blackswift

I need to known witch tire i can but on my Protege ES GT cause i need to change then, I wase tinking about 14" or 15" but the dealer told me that is i go with 14" i would not like my car anymore , Is there somebody that try with 14" to let me know if it that bad, and for the 15" i am shopping since a week for it and its realy expensive like around 900$ ++ for 4 winter whell and black rim, Look like the we need to put 195/55/R15 and a letter but a don t remenber the letter look like since its that letter it mean that the tire is more expensive, so what i want to know if we can use the other type of tire but in the size cause they least expensive?

Thanks you for the Info.

neuromancer

A 14" Rim may not fit because of the disc brakes. I have 15" 195-60-R15 Arctic Alpins on my car and they are great. Shop around for the Rim (not the dealer), you shouldn't have to pay more than about $50cnd each. My entire package with tax was around $750 last year.

No matter what size you get or where you get the rims, do a test fit before buying them.

Jay

blackswift

So is the 195/60/R15 are cheapper that the 195/55/R15 cause if they are i will go for those one and for the rim I want to costo yesterday and they have some at 35$ so i thing i will go today to get those rim.

Thanks for the info.

neuromancer

I bought my tires last year and I don't think that I could have gotten a 195/55/R15. In fact I remember a tire guy laughing at me

Jay

Sporin

I run a set of 15" steel wheels with 195-55-16 Michelin Arctic Alpins for winter. Bought the whole package from TireRack for about $535 mounted, balanced and shipped last year.

bizsnatch

am i the only person pissed that mazda would even consider selling the dunlops as 'all season' tires? they suck on anything but the dryest roads and have 0 grip once a layer of snow is down. i only wish they had said something when i bought the car so i could have put the cost of a second set of wheels into the financing instead of scrounging the money to buy a set last minute.

misbehave

I hope the following info can help you.

I am ordering my set of winter tires and wheels tomorrow.


From:
www.tirerack.com

Firestone WinterFire Studded
195/60/15 $65.5 each
195/65/15 $68.5 each
(these are the cheapest studded tires I could find on the web so far)
Firestone WinterFire Studless
195/60/15 $53.00 each

15" x 6 Steel wheels (5 x 114.3) $32 each (these are the same stock steel wheels they use on Toyota Camry)
__________________________________
If you do not want studded snow tires.
Go to www.tires.com
15" x 6 Steel wheels (5 x 114.3) $31 each (FREE SHIPPING)
Yokohama Guardex (studless) 600 195/60/R15 $65.00 each (Free Shipping)

stocker

Actually most experienced winter drivers find the dunlops work just fine. I am surprised to see a canadian post something like this. I used my dunlops all last winter and had no problems. Others, including guys in Calgary said the same. I am getting winters mainly because I don't want to screw my alloys up.
Stocker

AwaKeN

i have 185 / 65R / 14 (my dealer told me to use that) and they fit perfectly, and there is a .06 of difference so it not affect my speedo. And they are a way much cheaper than 15 inches. More the tire is wide and slick = less traction in winter.


Dave

silver_p5_owner

I had no problem with the Dunlops last year but this year they are worn a lot more ~18,000 miles. I am seriously considering snows or an aggressive all-season tire for the winter. Around here we drive on clear cold pavement 90% of the time and have many small snows and a couple biggies each season. I'm think the all seasons may be enough for me.

AwaKeN

You should see how the winter is in Canada hehe, you will not keep your stock tires here !!!


Dave

castor

FYI...

My dealer here in Barrie, On (Northwood Mazda) is offering a winter tire package for $720.00 + tax and includes installation, balancing and rims.

4 - 15" steel rims
4 - Nokian Hakkepellita 1 - P195/55/15 snows.

The Haks are excellent snow tires...and are very popular in European countries.

After pricing snow packages at several places including Costco/Price Club, Canadian Tire Etc, this turns out to be an excellent price.

My wife and I both own 2002 ES GT's and will be buying these packages. The V rated all seasons wont cut it up here in the snow belt,

Chris

KrisA

Hakkepellita 1's? Aren't those the studded ones? I used to have Q's and they were great!

Sporin

I find the 50-series Dunlop SP5000's to be excellent in wet and dry, as long as the weather is mild. When it gets cold, they get squirrelly.

Sure you can run them year round, even in snow, but why would you? IMO, the margin of safety is just too small. $500 on snow tires is cheaper then most people's insurance deductibles.

You STILL need to drive smartly in bad weather. Slow down, stay back, take your time, be smart! Snow tires just give you that added measure of safety when the unexpected happens. It's not a matter of how "good" a driver you are. The best drivers will always give themselves the best chance on the road.

When I was younger, I NEVER put snows on my FWD cars... never thought I needed them. That was until I TRIED them. Night and day. Now I will ALWAYS run them during winter. Once you've gone a season with them, you'll wonder why you didn't switch sooner.