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Narrow snow wheels

Hello everyone!

New to the board. I bought a '81 242 dl a little while ago and have been fixing her up. A lot of work still to go though. I was interested in getting a set of narrow width rims for snows as I intend to be driving up in Canada this winter (I live near Seattle, WA.) I was thinking a 4.5 to 5.5 inch wide rims so I could use a narrow tire like a 175 or lower(narrower the better). Are there any commonly available wheels in this size (either 14"or 15")? I am currently running the virgo 15" wheels.

Thanks!








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    Narrow snow wheels

    The trouble is that there just aren't many tires out there in those narrow widths. 175/65R15 would be a good choice except that the only snow available (AFAIK) is Bridgestone's Blizzak. 185/65R15 is a much more common size. Lots more options for brands and prices.

    If you find yourself with 14" wheels I'd stick with the stock size of 185/70R14.

    -Will
    --
    854 - 244 - Mini








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    Narrow snow wheels

    Grew up in Ottawa Ont. now living in Vancouver B.C., I've had either 185/75/14's or 195/75/14's for snow tires and we got real snow out east. Not the "snow" the lower mainland gets, you'll be fine with those. If in doubt get a set of tire chains for the rears, you'll never get stuck with those. If you have 15" steelies you'll be good with 185/60/15 or 195/60/15, get a nokian or something of similar quality and you'll be fine.








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    Narrow snow wheels

    You have a lot of choices open to you. Narrow is better then wide in a snow tire, but... within limits. The stock 200 steel wheel is 5.5 x 14, which is getting wide for a 175-width tire, and there are no 175 tires with the load rating of the stock 185/70-14 tires. If you stay with 14" wheels, good choices are 185/70-14, 195/70-14 and 195/75-14. If you can find 15" steelies from the 700 or 900 series, 195/70-15 or 195/75-15 work well.

    Don't get too wrapped around the axle with "narrow for snow." There really isn't a lot of difference between an 75 and 70 series tire for the same section width. Clearly, you don't want the ultra-wide 40- and 50-series tires, but an aspect ratio of 65 or higher is fine, as long as you don't disregard load rating and you size the tire appropriately for the width of the rim you're using.

    I drove 240s (2 245s and a 244) in snowy NW Connecticut for 15 years using 195/75-15 snows on steel wheels and IMO that was a fine match. Realistically, the amount of time that you actually drive on snow is small; you want to be prepared to handle it, but not at the expense of giving up performance on cleared roads.
    --
    In God We Trust. Everyone else, keep your hands where I can see them.








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      Narrow snow wheels

      Thanks for the replys guys.
      I am intending to use them for the ocasional tsd rally up in BC area this winter. For the regular driving I will probably stick with my stock 15's







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