I was thinking of getting blizzak tires ws70 18 inch tires..for my XT. Will changing the tires (winter to all season and back) each season on the XT alloy rims be harmful??
seasonal winter change
('14-'18)
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Unless you have a connection at a tire shop where you can get cheap or free mounting and balancing, buying a set of dedicated winter wheels to go with your winter tires will pay for themselves after 3+ years. Around here I pay around $80 to have tires mounted and balanced, figure doing that twice a year is $160/year, and it adds up to quite a bit over time.
The likelihood of damage to your wheels with frequent mounting and dismounting depends a lot on the type of equipment the tire shop uses, and the level of experience the installer has and the care he takes with your wheels. I've had some damage done to wheels at a couple of shops using older equipment and the guys weren't being very careful (gets harder the lower the profile of the tire and the larger the diameter of the wheel). To avoid the hassle and risk of damage, I just got my snow tires mounted on another set of wheels for our Forester and swap them onto the car every winter myself.
The likelihood of damage to your wheels with frequent mounting and dismounting depends a lot on the type of equipment the tire shop uses, and the level of experience the installer has and the care he takes with your wheels. I've had some damage done to wheels at a couple of shops using older equipment and the guys weren't being very careful (gets harder the lower the profile of the tire and the larger the diameter of the wheel). To avoid the hassle and risk of damage, I just got my snow tires mounted on another set of wheels for our Forester and swap them onto the car every winter myself.
Yea, you really have to trust your shop or document the wheels every time before you bring them in. However, being up in Canada, I'm sure there's more shops dealing with winter tires. I've heard of shops that store your off-season set and reinstall them when the time comes.
IMHO, I would be more worried about the stress placed on the tire bead after so many reinstalls.
IMHO, I would be more worried about the stress placed on the tire bead after so many reinstalls.
It would be much more affordable, easier, and less risk of damage to run 17" winter wheels.
http://www.subaruforester.org/vbulletin/f72/snow-tires-2014-2-0xt-forester-233066/
Many people are planning to buy 17" steel wheels (often OEM from Subaru for 2.5i models) and put snow tires on them. 17" snow tires are going to be much more affordable than finding 18" snow tires in our size.
http://www.subaruforester.org/vbulletin/f72/snow-tires-2014-2-0xt-forester-233066/
Many people are planning to buy 17" steel wheels (often OEM from Subaru for 2.5i models) and put snow tires on them. 17" snow tires are going to be much more affordable than finding 18" snow tires in our size.
Thanks for the information everybody!
It cost 50 bucks to unmount/mount and balance the wheels at the costco up here.
How much would oem steel wheels from subaru cost?? What size winter tire for the 17 inch should I get??
I talked to the dealership where I got my car..n they said they offer ONLY oem alloy wheels 17 inch snow tires ws70 blizzaks. They claim that the steel wheels will not fit the xt because of the bigger brakes/rotors.
All for a low low price of 1499 plus tax lol
Yea, the dealership is not the place to shop for this. I got my set from Tirerack, you may not be able to buy from them in Canada? 16-inch alloys instead of my OEM 17-inch alloys. The cost of steel rims with hubcaps was about the same as a set of sport edition alloys.
There are several people here who have tested to see, and yes, 17s will fit.
That price is outrageous too, definitely go elsewhere.
^ If you're thinking about the OEM alloy w/ WS70s, though, it'll be worth pursuing tire prices for that sizing from TireRack or another online Vendor, and also pricing out a package of 4 OEM alloys from an online Subaru Genuine Parts reseller - hopefully, that can allow you to drive a better bargain with the dealership.
And to expand on this, don't be afraid or ashamed of bringing your online quotes from the bigger shops to your local brick-and-mortar tire shops - many will meet or beat such pricing.
And to expand on this, don't be afraid or ashamed of bringing your online quotes from the bigger shops to your local brick-and-mortar tire shops - many will meet or beat such pricing.
I put the OEM tires on some aftermarket wheels, which I run most of the year and have Blizzak DM-V1's in size 235/55 r18 mounted to the OEM wheels that I just swap on myself anytime I'm heading to the snow (doesn't snow where I live, but I go to the mountains where it does alot in the winter). I've only had them in snow and mud a few times, but they performed really well from what I could tell and softened up the bumps offroad quite nicely. Also they seemed to give my car like a 1.0" lift due to the bigger size and tread. On the downside they obviously don't handle as good as the OEM all seasons and feel a little squirmy, but that is to be expected with any snow tire.
For me it didn't make as much sense to downsize to 17's for the winter tire as some would recommend, since I don't use them that often and they won't need to be replaced for a while. Also I wanted aftermarket wheels that I liked better lookswise for regular use anyway and decided to utilize the OEM wheels for winter since I already had them and liked the look of 18's.
Like others have said though it doesn't really make sense cost wise to swap out tires on the same OEM wheels seasonally. Best to get another set of wheels to put snow tires on that you can put on in the winter winter months and or go the route I went and swap the tires over. One downside is that you will have to purchase another set of TPMS sensors to go on the other set of wheels, but that's just a one time thing.
For me it didn't make as much sense to downsize to 17's for the winter tire as some would recommend, since I don't use them that often and they won't need to be replaced for a while. Also I wanted aftermarket wheels that I liked better lookswise for regular use anyway and decided to utilize the OEM wheels for winter since I already had them and liked the look of 18's.
Like others have said though it doesn't really make sense cost wise to swap out tires on the same OEM wheels seasonally. Best to get another set of wheels to put snow tires on that you can put on in the winter winter months and or go the route I went and swap the tires over. One downside is that you will have to purchase another set of TPMS sensors to go on the other set of wheels, but that's just a one time thing.
I'd recommend looking for 17-inch Subaru wheels on craigslist. I bought a set of Outback XT wheels and put a new set of Goodyear snow tires on for under $700 total.
As a fellow Canadian I would recommend trying Kal Tire online first and then going to a kaltire store and seeing what they have to offer. we got a great set of "painted finish" alloys for winter driving with a two year warranty on the paint (Core Racing) they sure look better than steelies. On a previous posting from this forum it was explained that you only have to go with blizzak if you have "Eyesite" for warranty purposes other that that you pick your tire.
Good luck
We also tried Canadian tire online. Kaltire met their price when we showed them printed copy
Good luck
We also tried Canadian tire online. Kaltire met their price when we showed them printed copy
Got 17 alloy + xice3 for 1235
I was in the same boat. But at the end, I got 17 alloy and xice3. Reason being it is low rolling resistances. To be a bit more environmental friendly.
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/testDisplay.jsp?ttid=167
http://www.rtxwheels.com/en/content/fuji-subaru
I don't recommend mounting and remounting every season. Most likely they will damage your rim and the tire sidewall will be more fragile.
I was in the same boat. But at the end, I got 17 alloy and xice3. Reason being it is low rolling resistances. To be a bit more environmental friendly.
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/testDisplay.jsp?ttid=167
http://www.rtxwheels.com/en/content/fuji-subaru
I don't recommend mounting and remounting every season. Most likely they will damage your rim and the tire sidewall will be more fragile.
The blizzaks will be great (bought a set for my fozzy too). I agree with everybody though, get a set of wheels to go with the snow tires. It makes changing them so much easier and cheaper, plus you dont have to worry about damage to wheels or tires while swapping.
As long as the rims are decently maintained and do not take physical damage that opens up the finish to weathering, they will continue to look good for many, many years.
It's definitely much harder to refinish than steelies, but typically, people have
Oooh, I didn't know that! Thanks for the lesson!
To be more specific, it seems from this past post that it has to be the Blizzak WS70:
http://www.subaruforester.org/vbulletin/f72/winter-tires-200554/#post2099930
Remember that just saying "Blizzak" is like saying that you had a hamburger for lunch. There's a lot of different "Blizzak" tires in the Bridgestone winter lineup, spanning the sub-genres of passenger "Performance Winters" and "Studless Ice & Snow" tires to SUV/LT applications including the DM, LM, and the WS lines.
These seemingly insignificant differences actually denote substantially different performance applications for these tires, and will make a tremendous difference in terms of on-road performance.
When someone recommends a "Blizzak" tire to you, be sure to ask them to specify what kind.
I picked up some used 07 Legacy wheels off CL for $150 and then ordered some general altimax artic from dd for just over $500, with $18 cash back, $50 general rebate and $100 dd rebate. Picked up some gunmetal wheel paint using a coupon from advance and I'm good to go. I plan to have the tires mounted next week.
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I have my first Subaru/Forester and am seriously thinking about winter tires and wheels so this thread has been very helpful - thanks.
I have a question though; everyone talks about getting 4 wheels/tires so what about the spare? If you're driving in conditions that merit specific winter tires then would you really want to risk doing it on a donut?
Is it that a full size tire and wheel wouldn't fit in the spare space? I've had a glance and certainly a bigger wheel than the doughnut would go it but I don't know about a full size wheel and tire, anyone tried?
Thanks again
I have a question though; everyone talks about getting 4 wheels/tires so what about the spare? If you're driving in conditions that merit specific winter tires then would you really want to risk doing it on a donut?
Is it that a full size tire and wheel wouldn't fit in the spare space? I've had a glance and certainly a bigger wheel than the doughnut would go it but I don't know about a full size wheel and tire, anyone tried?
Thanks again
The space-saver spare tire is basically meant for you to be able to get from the place you got a flat tire directly (or ASAP) to the tire shop to get the flat tire replaced or repaired. It will work sufficiently in most circumstances for this purpose whether or not the other three tires are the stock all-seasons or snow/winter tires.
I would argue that if you are in snowy/icy conditions where you currently need winter tires, you aren't going to want to get out of your car and try and put the spare on with the emergency jack that came with the car. Just wouldn't be safe IMHO. Call a tow truck in that case.
If you are regularly in a situation where you are far from civilization and will be facing inclement weather with no help nearby for miles and possibly no cell service, then it does make perfect sense to get a 5th winter wheel/tire to use in case of emergencies, along with a better jack and a torque wrench and breaker bar, and other emergency gear. There goes half your cargo space though, as a full size spare won't fit in the same space as the stock space-saver (at least without some modifications).
I believe people have put full size spares in the back of the 2014 Forester, but it requires removing the styrofoam organizer that is in the compartment.
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