Just got a quote for winter tyres. On my existing 19″ wheels, ~£220 each.

On 18″ wheels, ~£160 each. I can get an OK set of 18″ alloys for £400.

Just the tyres on the 19″ wheels are cheaper, plus my car will still look like a pimpmobile.

However – is there any additional benefit in using spare wheels for winter tyres that would outweigh the extra cost? And the shame of being slightly under-wheeled?

Are those RFL?

I’ve got 19s and I pay £150 a tyre for top end winter tyres.

I get them swapped onto my existing rims for the price of a box of beers.

The benefits of not using a spare is that you can go smaller, making the winter tyres more effective (and cheaper), and you won’t damage your nice rims if you slide and scuff a kerb etc.

I looked into this:

a) Steel wheels less likely to corrode in salt etc than alloys
b) …and cheaper & not such a worry as Peterfile says
c) You don’t have to get them changed every year and avoid damage that way
d) Steels are often smaller – e.g. 16″ and the higher profile of the resulting tyre helps, but I’m not sure how.
e) certainly in my case tyres for a 16″ wheel are a lot cheaper.

FWIW I’m looking at £535 to replace 4 x 18’s 225 runflat with 4 x 16 205 top quality Conti winter RFT

They’ll last a few winters too.

What’s the insurance implication of using a non-standard wheel and tyre?

They are 255/35/R19s or 245/40/R18, 150mph rated. Goodyear Ultragrips or Pirelli W240S2 for the 19s, Dunlop Wintersport 3D for the 18s. I could probably get them a bit cheaper going internet rather than local fitter.

What’s the insurance implication of using a non-standard wheel and tyre

None if they are within the design specs as per the handbook

FWIW when I’ve looked at winter wheels / tyres it’s always been on the basis of simple steel wheels with manufacturers plastic “hub caps”. Easier to do switch overs and keeps the alloys away from winter salt etc.

I used to have the tyres swapped onto the main wheels. Was cheaper at the time, I really regretted it though. Pain in the balls to arrange twice a year, and the good guy who used to do it left and then I couldn’t find anyone worth paying.. pain in the bum.

Also remember you can get a different size steel winter wheel which will a) be better in snow and b) be cheaper. The Passat comes with 215/55/R16, but 205/65/R16 are about 2/3 the price and pretty similar in size. It was a similar setup for the Prius too.

I weighed it up and bought a set of 16″ steel wheels with decent winter tyres. standard wheels are 18″.
Some say that they look a bit lost in the wheel arches, but since I am inside the car when driving and I don’t tend to look at the car when I’m not this is not a disadvantage as far as I am concerned.
Buying them will end up cost neutral as the steel wheels have a value when I do come to sell the car. The winters have lasted two years already, and are less than half worn ( i.e still have 6mm+ of tread, they loose their effectiveness in snow at 4mm)
Edit:
Even though they say it isn’t necessary, I do inform my insurance company each year-it doesn’t cost anything, they waive their admin charge

What’s the insurance implication of using a non-standard wheel and tyre?

A lot less than me writing off my second car within the current period of my insurance cover.

Hmm, steel wheels in the size I need seem difficult according to the specialist forums. Cheapish alloys would be needed.

I’d still probably get someone else to do the wheel swapping because I’m a lazy bastard, but I’m sure it’ll be cheaper/easier than tyre swapping. I guess my main concern about just swapping the tyres is the potential for damage.

Smaller wheels is my preference which gives a bit more cushion for the many pot holes that winter produces.

My car’s got 235/35ZR19 on its alloys and I bought a set of steels from my local breaker and put 215/55VR16 on last year – and then we had next to no snow, just like the previous year…

But the year before we had the first snow in late October and the last in May – so they’ll be going back on this year.

Winter tyres cost £30 a tyre less than summers and the car is far comfier with the tall profile, although doesn’t handle quite as well (in the dry).

Don’t smaller wheels cause the speedo to read wrong and change the effective gearing?

No you get higher profile tyres to compensate so the diameter remains the same.

Not if you buy the correct size. I bought higher profile, narrower 16″ cheap alloys for my winter tires as 245/40/18 winters were stupidly expensive. I used an online calculator to calculate what diameter/profile combination I needed to almost perfectly match the 18″ originals, so the effect on the speedo etc is negligible.