# Winter rims and tires



## Ger8mm (Mar 13, 2014)

there was one post a while back about winter tires, I think it was Xtreme's post. I would definitely find it


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## Tomko (Jun 1, 2013)

http://www.cruzetalk.com/forum/64-c...em-steel-winter-wheels-diesel-snow-tires.html


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## Su8pack1 (Apr 17, 2014)




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## money_man (Feb 25, 2014)

Thanks guys. My phone was running low on data so I was trying not to run through a bunch of pages trying to find this 


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## sciphi (Aug 26, 2011)

Anything Nokian is going to be excellent in most winter conditions. From what I understand, the Hakka 7 is studdable, which helps for areas that get a lot of ice. I've also heard good things about the R2's in ice with their new compound. I've run a set of Hakka R's on my Cruze for the past 3 winters. They've been excellent in the snow/slush I get around me, including as they've worn down. Treadwear has also been excellent. The tires have about 30k miles on them, and look good for another winter or two.


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## money_man (Feb 25, 2014)

I'll have to look into those. 


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## money_man (Feb 25, 2014)

Tomko said:


> http://www.cruzetalk.com/forum/64-c...em-steel-winter-wheels-diesel-snow-tires.html


Iink isn't working for me


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## Tomko (Jun 1, 2013)

money_man said:


> Iink isn't working for me
> 
> 
> Sent from the sexy electrician


That's odd. I just checked it again and it works for me. 

Try accessing it from another device.


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## money_man (Feb 25, 2014)

Sounds good


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## money_man (Feb 25, 2014)

On my phone it goes to the "why do you prefer the Chevy cruze over another car" thread


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## boraz (Aug 29, 2013)

happy with my hakka 7 studs same size as stock

still dont have a second set of rims

do not want steel, not happy with looks/weight of the alloys ive seen, just gonna buy the least ugly/riceriffic light wheels i can find next month


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## money_man (Feb 25, 2014)

Seems every tire I look at brags about ice grip. That's nice but what about when your driveway has a 6 degree grade up to the road. I need something that has ice and excellent snow grip. I loved my Dunlop ds-3 tires but then the second winter they sucked something fierce. 

Those hankooks i*cept evos are getting some awesome reviews so I may look into those. 


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## sciphi (Aug 26, 2011)

money_man said:


> Seems every tire I look at brags about ice grip. That's nice but what about when your driveway has a 6 degree grade up to the road. I need something that has ice and excellent snow grip. I loved my Dunlop ds-3 tires but then the second winter they sucked something fierce.
> 
> Those hankooks i*cept evos are getting some awesome reviews so I may look into those.
> 
> ...


For that reason alone I'd look into studded tires or a more modern studless tire that has crushed walnut shells or other ice gripping technology. No point in having good deep-snow performance when it doesn't help get traction on a icy driveway. 

Around me we don't get a lot of ice, so snow/slush performance takes precedence over ice performance.


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## money_man (Feb 25, 2014)

I won't do studded because if seen them chip paint on a lot of vehicles. 


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## sciphi (Aug 26, 2011)

money_man said:


> I won't do studded because if seen them chip paint on a lot of vehicles.
> 
> 
> Sent from the sexy electrician


I'd look into Michelin X-Ice XI3's, Nokian Hakka R2's, and possibly Bridgestone Blizzak WS70's. Not sure if Hankook offers a comparable tire. For studless tires with decent ice performance, get ready to spend some loonies. The advantages those tires offer is good road manners when it's dry out, and decent lifespan (except the Bridgestones, which are trash once their fancy compound wears out).


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## money_man (Feb 25, 2014)

Is anyone on the forum using the 16" Orlando steel wheels P/N 13259235 on their cruze diesel? 

I think I'm going to go with those and then the hekkapellita R2 tires. It should make for excellent traction. 


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## money_man (Feb 25, 2014)

I willing to pay up to $250/each for an extremely high quality tire. I've gotten by with cheapy tires before but those were winter beaters. If I can't afford a good set of tires for a $30k car then I had ok business buying it in the first place. 

The videos I watched ( made by Nokian) of the R2's are extremely similar to the driving we see in Nova Scotia on any winter day so they will be perfect. 


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## sciphi (Aug 26, 2011)

I have a set of the Nokian Hakka R's. Those have been excellent in all the conditions I've seen with them over the 3 winters (and 30k miles) I've used them. The R2's are supposed to be noticeably better than the R's. 

If the R2 is like the R, it might need a light foot to get going. Mine get overpowered easily in the first few gears. Your diesel also weighs 500 lbs more than my Eco, with most of that over the front wheels, so it might not spin them as easily as my Eco MT with its silly short 1st gear does.


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## Tomko (Jun 1, 2013)

money_man said:


> Is anyone on the forum using the 16" Orlando steel wheels P/N 13259235 on their cruze diesel?
> 
> I think I'm going to go with those and then the hekkapellita R2 tires. It should make for excellent traction.


Exactly the combination I have. One very cold winter + my wife driving = zero problems last year.


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## money_man (Feb 25, 2014)

Well that's good to hear. Did you get your rims new or used. 


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

Here's my input. 

Nokian tires are great from what I've heard. I have yet to hear any negative reviews about them. I do not know how they compare with other options, and their high rated life is of particular curiosity. Snow tires by definition will need a softer tread compound, which will wear down more quickly as well. That's something to consider. 

While any snow tire will do very well in snowy conditions over an all-season tire, not all snow tires are made equal. Some excel in light snow, ice, and slush, and others are designed more for heavy snow. Keep your conditions in mind when searching for a snow tire. 

I lived in the Chicago area and now in NW indiana. The kind of snow we get here goes up to 6" but rarely is it more than that for any extended period as they salt the roads. Instead, we deal with packed snow, some occasional ice, and a lot of slush. My combination of choice was a 16" steel wheel, which I purchased four of shipped from gmpartsdirect for $200, and Firestone Blizzak tires in a 215/60/16. 

In your research, you will find that Blizzak tires of the past had some of their tread with a very effective "multicell" tire compound that was about the best performing non-studded ice tire, but had a standard all-season tread below that. The multicell compound makes up 55% of the tread depth. My understanding of the new (as of 3-4 years ago) Blizzak tires is that the once the multicell compound wears down, a standard snow tire compound remains. 

They were my choice of tire due to cost (under $125 EA installed), availability, and performance in the conditions specific to my region. We get a LOT of packed snow and slush, and these did particularly well in those conditions. TireRack now has them for $89 apiece on closeout. 

After two winters (approximately 7,500 miles), I have 7.5/32" of tread remaining on them. Starting tread was 12/32". In my conditions (a lot of which was dry pavement), tread wear occurred at 1/32" of tread per 1,667 miles. At this rate, I would run out of the multicell compound (which goes down to 5.4/32") after 11,000 miles, which would have make these a three-year tire for me assuming I am dissatisfied with the remaining 5.4/32" of snow tire tread. Bear in mind, your mileage will vary, as the first year I had these on (4,100 miles) contained abnormally long periods of dry pavement and above-freezing conditions, both of which will accelerate wear on a snow tire. 

Given the likelihood of catching a patch of ice or slush unexpectedly and being driven into a curb, I felt that steelies would provide the most appropriate, cost effective, and easily replaceable rim choice.


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## money_man (Feb 25, 2014)

Oh, steelies are always a must for winter. Bend one and you just bring out a hammer and straighten it back. 

Blizzak is a great tire but like you said it wears way to fast


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

money_man said:


> Oh, steelies are always a must for winter. Bend one and you just bring out a hammer and straighten it back.
> 
> Blizzak is a great tire but like you said it wears way to fast
> 
> ...


Price for mileage, I think I could get 12,500 miles out of them comfortably in my driving conditions. Realistically, they'd probably be replaced at 3/32". Anything below that, and there's just not enough tread to dig through snow. In my honest opinion, there will always be a compromise between traction and tread life. Which is more expensive and is the extra traction worth it? 

Let me throw another monkey wrench into the equation. Take the Michelin X-Ice, for example, which is now on sale for $27 (30%) more than the Blizzak at $116. This tire guarantees 40,000 miles if worn down to 2/32", which is a tread depth I wouldn't be all that comfortable driving in. Under my conditions, averaging approximately 3750 miles per winter season, it would take me over 10 years to wear those tires down. 

The bigger question then becomes, am I comfortable using a tire that old? *Absolutely not.* 






Gives you a bit to think about. In the Chicago area, 3750 miles on average comes out of my annual ~18,000 miles of driving, or 21% of my driving. If we go by a 21% interval for midwest snow tire use, how many miles would you put on a snow tire? Given how many years a set of Blizzaks would last me, I don't know if I'd want to use a tire that lasts longer than this one.


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## money_man (Feb 25, 2014)

Well I'm not sure how much driving it will get as it's my first good car. My beaters were always out sliding around so it was nothing to put on 6000 miles in winter. I'm going to keep this to a minimum and share the escape as much as possible


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## sciphi (Aug 26, 2011)

Krown that new CTD. That will also be a great investment to keep it looking and driving new for years to come.


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## money_man (Feb 25, 2014)

Before it left the lot while it still had plastic on the seats it was given a 10 year warrantied undercoating where I pay $39.99 once a year to get it touched up. 


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## Garandman (Dec 31, 2013)

XtremeRevolution said:


> Here's my input.
> 
> Nokian tires are great from what I've heard. I have yet to hear any negative reviews about them. I do not know how they compare with other options, and their high rated life is of particular curiosity. Snow tires by definition will need a softer tread compound, which will wear down more quickly as well. That's something to consider.
> 
> While any snow tire will do very well in snowy conditions over an all-season tire, not all snow tires are made equal. Some excel in light snow, ice, and slush, and others are designed more for heavy snow. Keep your conditions in mind when searching for a snow tire. //


Nokian even tests their winter tires for "slush planing" which is what happens when you have to change lanes that have been cleared by travel. And the R2's are substantially better at this than the RSI's. 

Most Nokians come with 12/32nd tread depth and some larger tires are even 13/32nd. Our experience is that we get at least one additional season of wear out of them and they perform better, offsetting their higher cost. Most of the people that migrated to Nokian winter tires stay with them: they are the consistent performance leaders in this category. 

Winter tires are exempt from UTQG wear ratings so it can be difficult to determine life. And in some jurisdictions in Europe a winter tire with less than 4mm tread depth is no longer considered to be a legal tire. We usually sell our used Nokians with 5 or 6/32nds tread depth remaining and buy new.


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## money_man (Feb 25, 2014)

Well the gf was tired of me obsessing already this early in the year and ordered me a set of 215/60/16 Michelin x-ice xi3's and a set of oem steel wheels for $965 tax inc


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## Sunline Fan (Jul 29, 2012)

money_man said:


> Well the gf was tired of me obsessing already this early in the year and ordered me a set of 215/60/16 Michelin x-ice xi3's and a set of oem steel wheels for $965 tax inc
> 
> 
> Sent from the sexy electrician


You will be very happy with the X-ice. Great tire.

On another note, do you have a source for such awesome girlfriends?


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## money_man (Feb 25, 2014)

Haha. She has a sister!


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## Sunline Fan (Jul 29, 2012)

money_man said:


> Haha. She has a sister!
> 
> 
> Sent from the sexy electrician


And you made a statement like that without attaching any pictures...


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## money_man (Feb 25, 2014)

Maybe I'll get one


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## money_man (Feb 25, 2014)

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## Sunline Fan (Jul 29, 2012)

Brb moving to Canada.


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## sciphi (Aug 26, 2011)

Those Michelins should give you years of excellent service. 

I for one put on way more than 4000 miles in a winter, so treadlife does matter to me. Between my regular 50 mile commute and weekend driving, I'm putting on about 1800 miles a month, more if I do any winter vacations. Last winter the snow tires were on for 4 months and about 9000 miles. For a driver who drives a lot, getting a better-mannered and longer-lived snow tire is totally worth the upfront price. Also, having a tire that is consistent in performance over the life of the tire is a necessity. That's why I won't consider Bridgestone winter tires with the multicell compound. Once that stuff's gone, they're no better than all-seasons. I was burned once by Bridgestones that lost their special compound. Not giving them the chance to burn me a second time.


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## money_man (Feb 25, 2014)

Sunline Fan said:


> Brb moving to Canada.


Hahaha


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## Garandman (Dec 31, 2013)

This is a "duh" question having to do with offset. We purchased some Chevy Volt takeoffs to use as as the second set. Both rims are 17x7 wit ha 115mm bolt circle. But the Cruze TD rims are 44mm offset while the Volt rims are 38mm. I can't figure out if that means the Volt rims will be closer to the center of the car, or farther away? I don't think such a small difference will be meaningful: Tirerack aftermarket rims are offered with 35-45mm.




sciphi said:


> Those Michelins should give you years of excellent service.
> 
> I for one put on way more than 4000 miles in a winter, so treadlife does matter to me. Between my regular 50 mile commute and weekend driving, I'm putting on about 1800 miles a month, more if I do any winter vacations. Last winter the snow tires were on for 4 months and about 9000 miles. //


That is why we have gone to Nokians. They cost more but last at least one season longer than the others we've tried. From November to mid-March our service vehicles will typically drive 7-10,000 miles. 

Tirerack does not include them in their surveys because Nokian doesn't allow mail-order-only dealers. Not sure what the deal is with CR but they rank the Hakka R as a winter tire while the Hakka R2 is rated as a "Performance Winter" tire, which is really the province of the WRG3.


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## Tomko (Jun 1, 2013)

Garandman said:


> This is a "duh" question having to do with offset. We purchased some Chevy Volt takeoffs to use as as the second set. Both rims are 17x7 wit ha 115mm bolt circle. But the Cruze TD rims are 44mm offset while the Volt rims are 38mm. I can't figure out if that means the Volt rims will be closer to the center of the car, or farther away? I don't think such a small difference will be meaningful: Tirerack aftermarket rims are offered with 35-45mm.
> 
> 
> That is why we have gone to Nokians. They cost more but last at least one season longer than the others we've tried. From November to mid-March our service vehicles will typically drive 7-10,000 miles.
> ...


Not sure what your source is, but when I pulled my wheels and measured them myself I got a 41 mm offset.


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