health / disability issue you can do the changeover yourself rather than have to wait for your tame tyre person to be able to fit you in ... unless of course you have your own tyre fitting ( put the rubber on the wheel) kit

dgm

97 posts

207 months

Saturday 31st January 2015
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I use both options and don't think there's a right or a wrong answer here. On my Z4MC I have two sets of CSL wheels and swap them over when appropriate. I also use the same tyre sizes on my winters as on the summers and the wider tyres (265/30/19) don't behave poorly in ice and snow as some have inferred here. Narrower may be the optimum for use in the snow but that doesn't mean that the wider winters dont perform really well in their own right. At the same time they leave the car feeling much the same as it does on the summers when there isn't snow on the ground. I haven't got near to getting stuck or feeling like the car was anything other than surefooted in all the varied depths of snow over the last 6 years of use.

On my wife's X5 the 20" tyres get swapped over on the same wheels. The vehicle performs magnificently in snow and on icy roads even on the 20s. There has never been a hint of my wheels or tyres getting damaged in the twice yearly change over and if anyone is suffering this then maybe a change of tyre fitter is what's required. At £40 a time its an expense I can live with.