my husband wants to go to discount tire and purchase four new rims all the same size so they can be rotated... and tires, preferrably blizzaks for winter driving.....will we have trouble with spedo readings, offset, etc. please, any and all information will be greatly appreciated

 

What about just getting a "beater" car with front wheel drive for the winter? I hate to see a nice Crossfire going through a Michigan winter. Is this an option for you?

 

As long as you use the same size tire as your front tires you had stock it will not cause problems im guessing you went to 18inch wheels and tires? Having the 18s in the front and 19s in the rear they compensate with the tire side wall height so in effect is the same size all around.. Hard to understand ill make a pic the only way you will throw off the speedo is if you change the height of your tires! 235 40 r18s I think.

stock = _(o)___(O)_ overall height is the same

18s = _(o)___(o)_ overall height is the same and = to the above pic

 

I would not recommending 18" rims for winter tires in Michigan...the roads are too pot holed. Try to find some 16" or 17" rims and then buy snowtires with a close profile. i wouldn't worry about speedometer too much. I'd be more worried about getting stuck, salt, and a$$holes who can't drive in ice and snow. The earlier advise -- buy a beater -- is excellent, especially if you love your Crossfire. I loved my TR6 back in the old days but ran it 8 winters until it was see-through fenders. Ain't gonna happen to my Crossies. These girls are garage queens all winter.

 

good advice all....wish i could get a beater, it would make my decision easier, but (goldwing) i DO love my car so much that i think i should sell it to someone who could garage it all winter....just torn what to do...she's a beauty and deserves better. (goldwing...just look the other way if you see me driving around holland this winter)

 

Do not sell the car if you love it, drive it. When I got my first XF, I had a nice winter car to drive daily, problem is - it never moved. I sold it and started modding mine and bought snow tires to put on the stock rims. Cost about $700 for blizzaks and I have not looked back. It drives very well in under 6" of snow, after that, its a plow and useless, but there was only 1 day last year in Indiana winter where I did not drive it. I have used my blizzaks for 3 winters and they are still decent, never rotated and used stock sizes, if you can find model LM-25s (discontinued but still a great tire) in our stock sizes, you may be able to find an even better deal.

Good luck. I know there are many here who may think I am crazy, but my crossfire gets treated as well as any garage queen here, but I get to enjoy mine everyday

Winter, summer, race track, rain, snow - she is ready

 

Hi Folks, Well, my son-in-law is back from his third tour in Afgan/Iraq and the family needed a car. So I gave them the old HHR. I hate to do it, but I will be using my Crossfire through the next three winters - buying a beater is just not in the mix. Here's my question, I can go to the dealer and get Blizzaks to fit the stock rims. Or, I can go to Tires Plus or Discount Tire to buy 18" rims and Blizzak tires for all four wheels - they say this is the way to go, they will take the rims off in the spring and put my all season Conti's and stock rims on for free. They'll do that for me for three seasons (I'll be buying new summer tires from them after next summer). Anybody do this? Any thoughts or experiences? The price difference is about 350 bucks between putting on and removing tires on the stock rims twice a year, or just buying new rims and tires ( the second option being the more expensive). Of course the dealer would charge me 100 bucks every time I remove/remount. What do you think?

 

Can tell you from experience (I have separate winter rubbers that I have mounted on my stock rims every winter, and then come spring have my summer rubbers put back on the stock rims), it will cost you between $80-$150 depending on the shop to have your tires dismounted and remounted for the season. I personally don't mind paying this twice a year to maintain the stock look and save cash in the short term, however, if you intend to drive the Crossfire for a few more years, eventually the high initial buy-in on a set of winter tires and rims will be a wash with what you have paid for dismounts and mounts, and if you drive the Crossfire long enough, the dedicated winter tires and rims will be a winning investment! Again though, I just went with the dismount/mount option to save myself money in the short term.

 

I would have to lean the other route, and say buy another set of wheels, and if you are that concerned about stock looks, buy another set of XF wheels that have some curb rash for the winter, I just sold a set for $400 - shipped.

Everytime you mount tires on these wheels, you have a lot better chance of messing up either the tire, or scratching the wheels (due to the low profile of the tires) not to mention the several hundred dollars a year it costs. When you have seperate sets, you need to remount/balance only when new tires are necessary and can easily go from winter to summer by changing them yourself in your garage.

While it is a little more money off the bat, it pays for itself by about mid-second year and is a lot more convenient, and when you go to sell the crossie, or stop winter driving it, you have another set of wheels you can sell to recoup some costs.

 

Call TireRack and they'll gladly give you all the advice you'll ever need regarding winter tire/wheel sizing, offset, TPMS,...etc.

I purchased 8 Blizzaks mounted & balanced on winter wheels from them a couple of years ago (for a couple of Jeeps, not Xfires) and was very happy with the pricing. Think there's a sale on Contis and Michelin going on now.

On a separate note, too bad we couldn't get with you Holland Xfire owners a few weeks ago as a group of us toured western MI. We passed right through Holland.

 

3 seasons with inexpensive 18" rims all around (- its winter the wheels won't look good for long anyway with slush salt etc..) and Blizzaks my XF has performed great - and that includes two winters where NJ actually go significant snow fall.

 

Thanks guys, with your help I just ordered 4 blizzaks mounted on 18 inch rims from Tires Plus. They will put them on in the fall and take them off in the spring for free every year for me. I'm keeping the conti's on the stock rims for the summer. Thanks again!

 

I am in Toledo OH and have a set of 16s with firestone snow tires on them that have only been bolted onto my crossfire. $450 if someone wants them. I bought them new from tirerack but last winter but bought a beater instead.

 

i was just told at discount tire that anything smaller than 18" won't work because of the size of the brakes...or was this info wrong

 

As long as you are not an srt you can fit as small as 16" rims on the front. Srt would be 17".

 

interested! please see the private message i sent you