OK, Outback owners....preferred winter tire width?

[TimGinCentralNJ]

Maybe I'm a litle slow, but I've concluded that 225's are just too damn WIDE for our cars in the winter snow and slop. I feel like my OBXT just surfs around on the stuff rather than slices through it--and these cars aren't exactly light either.

 

After 4 seasons, my WinterForce M+S still have tons of tread left--but the sipes are mostly gone. So, I'm trying to decide which of the following sizes makes better sense on my 16" steel wheels:

 

215/60-16 (small decrease in footprint from 225, plentiful tire options)

215/65-16 (a slightly smaller footprint than 215/60 because of the taller sidewall, but not tons of tire options)

 

205/65-16 ("pizza cutters"--very small footprint but apparently not a common tire size--maybe too narrow for a 16x6" wheell?)

 

Any experience would be appreciated!

 

Tim G.

[ilh]

Many of us run 205/50R17 on LGTs stock 17x7 wheels, so I fail to see how 205/65 would be too narrow for 16x6. The 205/50 doesn't really look at all narrow on the rim.

 

Sorry I don't know the answer to your question. I would be curious to know the answer as well for my future OB needs.

[Garandman]

A Norwegian car magazine did a test of Nokian RSI's in both 205 and 225 widths. The 205's did better on most parts of the test and scored higher overall.

 

The WRX is lighter and has the same 225 section. So even though the tires hook up OK, I feel like I'm floating above the surface sometimes instead of getting down to the pavement.

 

There's a New England Subaru Club winter driving school at O'Neil, and they don't even allow tires with lower than 50 section to take the course (you can, but have to accept the likelihood of damage). So there's something to be said for higher aspect ratio snows as well.

[TSiWRX]

There's a New England Subaru Club winter driving school at O'Neil, and they don't even allow tires with lower than 50 section to take the course (you can, but have to accept the likelihood of damage). So there's something to be said for higher aspect ratio snows as well.

 

Although I have no such formal experience, just what I've noticed in the super-compressed and iced-over "surface of the moon" stuff on the patch of driveway directly in front of my detached garage, where, every day, I turn the cars around for overnight parking, I'd say the same.

 

My 225/45/17s sound and feel horrible in that stuff, but the wifey's 215/50/17s just seem to bounce right off.

 

It's a marginal difference in sidewall height - just 2/10th of an inch.

 

But boy does it feel DIFFERENT......

[Madjik_Man]

Went cheap with the wheels so I wouldn't freak about road grime, MagChloride and brake dust getting all over them. Also didn't size down.

 

MB Boost 17x7 5-100 48 (Gun Metal - looks more like light gray in person)

 

http://www.discounttire.com/product/wheels/mbmboo.gm.ang.jpg

 

 

For tires I went with Dunlop Winter Sport 3Ds (205/50R-17 93V)

 

All said, out the door with warranties and all: $1150+

 

Hoping for an all around great set up on both Wintry mountain passes and dry flatland roads.

[Madjik_Man]

holy moly.

 

sorry, didn't mean to post the above in this thread

[TimGinCentralNJ]

holy moly.

 

sorry, didn't mean to post the above in this thread

 

Haha! Whoops....

 

Let us know how you make out with the new treads anyway...!

 

Timh