Lets discuss winter tires/wheels for your Civic!

[Dennis Rockholt]

@Nix I'm thinking of a 17X9 +42 rota grid. What do you think?

 

[Nix]

For winters? Narrow or stock wheel with winter tires. Summers yea, 17x9.

 

[Caestus75]

are there any 18'' snow tires you suggest that will fit a stock 2014 Si? I've been having difficulty finding any.... I have some Conti Control Contact Sport AS tires on my car right now. (Long story short I had a flat and bought tires from Discount Tire) Sorry lol... but now I am looking for winter tires for my stock wheels and need help

 

[Maverick_Si]

are there any 18'' snow tires you suggest that will fit a stock 2014 Si? I've been having difficulty finding any.... I have some Conti Control Contact Sport AS tires on my car right now. (Long story short I had a flat and bought tires from Discount Tire) Sorry lol... but now I am looking for winter tires for my stock wheels and need help

I put x ice 3 on alloy 18s - 225/40R18... 2014 Si. You could put these on the OEM rims no problem as it is the same size tire as what comes stock.

 

[Rudy@tirerack]

Caestus - We have lots of different options in your size. If your looking for the best winter traction I also like and recommend the Michelinc Xice XI3. If you looking for a blend of sporty handling and winter traction take a look at Bridgestone Blizzak LM-32 or Dunlop Winter Sport 3D. Please let me know if I can help any further and if you order online please remember to reference "9thCivic".

 

[07TLX]

General Altimax Artics.... Best bang for your buck IMO....

 

[JakeDBP]

Hi everyone! Still waiting for my insurance check to come from GEICO but I've found a beautiful 2013 Si Sedan that will be mine if the check comes in time. It looks like for medical school I'll be moving to somewhere much snowier than Pittsburgh, right now Erie, PA. My current snow tires do a fine job here in Pittsburgh but with Lake Effect hitting Erie pretty much all winter, I need to be able to get to school every day and after 3 winters I'll need new ones next year anyway.

What sizes are possible to run on an Si in a 16"? 205/55/16 seems popular but I'm wondering if anyone goes narrower with a 195? @Rudy@tirerack any suggestions? Canadian friends, what are you Si's running in winter? And do you all go to the dealer to relearn your TPMS sensors?

 

[Rudy@tirerack]

My recommendation is to stick with the 205/55R16. It isn't all that wide to start with and it maintains the proper diameter. This car will be great in the snow with this size and a good snow tire. Blizzak WS80 and Michelin Xice would be my two personal favorites in terms of ice and snow traction. You will need to take your car to dealer to program the sensors unless you buy an aftermarket programming tool.

BTW Contgrats on the new car!!

 

[JakeDBP]

My recommendation is to stick with the 205/55R16. It isn't all that wide to start with and it maintains the proper diameter. This car will be great in the snow with this size and a good snow tire. Blizzak WS80 and Michelin Xice would be my two personal favorites in terms of ice and snow traction. You will need to take your car to dealer to program the sensors unless you buy an aftermarket programming tool.

BTW Contgrats on the new car!!

I don't quite have it yet but thanks for the advice!! I'll post if everything goes my way!

 

[JakeDBP]

I take back everything I have said about the Hankook i*Cept Evo tires.

This is my third season with them on- bought them when my car was new to me in December 2012 (4.5k miles), currently has 18.5k on the odometer. Even with such little winter mileage (they're at 7/32") they have seriously decreased their traction. I got stuck for 20 minutes on my driveway which had 1 inch of snow on it- had to shovel, salt, then back up the driveway with lots of spinning.

Part of me thinks the car sucks because the tires are winter tires, and are way better than my all seasons ever were. They still brake and corner well in snow, but there is reduced traction when accelerating. It's very light and on small hills (Pittsburgh is really hilly) it even has trouble accelerating when the weight shifts back to the rear. Save yourself money and frustration and buy real winter tires that will last!

 

[JakeDBP]

Not that I really want to think about winter tires at this moment, but TireRack is having a winter tire sale! I'm torn between Altimax Arctics (unstudded) and Blizzak WS80s for my new Civic Si on 16" wheels. @Rudy@tirerack what are your thoughts for Erie, PA? I drive 7 miles for school daily. The Altimax after rebates is a steal.

 

[07TLX]

Altimax hands down... I have never gotten stuck or had traction issues with them

 

[JakeDBP]

$316 for the Altimaxes and $503 for the Blizzaks... Hmmmmmmmm.

 

[JakeDBP]

In a strange twist of events, I ended up with a screaming deal on a set of Nokian Hakkapeliittas R2s from Discount Tire. They've been awesome to work with in the past, and couldn't turn down a set for $350!

 

[JakeDBP]

Wanted to give my first snow update. Got a little snow so far in Erie, getting more today and tonight! I took my new Nokian Hakkapeliitta R2s out for a spin and they are AWESOME. Car didn't spin, I could stop very quickly on snowy downhill sections, and the car cornered fantastically. Going from a 17" to a 16" wheel with a tire w/ more sidewall did make the car corner differently, it's a bit squishier now but that's a trade-off I'm willing to make since I'm in Lake Effect Snow country.

My comparison is my R18 with Hankook iCept Evos- this car with the LSD and the Hakkas totally transform this car into a snow beast. The Hankooks were better tires for cold, dry and wet roads but these Hakkas kill their snow traction and confidence. I'll take some more shots later, but wanted to give a thumbs up so far (because some members here traded their R2s in for Blizzaks!).

 

[webby]

The rubber is also soft, so it's normal to feel more squishy.

 

[JakeDBP]

FYI for everyone looking for winter tires... Just got 205/55/16 General Altimax Arctics at TireRack with a $50 General rebate, and a $50 TireRack Mastercard (and $50 in the spring too). So 4 tires for $323 from TireRack. Thanks @Rudy@tirerack!