Advice for tires/wheels on STI

[MustangSVT]

Hi there folks. I will be getting a new STI hatchback soon, and am looking at what my options are for winter tyres. A few tidbits of info:

- advice on which specific tyres to look for? I do a lot of winter driving going to the ski hill.

- any experience with buying wheels and/or tires from the states? Or should I just buy locally?

- any good deals to be had? I'm thinking maybe if I can find a group buy for tires I could get a good deal.

- I would like to have gold wheels on my STI, but I have little experience with the matter. Ideally, I'd like the current wheels the car comes on to be gold painted and use them for summer, is this what most people do, or do they purchase aftermarket gold wheels?

- studded vs non-studded?

Simply wondering what to do for that last point there, is it better to get the current rims painted gold, or simply use the current wheels with winter tyres and get aftermarket ones for summer?

Here's a picture to describe what I'd want for summer to look like:



Car looks like this approximately:



Advice is welcome, even if it's simply "check this subaru forum".

[KRyn]

Originally posted by MustangSVT
- any experience with buying wheels and/or tires from the states? Or should I just buy locally?

There are a couple of good places in Calgary to check out. Bob and the crew over at Urban X and also I would check out Kyle at Spec-R Tires.

Originally posted by MustangSVT

- I would like to have gold wheels on my STI, but I have little experience with the matter. Ideally, I'd like the current wheels the car comes on to be gold painted and use them for summer, is this what most people do, or do they purchase aftermarket gold wheels?
-Simply wondering what to do for that last point there, is it better to get the current rims painted gold, or simply use the current wheels with winter tyres and get aftermarket ones for summer?

When did Subaru stop offering the iconic gold BBS wheels with the STI? I would get your stock wheels repainted gold as the wheels supplied with the car are forged! But it is often nice to have two sets of rims and tires so buying aftermarket might be the way to go if you can find a rim you like for a reasonable price. Do you have any plans to track your STI at all?

Originally posted by MustangSVT

- studded vs non-studded?

I have never had any trouble on non-studded tires!

[TunerF1]

PM'D!!!

[ArjayAquino]

BTW, if you're interested in more subaru related topics I'd recommend checking out WSC. Mostly guys from Calgary and Edmonton.
http://www.westernsubaruclub.com/smf...php?board=11.0

[Twin_Cam_Turbo]

I personally like Pirelli Sottozeros.

[jonnycat]

I still have my Falken Winters from my old sti. I've only put 7500kms on them. Worked great. $600

[taemo]

cant remember my winter tires anymore but on my DGM I went with DGM rims, IMO gold is too contrasty.
If you want something gold, I would recommend going bronze.