For daily winter driving with no RallyX/AutoX on my '08 STi I'm considering buying the Nokian Hakkapeliitta Rs for my winter wheel set, 18x8.5 Stock Five Spokers. Venburg is recommending a 225/35/18. I could be wrong but that doesn't sound right to me; does that sound right to you? It'll fit on the 8.5 wide wheel but it'll be stretched making it narrower which can be better for pushing snow but is 225 too small? Would 235 even be too small? Or should I politely decline the tire dealership's 225 recommendation and insist on 245? Any constructive response would be greatly appreciated and thank you in advance!
What is the stock size tires?? http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html That will show you how mixing and matching sizes will effect your overall gearing/speedo readings. So if you are jumping from a 17 to a 18 you can adjust sizes to get the correct heights. Russ
I'd suggesting skipping the 18's and moving to a 17 for winter. Talk to Lexie (Boss Sti) about how much her 18" Nokian rsi's sucked in an 18 compared to the 17" coopers she's running on 17x8 Rotas now.
I'd guess there are more factors there other then rim size... other then a brand change (I have a hard time believing Cooper makes a better tire the the RSI) what were the tire specs? Edit: OP, check this site out. I'll give you a lot more details then the Miatia site. http://www.wheelsmaster.com/rt_specs.jsp
+1! I had some 155/80r13 snows on my wagon when it was 4-lug. not the greatest tires, but boy did they kick ass!!
I hear ya on the 17s, logically that makes sense but practicality will not allow it for this upcoming season. The 18" winter rims have already been purchased and delivered. I just need to wrap rubber around them. Alas, we digress... back to the original question. 225, 235, or 245 on the Nokian Hakkapeliitta Rs for a 18x8.5 set of wheels for daily driving in the winter with no RallyX/AutoX? Stock summer tire size was 245/40/18 on the wheels I'm now using as my winter set.
^Thread-Jacker! ; ) I think the thread you're looking for is at: http://mnsubaru.com/forums/showthread.php?t=19751
hmmm.... I dont know if I would go with a 225 on an 8.5" wide rim just for fear of stretching the tire and increasing the chances of popping a bead if you happen to go sideways into something. that is just my initial reaction I have no idea how much that would actually be an issue. I would almost say go with the 245 if you are not planning on doing lots of deep snow driving. The idea behind the tall narrow tire is that it will allow you to cut down through the snow to the hard-pact stuff underneath. I have been considering going with wider winter tires (I run 205/50/16 RSi and they dominate in the snow) just because the majority of the driving I do is on major highways (which are normally plowed so never really any snow deeper than 3"), back roads (have seen up to 6" on some of these but the speed limit is slow so not much worries about loosing control just need to be more careful about how I am driving to avoid being stuck) or driving on a plowed ice track (in which case there is relatively little snow on the course and tons of slick ice) So my thinking is that having a wider tire would increase the surface area of my contact patch (not the best idea for cutting through snow) which will give me better traction on pure ice and on dry pavement. A side note: less traction in deep snow may mean more fun in snowy parking lots.
225 on a 8.5 - I'd be worried about hitting a pot hole with all of that stretch. I agree with a previous post about the type of driving you'll probably be doing. The majority is on road and the snow probably won't be much more than 6". I'd say 245 - Save a rim.
I get the whole more sidewall thing. However no tire specs were given so the assumption of an inch is just that. I question the statement regardless. I have a hard time believing that the RSi in 18 inch form was a bad tire. Completely OT though. I'll leave it at that.
I'm with ya Zisson33, Nokian recommends 245/40/18 for the stock 18" wheels and I gotta trust the manufactures recommendations. Dynapar, I think you're right about the deep stuff, the wheels would do well in 225s but I'm not gonna be driving the back roads in the UP where they get that kind of snow, MN doesn't get snow anymore... J/K. And what snow MPLS will get it will be plowed quickly so the 245s will work good for dry roads AND what ever snow we get during the winter. Thanks for the input everyone. 245/40/18 in the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R it is. http://www.nokiantires.com/tyre?id=11949&group=1.01.02&name=Nokian+Hakkapeliitta+R
