Diesel

iTrader: (8)

does TireRack carry the Pilot Alpin...? those are what i'm shooting for this winter...

Neal@tirerack

iTrader: (25)

Yup, sure do! We currently have them in the stock 235/45HR17. Thats a really nice tire. When I had them on the ice rink they performed quite well. Winter tires sell out quite quickly, ususally by the middle of December, so the sooner the better.

Pilot Alpin

silvrevo

iTrader: (6)

Neal , what about a rim that will aork . Last time I called they only had 2 to choose from. I would like a Black steel wheel 17 inch.

Anything?

jwtodd60

Like I said, I just plan on running A/S tires when I wear out the stock tire. The problem right now though is that the 046s aren't wearing out fast enough and I may have to swap them out before they're finished.

As for what you want to do, it depends. I was born and raised in snow country, so the little bit that we usually get down here doesn't bother me. But if you are from So Cal or some other snowless climate, what we get here could really throw you for a loop. Dedicated snow tires might not be a bad call in that case. In fact, we use dedicated snow tires on my wife's Maxima; not because she can't drive in snow (she's from NH), but because that is the car we take north for the holidays...

JW

Neal@tirerack

iTrader: (25)

Unfortunately, there are no steel wheels available for the EVO due to the brakes. Very rarely do you see 17" steel wheels available for cars. The two most cost effective wheels that I would have to fit are the Mille Miglia HT-3 and Action. Then there is the SSR Comp but those can get expensive to just use in the winter. Below are pics of the HT-3 and Action.

HT-3



Action

berkel

iTrader: (5)

Cool!

Great info all, glad I looked here before posting.

I'm in Southeastern Massachusetts, so we don't get that much snow. I am familiar with snow/winter driving (went to school in Vermont, heh). Anyway, I'm considering a decent wheel with some ultra high perf or high perf all seasons to drive on most of the time. I can use the stock wheels with Advans for autox or whatever.

I'm intrigued by the Pilot, but IIRC it's ~$200/tire? I've had good luck with the Dunlops as well. As for wheels, I have another thread asking about the OZ Superleggera, since they should be about $280/wheel which wouldn't be too bad.

Anyone else in New England have any advice on wheels and tires? I like the SSR Comps, but they are a little more than I wanted to spend (although I may). I don't think I need dedicated winter tires, right? I used SP 8000s on my Audi A4 for one winter and Dunlop SP 5000 for another and had no problems.

Thoughts?

Thanks,

FB

DGS

I'm in "Metro West" Massachusetts (and we do get snow).

I had good luck with the Bridgestone SF-206 OEM tires on the Celica (AllTrac Turbo) -- until Bridgestone stopped making tires with that diameter (205/60-14). I was going to go with the Dunlop A2 all season for the Celica (since it's 14 years old anyway).

But with the EVO, I'm looking at going with different sets for summer and winter, since I hope I won't have worn out the new Yokos by November.

I don't mind winter tires that would wear quickly if you ran them in summer, as long as they aren't rock hard at 5 degF. The PP S03s on my 328 go noticably off at 40F or lower.

I was going to go for 215/50-17 LM22s, but according to Bridgestone's site, they aren't made in that size. The WS50s are, and have identical revs/mile as the 235/45-17s to boot, but are spec'd for rims no wider than 7.5 inch.

So I'm still debating between LM-22s in 235/45 or some other brand in 215/50 on a narrower rim -- if I can find one to fit the EVO. (No, I don't want to swap to a smaller caliper in winter.)

Neal, do the MMs fit without spacers, or are spacers required?

akathugs

iTrader: (1)

I have been using Dunlop winter sports M2 tires on my RX-7(3rd gen) before my EVO and they had been always great. smooth, quiet, high speed capability. However, Im planning to go with continental extremecontacts(please correct if im wrong). Since I had only good memories with continentals.

N10S

iTrader: (4)

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Neal@tirerack.
[B]

Unfortunately, there are no steel wheels available for the EVO due to the brakes. Very rarely do you see 17" steel wheels available for cars. The two most cost effective wheels that I would have to fit are the Mille Miglia HT-3 and Action. Then there is the SSR Comp but those can get expensive to just use in the winter. Below are pics of the HT-3 and Action.





Neal, no offense but I really wish someone would start making some decent looking wheels for the EVO. I know that its only for winter use but it would still be nice to see something a little less chintzy looking.

BTW, I remember reading something posted by Tire Rack a while back stating that the SSR comps don't fit the EVO without spacers. Has something changed or was that info incorrect? I think the only SSR that fits the EVO is the SSR GT1 or GT3 right?
I had a set of comps on my WRX and they were great, but probably not the pick wheel for winter use.


It seems like the easy and perhaps best solution is to buy a set of performance winter tires like the Alpin and put them on the stock EVO rims which are pretty beefy rims. Save your money and next spring pop for a set of Volks or some other medium to high-end wheels and re-install your Advans. Keep the stockers and the Alpins for winter season only and you will get more than a few years of use out of them thats for sure!

Just my .02

N10S

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Neal@tirerack

iTrader: (25)

None taken N10S The real problem is with the size of the brakes. Design can cause problems with fitment when you have hardware of that size. The vehicle is quite new to the market yet and there still isnt a ton of stuff out for it like the WRX whos been on the US market for a while. Unfortunatly, wheel manufactures work slowely sometimes in designing wheels that will work on regular cars let alone specialty cars like the EVO. Because of the fitment challenges cars like this give, they have to compromise with things like 3mm spacers until they can produce a wheel that fits exactly. They take a big risk putting money, time, and materials into design and production so they have a wheel for one particular car. I know its annoying, but stick with it guys. There will be more wheels out there to fit the car. The STi Subaru guys have it worse off if it makes you feel better hehe

xtnct

iTrader: (33)

My take on all season tires: no good in the spring, summer, fall and winter.

Do youself a favor and get proper summer and winter tires. The Arctic Pilots are AWESOME tires!!! I will be getting these for the EVO.

It is a shame that we are so limited to wheel choices right now. The rims above are both ugly in my opinion, with the HT-3 maybe ok depending on price but the Action is just plain ugly (again, in my personal opinion)

DGS

Yep, that was one of the decision factors in my getting an EVO instead of an STi -- Subaru is asking $2800 for a set of stock BBS rims.

So do I gather that the MM rims require spacers as well?

Are there any available rims that fit exactly, or do we have to find an Enkei dealer?

Neal@tirerack

iTrader: (25)

Yeah, I was looking at the STi also but the markup at the dealer was crazy! I'm showing that the HT-3 does not require the use of a spacer. It does come with a set of lugs and a set of centering rings (no charge) but no spacers. Same thing goes with the Action.

broeli

iTrader: (19)

What do the HT-3's weigh in 17" and 18"? They look better in that picture.

Neal@tirerack

iTrader: (25)

The HT-3 wheel weighs 22 lbs in 17" and they dont make it to fit in the 18". Really, that wheel looks good in person. I think its the best looking winter alternative.

The Tire Rack