Im probably gonna get snow tires to fit the stock 18's. I dont want to spend the money for 4. So will 2 for the front be good enough? I only need to be able to travel 5-6 miles to and from work. It is all city roads/interstate driving and mostly flat. The hardest part will be the mild hill i live on. I know they recommend 4 but i dont really understand why or see the point. Enlighten me. Otherwise i think ill just get 2 Pirelli Scottoros for the front.

 

Bad idea. Traction on 2 front tires and none on the rear tires. Could lead to some dangerous slipping and sliding. Highly unrecomended.

 

2 will mean that you can drive foward in the snow but turning your car will be a little hairy.
It will make the rear break loose, which could be fun but not allthe time.

 

it will be cheaper to buy 4 new snow tires then it will paying your collision repair during the winter and for that matter it will be cheaper then your deductable too im sure.

but serioulsy. its dangerous. for comparison its like those people who put McDonalds trays under their rear tires and have traction on the front. Of how they slide all over the place.

 

I drove all last winter with only front snows. I only wanted the traction for starting and stopping... I had no problem last winter however if you plan on driving aggressively then put 4 on.

 

this may sound weird but if you are going to buy 2 (HIGHLY HIGHLY DANGEROUS)
you are better off putting them on the rear.


dont freak out....listen first.....

the most dangerous action from winter driving is Lateral movement....IE ass end sideways... and your rear tires having solid winter tread is what stops this happening.

BUT this is assuming you have tires on the front that can at least PARTIALLY handle traction during winter.....this is NOT the case with stock pirellis.

Dont do it.
buying 2 winters with 2 summer race tires is no better than leaving all your pirellis on.

buy 4 or dont do it at all.

 

or you could get lower brand cheap snow tires then buying 2 perelli's

 

unfortunately I think the sotto zero's are the cheapest brand that u can buy in 215/45/18....

 

oh yeah i forget about you guys having kinda an odd sized tire

 

As the other's said, BAD IDEA!
Very different traction levels front and rear.
Not worth your life, or the life (lives) in the on-coming vehicle.

 

Buy 4 steelies w/hubcaps, and 16' tires that fit the same profile and be done. It will cost about $400-500. Don't waste your time and money finding something that will fit 18's. Not going to happen.

 

Tim, gotta echo what everyone else said - bad idea. If you REALLY don't want to spend money on winter tires and your Rossos are almost shot, I would really suggest you look into the Neros. I have them on my car and they're amazing. I've never driven in the snow in them but they're supposed to hold their own, especially for the short drive that you have. That way you have summer replacements so you're not spending all that money on JUST winter tires...

 

btw, discount tire sells dominator all seaons which are actually decent in the snow for $55 a tire.

Do the math,

$55x4 tires = 220.00 before tax
$30x4 steelies w/hubcaps = $120

Total Cost $340 before tax. After tax more like $370

Your done. And you got 16' rims and tires that are ready for the snow!

 

You must also take into consideration that most people cant drive on a dry sunny day let alone a snowy one. Just because you drive with pzero's on the back doesnt mean everyone can.

 

Thanks for the insight everyone. I decided on 4 of these:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....omCompare1=yes

And 4 of these:

http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/Displ...Silver+Painted

Just couldnt bring myself to buy steelies.... I was talking to the guy that lives up the road from me and he has these winter tires in 17's on his 05 STi. He said he loves them. I said you have all wheel drive. He said buy them anyway and i wont be disappointed.