Snow tyres

[rickprice]

Just a question but...

The hubs are standard Ford, if I'm correct?

Could I go and buy a nice set of cheap steel wheels from a scrapyard, hopefully fairly thin, and put snow tyres on them? I would then have relatively more downforce per footprint, and the snow tyres might not be ridiculously expensive? They seem to start from about £80 per wheel - e.g. a cheap 205/55 R16 91H - mytyres.co.uk.

Anybody know whether there are any narrower/cheap rims that will fit?

Rich

[glow worm]

Just try with 205s on the rear on the same rims, after all 205 are on the front. They would need to be 55s to get the same diameter.
My Chim has OZ split rims in Summer and Imolas in Winter. Picked up two 16" Imolas , so its 16" all round next Winter with Vredestein Extremes. The rubber is so much softer the grip on my BMW 328 with them fitted has been amazing in the snow and ice. I'm a Winter tyre convert...I put 225s on the BMW rear rather than 245s, so the rear and fronts are now inter changeable.

[ray von]

O/T. I got some snow tyres last week for the Clio and paid £71 each, I checked again yesterday they were £117 each. To be fair though it's not as bad as the tyres for the wifes A5 in a week they went from £289 each to £675 each

[rickprice]

If I do it, I'll keep the tyres on separate rims for ease of changing. Otherwise I have to drive the car to the dealer, change the tyres, bring home the summer tyres (not sure how) and then do it all in reverse in the spring.

My Canadian relatives keep their snow tyres in the back of the garage, and simply jack the car up and swap them over when required (usually October). Nice shiny alloys then stay in the dry all winter.

If I am going to buy new wheels as well as tyres, I might as well get thinner rims and decrease the surface area over which the weight is distributed.

Rich

[peaktorque]

rickprice said:

If I do it, I'll keep the tyres on separate rims for ease of changing. Otherwise I have to drive the car to the dealer, change the tyres, bring home the summer tyres (not sure how) and then do it all in reverse in the spring.

My Canadian relatives keep their snow tyres in the back of the garage, and simply jack the car up and swap them over when required (usually October). Nice shiny alloys then stay in the dry all winter.

If I am going to buy new wheels as well as tyres, I might as well get thinner rims and decrease the surface area over which the weight is distributed.

Rich

skinny tyres will cut through the snow better and the winter tyres wil be a tad cheaper


Ford XR3i 'Cloverleafs' will look shocking on a Chim though

[Hedgehopper]

Perhaps you ought to ask the insurance company if you intend to change the speed rating. They OK'd 'V' rated tyres for me, but nice to have it in writing.

[jim.2007]

buy another 3 spares, going foe a tenner!! dont do over 50 though, especially in this wheather..!!