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Your are confusing apples and oranges. Winter traction is a different issue than what to wear in the summer. For winter in New Jersey, I, having lived there for 15 years, recommend you have dedicated winter tires. You can either have a set of winter tires that you swap onto your existing 17" rims, or better yet, you can have a second set of wheels, either 16" or 17", with winter tires already mounted. A set of winter wheels is a lot cheaper than a crunched fender or a scrunched radiator with blown airbags. If you don't have a place to store a set of 4 tires/wheels this is a problem, but if you do have storage space, then you should make up your mind to put on winter rubber when the time comes. You will appreciate them greatly the first time you have to stop quickly in bad weather.
The biggest negative of having 17" wheels is that you are much more vulnerable to experiencing a blow-out from a road hazzard, such as a pot hole or raised man-hole cover. This is even more true in the winter. I run 17" wheels year-round (I have two sets of 17" wheels) because the car handles much better with 17" wheels, and the amount of snow or ice driving is only a very small percentage of the time spent driving in the winter, and I want to enjoy my car. I'm willing to accept the increased risk of blow-out in trade for having a much better handling car. But that's a personal choice. 17" summer wheels and 16" winter wheels is a very sensible option.
Another choice is to go 16" all-season and run them year-round, but, ugh, why would you do that to this wonderful car? Might as well be driving a Torus.
You can keep your existing 17" wheels for the summer and get a set of 16" wheels for the winter. Winter tire on 16" wheel sets are very reasonably priced, and every mile you put on your winter tires is a mile that you have saved for use later on your summer tires. Think about it. It is an economical decision and you get to enjoy the good handling that you paid for when you bought the car.
posted by 129.44.18...
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