Winter Tire Sizes

[PA986S]

Just got my winter sneakers for the 01 box s...got some winter sport m3's. I went with the 205/50 r17 in the front and 225/45 r17(orig 255/40) for the rear...now someone is telling me 225 is to small for the 17x8.5 and also that the car wont handle right. The manual states 225/45 for winter tires and I know a smaller patch is better for winter...is this size ok?? Are others using 225's for the winter?

TIA

[MNBoxster]

Hi,

You'll be just fine with those sizes. The reason you want a narrower Winter Tire is so you place more weight/in² on the ground. This smaller Contact Patch gives you better traction and control. For even greater traction, you might consider having the Tires Siped, see: http://sipers.com/sipers/index_large.asp Hope this helps...

Happy Motoring!...Jim'99