[09CaravanSE]

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.

 

[09CaravanSE]

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?

The sensors are not integrated with wheels; rather, they are separate and are installed where the standard rubber valve stems would go:

If you get wheels from the junkyard that have TPMS sensors with them, they should work as long as they're from a 2011+ 5th gen van (2008-2010 vans have a different part number, so sensors from those may not be compatible) and the batteries in them are not yet depleted.

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 don't know if the 2011+ 5th gen vans are different in this regard, but my 2009 Grand Caravan will have the TPMS warning light on in the instrument cluster unless TPMS-equipped tires and wheels are present, along a "low tire" message and chime at every start-up.

 

[09CaravanSE]

Decreasing the contact area? Why would you do that on slippery roads?

Narrower tires are said to generally be better suited for winter driving than wider tires because they're better able to cut through snow and slush, rather than riding on top of it:

In the winter, narrow tires are better under extreme conditions as they provide higher surface pressure against the road. Narrow tires also work better than wider ones in loose snow and slush. Wider tires, for their part, will offer more grip on hard surfaces, Martin Dražík says.

Wide or narrow tires? Here’s how your choice will affect driving / Nokian Tyres

Many drivers want their summer tires to look flashier than their winter equivalents. That is why wid...

www.nokiantyres.com

As you're shopping for winter wheels and tires, you'll likely come across the recommendation of going to a narrower tire. This is the exact opposite approach that you would take for summer traction, where wider is better. If you're likely to drive through deep snow this year, you'll want winter / snow tires and wheels in sizes that help put the laws of physics on your side.

The reason for this is that traction is achieved in winter by cutting through the ice and snow. With wider tread, you're more likely to start snow plowing or floating on top of the surface instead of pushing down and through. This floating will result in loss of traction sooner than with a thinner or narrower option. A good way to picture this is imagine a pizza cutter slicing through a pizza.

Another way to think about this is from the perspective of the contact patch. A tire's contact patch or "footprint" greatly influences its performance. On the same vehicle, the area of the contact patch essentially remains the same with different width tires. When the footprint gets narrower as it will with a narrower width tire, it has to get longer. And the mechanics of the longer footprint help with the longitudinal traction for acceleration and braking.

https://blog.tirerack.com/blog/hunters-ramblings/why-are-narrower-tires-better-for-winter

If things are sized correctly, moving to a smaller and narrower tire can actually improve winter traction and driving safety, as particularly wide tires — such as 275 millimetres and up — can easily ride up on snow instead of cutting through it.

When it comes to winter tires, follow the three-per-cent rule

A different wheel/tire combination is sometimes better, but there's not much leeway when changing the diameter

driving.ca

Generally, narrower tires are better in snow and on ice because they are more stable and get better linear traction by penetrating the snow. This is not always true though; on hard-pack snow, wider tires with more sipes are better. In deep snow, wider tires might be able to float over the top, but that’s a very specific situation. Narrower wheel widths are normally better because it rounds the profile of the tire and helps both penetration and floatation.

Breaking Down Winter Tires - Tire Review Magazine

There are three principal categories of winter tires: performance winter, studless ice and snow, and studdable winter tires. All meet severe snow service

www.tirereview.com