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I have the alloys with Enasaves (1km wear) from Zero, my '14 in storage.
I have the Enasaves on the factory steel wheels (4k wear) on Shelby, my '17
Would I be better to buy another set of steelies and mount my snows on them, leaving my balanced Ensaves happily on their original factory wheels? Or rip them off and store them for use when I wear out the set currently on the alloys? (that might be 3-5years)
Other options?
I'd rip-and-store. Keep the extra Enasaves for the alloys, throw some snow tires on the steelies.
I have a set of Pirelli Snow Control Series 3 on my snow steelies.
By the time you pay to unmount, and then when you need them remount and balance, you might as well just bought some cheap rims in the first place. Plus the benefit of only 1 trip to the tire shop, and 4 full ready to go spares.
Finding a set of 4x100 rims for under $50 shouldn't be a chore, unless your concerned with driving around on steelies
Quote:
I'd rip-and-store. Keep the extra Enasaves for the alloys, throw some snow tires on the steelies.
Used steelies will save me about $200 against the total sum, that helps a lotQuote:
Finding a set of 4x100 rims for under $50 shouldn't be a chore, unless your concerned with driving around on steelies
I found a nice set of Firestone Champion fuel efficient snows on steelies for $210
I decided I don't want to run the alloys/Enasave combo, so
1. buy steelies for my new snows keeping my factory Enasaves on the factory rims all nicely balanced -$200 Edited to reflect cheap snows I found
2. Sell my steelie/Enasave wheels this spring, I didn't know Enasaves were so stupid expensive, +$450? $300?
3. Sell my alloys & "new" Enasaves this spring, they are 100% and should fetch top buck. +$750 ? $500? stuff is expensive up here
4. Buy Konig Helium Bronze & Bridgestone Encopa that Top Fuel researched. -$900
Buy used alloys and new Encopas, $550
So now I'm spending $1100 $725 and hopefully getting $1200 $800 which means I'll be ahead.
edited for new prices maybe more realistic
In theory they may be worth $750...but nobody will pay that...especially on this forum where everyone is always looking for a deal.Quote:
Originally Posted by Wallythacker
I sold a perfect set of used Enasaves and could only get $250 for them (link here). I also sold a perfect set of alloy wheels and only got $200 for them. I had to sell them on eBay to get any interest (link here).
I used that $450 to offset the cost of my new wheels/tires...so it was a no-brainer as far as I'm concerned. If I had kept my Enasaves, they'd be 75% worn down by now. The tires I replaced them with aren't even close to being worn.
That's a legit concern. How much can I really get for my tires and wheels? I might find a '14 owners with their worn Enasaves who would entertain a NOS (sort of) set.Quote:
Originally Posted by Top_Fuel
I really like the 100,000mi Encopa aspect. Two sets of those tires should easily cover the 17 years I plan on keeping Shelby. Unless I finally drop in the 428 CJ I keep rambling on about. lol
The $175 winter tires didn't pan out but I think I did better with another deal.
I ended with Champion tires, turns out they are Firestones energy saving tire, with their best performance on snow and ice. They have 11mm tread depth so I believe the guy when he said they did half a season on his daughter's car. The steelies look great too, they only need a good bristle brushing and a coat of Nufinish. I do all my steel wheels with it. Cost $210.
This means I can keep my existing Enasaves on their steelies and get them off the car before they see any more salt.
Time to advertise the Enasave/steelies. Maybe some '14 Mirage owner out there ignorant of this forum is needing some tires with full treads but would like to save a few bucks.
I live in southwest Wisconsin. I recently added a pair of snow tires to the front of my 2017 Mirage ES (manual). I just wanted a little extra traction for climbing hills in my area. My driveway also comes out of at the bottom of a small hill. My Mirage has to climb that hill without much momentum built up.
I bought a pair of steel rims (14” x 5.5”) for $50/rim with free shipping. I also purchased a pair of 165/65-14 Nokian Nordman 7 (non-studded) snow tires. They were approximately $79/tire with free shipping. I had my local mechanic mount & balance the tires on the rims for $20. I added the new snow tires to my Mirage earlier this week. We have had 2 light snowfalls since. Enough snow to make things really slippery, because it’s also been very cold (salt on the roads isn’t doing much).
Even though we haven’t had a heavy snow, I can tell these tires are going to do a great job. I can already sense a difference in traction going up hill. I will eventually get a second set for the back, but I am fine with this for now. I am not interested in racing around curves in bad weather. I just want a little extra insurance climbing up the snow covered up hill roads in my area. If I can’t climb a few hills, I don’t make it home in my car. I have an AWD vehicle with four snow tires, too. If the weather is really bad, I have that option. I am using my Mirage as my daily driver. I’ve found skinny tires on small FWD cars do very well.
I would have considered 13” snow tires, but 13” rims will not fit on a 2017 model Mirage. The large brakes will not clear 13” rims. 14” rims don’t have a lot of extra clearance even. I was concerned about the lack of options in the 165/65r14 tire size, but there are tires out there. The Nokian snow tires can be found with or without studs in that size. Studs are not legal in Wisconsin. Although the Nokian Nordman 7 is a relatively new style of snow tire, Nokian has an excellent snow tire reputation. In my opinion, skinny tires are way better in snow. Thus, I wanted to stick with the original factory size tires. If I had not found some good options, I would have gone skinner instead of wider.
I am very happy with my purchase. The factory hubcaps fit on my new extra set of steel rims. I didn’t purchase TPMS sensors. I can live with the dash light being on for a few months. I spent $160 for TPMS for set of snow tires for my other AWD vehicle. I drive with the dash light on with that set, too. I don’t live near the dealership that set them up for me. I don’t have the time or want to spend the money on having the TPMS system reset every time I switch wheels. Thus, I wasted my money on sensors.
Some day I would like to have a complete set of snow tires for my Mirage with TPMS sensors that are cloned with my factory wheel TPMS sensors. I am not sure why this isn’t more popular? My local mechanic shops seem reluctant to jump on that bandwagon. Then again, many people drive on all-season tires in my area. I prefer the snow tires. I believe the softer rubber compound makes a difference in colder weather. It’s the rubber compound more than the tread design that’s important in my mind.
If I didn’t have hills to climb in my area, I would have waited to buy a pair of snow tires. Overall, the stock Dunlop Enasave tires aren’t terrible in snow. My car is relatively new (approximately 3,000 miles). The Nokian snow tires, however, are noticeably better. I can tell that in just one week of driving on snow covered road.