#1HuskerTL

Looks like we're getting our first accumulation of snow for the season tomorrow and the Blizzaks are going back on the stock rims. I'm tired of swapping them out twice a year so I'm looking for some cheap , but nice looking rims that I can have on for 4-5 months. Please let me know if any of you have experience/thoughts/suggestions with these rims.....

Tire Rack: MSW Type 14, $96 each plus shipping
http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/Wheel...All&sort=Price

Ebay: Aftermarket Replica of OEM Wheel, $115 each plus shipping
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/17-20...QQcmdZViewItem

Thanks for your input!!

aSPECtL06

I would probably go with a set of the MSWs just because I think it would be useless to have two sets of the same rims. That's just my opinion though. Plus, you would be spending less on the MSWs. So why not have two different looks...?

bmaczo6

iTrader: (1)

I'd go with a set of stockers, in fact I did. They show up on this forum or ebay all of the time for less than $400 bucks a set.

aSPECtL06

I too bought a set of stockies but that's also because they are my winter rollers while I have A-Specs for the Spring/Summer!

fish008

I would make your stock wheels the snow rims and then dress the TL up in the spring with some nice 18s. I have the stock 17s as my winter wheels with some Blizzaks on them (keeps the stock look) and for the late spring/summer/early fall I have the gun metal A-Spec 18s. I think trading out the wheels is easy and over the long run a better financial move. I switched tires onto the same rims with the integra I had before this 1 year and that was the end of that. At $35 every time you switch the tires over ($70 a year) that can really add up over 4 or 5 years (close to the cost of new/used wheels). Plus when you switch the tires out onto the same wheels you have to wait until you are sure the snow is gone if you have performance tires because you dont want to get stuck. That wait can take a lot of tread off of the snow tires that are not made to be driven around in the "heat."

If you want cheap you could just by another set of the stock 17s on ebay or craigslist. I have seen wheels on craigslist for $250 dollars for the set with no tires. You could get screwed doing that but I think that if someone owns a TL they are not the type to screw someone. Or you might be able to find some on here in the blackmarket.

Mug

I ordered a set of 18" rims/tires from Tirerack mounted and balanced for about $1600. I know it sounds weird to roll stock 17s in the summer and 18s in the winter, but it actually makes sense. Now if they were expensive 18s, no way. As long as you don't hit any "hidden" curbs under the snow, this set up is actually more comfortable, and I'll tell you why.

1. Asphalt is loud. Cracks in the road, rough roads, and construction is everywhere in the summer. Blizzaks are softer, quieter tires. The lower profile always looks good and because they are soft, no additional noise. Plus, snow also helps dampen the sound. Roll the fatter tire during the summer to absorb the rougher roads. There are warm days in the winter that the snow clumps everywhere and causes the roads to suck (my wife will drop me off at work those days!).

2. The style I chose is much easier to clean than the stock '07 17s.

3. Potholes and cracks are filled with ice and snow during the winter thus reducing the threat of damage. Just watch for "Hidden" curbs under snow!

If I had the choice, I'd roll the 18s in the summer too, I just didn't want anyone to touch my new car. I was going to put the car on stands and bring in the rims separate so they couldn't touch it! (I'm pathetic) Plus, I saved $600ish by not throwing out the stock tires that were new. As soon as one of the sets is ready for new tires, I'm going to switch! And when I do, I'm getting 40 series on the 17s. I know, wider is not better but the TL curse is motivated by aesthetics!

I just thought I'd explain how I justified running bigger rims in the winter.

fish008

^^^Not sure I agree with your reasoning for winter 18s and summer 17s, in fact I don't agree at all. Pot holes are the worse in the winter than in the summer and I believe that your reasoning for everything is backwards to what it should be. I will tell you what I do know is that your car looks better in the winter than in the summer. In fact I would say that you have got the best looking snow-preped TL out there. Personally I really dislike those 07 17 inch wheels and I would have avoiding those wheels like the plague. Maybe hitting a curb would improve the look of those stock wheels. I don’t think that you would have had to throw away those stock tires - you could have bought some really nice looking 17 inch wheels (anything would be an improvement over the stocks) and put those stock tires on the new 17s for the summer and the stock 17s with snow tires for the winter. Plus if you are going to screw up some wheels wouldn’t you rather do it do to the cheaper 17 inch wheels? I mean salt corrodes the wheels and if you hit that “snow covered curb” with a tire with a larger sidewall you have a greater chance of NOT damaging the rim. I would imagine that buying another set of 17s would have saved you some money for 2 reasons. First 17 inch wheels would be cheaper than 18s and the same can be said for the tires. Low profile tires in general are expense, and low profile snow tires are even more so. What I am saying is a recommendation to others rather than out right saying you’re wrong – because you’re not, there is no right or wrong as long as it works. I do I think that there is a reason why people who specialize in wheels/tires recommends reducing wheel size in the winter rather than increasing it.

Mug

fish008: I had to justify my set up. Plus, it's a good excuse to get a new summer set-up if I'm bored come spring!

Potholes here in Anchorage don't come out until the snow starts melting. I'm not sure how it is in other states, but here it tends to stay cold all winter and I've only noticed an increase in potholes when the snow starts to melt. So, I could always get three sets: Summer (yet to be purchased), Winter (shown above), and Spring (stock)!

binhsterbinh

Yeah that's slightly different for those the Northwest. It snows and melts, snows and melts over and over.
The roads become terrible during the winter.

I understand though. You have to legitimize your purchase as that was my excuse to buy 18's on A/S this winter instead of just buying new tires for my 17's.

fish008

I live in Michigan (we have some of the worst road in the country) and the roads here get terrible in the winter because they heave and break up and then huge pot holes form. The road crews try to fill them but a road that carries any substantial amount of traffic just reopens those pot holes up and they get worse and worse. It is an ongoing fight until the summer.

fish008

I took pictures of the 18x8.5 A-Spec gunmetal wheel I am selling and if you PM me your email and a quick note that you want to see the pictures I will gladly email them. Its been a long day and I dont feel like downloading the pictures, resizing them and then posting...