Winter tires/rims help

[denialchild45]

Running stock 18in. BBS's right now with touring tires. Trying to prepare for winter and not sure what I should do. After some searching on the forum it seems like there is a decent balance between people going with a 16in rim/steelie and snow tires and saving their other set for summer.

My current tires will need changing in the spring regardless and I have come across a set of 16in Jetta rims with a beefier tire on them with good tread left for a steal.

My question is, should I just buy new all-seasons for my 18's, the jetta rims with the beefier tire, or try and find rims with snow tires?

Also, I am located in Wisconsin and winter can really go either way here- loads of snow or dry and very cold.

Thanks!

[STOICH]

Really depends on the type of driving you do. Are you in and out of gas stations and parking lots in the middle of winter? How much do you drive it during snow?

If you really need to get around town with this car, go with a smaller wheel and snow tires. If you just go short distances or have alt vehicles you can use, go with some good all-seasons.

All-seasons: I'm running Continental ECs currently. Have yet to drive them in the snow, but they apparently do decent. I previously had Hankook HRIIs and while a good dry tire, wet or snow where pretty bad, but worked.

Snow: Look into Bridgestone snow tires. They do pretty damn good in snow.

[denialchild45]

I live downtown in the city. It is my daily driver and my commute to work is about 15 minutes, all highway. I'm pretty close to everything (grocery store, gas station, etc.) so I don't drive too far.

[STOICH]

If you know your roads are well maintained, you can probably get away with good all-seasons on your stock wheels. But, a smaller wheel and a good snow tire will allow you to get up and go quicker from stop-and-go traffic and all around be more reliable in heavy snow fall.

[Haxes]

I've lived in, and driven in Milwaukee enough to know you'd be better off picking up the 16" wheels/tires for winter. I don't even bother driving my GTI in winter anymore because it was just lame. My wife's Jetta does just fine in the snow with 16" wheels and all seasons. Trying to drive with the 18"x7.5" wheels in snow can be done, but I don't care for it.

Sent from my ADR6300 using Tapatalk 2

[ninjapants]

Run a spare set of 16s and run winter tires, a good set of winters isn't much more than a set of all-seasons. If you are going to run a spare set of wheels get the best out of each set of tires you can. High performance summers and performance winters. I ran dunlop wintersport m3 tires on a cheap 16" wheel on my GLI for about 4 seasons. The tires were awesome in the snow, surprising actually, and I grew up in southern Maine and went to college in NY on the border of Canada so I saw all kinds of winter conditions and I was incredibly pleased with my choice.

Go with a spare set of 16" and performance winter tires, by far the best bang for the buck.

Better yet... Buy Mine!

I've moved to DC and no longer need them.

[87vr6]

I would buy dedicated snow tires. Smaller diameter doesn't matter much, but a skinnier tread profile helps.. Think 205/50/17 (matches factory overall diameter of the 225/40/18). That size is actually the factory recommended size

[denialchild45]

I found some 17in wheels with snow tires on them for a really good deal. However, they have a 35 offset and a gli stock is 40 I believe. Will these work or will I need spacers?

[denialchild45]

Sorry, should've said they are 17x7.5

[87vr6]

Those are perfectly fine. And no, the GLI factory wheels are 18x7.5 et38, so those winter wheels only have 3mm less offset, really it's a perfect match

[denialchild45]

Awesome! Thank you