Hi i live in MN and we have winter here so i was wondering how these tires do in winter if i will be able to run them in winter. the tread pattern looks like it wouldnt be too bad can anyone put any info on this? thanks alot

 

They are not all-season, you'll need winter tires.

 

I bought Dunlop WinterSport M3's for a 16" Rim
size: 205/60 R16

Best winter tire you can buy and Cheaper then som of it's top competiters

 

my **** has pirelli p6's on it... factory

 

Going with just a all season won't help much due to tire width and sidewall size.

Buy some steel wheels and mount a tire that is the same diameter on them but more suited for snow.

 

Actually 16" like what player_1 got or 17" is better than getting 18" wheels when it comes to snow tires, as long as the overall diameter is as close as possible to the stock diameter. Also, 16" tires are still almost affordable at anywhere between $75-100 a tire, the price jumps up closer to $150 for 17" and I don't even want to ask what 18" all season or snow tires would be.

Also, steel wheels for this car are a real pain to find cheap. Tire Rack sells them for almost $50/each and that's pretty much the standard going price. Junkyards are up there too, most of the ones I have talked to want around $40/wheel because of the uncommon lug patter that the SS/SC has.

 

actually the steels are going to a bit more expensive because the SS has a rare bolt, bore a spacer, setup. so they won't build many.

unfortunatly we'll have to fork over the cash to get the steels.

 

There are other cars that use the same wheels. The most common is the Saturn L-series. Also, the wheels for the SAAB 9-3, 9-5, and newer model 900s use the same pattern as well as the Cadillac Catera. I've seen some sites claiming that the new (04-05/06) Malibus are also 5x110, but that's sketchy and unconfirmed sicne the previous body style did not use 5x110.

It does suck that they're so expensive, it's looking like Tire Rack is going to be the best price. Used wheels are OK, but paying $40 a wheel for ones off of a junked car is an expensive gamble in the event that the wheels aren't true and are therefore useless...I'd rather pay the extra $10/wheel.

 

Obviously these tires weren't made for snow, but how badly do you guys think they will actually be? Has anyone driven an SS in any snow yet anywhere? Canadians maybe? I want to know if it's going be bad like not being able to move a foot as soon as there is an inch of snow or it won't be easy, but it's drivable type.

 

there are some newer cars that have the same spec. rims as the SS, but a good majority of the cars with the 5x110 bolt pattern have diferent bore and spacer spec's. I beleive that the 9-3 and the Catera are the only ones with the exact same spec as the SS.

if you look at tire rack and select a winter tire pakage you'll see that they will be chargeing $65us for each rim not $40.

are only hope for getting a deal is by doing group purchase like the one I am working on here in Toronto area.

 

Dude Honestly its Aug in Canada, i dont think theres snow to many places in my country right now.....but if i look closely i do see polar bears and igloos in my future.....

 

Higher elevations can. So can the extreme Canadian north. Besides, people have had these cars since the end of LAST winter.

 

it's amazing how "Canadians" are from the land of snow and igloos....I wonder if some "Americans" even know where Alaska is?

 

Tirerack.com does list Pirelli as having 18" winter performance tires. No price that I could see as I was looking at 17" winter wheel packages. Pirelli's winter performance tire Think These will work? Or would downsizing the whole rim/tire set to say 17" or 16" be a better idea for winter?

 

Let's not go there...this is a thread about winter tires and rims.

 

going to a larger rim will not make your traction any better or worse for the winter, what will make the difference is how wide the tire is.

for winter traction a thiner tire is better.

plus 16" are cheaper

 

Winter tires are better with a higher sidewall. However, for example, living in Toronto, since we don't have deep snow on the raods for longer than 48 hours (usually) have 17" or 18" snows would be fine. Obviously having lower profile winter tires would enable you to maintain most of the cars handling in dry and wet conditions. However, if you live in an area where deep snow is an issue, then a 16" wheel would do well for the SS. Non-SS models could probably get away with 14" and 15" wheels since the rotor/drum set up is different and would allow for a smaller wheel package.