20 Inch Winter Tires - Crazy?

[BetOnBlack]

I have an extra set of 20x9 and 20x10.5 wheels and need to buy winter tires asap. I was looking at a set of the Vredestein Wintrac Pro in 245/40R20 and 275/35R20. They're only 250/each. Is it crazy to run 20" wheels in the winter? It doesn't snow much much where I live, but I plan on taking a road trip or two to Colorado for skiing. I heard skinnier tires are better for the snow - should I go down in width on the tires?

I though about switching back to 18's (GT no PP), but some loser stole two of my stock wheels from my driveway, so I only have two 18" wheels. OEM takeoffs on Ebay were $200 each when I checked so 2 18" wheels + 4 18" tires would cost around the same as 4 20" tires.

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[NightmareMoon]

lack of sidewall cushion isn't ideal, nor is a wide tire (but 245s are probably fine on the front).

But tire type and age probably matters a lot more than dimensions.

 

[sigintel]

For driving a stang in rain and snow, 245 rear tire width massively outperforms 275 for penetrating slush/water/snow.

Go michelin XICE, nearly as good as blizzak but Mich has way better highspeed cold n dry performance.
Ford sometimes puts killer wheel deals up just for snow tire setups. I think I paid $200 for 4 Stang wheels for snow tire set 4 years back. They were the discontinued Sparkles that Ford dumped. Check SVE as well.

 

[biminiLX]

I drive a Hellcat thru 3 Ohio winters on stock sized 275/40/20 performance V-rated snow tires. It was a blast. Just get a quality tire and use your head. Never left me stranded.
-J

 

[Troutwrangler]

If you weren't planning to take a couple of ski trips to Colorado, would you still be installing winter tires on your Mustang?
Only reason that I ask is if you would be better off to forget buying winter tires and just rent an AWD vehicle for your ski trips?

 

[biminiLX]

Good point but it’s more than just snow. Summer performance tires under 40 don’t do well where snow tires are great in cold/low snow environments. My Hellcat went from Drag radials (555Rs) to Snows (Yokohama V-rated) and back as a real daily driver and I loved it.
Just watch low tread DRs in downpours/sheeting on the highways, otherwise I’ll take my experience and enjoy the car year around if it’s my daily.
-J

 

[BetOnBlack]

If you weren't planning to take a couple of ski trips to Colorado, would you still be installing winter tires on your Mustang?
Only reason that I ask is if you would be better off to forget buying winter tires and just rent an AWD vehicle for your ski trips?

I think I'll still need them even if I don't go to Colorado. It already snowed here and I want to take some road trips this season to Utah or Santa Fe this year. My city can also get down to the teens with a lot of windchill. And my summer tires are sketchy below 40 deg

 

[BetOnBlack]

lack of sidewall cushion isn't ideal, nor is a wide tire (but 245s are probably fine on the front).

But tire type and age probably matters a lot more than dimensions.

How narrow of a tire can you put on a 10.5" rear wheel? That's where I ran into problems speccing the size.

 

[NightmareMoon]

How narrow of a tire can you put on a 10.5" rear wheel? That's where I ran into problems speccing the size.

check your chosen tire specs. It varies from tire to tire, but the tire specs will tell you what size wheels they’ll fit on

 

[VinnAY]

Just to chime in a little bit because I've struggled along the same lines of needing to get off of summer tires. Consider an A/S like the A/S3+, you're def increasing the price point that you mentioned about. I've driven on the already mentioned Xi3...great tire when you need that snow/ice capability but then you're stuck with them the other months and they suck to drive on because all the handling is gone. Might not matter to you.
I just wouldn't go in to that tire category because you might make a trip or two. Consider a performance winter like the Michelin Alpin PA4. A performance winter fits in between an A/S and a snow/ice tire.
Seems like you got a really narrow need for a different tire. I kind of liked the idea to rent a car in your situation.

 

[BetOnBlack]

Just to chime in a little bit because I've struggled along the same lines of needing to get off of summer tires. Consider an A/S like the A/S3+, you're def increasing the price point that you mentioned about. I've driven on the already mentioned Xi3...great tire when you need that snow/ice capability but then you're stuck with them the other months and they suck to drive on because all the handling is gone. Might not matter to you.
I just wouldn't go in to that tire category because you might make a trip or two. Consider a performance winter like the Michelin Alpin PA4. A performance winter fits in between an A/S and a snow/ice tire.
Seems like you got a really narrow need for a different tire. I kind of liked the idea to rent a car in your situation.

I ended up getting 4X 265/35R-20 YOKOHAMA BLUEARTH WINTER V905 XL which is a performance winter/snow tire.

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