[Jeepman]

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%

 

[Jeepman]

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

Spray them with Fluid Film and put wheel covers on them, is the easy route.

To make them look better requires a bit of work.
Clean with soap and water
Dry
Brush on rust converter to the rust spots only (read directions first)
Do a second application of rust converter (available at Canadian Tire - Rust Check brand))
Spray on a rust preventative black enamel type paint (Tremclad, Rustoleum, Armor Coat (CTC), Whatever)
Let dry and apply a second coat
Treat yourself to fish and chips.

 

[Jeepman]

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

 

[Jeepman]

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?

It could be a carry over from yesteryear when winter tires were put on the rear only, to facilitate traction with rear wheel drive. It was also more convenient to have the extra wheels ready to put on when actually needed, than go to a tire changer, many miles away, on short notice. Back then, steel wheels were the norm year round.
FWD and the need to dress up mostly mundane looking vehicles these days, has lead to the fancy wheels. I don't know that that is debatable. Look at those 1957 Ford Fairlanes.

 

[Jeepman]

impact wrenches should never be used to put on wheel nuts.only to take them of.
Tighten by feel or torque wrench as a rule of thumb.
To often when garages work on a vehicle they rush and out comes the impact .
And look out trying to get them off again even with an impact.
That’s why sometimes nuts have to be torched off.
And always use never seize on threads 👍Happy Thanksgiving 👍🇨🇦
p.s
Do you change your own tires and keep the nice Aluminum rims all winter.
If so wouldn’t that be pricey.?

Impact wrenches shouldn't be used around wheels, period. It's illegal to use them on commercial vehicles here, so I am told. Think buses and trucks and passenger vans.

Using an impact wrench to break the lug nuts loose, beats the stainless steel caps up pretty bad, hence the caps coming off eventually. Nobody likes that but they don't seem to complain, except about the vehicle manufacturer, "Chrysler doesn't know how to make lug nuts, boo-hoo".

I have seen Costco do a proper job of changing wheels and Walmart on some occasions. 95% of the wheel lug nut work generally = not so good IMO. On an exam, an F.

As to lubrication, a light application of lubricant, say Fluid Film, use to be acceptable and I still use it. In the hands of a wheel changer, maybe not so good, considering how they use impact wrenches. A quick spray over everything will do ya. NO, only the threads.

Don't be surprised if your lug nuts are torqued 140 ft.lb.+ instead of the 100 ft.lb. specified. That makes sure the wheel won't loosen up for the next 500,000 miles. It would be interesting to know what the Company policies and insurance policies say about wheel work. They can be particular re tires.

https://www.costco.ca/tire-disclaimer.html?langId=-24

 

[Jeepman]

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.

 

[Jeepman]

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.

 

[Jeepman]

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.

 

[Jeepman]

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.

 

[Jeepman]

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.

 

[Jeepman]

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.

 

[Jeepman]

Not in Mississauga... $903.96 plus tax = $1021.47 which is more than the Michelin XIce Snow that I got last year... I paid $1,032 + tax including 4 steelies ($240) + installation, balancing and shipping
Tires only $792 + tax = $895

You didn't buy when on sale at Canadian Tire.

 

[Jeepman]

I don't need to buy... but you said they are on sale this week... well, not in Mississauga... probably not in ON but in NS

That sale ended on Thursday. A different selection of tires is on sale beginning yesterday.

Winter Tires?

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...

www.chryslerminivan.net

 

[Jeepman]

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.

They are more of an ice tire than a jaw crushing snow tire. They have their limits and will also change those limits as they wear. A worn tire becomes a better dry traction tire and more fuel efficient.

The OE size tire for the 5th Generations is great for comfort, handling, and pot hole season. I wouldn't change the size. Up your air pressure by a couple psi (38 to 40). If you want a more aggressive tire in the snow, go for the aggressive, more open, tread patterns. There are many and cheaper tires that will provide better grip than the Michelin X ice in deep snow or slush. Maybe consider a light truck tire.

The new Michelin X-ICE SNOW is a more aggressive looking tire.

https://www.anrdoezrs.net/click-100...https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Michelin&tireModel=X-Ice+Snow

 

[Jeepman]

2004 Acura TSX
215/50 R17 for summer on OE alloys
215/55 R16 for winter on steelies. Much better (less flat) for the potholes and a less expensive tire to boot

 

[Jeepman]

What's going on with the Acura is this:
The width, sidewall to sidewall is the same at 215 mm.
The summer tires wall height is 50% of its width = 107.5 mm
The winter tire's wall height is 55% of its width = 118 mm (higher profile = better for regular use, potholes, etc.)
118 mm - 107.5 mm =10.5 mm
10.5 mm x 2 = 21 mm (approximately 0.8" difference in rim size.

My van's tire at 225/65 R17 has a wall height that is 65% of 225 = 146.25 mm. Not a flashy low profile tire but a very functional, well positioned tire. One could go to a 225/70 R16 with a larger aspect ratio (%), but not if the Van has the "heavy duty" brakes (interference).

 

[Jeepman]

I just ordered a new set of Michelin X-Ice. Does anyone know how long the batteries, typically last in the air pressure sensors? My old ones are now seven years old. Does it make sense to replace them?

Maybe, maybe not, depends on type of battery and its use.
Changing TPMS Sensor Batteries

Changing TPMS Sensor Batteries

It's time to charge up tire dealers' customer education campaigns for TPMS sensor replacement as the life expectancies of batteries molded into sensors

www.tirereview.com

You will be changing tires again in the Spring. I don't remember many posts talking about battery replacement. That would likely show up in:
What you did to/with your vehicle today threads.

 

[Jeepman]

Picked up a set of winter tires from Canadian Tire, for the Jeep, last evening. Made in China but quite impressive, also a little heavier at 29.9 lbs (Blizzak weighs in at 25 2 lb), with 5 belts. There's a nylon cap belt on the tread. 235/75R-15.with good road rating/feedback.

I think it will be a keeper.

Certified WinterTrek Tire

https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/tires/pdp/certified-wintertrek-tire-0031702p.0051837.html

 

[Jeepman]

Holy cow Jeepman you must put on a lot of miles or just love yer tires lol👍😂

Ha, ha. The tires on the Jeep have been driven winter and summer since January 2016, I believe. They have 1/8" of tread depth left now. Would be good for another summer but so much for winter. The rear wheels can spin out on the Jeep very easily on a slippery surface, if I don't have it in 4WD, with the 4.0L I6 engine being fairly powerful.
How about while passing a truck on a divided highway at 110 km/hr,? Around and around, never ending until the right rear corner makes contact with a guardrail for $500.00 damage back in 2005. Black ice on an overpass. Tires were worn, off road type and hard..