steev

I have standard 16s on my car at the moment, and would really like to switch them for either 18" Bullitt or AMR wheels.

After Sandy, the Nor'easter that followed and a white out through Bennington, VT after thanksgiving, I thought it may be more appropriate to look for some winter rubber for my current wheels, and then when the weather heats up, I can beat up the credit card for some nice rims and summer tires.

Are there any votes of confidence for where to get some winter tires/whether it's worth it/how much you'd pay?

Cheers guys!

Nuke

Absolutely, if you MUST drive the Stang in snow then opt for dedicated winter rubber. What you spend is of no consequence when it comes to being able to maintain control and NOT have to watch as your baby is towed to a body shop. A lot of folks like the Blizzak line and I've had great success with the Firestone dedicated winter tire (can't recall the name... WinterForce?) when I was up north.

steev

Great, I'll take a look. It needs to go to a bodyshop anyway (courtesy of a woman in a Nissan) for a new fender and respayed bumper, but I get your point

jomcgui

I haven't driven the mustang in winter yet but I did order a wheel tire set from tirerack. Around $1100 for a set of 17" tires and wheels with tpms. Everything came mounted and balanced. Did have to get trigger tool though. The firestones were one of the better deals about $25 less per tire. Had winter setup on my last car and it was like a little tank in the snow. Put some winters on those 16" and get new summer set up when it warms up.

Boneman

Good set of winter tires on the back... and by that I mean SNOW tires... not "All Season" which will be worthless in the white stuff. Throw a couple hundred pounds of tube sand in the trunk and when the ugly stuff is in the forecast, TOP UP the fuel tank (6lbs. per gallon!) to keep weight on the rear wheels.

Used to drive all over the Pocono Mountains and Orange County, NY with that setup and as long as you take your time and don't do anything stupid, you'll do just fine.

And yes... that's with the stock 16" wheels and 215/65-16 tires... NOT anything wider with low profile.

Good luck!

rbowmar

Worth it? absolutely! Consumer reports recommends winter tires with ratings that show how good they are on dry pavement as well. Dixcount Tire had a pair of top-rated tires with everything except the extended warranty for $344 17-225-50. I find a set lasts me 3 seasons and extends the life of my summer tires so that's under $100 a season, 10 bucks a snow storm. Worth it just to be able to get out of my driveway!

If you pick up a spare set of wheels, you don't have to pay to have them mounted every year.

SLVRSTNG06

I run the Bridgestone Blizzak LM-60'S in the winter.. highly recommend them, they are great just in cold weather period. Have the falken fk452 summers on my shelby rims, drove with them once in below freezing temps before being able to change my wheels and never again, no traction at all. Go for the blizzaks, they are a little more expensive but definitely worth it, you won't regret it!

AMWill

+1 for getting a set of winter tires. It's much nicer to have a fatter/skinnier tire for the snow and not have to worry about polishing the salt off the wheels all winter. Then you'll be able to run a strict Performance summer tire for the Spring/Summer and get more performance out of your Mustang. Not to mention- cleaning your wheels in the summer is a lot more enjoyable than when it's freezing out lol.

Sounds like you have the right plan going for ya!

Shane

akdoggie

I drove my Mustang it's first winter here in Alaska. I put 120 lbs of sand in the trunk, and mounted 225-55-16 Firestone WinterHawks, and drove everywhere you could imagine. I had them on ALL four wheels because you have a hard time stopping with summer tires on the front with deep snow. They tend to ride on top of the snow. Studded tires bite when you stop. Big difference on snowy days.

I would highly recommend those tires to anyone. I've lived here all my life, and other than Blizzaks, I haven't found a better stopping and starting tire. I've tried most of them in my 60 plus years. lol

The Mustang sits in the Garage now during the winter so I got rid of the 16's and tires. It has 18'' Bullitts now. I tried the 5star (10 spoke) GT rims, and they worked better on my Explorer, so they are on it. I run 235-65-17 M&S Cooper's year round on it. It will go anywhere (not studded).