[335dFan]

I haven't changed or rotated any tires for at least 8 years, partly because I was overseas for 6 years and partly because I have had someone else worry about it. So here I am now, retired, feeling reasonably good today, so I thought I'd give it a go. I was going to wait until the younger muscle power arrived for Christmas, but thought I'd do it anyway. Boy have I got older and weaker in 8 years.

I pulled off the 18" Apex Arc-8 shod with 235/40 Michelin PSS and put on the 17" OEM Multispoke 284 wheels shod with Blizzak 225/45 LM-25 RFT. The weight difference is huge. The Arc-8s were really light; the OEM and RFTs not so. It took me a couple of tires before I remembered how to make it less necessary to use muscle power. I was using the jack that came with the spare tire I bought with the go-flats. Worked pretty good.

The Michelin PSS tread looks pretty good for 15k miles; no uneven wear and they look like they're good for quite a few more miles, at least another 15k. I changed to winters as a contingency plan; haven't had any real reason to do so yet here in MD.

I think if I continue to do this DIY, when the Blizzaks wear out, if ever during the lifetime of this car, I might get a lighter set of rims.

[Vreimann]

Originally Posted by 335dFan

I think if I continue to do this DIY, when the Blizzaks wear out, if ever during the lifetime of this car, I might get a lighter set of rims.

For winter driving I would advise against lighter rims. I'm not sure what temps you see, but with the amount of pieces of ice I hit, and plow blade ridges from hard pack, I am happy with heavy rims that can take the hits in cold temperatures. Normal morning temps I see are about -4F to -25F.

[335dFan]

Originally Posted by Vreimann

For winter driving I would advise against lighter rims. I'm not sure what temps you see, but with the amount of pieces of ice I hit, and plow blade ridges from hard pack, I am happy with heavy rims that can take the hits in cold temperatures. Normal morning temps I see are about -4F to -25F.

Yeah, I thought about that almost immediately after I wrote those words. It doesn't get that cold here, and I don't plan to move any place that it does, but the point is well taken. I had a buddy in D.C. who bought some expensive BBS and got a pothole ding almost right after he put them on. I had thought before then that the higher end stuff was more bullet-proof, but apparently not so. I just hate to lift all the extra weight around the garage. Before it was a macho thing and I was much more capable of doing it; not so anymore.

[FormerRotor]

Originally Posted by 335dFan

Yeah, I thought about that almost immediately after I wrote those words. It doesn't get that cold here, and I don't plan to move any place that it does, but the point is well taken. I had a buddy in D.C. who bought some expensive BBS and got a pothole ding almost right after he put them on. I had thought before then that the higher end stuff was more bullet-proof, but apparently not so. I just hate to lift all the extra weight around the garage. Before it was a macho thing and I was much more capable of doing it; not so anymore.

I've been pretty happy with my winter wheels (Elbrus - high pressure cast), but they're certainly not as light as I'd like. I think as long as you go with a 17, a strong light wheel (similar to your summer set) should be fine. The problem in our neck of the woods seems to be with the lower profile tires thanks to the massive canyons in our roads that we lovingly call potholes.

The light wheels are a lot more fun to mount/unmount. Just be glad I've never asked you to help with my wife's X5 wheels: 20x11.5 with 325s (and they're RFTs to boot)