blizzak
Veteran Member
[FONT=courier new,monospace]Hey all,
I was looking to get some advice for 17" winter tires for my car. I picked up some fat five rims (5x100, 21.5 lbs each, 7.5 inch rim width) and have been checking out tires. I'm likely going to get tires off tirerack since they have the best prices. I mostly want something that's reasonably balanced between highway/dry pavement/snow/ice but can still deal with roads in northern Ontario (we can get some snow up here eh!). Here's what I'm considering:[/FONT]
The main reason for 17's is because of my R32 front brakes; can't fit anything smaller on there. Also have coilovers, GLI front lip and skirt kit...it's gonna be a fun winter!
Now, I'm trying to figure out which size/profile would be best for my car. I know that skinnier winter tires are better in snow and there certainly seem like some attractive options in the 205/50 profile. Is there really any reason to think that the 225/45's would be better? I'm not concerned about ultimate handling on dry pavement and I feel like with the 205's cutting through handling may actually be increased over the 225's with snow on the ground. The increase in sidewall height is rather small but who knows, maybe it would save me a dented rim or flat on a pothole. To that point, could a specific load rating be better for winters on a MK4 Jetta? Also, I'm not too concerned about price but some of the 205's come out a fair bit cheaper for sure.
If anyone is running these sizes of winter tires, let me know what your thoughts are in comparing the two. Given my suspension, ride height, etc is there a huge reason I should be considering one or the other? I'd love to debate the tires in the list above specifically based on their tread, performance in various conditions, but I don't want that to be what this thread is about. I've done a lot of research and am pretty close to knowing what I want to buy, just the size left.
Thanks in advance!
I was looking to get some advice for 17" winter tires for my car. I picked up some fat five rims (5x100, 21.5 lbs each, 7.5 inch rim width) and have been checking out tires. I'm likely going to get tires off tirerack since they have the best prices. I mostly want something that's reasonably balanced between highway/dry pavement/snow/ice but can still deal with roads in northern Ontario (we can get some snow up here eh!). Here's what I'm considering:[/FONT]
The main reason for 17's is because of my R32 front brakes; can't fit anything smaller on there. Also have coilovers, GLI front lip and skirt kit...it's gonna be a fun winter!
Now, I'm trying to figure out which size/profile would be best for my car. I know that skinnier winter tires are better in snow and there certainly seem like some attractive options in the 205/50 profile. Is there really any reason to think that the 225/45's would be better? I'm not concerned about ultimate handling on dry pavement and I feel like with the 205's cutting through handling may actually be increased over the 225's with snow on the ground. The increase in sidewall height is rather small but who knows, maybe it would save me a dented rim or flat on a pothole. To that point, could a specific load rating be better for winters on a MK4 Jetta? Also, I'm not too concerned about price but some of the 205's come out a fair bit cheaper for sure.
If anyone is running these sizes of winter tires, let me know what your thoughts are in comparing the two. Given my suspension, ride height, etc is there a huge reason I should be considering one or the other? I'd love to debate the tires in the list above specifically based on their tread, performance in various conditions, but I don't want that to be what this thread is about. I've done a lot of research and am pretty close to knowing what I want to buy, just the size left.
Thanks in advance!