Firewatcher

The factory Firestones have not been all that great. this winter was very snowy and they proved to be nearly worthless. I'm going into a true snow tire this winter. I just haven't decided what.

Danko

I just got an HHR and want to put 225/60 x 16s on it and think they will fit but have started a thread today asking if anyone has tried that size or other bigger/taller tires on stock 16" rims. Here I see concern about snow which we will also have too soon but as an oldtimer, I know the answer for snow is tall narrow tires which the 225/60s are, somewhat. Even though they are 225's the 60 series have a narrower than stock tread width vs. the 215/55s. It seems the only discussion here is with brands and none with sizes. So who has tried larger diameters tires and what size are they? thnx!

minttbird

im thinkink og getting a set of cheep take offs from a hhr or cobalt and just buying 2 winter tires and using 2 stock takeoffssticking with 16 or 17 in tires might even just get steel wheels... thoughts?

knightRS32

This is a good thread that all new HHR owners should read before they have to go through snow! I've got under 2000 miles on my tires and steel wheels with the bolt on caps. My plan is to drive until November then get the Dunlop SP Winter Sport 3D tires on the same rims. In the spring I'll fork out the cash for some black rims and summer treads.

Danko

HHRs have five lug wheels and cheap Cobalts have what, four?

Songman

I gotta get in on this! This was taken on our cross country trip. This was in New Mexico about 150 miles from Albuquerque. We had reservations in Albuquerque that night so we drove on in this mess. Us and the semis were about all that was on the road but the little HHR did just fine.

twistrman

i know tires and the vehicle have a bit to do with the winter driving but I think your winter driving skill has a lot more to do with it.

I'm from Michigan, so although i am young, i have a lot of horrible winter driving under my belt. i have been in enough ditches and on top of things from ice to know what not to do. I'm trading in my GMC Jimmy for the HHR, and i'm hoping it handles the snow alright, i can take care of the rest. Never got stuck with the jimmy yet and it's just rear wheel drive, even when i see other people stuck every where else and sliding backwards down hills i was fine.

But back to what i was thinking about driving skill being a huge part of it this past winter i drove through the worst snow storm i ever was in right around easter. I live in Indiana now and the normal 3 hour trip to michigan took over 5. We were in my wife's 5 door aveo, so i would say, a car not that good in the snow at all. tiny little tires, no clearance, no grip, it sucked. But we got there, slow and steady, instead of all the people with 4wd suv's passing me going 50 and then saw them later on in the ditch. Best part (or worst part!) is when the driver side windshield wiper bolt came loose or something, then jammed into the other one, taking about both wipers, luckily i figured out who to fix it at the gas station.

these tires that everyone is saying are horrible, which hhr do they come on? I'm getting the 2008 2LT, and it didn't say exactly what the tires were i th they weren't the same.

frostylaw

Ha, ha. I recognize that gas station. I live North of Albuquerque. I was there at that gas station last winter when it looked like that. I am planning to put Blizzaks on my HHR SS this winter. I run them on my patrol car and they are way better than any studded tire I have ever tried.

TheBug

I plan on putting Blizzaks on the stock SS wheels this winter and getting Black or gun metal wheels come summer.

Goose

I recently upgraded to the factory 17" OEM polished aluminum rims with the Firehawks and no way in he double hockey sticks would I trust these tires in even a 1/4 inch of snow...I spin them now on dry pavement with maybe 3000 miles on them!

I may just throw the 16" rims back on for the winter but outfit them with Blizzaks etc or I might just get a set of steel rims and do the same (and sell the 16" OEMs)

The Affinitys got me home during a massive snowfall last winter (5 hours to go 50 miles) and I did not get stuck but they didn't inspire a whole lot of confidence either as they were really slippery..how I didn't get stuck I'll never know



Goose