I live near Buffalo NY I get about 160+" snow per year
I have been using blizzaks on my quattro's for 15 years.
They are the best in slippy conditions.
I have heard Nokian Hakkapeliitta tires are the best in deep snow.
I would get smaller wheels for snow tires.
I would think the brakes on the evo would allow for 15" or 16" wheels. It's not like the brakes are overly huge.
Low profile snow tires are less effective.
There are better choices in higher profile.
You don't want 235mm wide snow tires!!!!
Skinny tires are better.
I have lived in snow for 33 years.
You won't believe the grip of Blizzaks!!!!


Drive it like you stole it.

 

This is one thing that I think a lot of people are not considering when they talk about the price of this car. If you live anywhere that gets more than a few inches of snow per year, I'd strongly recommend a set of winter tires. The stock Yokohama A-046's are high performance Summer only tires and even with the AWD, they will be about as good as wooden tires on a slippery/snowy surface. Invest in a good set of winter tires & steel rims. This will 1) Prolong the life of the $$$ stock tires, 2) Prevent the stock rims from salt corrosion, and 3) Save your stock rims from potential damage from winter potholes or from sliding into a curb.

I currently have a set of Blizzaks on my Talon and with the AWD, I can drive *very* aggressively in the snow if I want. I'd also suggest the Alpins and if the snow is deep, the Hakkapeliittas are good. Check out www.tirerack.com for more info on snow tires.

I'd also suggest that anyone considering snow tires should get the steel rims too (they run about $25 each). This will save you mounting and balancing $$$ not to mention wear and tear on your nice stock rims. You should get the narrowest tire with the highest sidewall that will fit. My Talon came with 17 in stock rims and because of the brakes, I couldn't fit anything smaller than a 16 in. rim (rumor has it that the Dodge Caravan 15 in. rims would fit). I suspect the same would be true of the Evo because of the large rotors/Brembo calipers.

Bottom line, budget about $700 for a set of Winter tires/rims if you get the white stuff in your neigborhood.

 

What I prefer is using the stock rims as the winter rims and then getting a different set of wheels for the summer.

 

If you had planned on replacing the OE 17" wheels anyway, this would be a viable choice. As skibum point out, 235 tires are not snow friendly, so I'd put the narrowest tire possible on the stock rims (probably a 205?).

 

Guess what! 15 nor 16 inch wheels will fit. You MUST use a 17" wheel to clear the stock caliper. If they would have put a 12 inch rotor on the car that would be one thing then yes you can use 16" wheels, but the rotors are closer to 13", so you need 17" wheels. Also, I don't know of any company that makes 17" steel wheels. However you can get 17" Blizzaks.

Just get an extra set of cheap aftermarket wheels and put the snows on those.

 

Ok. now what size, bolt pattern, and such do i need. Has all this came out yet for the EVO?

 

Mitsubishi and Yokohama have a long standing relationship with EVO. Yokohama is currently developing a high performance Winter tire design for EVO, which should be available for next winter season. As for the stock OEM tire they are excellent and have been specifically design by Yokohama just for EVO for the best possible performance.

 

I have a Galant VR 4 with 262,000 miles on it. I live where it snows, and I've run through a lot of winter tires. I've worn through Michelin Arpins, Dunlop Graspics, two sets of Blizzaks and currently hvae Yokohama Guardex 600's on the car.
In my opinion, nothing touches the Blizzak's on ice and slippery, packed snow. You pay the price for the sticky rubber in faster wear, however. The Yokohmas are the best in unpacked snow because the tread pattern is a little more agressive.
Steel wheels are a must. You will probably downsize to a 16 inch wheel because the snow will have a different aspect ratio and that will keep the same wheel and tire diameter as the stock 17 inch with the low profile Yokohamas. A taller, skinnier tire is much better in the snow.

 

Nokian Hakkapeliitta?
http://www.nokiantires.com/indexen.html

 

No way. Hakkepallittas are old technology, very hard rubber with a very agressive tread pattern. Good for their time, but way outdated now. Any winter tire without sipes and a soft rubber compund (like the Hakkepallittas) pales in comaprison to a new tire like the Blizzak. They pioneereed (and patented) the technology. Everyone else is just copying with varying degrees of success. Read the last couple of winter tire tests in Road and Track.

 

Link?
Did you see Hakkapeliitta Q?
And for ice studs rulez anyway.