I want to put a set of winter tires on this year. A friend of mine has a nearly new set of Pirelli W210SS's in 195/50/15 that I can pick up for next to nothing. The regular tires on my car are 195/60/15 and I'm wondering if a 50 profile is going to cause any problems. I have an extra set of rims for them, so it would save me quite a bit over purchasing new winter tires. Any suggestions?

Well, if you are in Toronto, you will have height clearance problem. Other than that it's a good tire. I have the Winter Ice only, but the 60s you have. PChiu

Generally speaking, the most important dimension for a set of winter tires is width. Narrower tires tend to be better because they distribute the load less and have more "bite" in snowy conditions. I would advise against the 50 profile tires not because of the way they would grip, but because of rough winter roads. Where I'm from, (New England), roads get pretty terrible in the winter because of frost heaves and many, many potholes. Wheels wrapped in 50 profile tires wouldn't last long around here in the winter. The ride quality would also be atrocious. (My father runs 50 profiles in the summer, so I know what they're like.) Just my two cents.

Tim