Hi All,

First time poster. I've got an 07 V8V I'll be driving thru the winter in Toronto and am currently looking at wheel and tire options. Seems like the Sottozero Serie II seems to come up often as the best match but I'm admittedly at a loss in terms of wheels. I love my stock gunmetal rims but have been told switching rubber on and off is a bad idea. I was looking at getting some used OEM Aston Vantage 18" Aston rims for about 1 grand from the US, painting them, and throwing rubber on those.

It seems stock sized tires are near impossible to find and when found are crazy expensive. I've seen one gent post indicate 225/45R18 (95V) Rear: 255/40/R18 (95V) as tested alternatives. I understand via the manual that 8 x 18 and 9 x 18 (i believe these are accurate) were the recommended wheel sizes for winter.

Are these still accurate or is there anything better now adays? Any general feedback or recommendations would be greatly appreciated. I'd like to get her well equipped for Toronto winters but also want to avoid breaking the bank!

Curious as to what other folks who are toughing it through the winter throw on their Astons both in terms of stock rims and stock sizes and otherwise.

Thanks for your time!

 

You're kidding, right?

No one drives their Aston thru the winter (well, except for maybe one guy on this forum).

Instead of buying 4 tires/wheels, for the same money by a winter beater w/FWD.

 

Actually from my reads, there appear to be several who do on this forum, and elsewhere. They're considered acceptable winter drivers (although definitely not a first choice!) However I have but one parking space and should I opt for a beater, would be paying storage fees. I'm more preferential to driving my car year-round.

 

I needed winter tires for my 2007 Vantage last year and decided to buy Pirelli Winter 270 Sottozero 275/35/19 and 235/40/19 tires. I mounted them on my original 19" Vantage wheels and bought another set of rims for my summer tires. New rims are 19" 5 spoke sports pack wheels, sold as Sportpack Wheel Kit (supplied with a set of 4 centre caps and a set of valve caps). I only drove like 600 km last winter but I have been very satisfied with the tires.

 

Pirelli P Zero Nero all seasons... attached to my Audi A4 Avant.

 

I have run Soto Zero's on my Audi's in the winter. I also ran Continentals for a few weeks this year (before that car was stolen).

Both were more than good enough for Toronto weather. I actually took my Aston out a few times this past winter. I will say the ride gets VERY firm. In fact everything does.

When you say Toronto, do you mean downtown? If so, you will get by, save the odd day. My dealer says people do it. They have a few guys that run DBS's all year.

People drive Porsches and 3 series BZmW's all year, not to mention Mustangs and Camaros. So it's not an issue with getting around.

But it does wear the car. Winter is tough on the paint etc.

 

Thanks B - appreciated. Out in the West End as I often do a lot of highway driving. I was out a bit last winter but only with the summers which were at the time pretty much bare. Suffusive to say the car was completely useless the moment it snowed. Luckily it was a mild winter. By challenge now is finding the rubber. Last year December everyone was sold out of the Pirelli SZ.

 

+1 Arghhh! Aston in the snow and salt......dear me.....

 

Check out the Continental Extreme Contact DWS (maybe at Tire-Rack) as a possible Winter Tire. If you want to stay with 19's, messages on this site recommend that the size would be, Front: 225/40R19, Rear: 255/35R19

 

I ran Conti DWS on my TT RS last winter, for ten days before the car was stolen.

It was tough getting tires in January. My friend had the same issue with his 4CS.

The day I went to have the winters put on we had the one and only crazy snow fall. Overnight 4" of snow and no plows out. It was scary as hell driving the car on extreme summer tires in that snow. Keep in mind the TT RS is AWD, but tires are the weak link.

On the way home the Conti DES worked great. They did not feel like winter tires and they dealt with the snow and lower temps.

Are they better than Soro Zeros? I'm not sure, my gut says they are equal. I would price them out.

A local tire shop helped out, he even went to get the tires on the way home so I could get them on ASAP. Very good service. Got the stock and had the right price, plus a no touch tire machine.

Good luck driving in winter. Keep us posted.

 

Sorry about all the weird spellings. Auto corrected!!

DWS not DES
Though Sorrow Zeros was kinda fun

 

I often wonder about this....after all, it's a CAR. Yes, it's an expensive one, but really, it's a depreciating item. Will depreciation be greater if it gets driven in the winters....possibly, but most likely it's the mileage and year that will determine value, not whether it's used in the winter (or not).

Naturally there is greater risk of accident damage, and especially around Toronto one would need to be vary of salt (regular winter car washes are critical). But as has been pointed out....plenty of people drive BMWs year-round, and a 911 Turbo or C4S actually makes a pretty good year-round Toronto car (the GT3 doesn't have undercoating, so I wouldn't run it 12 months).

In the UK many (most??) Aston Martins are driven year-round, and they still get snow etc as well (and probably far more freezing rain than we do in Toronto).

I'd almost bet that a Vantage V8 with proper snow tires (and traction control) would be as good in the snow as my Range Rover (with all-seasons), at least to the point of a typical Toronto area winter snowfall. Obviously on the big, blizzard days the lack of ground-clearance would be an issue, and nothing really matches a proper 4WD vehicle. But over the past 5 years in Toronto I doubt we've had more than 10 such days per winter.

The other factor for me (among other people) is the lack of parking space. At our house the driveway is technically big enough for 4 vehicles, but if we have any more than two it becomes an inevitable shuffling routine every morning depending on whether it's myself or my wife who leaves the house first. Besides, she already has an X6....so two full-sized, gas-guzzling SUVs is significant overkill (as much as I loved my Range Rover). The Range Rover is nice to drive.....the Aston Martin is a whole different experience every time you sit in it.

Anyhow, back to winter tires. I've been doing a ton of research on them, and the only matched set I've been able to find in either 18" or 19" has been the Pirelli Sottozeros. That being said, some of the reviews on them haven't been stellar.

You *can* get Dunlop Wintersport M3 (front) and Bridgestone Blizzak LM-60 (rear) fitments though. I have more confidence in the Dunlop and Bridgestones as winter tires vs the Pirellis, BUT I'm not a fan of mixing and matching sets of rubber on a vehicle.

As to wheels, OZ Ultraleggeras (18x9) are decent, and relatively cheap at $375 a piece (as a winter wheel).



Patrick

 

Thanks for the input dudes. I was considering going with a set of OEM Vantage 18"ers and maybe getting em painted, I figure they'd cost about the same as the OZs you're talking about Patrick, leaving cost associated with tire sizes between the two sizes of wheels (if it's actually an issue) being the last difference to consider. In any event I'd look at 18s unless I can be convinced it's alright to swap rubber of wheels seasonally. My last car I drove for 3 winters and saw zero damage to paint on the rims.

As Penguin's suggesting I may just hit up a tire shop in the fall and trust them to fit me right. I've only seen people talking about the Sottozero Serie II tires, I'll need to look at the Continentals mentioned above.

Car washes in winter is a no brainer for me, nothing worse than a good car covered in crap. I figure with a good washing every week or so I'd probably be fine. It's the year round driving of these things in Europe (allegedly car of choice in Alps) as well as my shared sentiments of Penguin regarding BMWs and other RWDs being driven in winter that lead me to believe it's not a major issue, just a perception.

I've got underground parking, no issues there. And with people's incessant need to back into this car while parked in public (I'm at 3 now) I'd be avoiding outdoor parking anyway. A Range in the winter I somewhat envy. Every time I drive one I'm paranoid I'll hit something as I'm used to smaller vehicles but heck I'd feel a lot safer in a Range than an Aston come winter.

 

would never use it in the winter especially in NY

 

I've been driving an M5 as my winter car for years with no problems. I am on proper winter tires albeit fat ones.

Toronto winters aren't as harsh as they used to be and we've probably averaged 5 days a year I'd say where its been really bad. Hopefully you can take the bus or something else those days.

As Penguin says, if you're downtown I don't see any issue with driving almost any car in Toronto winters. I've seen lots of exotics all winter long.