slay2k

Greetings fellow co-owners and enthusiasts.

Please take a sec to read this and see if you could contribute some ideas...

I'm in the following position:

1) I'm in NJ and I wish to drive the car in the winter. I've been doing so on non-snowy days, but can't handle snow without Blizzak's.

2) I have 18" stock rims and tires, and wish to keep the pressure monitor ability if at all possible. It has alerted me to a nail in my tire right away, which I've had removed and patched.

Now, with this in mind... WHICH OPTION WOULD YOU CHOOSE?

A) Get 17" rims and Blizzak LM-22's, put them on in the winter... and lose tire pressure monitor ability during the winter...

Total Estimated Cost: Around $1500

B) Get pimpin nice 18" aftermarket rims (Let's say $300 a piece). Take summer tires off my stock rims, put them on these new ones. USE THEM AS MY NEW SUMMER WHEELS. Then get Blizzak LM-22's in 18" size and put them on the old stock rims for winter use.

All while losing tire pressure monitoring ability in summer...

Total Estimated Cost: Around $2000

C) Just get Blizzak LM-22 winter tires in 18" size, and swap them onto my existing rims EVERY SEASON...

Total Estimated Cost: $800 once + $60-80 per season, but tires won't last as long or look as nice... However, pressure monitors are not affected at all.

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So those are the options I have in my head... how about some suggestions ? I'm assuming that aftermarket tires won't screw up the sensors like someone posted... where their sensors go off every 20 minutes... ? Should I even consider that at all ?

Anyway, help a brotha out =) I'm currently leaning towards option "B" for obvious reasons... better summer rims + new set of winter tires (on stock 18" rims) sounds sweet to me. Perhaps someone could point me to some good wheel selections for the new summer rims ? I would need something that would fit original tires, I suppose. Is there anything that would keep the sensors active ?

Ahh, alotta questions. Thanks in advance ^_^

phreezee

I thought you could actually remove the monitors/valve stems and install them on your new rims.... I swear I've read of someone doing this.

j's350z

I'll sell you a 1990 Honda Civic hatchback (auto) that runs great for $1000. Use that as your winter beater and keep the Z in the garage.... Oh, and I'm in this beautiful snowy state of NJ.....

slay2k

Yeah well,

Only problem is a) I don't have a garage, and b) my mom's got an SUV I can drive during the winter. It's not about an alternative car... it's about the fact that I want to drive MY car all seasons =)

Plus, even beaters will cost me $100+ a month in liability insurance.

-slay

j's350z

I was just throwing that out there. Thats actually my beater but I still see myself driving the Z everyday.... If you really want snow tires and have the money for aftermarket rims, then I would order a set for the 18's. But if you don't care about the looks for the winter, you could get a cheap set of 17's from tire rack. Maybe I'll sell you my stock 17's and you can use them for snow tires.... Let me know if you are interested. I am ordering my new wheels this week....

perfectlyfrank

I am basically considering your option B since I haven't been able to drive the Z much this winter.

My plan is to:
1) tear up the crappy RE040's this summer
2) have LM-22's mounted on my 18" next winter
3) buy new rims (probably Volk TE37) and Bridgestone S-03's or Toyo TS-1's for summer '04

or I may just do #3 this summer

The only problem is my plan will end up costing me around $4000.

slay2k

Ahh, thx for the replies.

Nobody else concerned with tire pressure monitors ? =x

What's the right wheel/rim size for the Z anyway ?

-slay

zeroday

Check your PM!

Z'd

A narrower tire would have a better chance of digging down to something on a snowy road- and the tire pressure monitoring system will drive you crazy in the winter!!! I took my Z from a warm garage with 34 psi out into 0 degree weather one day and within an hour, the pressure warning was going off.
Good luck no matter what you do- I find it just has too much power for a slick road surface. Of course, my alternative is a 4wd pickup, so the difference in stress levels on a slippery road is great!!!

JonsilvZ

I have 17inch wheels.My plan is get the michelin pilot A/S and put them on my stock rims. They had good reviews. Better traction then the stock tires in the dry. One of the best rating allrounder. Not good as blizzaks in the snow. But its a high performance tire all yr. Well if there is a major snow storm you shouldnt be driving! We had 20inches here in the metro area today!

slay2k

20 inches ? Bah we had 24.5 according to newspapers... =D

For the first time in my life I walked outside and stepped down into over 4 feet of snow, up to my waist... thought I was gonna drown.

Pretty sure Blizzaks wouldnt've helped there ^_^