wmonty22

I currently use 18s in the summer and switch to my 17s in the winter. However, i put the 17s on this winter and they just really look small so how would the 18s be wrapped with a good winter tire. That way i could sell the 17s and buy 19s for the summer. Just wondering how you think the 18s will work in the snow i am worried that they are too wide. Has anyone used 17s and 18s for the winter and knows the difference?

sdg1871

The main determinant for snow traction is the width of the tire and not the diameter of the wheel (17s v 18). Of course, 17s will give you more road hazard/pothole protection than 18s because you can throw a higher profile tire with a taller sidwalll on it.

For folks who operate in serious snow, they throw on the narrowest dedicated snows that will fit their wheels. Narrow tires grip better in the snow than wider ones.

I run 18s in the winter because I just can't stomach the look of 17s on my ride. But if I were being more sensible, I'd run 17s. The compromise that I make is that 1 run a winter size with a profile one size taller than the recommended size (45 series versus 40). The 45s provide more ride comfort and pothole protection than the 40s (they were on my Infiniti M45's winter set and I did not want to throw them away as they had tons of thread left and the difference in wheel/tire size between 245/40/18 (the recommended size) and 245/45/18 (my size) is about .75 inches.

Once with a full load when I went down and up of a huge depression at speed on the Nassau Expressway, I heard one rub in the right front but other than that, no rubbing over potholes and road irregularities.

nigxdoof

Dont forget, if money is an issue, 17 inch winter tires are definitely cheaper than 18 inch tires. =)