Winter Tire Swap vs Winter Tire on Wheel Swap
We are often asked the Pros & Cons of having dedicated winter wheels & tires vs winter tires.
Dedicated Winter Wheels & Tires:
Pros
- Can install yourself if you have adequate tooling (jack, impact, sockets, torque wrench & TPMS tool)
- Quicker to install at tire/service shop – Reason being, tires are mounted and balance already on wheels. This swap over process is approx. 20-30 min.
- Cheaper for the swap over
- You keep your summer wheels looking nicer longer – Typically when people buy nice summer wheels, they use their factory wheels for winter time use
- They storage the same as just having winter tires – They take no more extra room.
Cons
- Costs more upfront- You need to buy wheels, tire pressure monitor sensors (TPMS) in most applications, wheel studs/nuts
- Sometimes the winter wheels don’t look as nice as your factory or summer wheels.
Dedicated Winter Tires Only:
Pros
- Cheaper upfront cost – You are only buying the tires, nothing else
- You can run your factory wheel all year round
Cons
- You spend more money each season for tire swap- Summer to winter and again winter back to summer. This total cost twice a year is approx. $300
- Each time you swap your tires over, you risk damaging the tire
- Takes longer, approx. 1 -1.5hrs to carefully swap tires over
If you have any questions, we would love to hear from you.
Thanks
Mark