sanchorelaxxo

Hi all, i'm new to this forum and i must say that everything i've read is very informative...i'm in the the process of buying a G37 coupe with the stock tire size of 225/50VR18.0 on both the front and rear. I live in Massachusetts where the weather in winter can be terrible and am obviously going to get snow tires. My question is: is it OK to put the snow tires on the stock rims or do i need to get the tire/wheel packages that are on sites like TireRack? Thanks all!!!

2008G-Man

We swap out summer all seasons for Blizzak winters every change of season on the stock rims. You can get separate rims if you want but then you have to deal with rim and TPMS initial cost and programming the TPMS every time you change rims out. Or ... you can ignore TPMS and watch the light all winter long.

sanchorelaxxo

ok that sounds good...thanks...anyone else do the same or do most have separate rims for their winter tires?

ACoupe

I go with separate wheels for my winter tires.
I'm actually getting mine installed today and am quite jazzed to see how they look on my car:
http://www.fastwheels.ca/components/...fd87de483c.jpg

I went with separate wheels for my winter tires on my old 2007 G35 Coupe too and don't regret it (even with that TPMS light on all damn winter).

Ibanez540r

iTrader: (1)

Yes you can use winters on OEM tires. Just a matter of choice. ..I had the same dilemma and was going to go with winters on OEM just because the lack of funds for dedicated winter wheels. However, I ended up finding a nearly new set ofblizzaks with wheels for the right price.

Swapping on OEM you have to worry about shops scratching up the wheels twice a year for how many years, plus paying each time. You also are limited on timing in a way. One shot to have them on at the right time and then off at he right time.

Dedicated winters you can take them on and off as you please. The downside is the TPMS initial cost, or dealing with the light.

sanchorelaxxo

yea good point about the rims being handled twice and the timing of putting them on and taking them off. tire rack had some deals on wheels and tires so i'll have to look into that as well.

joeposter

Some good pros and cons already mentioned. I'd just like to point out that you can do a wheel package without the TPMS's if you don't mind the little indicator on your dash. Also, if you had 19's you could have downsized to 18's wheels with a skinnier tire.

sanchorelaxxo

yea i saw that on tire rack you can buy the packages without the TPMS's...i mean i dont care about the light being on all winter...might as well save the $400 they are charging to put them in.

carz

I have a seperate rim/tire package. I feel its easier to just swap out the whole thing twice a year as opposed to having to mount and unmount the tire on each rim

JSolo

iTrader: (14)

Think about all the wear and tear your tires will suffer during this removal/install process each year. Get a cheap set of rims and call it a day.

sanchorelaxxo

yea i decided why even bother messing around with changing tires on the rims ever winter/spring, i'm just gonna go with a different set of tires and rims for winter ...thanks all for the input all

SwissCheeseHead

iTrader: (6)

I just got my coupe S two weeks ago and bought separate rims and tires for the snow. You don't need TPMS for a few months out of the year, the light is little and doesn't do anything but stay lit. I can put up with a light every year if it'll save me $400 in sensors.

It's expensive up front but then you won't have to get your tires mounted/unmounted twice a year every year.

sanchorelaxxo

what kind of snow tires/wheels did you get?

t-hak

There is no problem with putting snows on the stock rims. Bridgestone Blizzaks are great in my experience, and that's what is on mine now.

I have agree with others: Having a set of dedicated wheels/tires for winter, while steep in initial cost, is very convenient. If you decide to add the TPMS sensors to winter wheels, resetting the TPMS system is pretty easy, and takes about 20-30 minutes from airing down to airing up again once you figure out where to find the plug. There's a handy DIY for doing this on this site.

While you can swap your summers and winters on the stockies twice a year, costs for mounting and balancing each time (about $120 for all four wheels where I live), I would be looking at $240 per year to swap tires in the spring and fall.

I am also a little concerned about the life of a bead on a tire. The bead is critical in maintaining air pressure in a tire.

Most tires are designed to be put on a wheel once, driven until they wear out, and then dismounted.

When a tire is mounted or dismounted, the bead of the tire is temporarily stretched by the tire-mounting machine to fit over the lip of the wheel. If you have ever seen this process in person, the forces involved in are, dare I say, quite impressive.

I'm not a tire guru, but it would seem to me that repeatedly mounting/unmounting a tire will take its toll on the bead of a tire, possibly degrading its ability to form an airtight seal against the rim.

G37Vert

I just found some old G35 wheels on Craigslist for $100 and put Blizzacks on them. Light comes on everytime I get in the car and flashes for a little bit, but then stays constant. I really, really like the blizzaks. It only took like 20 mins. to take the summers off and throw the winters on.