JPJ

Don't know if steel wheels are an option for you or not. Steel wheels are durable, but with a 17" wheel you would still have a lot of tire to protect the rim. I'm running 18" in winter and haven't had any problems (yet...). As 1esquire said, you can probably find some OE wheels from someone who has upgraded for a reasonable price.

For tires, I've had Dunlop Wintersport M3's on a couple of cars now and have always been happy with them.