Maxima 2007 SE Winter Tire Question?

[frigginphat]

Hi Folks,

First post on this forum.

I'm a first time 07 Maxima SE owner, and loving it!

My dilemma is I want to put winter tires on the car, but the dealers are saying I can only put the 18" rims and 245/45R18 tires on it.

I prefer to run on a narrower 225/55R17 tire and rim.(If possible I'll get OEM 17" rims and shod them with Toyo Garits or Snowprox)

Has anybody tried to do this, should I be concerned?

Thanks a million!

[MinisterofDOOM]

You can run whatever wheels you want as long as they fit and are strong enough (the latter isn't likely to become an issue, the Max isn't all that heavy).

You may be better off just finding a set of aftermarket 17s to put your winter tires on. OEM tires can be pretty expensive. You can usually find a decent supply of Maxima 17"s on ebay, though.

[PBfrEAk]

Yea the dealer....forget him.

lol

Like MoD said, just look for a good set of 17's and then check out this thread,

zerothread/297475

It started out bad but turned into an ok thread about winter tires.

I know you were just asking about rim size but here is one post from there that may help you out on picking your tires.

I recently spent a day in a snowy parking lot testing many of the newest snow tires, thank you Tires Plus . I am also an avid supporter of snow tires and have owned 4 different sets, I want to know what is out there so every time I need a new set I get somthing different.

Hakkapeliittaa's FTMFW I have driven on a few different snow tires and the Hakk Qs or RSI's have no equal, the traction is unreal. For extreme snow and ice traction this is the tire to choose. There is a set on my wifes car now.

The Blizzak's are the closest to the Hakks, the WS 50 (discontinued) was awsome, but the WS 60 does a very good job filling its shoes. For low profile applications the LM 22 and LM 25 do a decent job, but their sidewalls are stiffer to protect the wheel. This stiffness reduces snow traction.

The Michelin Arctic Alpine's are a decent snow tire, on dry they rode the best of all, and they also had the best dry tracking characteristics. My only complaint is the damage caused to aluminum wheels a problem Ive seen in all Michelin tires. The Arctic Alpine has been replaced by the Pilot Alpine.

Currently I am running a set of Yokohama Ice Guards. They have great snow traction, and the ice traction is linear and easy to sense. The only complaint I have is the lack of wet traction, an issue I didnt notice with the Hakks, the WS 50s, or the Pilot Alpines.

The Pirelli's are decent but I havnt spent enough time with them to form a decent opinion.

The Dunlop Winter M3's are a great all around snow tire, and they are priced just right.

The Winterforce M+S is a snow tire for those on the cheap, it cant match the true winter tires in performance, but its a bang for the buck that many people find to good to pass up.

Also, dont forget, sizing is just as important as tire choice, for a snow tire you want a skinny contact patch, and a tall sidewall. For a 240SX with a 16 inch wheel, your choices are rather limited, a 205/55/16 is your best choice. If at all possible, change to a 15 inch wheel, this will allow you more options, and it will also reduce the cost of the tires themselves.

Cliff notes\\ If you drive in the snow, get some Hakkapeliittaa's, your car will thank you.

Modified by SideWays=smiles at 12:17 AM 12/6/2007

Modified by SideWays=smiles at 12:19 AM 12/6/2007

Good Luck and post up some pics soon!!

[frigginphat]

Thanks for the help.

I ended up buying Toyo Garit KX 225/55R17 on steel rims.Damage was 1200 CDN all in.

So far I'm happy with the performance, however I'll have to wait until Toronto gets it's next major snow storm before I can pass judgment on my purchase.

Cheers,