I'm a new STR owner and I'm wondering what the best winter tire/wheel combo is. Seems like an 8" rim and 245s are the most common, but I'm curious about input based on experince.

 

I have a stock size set of Michelin Pilot Alpine Sport winter tires in VERY good condition.
$1100 shipped to KS
PEte

 

yeah, it might be cheaper to store it for the winter and get yourself a nice winter beater

just my 2 cents

 

I've run 245/40 Yokohama W*Drive's on all 4 corners for two winters now. The 245's can be stretched to accomodate the stock rear rims; my tire guy said there is very little risk in doing this - you just can't take corners as fast. If you don't want to run the stock rims, be sure to find the appropriate staggered rims, as there are offset issues to keep in mind.

For performance: stopping is excellent, maintaining speed without drifting in the snow (TCS helps a lot) is excellent, but starting can be a pain if there is little weight in the back. Also be sure to watch how much snow is on the ground, anymore than 6" and I wouldn't go out (I became stuck with 7" of snow on the ground due to ground clearance).

To sum it up:
Snow tires: $850 mounted ($1100 for Michelins is a good deal)
Extra set of stock rims: $1000
Drifting around neighborhood in proper RWD car: priceless

 

+1

Four jackstands @ Harborfreight $50.

I didn't drive mine this last winter. Even with a set of Blizzacks or something I can't bear the idea of all that salt. They use a ton of salt around here.

 

Best snow tires for an STR are the ones mounted to the Jeep you drive in the winter.

 

I have a Yukon for really snowy days, but I hat the thought of leaving the Jag locked up for the winter. It doesn't usually snow all that much, but it does get cold in KS. What about using an all-weather tire for November - March and the normal high performance "summer" tire when it's warm? Still open to ideas/tire suggestions.

 

if you are not dealing with snow, then i retract my previous comment. I run yokohama on mine right now, and as far as rain and cold, they were fine. Now the goodyears i had before, i hated with a passion(eagle f1's).

I know with the goodyears, when it dropped below 40 degrees, they were terrible, and broke loose at the slightest touch to the pedal, add a fine layer of snow, and i was better off taking the bus