[NewCarPlease]

Hey guys, I was hoping you could help me out. I'm about 2 days away from buying a 95 Stealth TT, and the owner before me did not winter drive it.
Unfortunately, I don't have the luxury of a crap-ass winter beater right now, so I will have to get snow tires for the poor thing. ..
I only plan on driving it this winter, as next year I'll have a beater, and even this year, driving will be minimal.
Cost plays a factor in this purchase, since it'll only be this winter, so I'm just gonna get a used set with some steelies, so my question is:
What is the smallest wheel size I can get, and what rubber size would be recommended with them? Can I go as low as 195/60 15's, or is the smallest 16's?
I know it's a disgusting sin to spare expenses when it comes to a car as beautiful as a TT, but I'm only 20 and still in school, so bear with me.
Any help is appreciated.
Thanks
Chris

 

[chuck]

WTF......walk....what happened to the shelby?

 

[Turbo Tension]

Just get someone's old R/T wheels, people sell them for pretty cheap on here. and I think the tires are like 225/55/16. That should be plenty of traction if you've got snow tires on em.

 

[ANDROMALIUS]

Get the thinnest tire you can, wide tires are like skis in the snow. You get less traction and its harder to stop.

 

[Bios24]

Getting more narrow tires will help, and try to look for tires specificly for winter use. ( ie- Mich. Alpine ) I know the base Stealth used 15" stock rims, but I'm not sure if they will work on a TT. Didn't the TT have bigger brakes than the Base? I know you can buy some cheap steel wheels and tires packages online. That might be your best bet. Steel wheels are cheap, and it would bring the cost of tires down. ( 17" tires cost more than 15" tires )

 

[DodgeStealthGuy]

I have a set of the 15" base stealth wheels and some 205/65/R15 Dunlop Radial GT tires for sale. Make me an offer. They are in moderate to good condition. You would want to probably buy some new tires for them for the winter. The Dunlop's did pretty crappy the one winter I had it out in the snow. Like I said, make me an offer.

 

[NewCarPlease]

damn winter

I'll make an offer if I get the car Thanks guys.

Chuck,
The reason I'm not driving the shelby is becuase it is a HORRIBLE winter car. For some reason, I don't get heat in the winter - only in the summer. I've changed the thermostat, flushed the rad, checked the hoses - still no heat in the winter. So I cant even defrost my sindows in the morning, which brings to mind some other winter problems:
The weather stripping is ripped a bit so there is a 1/8" x 5" gap between the top of my window and the bottom of my t-roof, so needless to say, it gets pretty effing cold inside, and ice accumulates over the WHOLE inside windshield.
Next, EVERYTHING freezes. Thestick isn't spring loaded so in neutral, it takes a LOT of muscle just to move it left to right, and it is now almost IMPOSSILBE to put it far right enough to put it in 5th, and there isn't even any snow yet!
For these reasons and more, I do NOT want to drive the shelby in the winter.

 

[NewCarPlease]

sorry for all the CAPITALIZATION.

 

[wetwork]

That's the same year I have and from what I have been finding out on this site is that the older stealth rims will not clear the front brakes without some kind of spacers I think.

Do you know if that car has the stock 17 or stock 18 inchers?

I have been thinking about doing the same thing and would love to find a set of Used 17 inch wheels to slap some snow tires on. NO luck so far.

 

[Multiades]

'95 TT, huh.

I'm thinking you're f***ed.

The 16" aluminum rims that come with most non-turbos do NOT fit on a 2G TT (they will work on a 1G TT). I have 2nd-gen TT brakes on my '91 and my stock 17" wheels don't even fit. I'm trying to make a 16" winter package work with these brakes, but I have had no luck so far. I test-fitted my buddy's 16" Mille Miglia Spiders today and they were a no-go. I am SO SURE that there are 16" wheels out there that WILL fit, but I'm afraid they are going to be the really expensive ultralight, ultrathin forged kind (using a minimal amt. of material).

Steel wheels REALLY won't work.

You have three options that I KNOW will work:

1) Buy aftermarket 17s that clear the brakes (there are quite a few out there that will work) and get expensive 17" snow tires (225/50/17). Test fit the wheels before you buy or ask someone who owns them and 2G brakes.

Cost: maybe $1000-$1200?

2) Buy ULTRA-expensive snow tires for your stock 18s and risk dinging them on something through the winter.

Cost: $600-$800 + the danger of damaging your rims

3) Buy 1G turbo brakes and use any wheel/tire package from 16 inches and up.

Cost: about $900

All of those options are expensive.

You could also try an uncertain #4: try some wheel places until you find aftermarket 16s that DO fit and buy a cheap wheel/tire package ($700-$750) with 205/60/16 tires. 225/55/16s would add about $35 per tire.

If you happen upon 16s that DO fit, please let me know.

-Chris Wood

 

[gd1996]

Honestly buying a dirt cheap beater will be cheaper than buying wheels/trires for the winter probally. I drive my in the winter on kumhos, but don't have to drive as I don't have a job right now, so its not a concern.

On the daytona, check the valve thats on the heater hose runnign into the passenger compartment to the heater core. Sometimes the valves won't open, vacuum operated. I had that happen on my 85 z, it was single digit weather when I drove with no heater, wow that sucked!!!

 

[VR-4Maniac]

i run

i run first gen wheels, not the chrome ones, 17"s, with Goodyear M+S EMT mud and snow tires...its a helluva setup.

 

[Struggly]

Re: '95 TT, huh.

I'm thinking you're f***ed.

-Chris Wood

I'm going to have to second that. DO NOT buy those OEM 16" wheels; they will not fit over the brakes.

The larger diameter of the 2G brakes makes finding wheels difficult. Consider this: When I bought my car, it had a set of snows only, no sport tires. The wheels were 18X9; the tires were 265/35/18. That diameter increase necessitates overkill (not quite as much as 18x9, 265/35, but overkill nonetheless ).

By the way, if you do decide to go with low profile snows on your stock 18s, or even on 17s, you're going to blow tires, as Multiades said, and it's going to be expensive. One of mine got popped already, on the most minor of curbings, and the tire is 285 dollars. (I wasn't driving...Hell, the wheels weren't even on my car, but that's something else.)

Good luck finding 16s that fit. Multiades will become your personal servant for a month if you do, because he's been looking for a while.

Clint Fralick