hhr082lt

Hey guys I've been following you for about the last 3 months or so, but just haven't had many concerns that weren't searchable. :) btw your site has been great so thanks for all the good information.

Anyway I have an 08 2lt and am currently in SC but am moving to Denver in merely 3 weeks. I will be doing lots of skiing and mountain driving and have heard the terrible reviews of winter driving on our oem all-seasons.

Basically I am looking for the absolute cheapest but cost effective option available. So i've decided to go with wheels and winter tires. My problem is tirerack.com offers some 15" wheels but does not guarantee all 15" wheels to fit. and the deal I want is from Disc.tire where they can't confirm the use of any 15" wheel for the HHR.

The 15" wheels and tires are almost $150 cheaper than the 16's. I have done all the searching and see some people here have chosen to do 15's but I wanted to check and see how good the clearance was and if they thought other brands would as well.

I'm looking at a 15" 5x110 40mm offset with 205/60/15's which will be a little short but still good.

Can anyone give me more information about what is necessary for the 15" wheels to fit? THANK YOU!

DreamHHR

My winter wheels are 15" from a Saturn LS200. They clear the front calipers with less than 1/4 inch to spare. Ask for a tire/wheel package for that car and they should theoretically fit.

I like my winter tires on the skinny side: 195/65-15; that combo is really effective in wet/slushy snow, but dry road handling suffers.

Good luck

Yves

843de

Just a thought, but maybe you'd want to hold off on the tires/wheels until you reach Denver. Being in primo snow country there should be a tire shop out there to fix you up. The other thought is why put the extra wear on the snow tires driving out west when you'll be needing the best traction out of them there. I'm pretty sure several here have done the 15" wheel conversion, and maybe they'll chip in with their advice also.

hhr082lt

Thanks for your input Dream that is certainly good info and wow on the 1/4 inch. That is some tight clearances.

843de I agree on getting them when I am there, the only problem is that a lot of the online sources are getting depleted and they won't be restocking winter tires so I am considering ordering the tires and having them shipped when I am on the way out there as that has been offered.

btw are you in the 843? I'm actually leaving myrtle beach for Denver

Anyone else please chip in with your opinions I certainly appreciate the help.

843de

I have a friend out in Denver hhr08 and I'm waiting on him to get back to me with the name of the tire shop he uses. He's one of those goofy SAAB drivers but he's super picky about his tires and he also uses the SAAB for rallies. I'll get the info to you when I hear back. Not in the 843 to answer your question, the 843de is tail number of my aircraft. The plane is a whole 'nother kettle of fish and it keeps me in a state of constant check writing.

Sno White

I just purchased from TireRack their “Steel” 15 inch wheels and they fit just fine on my 2009 LS. You will find them in their “Winter” packages on the web, but are available individually by phone. I could not find new steel wheels anyplace else. I put some narrower 205/65/15 tires on for both winter and summer driving. I do have some knowledge from this site the steel wheels will not fit any SS with the larger calipers. Clearance on my LS is fine.

I believe TireRack has sourced these steel wheels or has them made for them specially. If you don’t want something simple like steel wheels then you will have to find a willing dealer to work with as they order in various wheels to see if there are any clearance problems.

If you want something used in the lug pattern the HHR uses, then search this site and you will find some recommendations.

As far as getting outfitted in Denver - I agree.

hhr082lt

Sno White - I also had found the steelies available on tire rack. My problem was that with their shipping costs I can purchase alloy's from discounttire for just $120 more. With the look and weight saving I felt like this is the better option for me. I think I will just wait till I get to Denver and order one wheel first to see if it fits then order the rest if it does :) lol Unless someone can give me a better feeling about it :). I guess I was hoping to just hear that theres no issues but of course it's not that simple :) Thank you also!

Sno White

On your trip West you might also happen upon a Tire Rack location - if you wish and save on the shipping.

843de

Heard back from my friend in Denver, he uses Meadow Creek Tire Inc.(www.meadowcreektire.com), and is very happy with the service. They specialize in Nokian and Gislaved tires, pretty much the ultimate snow tires.

saltydog

Sooooo....15" steelies do fit? I have a 2010 Panel that I was going to order 16" wheel vintique smoothies from.....but I would rather do 15" and do a moon cover from hub cap mike and add white wall tires.

If the 15's fit....what is the tire size?