Just moved to Boulder, Co and the snow just started so I thought to myself it was time to test the evo out on the snow..... I forgot I am still rockin 18x9.5 rota grids with summer tires....needless to say it was quite a scary experience "floating" over the road Does anyone know if steelies will clear our calipers? and if so what would be an ideal setup for relatively cheap? Thanks for any input you guys may have

 

Im not sure if steelies will clear but i know that the rallyart rims will.

 

It doesn't snow very much on the front range, you'll be fine just set the ACD to snow and plow through it.

 

yeah, this year seems like a dry one...so i wouldn't sweat it. last year would've been a different story.

 

Haha I feel extremely dumb for forgetting about the acd......I had it on tarmac and just could not keep the front end from pushing even at low speeds. Ill go ahead and try that tm and see if it makes any difference, I still feel like I should at least invest in a cheap winter setup as I snowboard a lot?

 

This is my first winter with a evo, now I've had slot of cars but this one is the best I've ever drove in snow.

 

My STI handled wonderfully so it would be no surprise to me that the evo would be amazing, just worried about the tires. I was just given the snow shoe analogy and makes quite a bit of sense.

 

Yeah, best to stay off of snow with summer tires. If anyone sells steel rims that fit an Evo, let me know and I'll be their next customer. So far I've not heard of any.

So, it comes to buying another set of new alloys or looking for used. I tried buying used for a couple of years but the deals always fell through at the last minute. So, I was left with swapping tires in the fall and spring. Now, I have a WRX with snows so the Evo stays in the garage when the roads are snow covered. To bad, it loves the snow.

BTW, the parking brake handle is between the seats for more reason than parking. Tug the handle and the car turns. Maybe with the ACD set to snow you don't need this advice but experiment with this before using it for real.

As for winter tires, the more snipes the better - search Tire Rack.

Enjoy Colorado!

 

find a cheap set of Evo 8/9 GSR wheels. I'm running my spare 8 wheels with Bridgestone Blizzak's, I love driving in snow!

 

This! Or buy one of those winter package deals from Tirerack. Having good traction in the snow is worth all of the headache of potential body damage!

 

Thanks everyone for the input, first longish drive to school today (freeway speeds) and the acd setting make a surprising difference. However the stopping just isn't there...and once she breaks loose I can't save her, im all for sliding my car but only when I control the slide! After class im going to see what a local tire shop can suggest and go from there. Looks like the rotas are going up for sale. :/ not willing to risk the body damage

 

what you need is winter tires, not new wheels. Winter tires will make a world of difference! Keep in mind that when your stopping the road doesnt know that your car is AWD. Driving with summer tires in cold temperatures is a bad idea. Driving with summer tires in snow is a HORRIBLE idea.

Do yourself a favor and find some used 17'' evo IX wheels and put some blizzaks on those bad boys and keep that as your winter setup while keeping your rota's and summer tires as your summer setup. The evo is superb in the snow but ONLY when you have the right tires.

 

If you throw some blizzaks on some stock rims you will be just fine. I went up through the pass yesterday and was performing great with my blizzaks in some windy conidtions. I've noticed its a lot more about how you drive as well. Don't get me wrong you need the traction that the tires provide but downshifting instead of heavy braking, staying back from inexperienced drivers, etc. can go along way.

 

he does need new rims also, he is running 9.5 which is to wide for snow. The thinner the tire the better for snow, stock rims would work best.

 

I would do this in a heartbeat if I had the funds...unfortunately with this move it has used up most of my available income as I'm between jobs. I guess I should have thought about that before buying my brand new set of summer tires before moving to the snow? I feel like face palming myself right now... The problem with just buying new tires is that its extremely hard to find a winter tire (or any tire) to fit an 18x9.5 +15 offset wheel without tons of rub. Im running a 235/40/18 so its already a slight stretch. Got a couple offers on trades so we'll see how that goes..