Do low profile snow tires exist?

[swordsmanrex]

Just bought a used Subaru Impreza Outback Sport 2.2L Auto and it came with 17" rims with 25" walls low profile tires. I would like to keep the motegi alloy rims but wouldn't be able to drive during Winter. So before I trade them in for a 16", does anybody know if there is such a thing as a low profile snow tire.

 

Right now the walls of the tires are 25" and seem pretty close to the wheel well. So the only option I have is to get smaller rims and get medium profile snow tires.

 

Would love any advice.

[rweddy]

Just bought a used Subaru Impreza Outback Sport 2.2L Auto and it came with 17" rims with 25" walls low profile tires. I would like to keep the motegi alloy rims but wouldn't be able to drive during Winter. So before I trade them in for a 16", does anybody know if there is such a thing as a low profile snow tire.

 

Right now the walls of the tires are 25" and seem pretty close to the wheel well. So the only option I have is to get smaller rims and get medium profile snow tires.

 

Would love any advice.

You might want to get a 2nd set of rims for snow tires. This way you could go back to stock tire size and get snow tires for winter.

[Setright]

Yes. Bridgestone, Vredestein, Michelin, and many others do make low-pro winter tyres.

 

Of course anything lower than a 50 series tyre will not be ideal for winter conditions because they tend to "break away" more suddenly when grip is low.

 

A 205/50 R16 would still look good, and offer enough feedback to your confidence up on snowy roads.

[hklaine]

I believe Nokian also makes some low profile winter tires. I agree though, go with a set of smaller steel wheels and tires with a taller sidewall. The handling might not be as good in the dry, but the tires will absorb more unseen bumps, potholes, etc before bending your rim, and give a little more protection on the side should you rub a curb or something which is covered in snow. Not to mention it will keep the salt off your alloys.

 

If you plan to use the snow tires for more than one season the mounting/balancing charges every time you change the tires start to add up and may negate the price of the steel wheels.

 

-Heikki

(who can't wait to swap his WRX wheels for pretty steelies with hubcaps and snow tires)

[mtsmiths]

I just put a set of winter steelies and low profile studded sno's on my Legacy. Don't know what they are, since they are take-offs from my local vendor.

[Glenner55]

As noted in the other postings, suggested route is to switch to a 15 or 16 inch wheel for winter use. Low profile snows will proove to be quite a bit more expensive that a more conventional (60 series) winter snow which are more readily available. Also narrower is better if you are dealing with deep snow as they bite through much better, less floatation.

 

I use a 205/60-15 snow on an old set of outback alloys then switch back to the OEM 16 wheels and 205/55-16 summers on a 98 GT. Next set may go to a 195/65-15 for better deep snow traction. The advantage of AWD has meant I can run same width all year with little or no traction issues.

 

Spend what you save on the conventional sizes snows on some winter rims.

 

Glenner

(winter in VT driver)

 

Just bought a used Subaru Impreza Outback Sport 2.2L Auto and it came with 17" rims with 25" walls low profile tires. I would like to keep the motegi alloy rims but wouldn't be able to drive during Winter. So before I trade them in for a 16", does anybody know if there is such a thing as a low profile snow tire.

 

Right now the walls of the tires are 25" and seem pretty close to the wheel well. So the only option I have is to get smaller rims and get medium profile snow tires.

 

Would love any advice.