tires and wheels


  #1  
Old 01-17-04, 05:41 PM
daveblan
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tires and wheels

'03 Cadillac CTS 6 cyl auto A few months back I posted asking how to extend the life of a car expected to log 100k plus a year. Thanks to all for the responses, and sorry to cause such a stir about synthetic oils! I now have 20k on the car in just over three months have changed the oil 6 times and love every second driving the car UNLESS IT SNOWS. So my question is this- I want to get a set of dedicated winter tires and wheels for this car. It has the sport package that gives it 17" wheels. I realise that I have to match the outside diameter of the tires I have, but must I ues 17" wheels. Could I use 16"( that are easy to find in junk yards) with an appropriate size tire to bring the outside diameter up to the factory size or is this a bad idea? With rear wheel drive and a good bit of power under the hood this thing gets stuck in a dusting of snow.
 
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Old 01-17-04, 05:53 PM
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You should stick with the OE wheels or similar and just get a set of good quality all-terrain tires. Changing the wheels on this vehicle to something other than what it was designed for will change the ride and efficiency. With the power and rear wheel drive that your car has, like any other similar vehicle, it is important to drive carefully in inclement weather.
hope this is helpful to ya,
Billy
 
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Old 01-17-04, 06:05 PM
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When a change is made, the important factor is to maintain the original height. Wider tires give better grip on dry pavement but can be very hazardous on wet or snowy roads to due their tendency to hydroplane very easily. Moving from a 17" wheel to a 16" is OK provided it fits the vehicle properly and you use the right formula for tire sizing. The formula is commonly used to move up in wheel size but can just be reversed to go the other direction. It's called a plus/minus 1. If you drop 1" wheel size then you add 10% in aspect ratio and drop 20mm in section width. Example
255/50/17 would be 235/60/16
275/45/17 would be 255/55/16
265/55/17 would be 245/65/16
Follow the pattern?
 
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Old 01-17-04, 06:21 PM
daveblan
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Thanks desi501 I thought there was a formula since this is basicly a plus 1 setup. I have 225/50's. Loads of grip in the dry, stuck in my driveway w/4" of snow right now. I know that a more narrow tire is better for snow, and I can wait till spring to really DRIVE this baby, other than making sure the new wheels fit under the wheel wells and clear the disc brakes, I cant think of any reason why I cant use 16". But I am just a driver and limited shadetree mechanic. Any more professional advice welcomed.
 
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Old 01-18-04, 04:23 AM
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Looks like you'll be needing a 205/60/16 on those wheels.

Just try one of the empty wheels in both front and rear to check for fit and offset clearance. Then after mounting one tire check the front for turn to turn clearance on the ground. Some wheels have varying amounts of offset so that changes the riding position of the wheel. Choose your tread design wisely, something with wide drainage channels.
 
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Old 01-18-04, 06:15 AM
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You know you can buy winter tires in your size so why spend more money on wheels?Bridgestone makes Blizzaks,Pirelli Snosports and Dunlop Wintersport to name a few.I can tell you that Blizzaks are good tires but wear fast on a dry road and work very well on ice.I don't know about the other 2 but would think they are similar.
 
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Old 01-18-04, 06:33 AM
daveblan
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You are right Davo, I could get just the tires, but every year I would have to have them mounted balanced then removed and my summer tires remounted etc... After a year or two that would add up. If I buy wheels and mount the tires just once I can do the swap out on my own. Besides this car has great chrome on the stock wheels and I am concerned that all that back and forth swaping of tires would increase my risk of nicks and scratches. Thhanks for the advice on the blizzac's those are the tires I have been looking at. Also looked into Cooper. Have had very good luck w/Cooper tires on all my trucks. Have not made up my mind yet.
 
 

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