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Looking for opinions. I'd like to get snows for the winter, and I'm deciding on the best way to do it. Right now, the car has 15" Cooper all-seasons. I have a few options so far:
(1) If money were no concern, here's what I'd like to do. Take off the Coopers and sell them in classifieds. Mount 15" snows on the current rims and buy new 16" rims and summer tires in the spring. I'm thinking about the Firestone Firehawk SZ50EP on Mille Miglia Spider II. Don't know what kind of snows I'd get yet, but figuring $75, total cost will be $300 + mounting/balancing now (let's say $40), plus $1064 later, for a total of $1404, minus whatever I can sell the current tires for. Maybe about $1300 total?
(2) Similar, but instead of the Mille Miglia Spider IIs, get some take-off Saab wheels. I could save probably $25-$50 per wheel, or $100-$200 total. Total cost $1100-$1200.
(3) I could take advantage of the winter tire package at the dealer. Gislaved tires mounted on 15" alloy rims. The rims are much better than steel wheels, but they're nothing exciting. And I don't get any 16" rims out of the deal. The dealer package is $800.
(4) Do a Ronal package. Nokian snows on 16" rims. $99/wheel plus tires...something like $700, maybe. At some point in the future, when both the snows and Coopers are worn out, get 16" summer tires and 15" winter tires, so I have the Ronals in the summer and the stock rims in the winter. Unfortunately, I don't really like any of the Ronal rims.
(5) Wait it out until I wear out these Coopers. They've got 12,000 miles on them now, and they obviously don't look new any more, but they've got a lot of tread left. The car handled fine driving through snowpack and blizzards last winter, so I suppose I don't really need snow tires anyway. And the money I save can be put to other uses, like a rear swaybar and a steering rack clamp and brace.
Just looking for thoughts...anyone?
Matt
'99 base
posted by 12.101.2...
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