IDEAL SIZED SNOW TIRES? narrower/wider, higher/lower profile than stock?

[RJMars]

What is the ideal tire size that would be appropriate for a snow tire set up for my 05.5 A4 with OEM 17" 5 spoke Sport wheels?

Should I go narrower/wider?

higher/lower profile?

Or same as stock?



Right now the Pirelli P6 all season on right now are 235/45/17 if I am not mistaken.

Also, I am currently at stock height suspension (non s-line) But getting coilovers and new wheels in the spring.

Thanks in advance.

[A4A4A4]

Slightly narrower is better as the smaller footprint means you can cut through snow better, it makes finding traction just that much easier. Make sure to keep the rolling diameter the same though.

http://www.tirerack.com/winter/tech/techpage.jsp?techid=126

My suggestions, 215/50/17 or 225/45/17

[drumnjuny]

you definitely want higher sidewalls and narrower tires. the less surface area you have, the more weight/surface area. allows you to cut into the snow more. higher sidewalls give u a little more clearance and tread

[mr shickadance]

rolling diameter while ideal, should not be the centered focus, keeping the same rolling diameter is more of an important factor when you are running a staggerred set up

with all 4 tires being the same width, you just want to make sure all 4 tires are the same size, say you get a rolling diameter of 26 inches, and OEM is 27 inches, well other then your speedometer being off, there will be no ill effect other then being a 1/2 inch lower to the ground


you should aim for a chunky sidewall, especially if you live to pot-hole prone neighborhoods or areas where the roads are really poorly kept int the wintertime, it would be stupid to aim for a low profile tire during the winter, it had a much higher chance of bubbling and if anyone has ever blown out a winter tire in the middle of a snow storm, good luck finding another, shops typically run through thier inventory fast, especially if its a very snowy season (read, last year in new england)

A4A4A4A4A4A4A4A4A4A4A4's suggestion of a narrower tire is spot on, by having less of a contact-patch you are increasing pounds per square inch, which certainly helps you out in the winter condition because your tire will sink through the snow and contact the road better. his tire suggestion of sizes is also spot on, its a good sized tire, and the sidewall is pretty big

in terms of snow tires, i dont think many people have had bad experiences with any snow tire, personally i am a fan of continental's but only bc thats all i know, this year i went with dunlop i think (need to check my car) but i think thats what i ended up with, never drove in the snow yet so i can't report anything but they hold up well so far (even taken them up to 130mph once)

[Stubek]

Searching you would find the answers, but narrower and higher profile.
Also, any tire selling website such as tirerack will have a calculator to get you the best for your car.

[rave]

Need some of these bad boys
http://www.fourstarmotorsports.com/Products/Tires/PirelliTechnicalInfo/SnowRallyTireTechnicalInfo/tabid/450/Default.aspx

[RJMars]

So would 50 be the highest profile i would want to go with? Or would 55 work as well?

The ebay store i am looking at is offering these nankang sv-1 tires for 67-76 a piece. Free shipping

i have read some good reviews, some decent. But for that price i am willing to take a shot.

So this is what they are offering:

225/45
205/50
225/50
215/55
225/55

is 55 too high?

[mr shickadance]

personally i think 55 is a bit over kill, at that point your tires are going to start to resemble an SUV, theres nothing wrong with it, but i think staying in the 45-50 range is more that enough but you could drive on them for sure

[A4A4A4]

personally i think 55 is a bit over kill, at that point your tires are going to start to resemble an SUV, theres nothing wrong with it, but i think staying in the 45-50 range is more that enough but you could drive on them for sure

Woah woah woah, you guys have to realize that that 55 number you're look at is a PERCENTAGE of the first number (the tire width). You guys are speaking like that 55 is universal when it isn't, a 205/55/17 is going to have a much different sidewall size than a 235/55/17.

OP, of that list the the 225/45/17, 205/50/17, and the 225/50/17 are all fine choices. I'd personally go 225 just because I couldn't stand looking at the skinniness that is 205 but it would fit fine. From there it's just a personal preference on whether you want the shorter or taller sidewall on the 225.

The 215/55/17 is going to be too tall from stock, I wouldn't risk running it.

The 225/55/17 is just massive, DO NOT run a tire this size.

[RJMars]

personally i think 55 is a bit over kill, at that point your tires are going to start to resemble an SUV, theres nothing wrong with it, but i think staying in the 45-50 range is more that enough but you could drive on them for sure

Ok cool, so I'll prob go with 225/50...slightly thinner and taller. Hmmm or should I just stick with 45 haha decisions decisions .

[RJMars]

Woah woah woah, you guys have to realize that that 55 number you're look at is a PERCENTAGE of the first number (the tire width). You guys are speaking like that 55 is universal when it isn't, a 205/55/17 is going to have a much different sidewall size than a 235/55/17.

OP, of that list the the 225/45/17, 205/50/17, and the 225/50/17 are all fine choices. I'd personally go 225 just because I couldn't stand looking at the skinniness that is 205 but it would fit fine. From there it's just a personal preference on whether you want the shorter or taller sidewall on the 225.

The 215/55/17 is going to be too tall from stock, I wouldn't risk running it.

The 225/55/17 is just massive, DO NOT run a tire this size.

I see, ok sounds good, thanks so much for your help guys, it's going to be a fun winter :)

[A4A4A4]

I see, ok sounds good, thanks so much for your help guys, it's going to be a fun winter :)

Glad to help, even more so because of "The Dude" avatar. [up]

[RJMars]

Haha yes! my favorite movie, director/writer(s) (Cohen bros.), and actor (Jeff bridges) all wrapped up into one.

[Jeller]

I wouldnt run less than the stock size for the OEM 5 spokes, anything less than that the rim edge sticks out and you will beat them up hard. I made that mistake last year. This year I have oem sized Hakkas and still think I could fit a 245 in order to cover the thick lip the OE split 5 spokes have.

[Mc Suly]

Run oem size
i run 18

people say narrower/thinner helps but i never noticed & we get a ton of snow up here.
i run 235/40/18 in winter
255/35/18 summer

never had a problemn

[Existentialist]

I wouldnt run less than the stock size for the OEM 5 spokes, anything less than that the rim edge sticks out and you will beat them up hard. I made that mistake last year. This year I have oem sized Hakkas and still think I could fit a 245 in order to cover the thick lip the OE split 5 spokes have.

I bought the same thing this year. I think the rim just has an large lip that the Hakkas lip won't cover. Other OEM size tires seem to fit them fine though.

[RJMars]

I ended up going with 225/50/17's http://i.ebayimg.com/t/4-Nankang-Snow-Viva-SV-1-Tires-225-50R17-225-50-17-2255017-50R-R17-/00/s/MTAwMFg3NTA=/$(KGrHqN,!nsE63V3W3REBO4mUvZ4l!~~60_12.JPG

NANKANG 4 Nankang Snow Viva SV-1 Tires 225/50R17

TOTAL: 305.00 (would have been 304.00 but I was feeling in the Christmas spirit, so I donated a dollar to UNICEF for clean water in Africa or something)

http://www.buywheelstoday.com/images_products/6401.gif

http://cgi3.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewUserPage&userid=buywheelstoday

[RJMars]

I ended up going with 225/50/17's http://i.ebayimg.com/t/4-Nankang-Snow-Viva-SV-1-Tires-225-50R17-225-50-17-2255017-50R-R17-/00/s/MTAwMFg3NTA=/$(KGrHqN,!nsE63V3W3REBO4mUvZ4l!~~60_12.JPG

NANKANG 4 Nankang Snow Viva SV-1 Tires 225/50R17

TOTAL: 305.00 (would have been 304.00 but I was feeling in the Christmas spirit, so I donated a dollar to UNICEF for clean water in Africa or something)

http://www.buywheelstoday.com/images_products/6401.gif

http://cgi3.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewUserPage&userid=buywheelstoday

[A.lauren]

I run 225/45/17 nexxen snows, my car was a tank last winter in ct snow storms

[funky_snowman]

edit: whoops, you already got em. disregard. good luck.

[TipTucker01]

I did read somewhere that any tire size, wider than 235, is not better for snow. I guess it doesn't help to push and plow all of it, but maybe on ice. I guess i would run either 215 or 225 with snow tires.

[tankdeer]

225/45 on mine

[kristokes]

WHOOPS. [facepalm] POSTED THIS HERE AND CHATTERBOX BY ACCIDENT.

/THREAD

Merged.

[chrislane31]

What is the load rating on those? Andont forget now you need a new sized spare tire.

[Jeller]

I bought the same thing this year. I think the rim just has an large lip that the Hakkas lip won't cover. Other OEM size tires seem to fit them fine though.

Agreed but the Hankooks I had didnt really cover it either, That OEM lip is just thick as hell and with out having a rim protecter on the tire, its hard to cover the edge.

Also, most guys on here will tell you to run narrower tires for snow. But how much are you actually driving in deep/loose snow conditons? By me its not that much and the wider tire is better for the other 75+% of the driving.

[BoSNiaN]

Wow those are cheap....

@225, I went with 215/50/17 are is it is a narrower tire than 235/45 yet still is pretty close to the stock size in terms of diameter...225 is too big of a difference I think since I have sport suspension.

They were also cheaper than 235/45, but still no where near $300 (try double that) [o_o]

[TitaniumRS]

I ran 235 45 17 blizzacks and had no issues at all wider the better in my opinion they are also for sale

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk

[papadelogan]

i'm running 225/45R17 studdwd snows ans rhey are awesome in snow, but be aware that in the dry, the metal studs actually reduce your traction. plus, winter tires are a softer compound and can squirm around more.