Wheel size for both summer/winter

[SoggyBottomBoy]

Hello! I've asked some similar questions to this in the past, but wan't to be a bit more specific with this one.

I plan to probably get the Michelin pilot sport all season 4's for my car, to use both in summer/winter. We get a bit of snow where I live, but it is not super common. Chances are i'd have to drive in actual, unplowed snow/ice MAYBE 2-3 times a winter.

With 19's, what wheel width / tire size should I be considering? I have the nite pony, so have 19x8.5's on both front and back. Obviously I would like to go a bit wider for summer, but know that too wide will make winter/snow traction worse.

What's a good middle ground that will perform well in both? Wheel and tire size please.

Thanks!

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[Stang_rae]

I use Kumho wp72 255/40/19 for winter. I decided to use my stock rims for winter and will be getting different wheelset for summer tires.

 

[Skye]

I use the following sites often for reference purposes.

https://www.tyresizecalculator.com/charts/tire-width-for-a-wheel-rim-size-chart

https://www.1010tires.com/Tools/Tire-Size-Calculator

I've been using the Michelin A/S 4 tires since pickup and have enjoyed them. One of the better A/S tires. Well reviewed. Many also like Continental DSWs.

https://www.michelinman.com/auto/tires/michelin-pilot-sport-all-season-4

https://continentaltire.com/tires/extremecontact-dws06-plus

I don't think anyone could go wrong with either tire.

 

[agreywolfe]

yeah if you want an all season setup, stick with what you have size wise, if you insist on going wider youll want to invest in a summer only set and turn your current setup into a winter only set, did that back on my S197, granted it had less power but had 235s on the stock premiums for winter which drove perfectly fine when not in a inch of compacted snow, and ran 255s on my summers.

the widest Micheline PS4 AS says will fit the stock 19x8.5 is a 265/50ZR19. which is 2.5 inches larger than your current stock 255/40s

 

[SoggyBottomBoy]

yeah if you want an all season setup, stick with what you have size wise, if you insist on going wider youll want to invest in a summer only set and turn your current setup into a winter only set, did that back on my S197, granted it had less power but had 235s on the stock premiums for winter which drove perfectly fine when not in a inch of compacted snow, and ran 255s on my summers.

the widest Micheline PS4 AS says will fit the stock 19x8.5 is a 265/50ZR19. which is 2.5 inches larger than your current stock 255/40s

Would going up to 9.5 or 10 really be that much worse in winter?

 

[agreywolfe]

Would going up to 9.5 or 10 really be that much worse in winter?

depends on how bad the roads get around you, snow and ice work differently thank normal pavement, a wider tire means your cars weight is spread out over a wider area which means its not pressing down on the ground as much as a narrower tire so youll spin your tires way more. if you dont have to deal with snow and ice then its a non-issue.

 

[SoggyBottomBoy]

depends on how bad the roads get around you, snow and ice work differently thank normal pavement, a wider tire means your cars weight is spread out over a wider area which means its not pressing down on the ground as much as a narrower tire so youll spin your tires way more. if you dont have to deal with snow and ice then its a non-issue.

We get SOME snow, but not very much. Where I live is usually very good about plowing the snow. The biggest concern would be if it snowed on my trip home for Christmas.

Like I said in my original post, I want a setup that I can use year round and not have to change each season. I'm worried the 8.5's aren't wide enough for summer use.

 

[SoggyBottomBoy]

We get SOME snow, but not very much. Where I live is usually very good about plowing the snow. The biggest concern would be if it snowed on my trip home for Christmas.

Like I said in my original post, I want a setup that I can use year round and not have to change each season. I'm worried the 8.5's aren't wide enough for summer use.

Bump. really looking for an answer to this.

Affects whether I just buy tires or a new set of wheels and the tires

 

[Dena]

My opinion is the factory tires are sufficient for a daily driver. If you want a different look or you track the car, you might want to consider a different tire/rim. Remember that wide tires weren't always the norm. We used to run on much narrower tires. They didn't last as well and couldn't be as sticky as tires are now but we traveled many miles on them. Personally I would consider a second set of rims if I needed winter tires. I would go with cheaper rims as the salt can't be good for them but I don't like the idea of removing and remounting the tires each year. I would fear the bead might get damaged causing a difficult to find leak

 

[DannyJ7]

I have the stock 18x8s on my EB premium. I had them seasonally switch the stock tires to Bridgestone Blizzaks for the winter. I'm going to hold off on buying a 2nd set of rims until I burn through the tires that came with the car. Then I'll probably move up to 19x9s with summer tires and leave the winters on the stock rims.

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