Winter Wheels and Tires

[pmsteinm]

Do you mean shorter rears? 305/35 stock to 275/35?

The stock are 305/30 (according to several people here despite the gm websites listing 35). So the front tires are a larger diameter than the rears.

 

[strohw]

The stock are 305/30 (according to several people here despite the gm websites listing 35). So the front tires are a larger diameter than the rears.

Obviously this is my opinion but I wouldn't be concerned on a RWD vehicle. The 4BW rears are .6" taller than the front stock. The Supra also uses a setup that's .6" taller than the front. The BMW M2 Comp has a .5" difference. A square setup on a 5BW would only result in a .4" difference over stock. And you're only using them for winter driving.

 

[jkg]

i guess i have to check the tires that came off my car. but a 305/30 - the '30' is relative to the width. so a 305/30 is taller than a 275/30 would be. its going to be about 26" tall, which is about the same as 275/35. so i dont foresee a problem

a 305/35 would actually be quite a bit taller than 275/35. hope that makes sense

 

[pmsteinm]

i guess i have to check the tires that came off my car. but a 305/30 - the '30' is relative to the width. so a 305/30 is taller than a 275/30 would be. its going to be about 26" tall, which is about the same as 275/35. so i dont foresee a problem

a 305/35 would actually be quite a bit taller than 275/35. hope that makes sense

The stock fronts are 275/35 19 which is a 26.6" diameter. The rears are 305/30 19 which is a 26.2" diameter. There were some posts on another thread that made it sound like the 305 was a very tight fit. It's not clear if the tight fit matters with a larger diameter tire with a narrower tread mounted on the stock rear wheel. A couple of posts in this thread said as long as the diameter was smaller it would be fine. But if you've got a 275/35 on the back with no rubbing it sounds like we are good. Are your wheels the stock widths an offsets?

 

[marfan]

I bit the bullet and ordered a set of the Coopers in the stock sizes. This will be a daily, but I will usually have another option for the stormy/slushy days, so I hope not to test out the snow performance if I can avoid it. I'll report back, but if they're truly terrible, burnouts!

 

[jkg]

i listed the details of all the parts a bunch of posts ago - the wheels are 19x 9.5 30mm offset. dont seem to have any interference problems in front or rear so far

 

[travysh]

I bit the bullet and ordered a set of the Coopers in the stock sizes. This will be a daily, but I will usually have another option for the stormy/slushy days, so I hope not to test out the snow performance if I can avoid it. I'll report back, but if they're truly terrible, burnouts!

Sweet. If the Coopers do OK in the rain they are probably the better option in milder climates

 

[Drozboyz]

I bit the bullet and ordered a set of the Coopers in the stock sizes. This will be a daily, but I will usually have another option for the stormy/slushy days, so I hope not to test out the snow performance if I can avoid it. I'll report back, but if they're truly terrible, burnouts!

Which coopers?

 

[burn813]

Which coopers?

If you go to tirerack and put the car in, it is literally the only all season with a stock fit

 

[Drozboyz]

If you go to tirerack and put the car in, it is literally the only all season with a stock fit

If you go to tirerack and put the car in, it is literally the only all season with a stock fit

Did not see his referemce to all seasons

 

[burn813]

ahh ok

 

[marfan]

@burn813 is correct, sorry for the confusion. Cooper Zeon RS3-G1 in stock 5BW sizes. Right at 1k for the set.

 

[Jameson's Viggen]

Anyone with a CT4BW go down the winter wheel swap rabbit hole?

I am thinking 18's as I would bet 17's wont clear the calipers. I am wondering if ATS-V wheels will clear the larger BW rear calipers. I would like to pick up some 2nd hand GM wheels, whether it be Camaro or ATS. I am open to aftermarket too of course.

 

[travysh]

I bit the bullet and ordered a set of the Coopers in the stock sizes. This will be a daily, but I will usually have another option for the stormy/slushy days, so I hope not to test out the snow performance if I can avoid it. I'll report back, but if they're truly terrible, burnouts!

Have you had a chance to drive on them yet? The sottozeros are frustrating me and I'd rather not use them next year.
The weather here really doesn't necessitate snow tires, and they feel very compromised on the warmer winter days.

 

[marfan]

Have you had a chance to drive on them yet? The sottozeros are frustrating me and I'd rather not use them next year.

Not for one mile. Goat rodeo continues to pay dividends, since we were totally unaware when it might arrive, I didn't have a slot reserved at the detailer. I think they're getting started this week. Will update here with some impressions, though like you I won't have driven on the summers. Paging @burn813 who also has the Coopers.

 

[jkg]

UPDATE on CT5 BW snow tires:
i have had a few weeks now on DR-80 wheels (19x9.5) with Nokian snow tires 275/35 - 19. no rubbing, good fit. the car does very well in bad weather if you drive carefully.
these tires in cold and dry seem great as well. very good handling. i used these for years on my '13 CTS-V and they were great in dry and snow.
last week, here in the northeast, we had a black ice morning - cars all over the road. i did have some slipping under braking when i first hit the ice, but stayed straight, and I drove right through 3 separate accidents of people in SUV's with all season tires who dont know how to drive in bad weather. i saw these accidents unfold.

 

[Tall Steve]

I would be so scared to drive my Blackwing in bad weather! I wish all you guys that have bad roads good luck!!

 

[jkg]

I forgot to mention that the drag wheels dr-80 need hub centering rings to minimize vibrations. The ones that came with them from one of the big suppliers were plastic and a bit too small. I think correct ones are 67mm inner and 74 outer

 

[burn813]

Not for one mile. Goat rodeo continues to pay dividends, since we were totally unaware when it might arrive, I didn't have a slot reserved at the detailer. I think they're getting started this week. Will update here with some impressions, though like you I won't have driven on the summers. Paging @burn813 who also has the Coopers.

So far the Coopers are "ok", Very low road noise, definitely not as grippy to be expected. They do not feel as solid as the factory tires around corners, but again... to be expected. They do however feel much more secure in wet weather. I can tell you, I will probably not keep them on once the weather gets warmer, but for a decent cold weather/all season they do well.

 

[travysh]

I'm putting the PS4S tires back on today. I'd probably hold out to mid Feb or March with all seasons, but temps for the next 2 weeks are expected to be upper 40s/low 50s. We frequently get one more cold blast before March, but I'll just have to garage it if that happens.

Ultimately, the sottozeros felt like a rather expensive experiment that hopefully someone in this community can benefit from.

If you live somewhere that gets truly genuinely cold, go for it. They're not great in snow/ice, but better than all seasons, and dry weather traction is totally fine. But if you live somewhere mild like the PNW, don't bother.

Looks like next year's setup will be Coopers on DR-80s, unless something new comes out by then.