I've owned a M3, C63 AMG, and Nissan GT-R. They were all able to handle winter conditions with either snow or all season tires (on the GT-R). Long story short, it snowed here in Virginia last week and i ended up stuck in a ditch on the side of the road. Of course, I am running on the summer tires since evidently nobody makes snow tires for this vehicle. None that match treads anyway.

I was going about 12 MPH when the car decided to slide off the road. I ended up purchasing a Jeep Wrangler Sport 2 days later for winter driving. I was in "snow mode" but that didn't help at all. The tires are just way too big with too much surface area to get traction, especially when running stock summer performance.

 

A set of Pirelli Sottozero tires would go a long way to prevent chaos in winter conditions. The PZero isn't designed to be used below 7 Celsius (yes I'm Canadian) and are slippery as anything even in the cold, let alone snow. I got the Sottozeros fitted this month and what a difference in the cold.

 

thanks neco! I was going to ask for specific winter tire recs!

 

I looked for snow tires everywhere, to include TireRack and every manufacturer and dealership. I was basically told that they do not exist for this vehicle. Are your tires a slightly different size than OEM?

 

I ended up with 19" rims and at this rim size the available snow tires increase in number.. of course the tire needed to be an inch taller to make up for the smaller rims.
Can't remember the brand of snows.. they had 'walnut' technology, or otherwise crushed walnuts in the rubber for ice traction and had enough 'lug' size to go through deep snow, the car was great in the snow, considering low slung and rear wheel drive. Around here we get snow over the bumper lots of times and all seasons would not have a chance.
The car was an XKR and the 19" rims just fit over the brakes ... have not put them on my Ftype R at this point, but they should fit. Decided to 'garage' it this year for the winter.
Winter tires are of a soft compound so they are good on icy roads compared to summer tires.
Just looked up the brand, they where 'Toyo' tires.
Lawrence.

 

Sometimes you may have to go up or down a size as you likely won't find the exact same size. I typically suggest going down a size as snow tires will have a different profile than street tires (street tires will generally have round shoulders where winter tires will typically have square shoulders).

 

Forgot to mention that the reason I 'garaged' the F this year... my experience with the XKR was that with snow tires, they pick up a lot more sand or gravel and since I live on a gravel road and the townships spread salt/sand/grit, the car ended up with paint damage behind the wheels... and in the front from other traffic.
I have applied xpel to the front and areas exposed to this sort of damage on the F, but decided to just use my other vehicles anyway.
Also, narrower tires often work better in snow as they tend not to 'snowplane'. (new word)
Lawrence.

 

I have the 20 inch blade wheel and the Sotto's are mounted on them, will be getting a set of winter wheels next season.

 

I had an XFR for 5 years, and had Bridgestone Blizzaks on 20 inch wheels. Awesome. Drove that car through everything.

I was going to buy the Pirelli snows for my F-Type R, but decided at the last minute to lease a Chevy Equinox.....great decision. The Chevy is comfortable, roomy, good on gas, quiet and is awesome in snow.

 

I don't plan to run the F-type in the snow but found the factory tires, horsepower and cold temperatures made for an interesting ride even on dry payment - way too easy to slip the tires on a cold morning (here in Colorado we can get over 60 F at lunch, but drive to work close to freezing on a sunny January day). I just put on a set of Sotozeros and they are MUCH better. I used the same tire width so you wouldn't know the difference by looking.

The summer tire slipping was much worse than in my old BMW, but much wider tires on the F-type, and I ran Michelin Pilots instead of Pirelli...

 

Agreed on the Sottozgeros, fitted a set after a week of slipping and sliding on PZeros on cold but bare streets, what a difference! Grip is way better. Just need to get a set of rims to not need to have them remounted every year. Link from Foosh (Midwest Tire) has proved useful, helpful guys at the store, Jag wheels at a major discount. I'm looking at a set of Cyclones for the Sotto's, would get a second set of Blade wheels but not worth the cost for the winter set.

 

SMc,

Your observations are very consistent with what I've experienced in my first winter with the F-Type. You do have to be very careful on the throttle with the PZeros when cold even on dry pavement. On frozen precipitation, I wouldn't even think about taking the car out on those tires.

I appreciate the report on the Sottozeros.

 

I concur about the Pirelli P-Zeroes! I just put my F-Type into a road sign due to ice on a highway exit, going (what I thought was) reasonably slow. $7,000 in damage to bumper, headlights, passenger side front panel, air filter box, etc... BE CAREFUL!

 

I'm so sorry to hear that. But, I really appreciate your willingness to report your experience. It serves as a sobering and helpful reminder to all of us.

I hope the repairs go well!

 

I have tested the F-Type V8S thoroughly in Montreal, my office has an outdoor parking lot that doesn't really get ploughed much so i'll regularly have to go through a foot of snow. The most important thing you can do is get winter tires...

In Montreal and heading out of the city often there's a lot of snow and ice so I got snow tires (x-ice) instead of performance winter tires (sottozeros, which I personally really dislike). If you'll regularly have snow on the ground where you live you'll be best with snow tires, you give up a bit of performance on dry pavement but you won't get stuck... Also if you get a lot of snow you'll want to get another set of rims, you'll need to drop down to 8.5inch wide rims and adjust your offset. 8.5inches are the smallest you can put and bring you down to 245 wide tires, this is going to give you SUBSTANTIALLY better grip in snow.

I've even had to pass cars/suvs (with winter tires as it's a law here) going up icy hills.

Winter mode, locking differential, good quality "narrow" snow tires and intelligent driving and you'll be fine in any major city.

 

With good winter tires, my '16 R convertible in rain/ice/snow mode is a veritable snow-mobile. It sticks and moves every bit as well as my Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland. I happily take my all-aluminum, all-wheel-drive beauty out in the slush and ice and snow.




Snow tires and wheels. Winter tires on dedicated rims for the F-Type. Recommendations.





I won’t take my F-Type out into a snow storm, but I will happily exploit its all-wheel-drive rain/ice/snow mode, and its being all-aluminum, to take it out onto plowed roads -- including over ice and slush.



I live in The Minneapple.

We. Get. Snow.

And Ice.

And Slush.



The OEM summer tires on the ’16 R are 255-35-20s front, and 295-30-20s rear.

The OEM 20” wheels’ widths are 9” front, and 10.5” rear.



(The SVR uses 9.5” and 11” wide rims. And for reference, F-Type R offsets are 55 in front and 38 in back; I don’t know if the SVR has different offsets, but the bolt pattern of all F-Types is 5 x 108.)



Winter tires should be narrower -- to cut through slush. And of course the rubber compound and tread should be designed for winter conditions. Those changes make for an astonishing difference in winter drivability – even on dry roads because good summer tires get hard as hockey pucks on pavement under about 40-45 degrees.



For narrower tires in back, you’ll need different rims. Since you’ll need different rims in the back, you may as well have dedicated winter rims, all four. Then, since narrower tires perform so much better, make them the same size front and back and get the bonus of being able to rotate your winter tires.



Therefore, you want dedicated rims for your winter wheels – not only for size, but also for how well their finish holds up to winter road-spray. More on rims below.



For winter tires:



I recommend a size or two narrower than the front OEMs. I went one size narrower, 245s. Also, I recommend going a size taller, and going with rims a size smaller, for even taller sidewalls. That will deliver not only better traction through slush and snow, it will also make for a smoother ride over winter roads.



So on my R, I went to 19” rims and taller-than-OEM tires: 245-45-19s. Both front and rear.



(19” wheels didfit over my R’s steel brakes, the larger ones. 380mm in front. Unhinged reports that not all aftermarket 19s will clear them. Certainly, none will fit over the optional carbon ceramic brakes. Those require 20s. More on rims below.)





(Correct me if my tire-size math is wrong: 245-45-19s are 0.7” taller than OEM. That’s an increase of the tire diameter by 2.59%. When the speedometer reads 65, the actual speed will be 67 mph.)



I was happy to learn that my favorite tires to handle plowed winter roads are available in that size. I like Nokian Hakkapeliitta R2s. Fantastic ice and slush tires. I believe they are the state-of-the-art non-studded tires on ice. (Wonderful technology of ‘crystals’ blended throughout the rubber that function like molded-in studs.) I’ve put that tire on my SUVs for years; it performs miraculously on ice and it cuts through slush with control and stability, as promised: $285 in 2018 October.



Rims:



Over the years, I’ve learned to use dedicated rims for Minnesota winters. They should be completely powder-coated, no machined surfaces or edges, no clear-coat. Winter roads eat clear-coat. Powder-coating holds up.



I. Shopped. Rims.

Hard.

More on my shopping travail below, in case you’re interested, but here’s my recommendation:



For an inexpensive aftermarket rim that looks good, with a finish that will hold up, TSW makes a few. Some black, some silver. A few different offsets. (More on offsets below.) TSW’s website has a good configurator. And Niche makes a couple beauties; look at the Niche Misano M117, and Altair M192. Those are offset 40. The Niche wheels don’t need hub rings; some, not all, of the TSWs do. More on hub rings below, too. All these wheels are priced under $300. (2018)



Spacers for the rears:



This set-up with rear wheels as narrow as the fronts results in those rear wheels’ faces mounting an inch-and-a-half inboard of the fronts. Too far inside the rear fenders. Fugly. So, get spacers for the rears – technically hub-centric adapters – an inch-and-a-half thick, to bring them out to the fenders to match the fronts’ stance.



(I paid $140 for a pair of them custom-made, black anodized, from Motorsport Tech, 280 S Rock Blvd, Ste 100, Reno, Nevada 89502 775-351-1000. Lenny. Good guy. Often answers the business phone himself. http://www.motorsport-tech.com)



Regarding offsets:



If I’ve done my math correctly, to get the face of an 8.5”-wide wheel to where the OEMs’ are in front, the rims would need an offset of 47.5. That means the common offsets of 40-42 will move the face of the wheel and tire outboard of where the OEMs sit, approximately a quarter-inch.



Some F-type owners have pushed their OEMs out 15 - 17mm, plus lowered their cars, and have found there is still no tire rubbing.



In other words, regarding offsets, you do have quite a bit of lee-way.



Say, for instance, you go with 19 x 9s. You could get away with only a 40 offset. (Although, since that would move the face of the wheel outboard a bit, it would make for more winter road grime on the side of your car.)



I bought a 19 x 8 rim with an offset of 40. So my rims’ faces are just a touch further outboard than the OEMs. On those rims, my 245-45-19s clear the front fenders just fine, even at full lock while turning to enter a driveway.



Hub rings:



The Jag’s hubs are 63.40 mm diameter. Most of the non-custom wheels I found have larger center bores than that. So, you put perfect-size rings on to keep the wheels centered properly. Hub rings. TSW offers hub rings. I don’t know if Niche does, but I bet they do (although the two Niche wheels I listed above both have the correct center bore diameter: 63.4.) The rings offered by aftermarket wheel manufacturers are typically made of plastic. They won’t last forever, so buy a set of replacements to have on hand. They’re just a few bucks. Or better yet, have some made of aluminum, to last. Motorsport will custom-make those for you, too. Or this place just might have some in stock: https://www.uswheeladapters.com/hub-rings/ They make custom hub rings, too.



Those are my recommendations for driving your F-Type in the winter.

 

In case you might be interested, and to save you struggles if you want to shop harder, here is more on my personal rims shopping “adventure” and learning curve:



I much prefer a lip on my rims.



I found that rims with lips that fit the F-Type are rare and difficult to find unless custom made. I didn’t want expensive, custom, forged rims costing $800 - $1,300 each for my dedicated winter wheels. So, I shopped and shopped and shopped. I had to go “outside the boxes” to find less expensive rims.



TSW makes one 19” that has a lip with the correct bolt pattern. It’s a 5-spoke. It’s 19” x 8” with little, stainless-steel bolts to give it the look of a two-piece. They call it their Jarama. $310.



(Technically, TSWs are one-piece, cast and then rolled-forged. That’s a good way to make an aluminum rim. It’s arguably the best way for weight-savings and cost-effectiveness.)



My car is a white convertible with black top, all black exterior trim, and black interior. It looks best with black rims.



But TSW Jaramas are not available in all-black. They have machined-mirror lips to look like chrome or stainless steel. Clear-coated. Clear-coat won’t do for a winter rim. So, I decided I’d have them re-finished in order to get a durable finish and the kind of appearance I prefer.



Although having them refinished would cost me quite a bit more than any of the pre-finished rims they offer, in order to have lips on my rims, this is the least expensive way I could find to get the look I wanted. It would still be a lot less than having customs made. It would also get them on the car sooner than customs take. A lot sooner.



But get this:



TSW insisted they wouldn’t fit on my R. They insisted those wheels fit only the base F-Type. They didn’t want to send them. They wanted to steer me to their other rims. But the wheels’ specs indicated they should fit the R with steel brakes. I had to talk Discount Tire into talking TSW into selling me a set, returnable, just so we could try them on to see if they would indeed clear the brakes. They did. Just fine. As the specs indicated they would.



Their center bore is too large, though; it’s 72. The Jag’s hub is 63.4. Hub rings handle that difference easily and safely. Hub rings are easy to find. TSW even had them in the perfect size in stock, fercrinoutloud. But they didn’t volunteer that they did. Plastic.



Dear TSW: 19” Jaramas do fit the F-Type R (not the SVR); at least let your reps know they’ll fit with hub rings. (And while you’re at it, get the management to decide to offer them finished in all black and all silver.)



But there is another pain-in-the-*** hiccup to my TSW Jaramas learning curve:



In order to powder-coat these rims, first the little, steel bolts need to come out.

But. There. Is. No. Driver. Made. To. Fit. Those. Bolts. W.T.F.



I had to learn that the hard way: by searching for an 8-pointed-star driver the correct size afterI finally managed to get to someone live at TSW in an effort to get answers to a few questions about my quest to refinish the Jarama in all black and have the little steel bolts remain stainless steel color.



The TSW rep on the phone first said he couldn’t help me find a tool for them. He was obviously trying to brush me off. When I asked more about them, he said removing them would ruin them because they were plastic. I pointed out that they are actually metal. Then he got curt with me. “No, I can’t help you find the driver for them. … They are not threaded; they’re pressed in, so trying to remove them will ruin them. … No, we don’t sell them as replacement parts. … Yes, I guess you are right; it seems that does mean you cannot powder-coat these rims. … And. I can’t help you.” When I mentioned that I would share that on JaguarForums, he back-pedaled and said they were metal and they actually do sell them as parts – but just to dealers. But, no, you can not get a set of TSW Jaramas without the rivets (he called them “rivets”) -- not even a dealer can.



(I did then get Discount Tire to call their rep and they did then verify those things. They could get me replacement bolts.)



So, I shopped further, hours, looking for a tool to remove the little bolts. No such tool made in that size by anyone, not even Snap-On.



I paid my wheels refinisher to make a tool. (Wasn’t expensive; just ground down a socket-driver so as to use a square in the 8-point opening.) He cranked on them to try to back them out, but they would not budge. He didn’t dare put more torque on them. He decided to refuse to refinish these rims because of it.



That far into this “adventure,” I wasn’t going to just give up. In an effort to find a cost-effective way to remove the “rivets,” I had Discount Tire order me a few of them just so I could see if they were threaded or not. Took a week for them to arrive from TSW.



They’re bolts. They’re threaded.



So, I found a machine shop and I told them I’d pay them for their time to try to remove one. If torqueing on the bolt ruined it or ruined the wheel, I’d pay them anyway. I talked them into making another square driver by grinding down another socket wrench adapter to fit. It didn’t take a ton of torque. The bolts backed out. They are glued in, but with a little extra elbow grease, they backed out fine.



They were even re-usable.



Then I talked that machine shop into middle-manning getting the rims powder-coated satin black for me, and then replacing the little bolts.



In the end, the cost through the machine shop was no more than I was going to pay the first wheel-refinishing specialist. $150 a rim.



That learning curve and time investment was a pain in the ***. It cost $600 more than off-the-rack rims, but still much less expensive than even the least expensive custom wheels I could find.



What a man won’t do for lips on his rims.



But I got the job done.



(If I wasn’t mostly retired, I would not have spent all that time on that learning curve; but there is my write-up so that if you’re interested, you can get a similar job done in much less time and much less dain bramage. You’re welcome.)



They are my kind of look. They look good.



I now have wonderful winter tires on durable, dedicated rims -- lipped 5-spokes with matte black finish and stainless-steel bolts for my white-with-black-trim convertible R with all-wheel-drive.



Watch out, Minneapple winter drivers; this cat has claws that help it take off, take corners, and make stops better than most other vehicles in the winter, too.



And the ride is noticeably improved.



Who else is running winter tires on dedicated rims?

 

rammer_28 and Forrest Keith,

No one knows more about winter driving than you guys.

I'm in northern IL and you guys must think our winters here are like summertime in Canada and Minnesota.

I've always used dedicated winter wheel/tire set-ups on both of our cars. It makes life SO much easier in winter.

Forrest Keith - I almost lost my mind trying to find a set-up for our XE 3.0 R-Sport RWD. I wound up getting a set of factory 19 inch Venoms and the Pirelli Sotto-Zero 3 tires.

I had no issues at all in 4 inches of snow in the XE. I didn't even have to use the snow-mode. My SRT doesn't have a snow-mode. I have Conti's on that one.

The Pirelli's seem to be an excellent compromise between snow traction and dry-road handling. They're not squishy like Blizzaks or Scorpions. The Scorpions were great in the snow, but awful in the dry.

We've had high-horsepower rear drive cars for years with no major issues, except ground-clearance.

Seeing your F-Type in the snow is truly inspiring.That's the next car on our list. I'll try the Nokian's next time around.

 

LIving in the desert snow tires are not a big thing to me. BUT I am fascinated by how one can do a 15,000+ mile road trip in the middle of winter. Tell me you are not going to Alaska, but it you don't do Alaska how do you get the mileage to 15,000+ ? Boston to San Francisco is 3,000 miles.