[94gtstang50]

After reading a bunch of threads on here and other forums I'm still undecided about which tires to buy. I have two sets of wheels right now. My stock 99 wheels and some 17X (7?)s I picked up. I know them being 17x7 17.6.5 or 17x6 play a huge factor in tire size but I really haven't checked them out that much, they are just dd wheels. So my question.. I am looking at three tires, I was thinking of getting blizzaks for my stock wheels as a winter set and some all seasons sumitomo htr's as my all seasons on my aftermarket wheels. Right now I have michelin 225/40/17's and they are great except that they rub on the fenders and are getting low and need to be replaced. I know the rubbing can be cured by a set of coilovers but I'm not sure I should go that route due to the terribly harsh roads here in NJ and how much more wear it would cause on my suspension and car. My other idea was getting general Altimax Arctic's in 205/50/17 and running them all year on my 17's. Anyone wanna chime in?

 

[cueball89]

How about snow tires on your stock wheels and summer tires on your 17's?

 

[94gtstang50]

How about snow tires on your stock wheels and summer tires on your 17's?

That's more of a last resort. And this winter has been a joke hence my interest in all seasons. Winters tend to be pretty lame here anyway, but I'm looking for something that can handle snow if need be and be pretty good the rest of the year. I lived up in Vermont for a bunch of years and between there and going out in every snow storm here snow driving doesn't scare me, I actually prefer it and I know how to manipulate a vehicle when need be to keep it on the road, so the tire doesn't have to be an animal in the snow, it just has to work well enough to grip going up a hill and stop reasonably. I drive responsibly in the snow, and aggressively on dry and wet, not Mario Andretti, but I do enjoy the wonderful handling our cars offer. I'm not looking to get top of the line racing tires, just something with decent tread life, not too much road noise, and grip comparable to what I have now, hence the sumitomo's. Any of you guys and gals driving on something similar please chime in.

 

[mshriver]

I have blizzaks on my cars and my girlfriend has the general arctics on her scion. Both do awesome. Get either one on your stock wheels and youll be happy.

Dont get just winter tires for all year or youll be replacing them like crazy. They are soft and wear much faster.

If your tires are rubbing go with a size smaller in width. If your on springs you should have no problem running a 215/40 or even a 215/45 (taller). Unless of course your aftermarket wheels have too low of an ET causing them to be out farther. Read reviews on the tires you want and pick for your self.

 

[mr_subaru_rs]

for starters common tire size for a 17" wheel on the GC is 215/45/R17, that will solve all your rubbing issues. hancook evo 12's are cheap and perform very well for what they cost. i think 93 bucks a tire and they have identical ratings to my toyo T1R's that are more than twice the cost, and i love the T1R's, lasted me 5 summers !

secondly, you stated "enough to grip going up a hill and stop reasonably" which is one of the main benefits to winter tires. its better to have them when not needed then need them and not have them. Get a good winter rated tire that has a high treadwear rating or milage warranty, michelin comes to mind always for this. there is one all season tire that is great in the winter, the continental DWS keeping popping up in discussions. i believe its an all season tire that is winter rated.

 

[CoupedUpSubie]

If you do anything please do not run the generals all year. Snow tires are made for just that, and the respective speeds. I have done 100 once with the generals but it was sketchy. Even basic driving isn't as comfortable as all-seasons/summers. You will find a loss in traction in the warm weather and the wear will be much more.

Best situation, winter tires on stock wheels and something geared toward summer on the 17s. If your worried about the cost, the generals will last 3+ years if run when you need them. The summer tires may wear quicker. If you run the generals year round I will be very surprise if you get 1 year out of them.

 

[mr_subaru_rs]

If you do anything please do not run the generals all year. Snow tires are made for just that, and the respective speeds. I have done 100 once with the generals but it was sketchy. Even basic driving isn't as comfortable as all-seasons/summers. You will find a loss in traction in the warm weather and the wear will be much more.

Tires are rated for speeds no matter what conditions they are intended for. A V-rated tire will safely reach the speeds it was designed for whether it is summer or winter. I have michelin pilot alpin PA3 for my winter tires and they feel just as good as my all seasons did no matter the speed, even at 90ish mph. if your car felt unstable at 100mph either the tires were not in the proper condition or something else was out of balance.

Also winter tires are made up of a much softer compound, so when the temperature is above 7 degree's celcuis or 45-50 fahrenheit the rubber becomes like glue, very very sticky and can be lots of fun lol. but they will wear quickly above the said temperatures.

 

[CoupedUpSubie]

Your comparing a high performance winter tire to a dedicated snow tire. Would I do higher speed with the michelin, yes. But I will never do it with the general again. Q-rated tire vs. V rated tire is like comparing non-radial ATV tires to the newer radial tires. If you ride ATVs you know what I mean. I was commenting on the use year round and how it is generally a bad idea.

 

[94gtstang50]

I've read reviews on pretty much all the tires I'm considering, not much help since most of those people sound like dumbasses, lol. "Gripped great on my souped up G35 but was a little slick in 3 feet of snow" A lot of stuff like that that really doesn't help at all, lol. I know the difference between winters all seasons and summers. I had nitto 555's on my last car and loved them but I was pushing over 440hp and needed the sticky and extra rubber they offered to stay on the road. My mostly stock 2.5 isn't going to be breaking dry traction due to raw power anytime soon, lol. And here in NJ it really isn't all that cold but I still take trips to VT a few times a year and head up to mountain creek during snow storms so that's why I was looking for all season. I don't take my car to the track so I don't need extreme traction, just something that rides well but doesn't sacrifice handling. I had General Altimax's on my last car and they were great in all conditions, but the treadwear was a little faster than I liked (bald in 2 years) The Hankook's sound pretty good though, might go that route for the 17's, still interested in the sumi's though. And I was looking to do 205/50-17 for size, but thinking about it I the the 5mm on each side would clear the fenders just fine if I run the 215/45's. As far as the choice between sumi or hankooks, anyone running either of those? And man how I hate choosing tires, lol, too many variables, kinda like choosing an engine to swap in.

 

[cueball89]

Sumitomo HTR ZIII> Hankooks v12's if you decide to go with summers. My ZIII's lasted 20-25k miles. Still on the v12's so dont know how long they last.

 

[94gtstang50]

Sumitomo HTR ZIII> Hankooks v12's if you decide to go with summers. My ZIII's lasted 20-25k miles. Still on the v12's so dont know how long they last.

Alright, how many miles have you put on the Hankook's? Really leaning towards the Sumi's, they seem like the best bang for the buck.

 

[mr_subaru_rs]

its almost impossible to get an accurate measure on treadlife for a Zrated tire, most people track and autox with them and thats not really taken into account for any testing.

roll the dice and pick a tire, just make sure they will fit your driving style or good in wet weather or can be tracked/autox'd a few times without falling apart etc

 

[cueball89]

Alright, how many miles have you put on the Hankook's? Really leaning towards the Sumi's, they seem like the best bang for the buck.

I've misplaced my mileage notes, but I wanna say between 6-8k miles so far. I rotated the ZIII every 3k miles and autox'ed them 2 or 3 times in their life.

 

[94gtstang50]

Alright so here lies my problem, my wheels are 17"X8". I want to run the stock 205 size because of all the rubbing I'm getting, but it looks like the rear of my car is sagging for some reason. I was considering rolling the fenders but it seems like there is almost not enough gap to clear the tires even with them rolled. I'm considering a coilover setup to raise my ride height since if I went with a forrester setup I'd be stuck at its high ride height and in the long run would spend more money and time swapping between the both (impreza suspension & forrester) Anyone know how safe a 205 would be on a 8" wheel from experience? I know its possible, I just don't want to have any safety issues with the car. Ill get some pics if it helps.

 

[CoupedUpSubie]

A 205 is just about 8 inches itself so I wouldn't go smaller then a 215. As for the sag you can always get a set of Paranoid Fabrications saggy butt spacers. Those and a mild roll and you shouldn't have any issues.

Subaru Impreza GC8 HDPE rear spacers | Catalog Products | Shop | Paranoid Fabrications

 

[94gtstang50]

A 205 is just about 8 inches itself so I wouldn't go smaller then a 215. As for the sag you can always get a set of Paranoid Fabrications saggy butt spacers. Those and a mild roll and you shouldn't have any issues.

Subaru Impreza GC8 HDPE rear spacers | Catalog Products | Shop | Paranoid Fabrications

Great Scott!! This may just save my car! And yea, looking to do a very gentle massage on the lips just to get a little more room in there.

 

[nfj79]

What kind of alignment your running on your car? You could get some camber bolts for the rear.

 

[94gtstang50]

Alright, just ordered some conti dws', should be in this wed. My car was all over the road in this snow(bald tires and out of balance=fail), not doing that again. If they don't do the trick I'll get a set of winters for my stock wheels.

 

[94gtstang50]

So there I was, at the shop, got the old tire off and about to put the new one on, and I notice the new tire's sidewall has a hole/cut in it... Called discount tire and they assured me they'd send me a replacement right away.. Just pissed because I want these old bald tires off my car already, and everyone keeps telling me how awesome the tires I got are, can't wait to actually find out already!

 

[inlinemike15]

just though id post my tire purchase that worked out great.. got 225/50/16 tires on my GC chasis with no problems...