Wheels and Tires

The Official DIY/FAQ Changing Winter/Summer Tires Thread

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Deal Expert
Jun 24, 2006
15771 posts
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DavidY wrote: Hope that your Silent Armors are good in winter conditions....my previous RWD truck had a set of BFG All Terrain T/A KO with a mountain snowflake....good in snow, but poor on ice. Got stuck 10 times one winter. Used the BFG AT's in spring/summer/fall and a set of studded Arctic Claw TXI winter tires at half the price in the winter (decent in winter, hardly got the truck stuck).

Dave
Ya, I had BFG ATs many years ago on my old Sierra, I was never that big on them. The Silent Armors are a great tire all year round. I would take my RAM with those, over any car with true winter tires. Yes, even a Subaru.

I just wish they weren't so darn expensive. I got a deal at $350 a tire. :-0
Deal Fanatic
Sep 6, 2007
6706 posts
2352 upvotes
Swapped over the wife's Corolla to winter tires. After removing the lug nuts off the first tire, I realized the rim was seized onto the hub. I ended up putting the top most nut back on (just a few turns) and then slowly dropped the car back down to the weight of the car would know the rim loose. Had to do it for 3/4 tires. Others recommend using a hammer to knock the tire out from the inside.

She's now running on 15" X-Ice 3s and as mentioned above, really smooth tires to drive on!
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Jul 24, 2010
457 posts
219 upvotes
Toronto
Well, I just put on my own winter's for the first time. I have to say.. it's pretty satisfying to learn to do these kinds of things yourself. It took 1.5 hours (hopefully faster next time since I've got the hang of it!)

got the first two wheels no problem, and then some amazing how I put ALL the lug nuts on the third wheel backwards (thanks to a poorly lit garage). I noticed when it took several extra turns to get them to the right torque. Fortunately I noticed and didn't drive on them. This shouldn't have damaged anything, right?
Deal Addict
Aug 14, 2007
2434 posts
328 upvotes
Waterloo
Ugh. Started changing my tires this morning. Get 3 of them on go to grab the fourth for front left and it's completely flat. Found a screw lodged in it. Called a couple shops and of course they all too busy to fix it. Now trying to decide if I should just run with 3 winters (16 inch) and 1 all season (17 inch) for a couple of days or spend all that time putting back on my all seasons just to have to do it all over again in a few days. Or I guess I could maybe replace just one of the winters and run 2 all seasons on front and and 2 winters on back
Opinions?
Deal Expert
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Aug 18, 2005
21223 posts
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Burlington-Hamilton
Vladimir wrote: Ugh. Started changing my tires this morning. Get 3 of them on go to grab the fourth for front left and it's completely flat. Found a screw lodged in it. Called a couple shops and of course they all too busy to fix it. Now trying to decide if I should just run with 3 winters (16 inch) and 1 all season (17 inch) for a couple of days or spend all that time putting back on my all seasons just to have to do it all over again in a few days. Or I guess I could maybe replace just one of the winters and run 2 all seasons on front and and 2 winters on back
Opinions?
No need to go into a busy dedicated tire place. Most general automotive places can patch your tire. You might spend $20-30 at any dealership, Active Green + Ross, etc.
- casual gastronomist -
Deal Expert
Mar 25, 2005
22706 posts
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vkizzle wrote: Why do suggest the hangers are a must for German cars?
No studs so it's much easier to put the bolt on.
Deal Expert
Aug 22, 2011
41802 posts
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Center of Universe
Kasakato wrote: No studs so it's much easier to put the bolt on.
Ah, I didn't even notice that.
Sr. Member
Jun 12, 2016
715 posts
319 upvotes
Mississauga
Tire swap season has begun. Question: How often should you do a wheel alignment to maintain even wear on your tires? I've heard that you should get a 4 wheel alignment before each tire swap. Seems kind of expensive to me. Interested to hear on what people think. Thanks!
Deal Expert
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Apr 21, 2004
58648 posts
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Shouldn't we wait until the highs are 7 and below?

Snow squall on halloween!
Deal Addict
Mar 30, 2010
3083 posts
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GTA
alanbrenton wrote: Shouldn't we wait until the highs are 7 and below?

Snow squall on halloween!
Oh you just done opened up a can of worms.
In before the "driving winters over +7c will wear them out the same day" crowd shows up
Deal Expert
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Apr 21, 2004
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Viperoni wrote: Oh you just done opened up a can of worms.
In before the "driving winters over +7c will wear them out the same day" crowd shows up
This is the DIY thread so we can switch our tires at will.

Just wondering if I can hold off changing but it seems we are getting some snow on Tuesday.
Deal Fanatic
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Sep 2, 2006
6354 posts
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Toronto, ON
Does Home Depot usually just giveaway scrap peices of plywood to put uinder a jack/jack stand?
--
I like detailing cars!
Deal Fanatic
Apr 20, 2011
7747 posts
2750 upvotes
ON
Viperoni wrote: Oh you just done opened up a can of worms.
In before the "driving winters over +7c will wear them out the same day" crowd shows up
alanbrenton wrote: This is the DIY thread so we can switch our tires at will.

Just wondering if I can hold off changing but it seems we are getting some snow on Tuesday.
Which is worse, the "driving winters over 7c will wear them out" crowd, or the "one flake of snow on the ground immediately makes all season tires useless" crowd? ;)

You'll survive just fine in either situation.
Deal Fanatic
Aug 29, 2011
9928 posts
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Mississauga
Been watching the long-term forecast and it’s looking to cool down to high single digits next week. Will tackle the winter tire swap next weekend.
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Apr 15, 2011
5834 posts
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aGincourt
Not swapping until snowstorm forecast or Dec, whatever comes first

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