Hi everyone,

The dealership winter wheel package quoted me 225/55/17 tires on 17 x 7 steel wheels.

My question: I am looking at other locations on my winter package to save some $$$ and have discovered other wheel widths for 17 inches...

**Can I use 17 x 6.5 or 17 x 7.5 also?**

**Is 17 x 7 width the best?**

**What is ideal width for winter wheels for the RL?**

**Will ''the narrower, the better'' thinking serve me well?**

[I know the Michelin X Ice Xi3 should be used with a rim width of 6-8"]

Please and thank you for your time. I did not want to start a new thread initially, but took neuronbob's advice and looked at old threads first.

Appreciate the help all. Jeff

 

My winter tires are 225/55/17 nothing to complain about them.
Rims are OZ Ultraleggera`s.
Main point is that you get rims that clears those front brakes!
After that you can think about those width`s. I think that width for that size tire is 6 to 8"
There are plenty of these on the net
Wheel/Rim Size Calculator - Shows acceptable rim width range for the tyre size

To my mind wider is better, makes the tire more stiff.
But again, main concern is those front brakes.

 

The RL stock wheel is 8" wide. The RL donut is like 4.5" wide.

Like maintenanceman said, as long as they clear the brakes, the car will be okay. In snow, you want less width to reduce the surface area of tire contact allowing you to push deeper into the snow.