I could use some winter tire advice. I will be purchasing winter tires for my new to me 2012 Chrysler Town and Country Touring-L. I also want to buy decent looking rims as well. I hate those awful looking steel rims that rust and look like crap. Could I get some suggestions as to a good winter tire and where is a good place to buy the rims? Also if I get new rims what happens with the TPMS?

I am looking at some tires at Canadian Tire that are on special right now. They are the Bridgestone Blizzak WS90 or the Michelin X-Ice snow and also wondering if checking with the junkyards to see if they have some decent rims that come off a 2012 Chrysler Town and Country.

Would appreciate any advice you can offer.

Either of the two winter tires you mentioned should serve you well, being from reputable Tier One tire brands and with positive reviews. By the way, speaking of winter tires at Canadian Tire, I've been quite satisfied so far with their house brand "Certified" WinterTrek tires that I got a set of last year for my 2009 Grand Caravan back when they were on sale at a very good price; I actually wrote the most helpful user review posted on the CT website for them:

I'd say the Certified WinterTrek is a great winter tire to also consider whenever Canadian Tire puts them on sale for a good deal less than their original price, which is much too close to the prices of Tier One brand winter tires.

If you're looking to buy new wheels for the winter, I'd suggest the ART Replica 48 available at WheelWiz and CanadaWheels which replicate the look of the OEM 17" alloy wheels of the 2013-2020 Grand Caravan SXT. As far as used wheels go, anything off of any 5th gen 2008-2020 Grand Caravan or 2008-2016 Town & Country will fit your 2012 Town & Country, but the wheels will need to be at least 17" if your Town & Country either already has or you've upgraded it to the larger heavy-duty (HD) brakes that started being commonly used from the 2013 model year onwards.

You will need to purchase another set of TPMS sensors if you want to retain that feature with a second set of wheels, otherwise you'll have to deal with the TPMS light being lit on the instrument cluster unless it is disabled in the van's programming with software like AlfaOBD.

 

Yeah I will have to make sure they are 17". My van does have the HD brakes. I thought the sensor was a part of the rim? So if I were to by rims from the wrecker wouldn't the TPMS continue to work?

 

I have Michelin X-Ice tires for 3 different vehicles and highly recommend them. Shop around though, because I was able to get them a lot cheaper than Canadian Tire.

I hear you on the steelies. One thing to watch with aluminum is in really cold weather, because aluminum shrinks more than steel, aluminum is more susceptible to air loss at the tire bead.

As for TPMS, if you don't want sensors you don't need them. It figures out there are no sensors and you don't even get a light on the dash (that's how my Journey works, I assume the DGC is the same).

 

I have Michelin X-Ice tires for 3 different vehicles and highly recommend them. Shop around though, because I was able to get them a lot cheaper than Canadian Tire.

I hear you on the steelies. One thing to watch with aluminum is in really cold weather, because aluminum shrinks more than steel, aluminum is more susceptible to air loss at the tire bead.

As for TPMS, if you don't want sensors you don't need them. It figures out there are no sensors and you don't even get a light on the dash (that's how my Journey works, I assume the DGC is the same).

If I do decide to go with the steel wheels is there a way to stop them from rusting and looking so awful?

 

I'm ordering up, today, the Continental WinterContact SI Plus tires that are on sale at Canadian tire this week plus there's a mail in rebate of $60.00. They have road rated it at 98, which is very high. I like the comfort/road noise rating of 100% although tires tend to get noisier as they get worn.

https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/tires/pdp/continental-wintercontact-si-plus-tire-0052152p.0072285.html

Total price, in Cart, $678.52 plus tax = $778.00 plus there's the mail in rebate after that.

For winter, stick with the steel rims, save your new ones for salt free driving.

Purchase, install and balance your tires at Canadian Tire to qualify for our 5-year Tire Care Guarantee, which provides free tire repair from Road Hazards such as cut or puncture, damage from driving on a flat tire, impact breaks and Manufacturing Defects. Or get FREE tire replacement and FREE spare tire change services with our Replacement Advantage coverage available for a nominal fee. Conditions apply.

ROAD Rated 98

Fuel Economy 100%

Snow Traction 99%

Comfort/Road Noise 100%

Ice Traction 96%

Dry Traction 96%

Wet Traction 97%

 

I'm ordering up, today, the Continental WinterContact SI Plus tires that are on sale at Canadian tire this week plus there's a mail in rebate of $60.00. They have road rated it at 98, which is very high. I like the comfort/road noise rating of 100% although tires tend to get noisier as they get worn.

https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/tires/pdp/continental-wintercontact-si-plus-tire-0052152p.0072285.html

Total price, in Cart, $678.52 plus tax = $778.00 plus there's the mail in rebate after that.

Picked up the tires this evening, made in Germany on the 10th, 11th, 12th and 15th week of 2021.

 

I've used blizzak dmv1's for the last 7 years on the van. They have been extremely good winter tires. Just bought some DMV2's, which will go on once it gets colder... Dmv2 is the SUV version of the ws90's. Would have no issue recommending either the x-ice or the blizzak for the van. I bought an extra set of TPMS sensors to put in my ugly rusty steel rims. Every few years, the rims need a good cleaning, and a fresh coat of paint, and they look good again. The van recognizes the new sensors after a few miles of driving - no special tools or programming required (at least on my '14).

 

I use steel wheels on the van, and aluminum on the truck. I use aluminum because I got some cheap from a wrecked truck. Haven't had any issues with them in winter, but wouldn't spend any extra to have them. I use steel on the van because they're less money, and take a hit from a curb better than aluminum.... My opinion, FWIW, whatever suits your preference should be fine.

 

Personally, I don't change wheels, just change tires. That means new balancing and condition check on a yearly basis. Also means lug nuts get beat up by impact wrenches.

Sometimes the steel winter wheels have a different rim size to get more tire depth, versus width, for winter traction and pot hole season. That's not needed for the 225/65R17 size, it's for when the rim is only sitting about 3" above the pavement, tire fully inflated.

what are the extra numbers 106T XL after the 225/65R17?

XL stands for extra load
106 is the load index
T is the speed rating

https://www.anrdoezrs.net/click-100...d=autolinker&url=https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=35

Wheel covers at Canadian Tire:

https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/automotive/tires-wheels/tire-wheel-accessories/wheel-covers.html

 

Personally, I don't change wheels, just change tires. That means new balancing and condition check on a yearly basis. Also means lug nuts get beat up by impact wrenches.

Sometimes the steel winter wheels have a different rim size to get more tire depth, versus width, for winter traction and pot hole season. That's not needed for the 225/65R17 size, it's for when the rim is only sitting about 3" above the pavement, tire fully inflated.



XL stands for extra load
106 is the load index
T is the speed rating

https://www.anrdoezrs.net/click-100...d=autolinker&url=https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=35

View attachment 63780


Wheel covers at Canadian Tire:

https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/automotive/tires-wheels/tire-wheel-accessories/wheel-covers.html

I've read the only difference would be price, winter wheels are cheaper. Some also supposedly have an extra chemical resistant coat.

Being in Canada, I suppose winters are long. Why you want nice wheels on a short sunmer but ugly wheels during the long winter?

 

IMO if you're going to bother with snow tires, go all out and go studded. Normal snow tires ARE better in snow than all-seasons, but not enough for me to care. Studded snows mean you can entirely stop caring about low-speed icy performance, which tends to be the biggest problem. Studs provide enough grip on ice that you can fully stop and restart on hills you'd otherwise have to rely on momentum to get up.

I personally have never put snow tires on a caravan in New England, and my driveway is bad enough that many people can't drive out of it. Depending on how experienced/skilled you and the other people driving the vehicle may be with snow, YMMV. I certainly wouldn't encourage everyone to drive that way.

 

Many places don't allow studed tires anymore. Also, it might be very cold but not snowy or icy. Studded tires shouldn't be used if no ice is present, while you can keep using regular snow tires on those ice-less days.

 

I am using Continental Winter Contact SI ... bought them in winter of 2019 ... didn't take them off over the summer of 2020 since I used only 3 tanks of fuel the whole year! They are still in excellent condition. I've not had any issues with them. Good grip on slippery roads. I had Continental True Contact summer tires on my last car (Suby Foreseter) and was more than satisfied with them. If I had to replace my current winters (and I'm a LONG way from that) then I'd go for the new SI Plus like Jeepman. Winter is basically December through March here so a good set will last a long time unless you're driving hundreds of km daily!!!

 

Why are you not sure about never seize on the threads?

 

From the manufacturer of ant-seize products:

Permatex® does not recommend the use of any anti-seize product on wheel studs.

https://www.permatex.com/faqwd/permatex-suggest-applying-anti-seize-lubricate-lug-nuts-installing-tightening-nuts/?locale=en_us

 

This is an age old argument ... While lube eases the rotational torque, it means for the same torque setting as dry, you've put much higher compression torque on the wheel and threads. The result can mean that you cause stretch damage on the base of the stud so, when you come to remove it, it may shear off.below the nut. Others will proclaim that it doesn't.

I've experienced what may be that effect ... so I got a wire brush adaptor for my drill and clean the threads, and a wire brush for a rotary tool (dremel tool) that can clean the inside of the nuts

 

The whole debate as to use, or not use, a lubricant on wheel stud threads is a hoot. People have been using lubricant on the threads, even anti-seize, the mother of all metal contact surfaces lubricants, for decades. There are so many debates while the wheel installers, that use impact wrenches to whack the life out of the stainless caps and over torque the lug nuts by 50%, don't even get mention in the obituary columns.

Wheel studs are way over designed, and rightly so. One thing about lubricant is that it helps provide uniformity of bolt tension and clamping force. Think "warped" rotors. On the other hand, don't think "warped" rotors. LEVY might be listening.

I recently had wheel work done on my 2016 DGC by a licensed Mechanic. The advantage of using that Shop is that I can enter the work bay and observe what's going on. Most places, one can't do that. He installed the wheels using an impact wrench and then checked them at some torque setting, I don't know what his setting was. Next time he will be using my torque wrench and I will be paying more attention. His torque wrench clicked out on all lug nuts.

Once home I decided to loosen all lug nuts, if necessary, and retorque. Well, to my dismay, these nuts were way over torqued. According to my torque wrench, over 140 ft.lb. was the break away torque. In one case, I eventually snapped off the 1/2" to 3/8" adapter I was using, which showed two things:

• way over torqued
• inconsistent clamping forces.

While we debate an additional 10%, or whatever, clamping force change due to thread lubrication, this "gross" work keeps going on.
NOTE: Just because the same size stud on a Ford F150 truck requires 140 ft.lb. of torque, doesn't mean that mine should be torqued to the same spec.

As to any additional torque, due to thread lubrication, do the math.

• clean the threads, nuts and contact surfaces with brake cleaner, or whatever.
• torque the lug nuts up to spec using hand tools
• check what the break away torque is, in an hours time.
• record the data and report back
• repeat the first step
• apply a light lubricant, say Fluid Film, lightly, to the threads only
• torque the lug nuts up to spec using hand tools
• check what the break away torque is, in an hours time.
• record the data and report back

Optional:
Repeat the above process using anti-seize

WARNING: Stay away from wheel installers that think lubrication of lug nut/threads is good. A can of spray lubricant and an impact wrench in their hands, is a license to kill.

 

Wow .similar story here I just bought new to me 2018 this time last yr.
It came with winter steel wheels and tires.I took them to get put on by my mechanic and he couldnt get the nuts off.
He quad two torch two off and he told me he couldn’t believe it just passed a safety.
Anyways I take it the guy that done the safety torqued the bolts on.
My mechanic told me I need all new nuts as the old ones where all stretched out.
Anyway $400.00 bucks later .all because of some yo-yo using a torque gun to tighten.
I guess you better tell the garage ahead of time no tightening with impact guns 💪😂👍

 

It came with winter steel wheels and tires.I took them to get put on by my mechanic and he couldnt get the nuts off.
He quad two torch two off and he told me he couldn’t believe it just passed a safety.
Anyways I take it the guy that done the safety torqued the bolts on.
My mechanic told me I need all new nuts as the old ones where all stretched out.
Anyway $400.00 bucks later .all because of some yo-yo using a torque gun to tighten.
I guess you better tell the garage ahead of time no tightening with impact guns 💪😂👍

I've never seen someone doing a vehicle inspection checking wheel studs torque, never. Then, if they will, they would only check for under torquing. Don't know what your mechanic is talking about, unless in Canada inspection is different.

 

I’m led to believe the wheels have to come off to check the brakes?.
I’m just stating what he told me👍

 

Drum brakes = yes. Disk brakes = maybe, if checking for more than wear, like stuck pins or torn boots. Uneven wear, if detected, would lead some Mechanics to look further. Some may ever create a fuss about rust on the brake lines, it all depends on how concerned the Mechanic is about safety or being audited. Front wheels don't come off very often, more like never, in my experience with safety inspections.

Vehicles, that have passed safety inspection at one shop, say a Dealership, have been looked at by another shop, for whatever reason, and written up or rejected because of a perceived safety problem. The vehicle Owner, of course, gets very upset and may even go public/legal.

 

Ordered the Continental WinterContact tires yesterday from Canadian Tire online. Got notification that the order had been received, was being processed and to wait for an email saying the tires were ready to pick up.
About 3 hours later got an email saying my order was cancelled because of "issues with your order". Guess I shouldn't have filled out the survey at the end of the order although I can't remember swearing or being negative about their web site. My account seems to be fine, not over drawn, in arrears, or anything. I will call them on Tuesday.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. If you see any Pilgrims, be nice to them.

 

Reordered the 225/65 R17 Continental WinterContact tires on Tuesday and they are now ready to pick up, $778.00 later.

The computer systems at Canadian Tire must have taken a turkey break on Sunday.

 

Back on topic (LOL), I vote for the steelies in winter and buy inexpensive wheel covers, or get DGC stock covers from the junkyard. I agree that winter kills aluminum wheels so I consider the steelies as the sacrificial rims to make sure your van looks good the other 6-7 months of the year.

We've been very happy with our Blizzaks on our Corolla (yes, mounted on steelies) and would buy Blizzaks for the van. IMHO.

 

NY requires two wheels off now, (one wheel previous to 2020) even have cameras to make sure its done according to my garages. I like the steel wheels, a good wire brushing on the rims cleans them up nice, then I paint on a heavy coat of black rustoleum (better if the can is old and it has started to stiffen up), let it flow out nice and even. I do that every 4-5 years, no issues. We have lots of gravel roads and the paved ones have 5-6" deep potholes in them pretty much all year, it really beats up the alloy rims, and they have to be bent back every year, some are unusable after. Steel seems to hold up better and is cheaper to replace anyway. I run Cooper Mud/Snows with an aggressive tread all year on all four. A little noisy in 90 degree summers but perfect all the rest of the year. Oh, and I always use neverseev on my lug studs, never had any issues and never had a stuck lug nut. Been doing that for 40 years on many cars. In architectural building with steel, we use lubricated nuts and bolts, there are two torque requirements depending on whether the bolt is oiled or not, many are required to be. Its hard to stretch a stud by hand (the guns may do it tho), unless you have an old school mopar with left hand threads, I did do it a few times then.

 

I like the steel wheels, a good wire brushing on the rims cleans them up nice, then I paint on a heavy coat of black rustoleum (better if the can is old and it has started to stiffen up), let it flow out nice and even. I do that every 4-5 years, no issues.
Oh, and I always use neverseev on my lug studs, never had any issues and never had a stuck lug nut. Been doing that for 40 years on many cars.

Do you mask off the tire, valve stem, stud hole contact areas and mating surface? use a brush?

40 years is a good test of time? Must be doing something right.

 

Like others have said, I prefer steelies for winter tires. Inexpensive, they work just fine, and they're going to get muddy and nasty driving around in the snow anyway. Easy enough to clean up and refresh yourself every few years if the salt starts getting to them. If you just can't stand the look of those, I guess it would be up to your aesthetic preferences what you want to run.

Not sure if you have them in Canada, but I am a huge fan of Cooper Weather-Master snow tires. I've put them on a number of different vehicles, all with outstanding results. They are a studdable tire; I prefer to run studs in the winter because a lot of the streets around here are not plowed regularly, and the snow is quickly packed down to pretty much solid ice. That's where studs make a difference. For non-packed snow and slush it's the tread pattern & rubber formulation that make snow tires better than summer tires, and you probably don't need studs if that's what you're mostly dealing with. The trade-off to studs is less grip and stopping ability on clear pavement, and I have had one or two close calls that probably would have been a little less hairy if the tires weren't studded.

Plusses and minuses, like everything in life.

 

I could use some winter tire advice. I will be purchasing winter tires for my new to me 2012 Chrysler Town and Country Touring-L. I also want to buy decent looking rims as well. I hate those awful looking steel rims that rust and look like crap. Could I get some suggestions as to a good winter tire and where is a good place to buy the rims? Also if I get new rims what happens with the TPMS?

I am looking at some tires at Canadian Tire that are on special right now. They are the Bridgestone Blizzak WS90 or the Michelin X-Ice snow and also wondering if checking with the junkyards to see if they have some decent rims that come off a 2012 Chrysler Town and Country.

Would appreciate any advice you can offer.

Two years ago I purchased 4 Goodyear Winter Command tires for my 2013 Grand Caravan that I used driving for Uber in the Salt Lake City area. I needed snow tires to be able to carry Uber Ski passengers up to Park City and the surrounding areas. I was truly impressed with the smooth and quiet ride of those tires in addition to their handling prowess. The highway to Park City is fast, winding, pretty steep, and at times has some curves that can be very challenging to drivers not on their toes or vehicles not capable of handling high speeds curves. Typical fast lane uphill traffic travels around 80-85 MPH and often has to weave around slower vehicles to maintain that pace; it is a fun to road to drive quickly. I've seen all the usual German & Japanese suspects speeding uphill along with various and sundry 30+ year old pickups & SUV's flailing their way to the top at 80+. In general when I see those older 4x4 rigs coming up fast behind me I move far over to the right as I don't know how they keep those things on the road. Going downhill it's easy to maintain 70 MPH without ever touching the gas but for one or two spots, same for the brakes; but one has to be ready for the turns. All in all these snow tires are about 5 MPH slower on that road than my regular tires.

But in the snow they are great. I have them mounted on the original 17" aluminum wheels and driving for Uber my van goes through the car wash every morning so it's as clean as I can get it and to keep salt and other crap off the wheels and undercarriage. I purchased a complete set of matching aluminum wheels with tires at a local salvage yard and have been running those when there's no snow. I'll need to replace two of those tires in the near future.

As a former tire store manager the only advantage I can think of that steel wheels have over aluminum is their ability to be hammered out by almost anyone after a misadventure with a curb or other immovable object. Aluminum wheels can be repaired but it typically has to be done by a professional trained to do so. As far as corrosion goes, both steel and aluminum are susceptible to it but with proper care and maintenance any damage can be prevented or minimized. Clear coat can and will come off aluminum wheels just as paint on steel wheels; but a bit of sandpaper, polishing compound, and a respray of clear coat an aluminum wheel can look almost new again, just as a steel wheel with some rust remover, sand paper, and paint. So the choice is really whether you want to drive a nice looking vehicle during the winter or one with ugly black wheels or cheap hubcaps that will most likely be impossible to keep on the vehicle while driving in deep snow. At least that's been my experience.
Good luck!

 

I could use some winter tire advice. I will be purchasing winter tires for my new to me 2012 Chrysler Town and Country Touring-L. I also want to buy decent looking rims as well. I hate those awful looking steel rims that rust and look like crap. Could I get some suggestions as to a good winter tire and where is a good place to buy the rims? Also if I get new rims what happens with the TPMS?

I am looking at some tires at Canadian Tire that are on special right now. They are the Bridgestone Blizzak WS90 or the Michelin X-Ice snow and also wondering if checking with the junkyards to see if they have some decent rims that come off a 2012 Chrysler Town and Country.

Would appreciate any advice you can offer.

I have a pair of Chrysler chrome 17” wheels with 90% of tread would sell for 295.00 I can send u pics shipping wound be from Denver co

 

My 2014 T&C has its original wheels and zero rust or corrosion. This is in the Lake Erie snow belt where salt and brine are heavily used. If appearance is important buy four matching wheels from whatever source has the best price.

 

I would consider the two biggies, Blizzak or Hakkapeliitta (no studs, hydrophilic tread compound, much, much better than studs in any condition). Blizzaks have been around a long time and that means something. One of my old friends asked the same question a few years ago and I gave him the same advice. Dump the studs and go hydrophilic. He did Blizzaks and reported back that in the worst snow in the state, that he traversed regularly, his all wheel drive Toyota van "drove like it was on rails". Hakkapeliitta comes by way of Finland and if the Fins don't know what works in snow, nobody does. As for wheels, go used from a reputable salvage yard near you. Steel works for winter. I see that car-part.com has steel 17x6-1/2 wheels for around the $70.00 mark.

 

Did anybody say that metal studs in tires are illegal? A long time ago I had studs in snow tires. Great on ice and snow. On dry pavement trying to stop at highway speeds could be deadly. Immediate loss of traction because of the steel studs.

 

Different regions have different regulations regarding metal studs. Here in Manitoba, you are only allowed to use them during certain months of the year. These regulations vary between different states and provinces. I've had both studded and studless tires on several vehicle types over the years. Studless absolutely have better traction on dry pavement, but the only thing that can beat a good quality studless tire on ice is a studded tire... Personally, I prefer studless tires as of late...

 

I never had an issue with steelies on my Caliber, and I had them for a decade with almost no rust. I never treated them, just washed them regularly. I have seen OEM and aftermarket steel wheels with rust issues so YMMV.

The only reason I have aluminum winters for the Jeep is because I wanted the same specs as my factory wheels

We have steelies on the Prius for the winter tires now.

 

Does anyone know of a slightly narrower , than standard winter tire, for 5th generation vans? I have used Michelin X ice, on all of my previous vans, but I feel they are not as good, on my 2014. perhaps due to their size.

 

It is very common to go narrower. Stock is 225-65 and 215-70 would be about the same circumference, but you would have to sure the load range is at least the same.

 

The latest generation of studded snow tires (with pavement wear performance limits) are permitted on vehicles registered in Northern Ontario. They are NOT permitted in Southern Ontario, except for short periods if the vehicle is registered in Northern Ontario or other locations where studded tires are allowed.