Quote:
Originally Posted by JustinP
I'd love to get opinions from folks on the setup I'm thinking about with help from tirerack. But if it sucks, help me out, tell me why, and provide alternatives. 
I have a 2014 Touring Sport. I live in Chicago area and due to circumstances beyond my control I'm going to have to drive my car a little this winter. I still plan on avoiding snow storms but I may get caught in a few dustings / the odd inch of snow. It is bumming me out so much I've been thinking about trading in the Z or getting another car....but those solutions seem a bit extreme. I love summer tires for when things are warmer than 50 degrees.
I'm looking at putting on 18s for winter...cause they're cheap. On tirerack, it is called "Sport Edition A8-2" which are 18x8 on all 4 corners. With a Blizzak WS80 size: 225/50R18 95T at all four corners. Thoughts on if the wheels will clear the Sport brake package? Is tire rack correct, suggesting the wheel in the first place?
For the summer months I have 25mm spacers all the way around. Should I plan on removing those for winter? Your help is appreciated. 
Tirerack has those wheels for $113 each, which is pretty appealing for winter wheels. |
I just went through the same conundrum myself. I browsed TireRack over and over, but I could not pull the trigger on any of the "cheaper" wheels because they were so damn ugly for one, and also wasn't sure if they'd clear. I did some more searching, and found some nice(r) XXR 530 wheels at super discounted prices, similar to what the tire rack wheels are running. Had em shipped, took maybe 4 days, and just went to Discount Tire and went with 245/45/18 X-Ice. Maybe a little wide, but Minneapolis is pretty good with plowing, and the X-Ice are much better for dry cold driving according to what I've read. Check out the sale at NL Motoring, I'm sure you'll see something you like better than the tire rack wheels.
I went square with 18x8.75 et 33, and those things clear by the smallest of margins, so if I were to do it again, I'd get the same wheels with ET +20.. Good luck!!