Opinion on winter wheels...

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Jastreb
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Opinion on winter wheels...

Post by Jastreb »

http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/WheelClo ... ty_front=4

Yay, nay? I'd get steelies but I pretty much need 17''s and they don't make steelies that big. This is the "suggested" wheel from tirerack and seems like a sensible choice for a winter wheel, though there are others more to my liking. Those other ones are not in stock at the regional tirerack facility, and I don't want to pay extra to have it shipped.

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Re: Opinion on winter wheels...

Post by AHTOXA »

Those will work fine and they look ok.

Have you entertained an option of a winter car? You are likely to spend around 900 for winter wheels and tires. For a few hundred more you can get a winter beater.

Your insurance will be cheaper because policy on the Mazda can be suspended with only comprehensive being active, you will keep the miles off the Mazda as well as winter salt and all that crap.
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Re: Opinion on winter wheels...

Post by VTECaddict »

I dont get why people buy beaters. I'd drive my bimmer in the snow if it snowed here.

If anything, I wouldn't want to leave my modern car with 6 airbags in the garage just to drive some cheap beat up heap the winter...where roads are icy and people are overestimating their car's (and their own) capabilities on snow/ice...
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Re: Opinion on winter wheels...

Post by Jastreb »

AHTOXA wrote:\
Have you entertained an option of a winter car? You are likely to spend around 900 for winter wheels and tires. For a few hundred more you can get a winter beater.

Your insurance will be cheaper because policy on the Mazda can be suspended with only comprehensive being active, you will keep the miles off the Mazda as well as winter salt and all that crap.
It will be a little more if I spring for new Michelin X-Ice and TPMS... but ballpark # is correct. Interesting idea with the beater, however I doubt I could find a nice one like your Integra at that price point. Plus there's the possibility that it will need constant $$ to keep it running. With my schedule being what it is, by the time I find one it will be mid-february anyway... The Mazda does have only 4.7'' of ground clearance, but it's not like Virginia gets massive snowstorms with any regularity.
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Re: Opinion on winter wheels...

Post by AHTOXA »

VTECaddict wrote:I dont get why people buy beaters. I'd drive my bimmer in the snow if it snowed here.

If anything, I wouldn't want to leave my modern car with 6 airbags in the garage just to drive some cheap beat up heap the winter...where roads are icy and people are overestimating their car's (and their own) capabilities on snow/ice...
I think you would understand if you lived in the snow belt. Winters around here really do a number on the vehicles. Salt not only greatly accelerates rust but can also act like sandpaper before it's fully dissolved. Driving behi d someones slat sprayisnt fun and you can't avoid it. In addition, winter weather really takes a toll on the roads and potholes are a severe problem, at least here.

Suspension wear/issues, multiple effects of salt on the road and other factors justify a beater for some people. I drive only a few miles a day to work and back. When it's 2* in the morning the car barely has a chance to warm up properly during my shirt drive. This, I imagine, can also contibute to more wear in the long run. Besides, keeping miles off the car you wish to keep for a while is also nice.
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Re: Opinion on winter wheels...

Post by theholycow »

Those wheels look like a decent enough choice. I know large steelies exist; the base Camaro comes with 18 inch steelies...but I guess they're not available for your bolt pattern.
AHTOXA wrote:Your insurance will be cheaper because policy on the Mazda can be suspended with only comprehensive being active, you will keep the miles off the Mazda as well as winter salt and all that crap.
That depends on his insurance company and his state laws. In RI you can't truly suspend your insurance. Progressive was unable to offer me anything. Geico can give me a "storage plan" where I continue to pay full price but they refund of most of what I pay once I take it out of "storage". By refund, I don't mean they send me a check necessarily, but they apply it to my balance and send me a check if any money remains.

Now, if a bank wasn't involved with the car, I just totally owned it outright, I could just cancel its insurance entirely until I'm ready to drive it again.
VTECaddict wrote:I dont get why people buy beaters. I'd drive my bimmer in the snow if it snowed here.

If anything, I wouldn't want to leave my modern car with 6 airbags in the garage just to drive some cheap beat up heap the winter...where roads are icy and people are overestimating their car's (and their own) capabilities on snow/ice...
That's pretty much how I feel. If I own a really nice car that I enjoy, why should I drive some piece of crap for half the year? Further, when I need the safety the most, why shouldn't I drive the most protective vehicle I have?

In my case, with my VW being leased and therefore having mileage limits, I can't drive it all year anyway; so then it's a matter of which vehicle to drive when. At that point it makes sense to drive my truck, which I love driving anyway, in the winter. If I tag it on a tree I can just ignore a new dent, unlike the VW where I'd have to make a claim and increase my insurance cost. OTOH, in a worse crash, I'd rather have the more easily replaceable VW get totaled...
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Re: Opinion on winter wheels...

Post by AHTOXA »

Having a beater isn't always about 'sacrifice'. I truly enjoy driving the Teg. On the other hand, I also enjoy not giving a shit about it what so ever. Someone bumps it? Someone scratches it, dents it, dings it, opens a door into it, whacks the hell outa the bumper, curbs the wheels, opens the door into a high curb? Don't care.

That said, beater doesn't fit everyone and I understand that. If it's gotta be the winter set, then I think the ones posted will work well.
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Re: Opinion on winter wheels...

Post by Jastreb »

Well I did a quick look on craigslist, and the only thing i could find was a clean looking 95 Escort and a mid-90s Civic. But there are a few reasons why I don't think a beater is right for me. For one, I am a perfectionist and cosmetic damage/ random things not working would bother me and cause me to spend money to fix it. Second, I don't know a good trusted mechanic in the DC area, don't have the tools/space/expertise to do mechanical work myself. Third, I spend a hour commuting every day, and although commuting is generally boring and a waste of time, depending on how the day is going, driving my car can be one of the few bright spots.

There are a few older cars that I'm partial to though... I saw some listings for older BMW 3series(early 90s late 80s) - but that would be a good project car, not a beater.
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Re: Opinion on winter wheels...

Post by LHOswald »

dude you drive an rx-8. you need a beater car or else you will pay for gas out the ass for forever. also on those especially cold days, piston engines come in handy when you dont want to let your rotary warm up fully before driving it. i know your supposed to let any type of engine warm up fully before you drive it but rotarys are very sensitive to wear when they aren't warmed up. and if you have a beater, why worry about whether the engine is warmed up? ITS A BEATER

go with the civic. cheap, easy to fix and outstanding gas mileage. especially an early 90's model
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Re: Opinion on winter wheels...

Post by theholycow »

Civics aren't cheap at all. That's probably because everybody's answer to questions like "What should I get for a beater?" and "What should I get for a nice DD?" and "What should I get for a race car?" is always "Civic". Plenty of demand, but the supply is low and mostly made up of destroyed or riced cars. The few well-maintained stock Civics go for a huge premium.

Early 90s Civics definitely had great fuel economy, that much is true.
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Re: Opinion on winter wheels...

Post by LHOswald »

idk what your talking about, but i could get a late 90's civic around here for real cheap and the parts might be a tad more expensive than other manufacturers but the likelihood of me having to replace whatever i just spend money on the car to replace a second time is low unless it has a retarded high amount of miles on it, like 300,000.
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Re: Opinion on winter wheels...

Post by Jastreb »

LHOswald wrote:dude you drive an rx-8. you need a beater car or else you will pay for gas out the ass for forever. also on those especially cold days, piston engines come in handy when you dont want to let your rotary warm up fully before driving it. i know your supposed to let any type of engine warm up fully before you drive it but rotarys are very sensitive to wear when they aren't warmed up. and if you have a beater, why worry about whether the engine is warmed up? ITS A BEATER

go with the civic. cheap, easy to fix and outstanding gas mileage. especially an early 90's model
I can appreciate what you're saying, but when it comes down to it, I bought the RX-8 to drive year round. I drive gently and at low rpm until it is warmed up, and almost always it gets a few minutes of idling before driving. Plenty of people drive their RX-8s in the winter - all you need is a proper set of tires.
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Re: Opinion on winter wheels...

Post by theholycow »

I applaud your consistency and belief in yourself, sir.
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Re: Opinion on winter wheels...

Post by AHTOXA »

Yeah, a winter car is not for everyone and there is nothi g wrong with driving your car in the winter. My point wasn't to say that you shouldn't do it, I was merely throwing another option out there.
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Re: Opinion on winter wheels...

Post by Jastreb »

theholycow wrote:I applaud your consistency and belief in yourself, sir.
Thank you. If there's one thing I'm good at it's being stubborn.
AHTOXA wrote:Yeah, a winter car is not for everyone and there is nothi g wrong with driving your car in the winter. My point wasn't to say that you shouldn't do it, I was merely throwing another option out there.
No I understand... I was more responding to oswald. Also convincing myself that I'm making the right choice.
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