winter tires for my 2006 jetta

[comicbookguy]

i'm pretty much a n00b when it comes to automotive issues, so i've been reading a lot of posts in the forums about winter tires. it seems the general consensus is that a lot of drivers use them in the winter. i had a couple of near accidents last winter (no grip when braking, no traction on the highway), and i'm starting to think winter tires are worth the investment. my problem is i don't know where to start.

i have two years left on my lease but i'm willing to spend a few hundred bucks on a set of winter tires. i am planning to go to wal-mart to check out any deals they have. i think i would opt for steel rims and whatever they have on sale. i drive around midtown toronto and to and from mississauga about three to four days a week. i don't drive everyday.

my question is, do i just go to wal-mart's auto section and speak to someone? how exactly do i go about getting a new set? should i go in there knowing what i already want? any advice is appreciated!

[BartBandy]

If you only have two winters left, an economical idea may be to find a set of used winter tires from another Jetta. This is Toronto - someone probably returned a leased Jetta recently who has no need for the snow tires.

Try any VW or Jetta-related forums. Golf too, I suppose. Craigslist and Kijiji as well.

[Pete_Coach]

A new set of winter tires and rims will do a lot more damage to your wallet than a few hundred bucks, even cheap ones will cost more than that.
I too suggest looking in the for sale sections. Lots of folks are selling them right now. You do have to be smart though. Find out what the tire and rim size are and what bolt pattern you have. Go to tirerack or some such site and find the details, or ask the dealer, they may even have some used ones kickin around (not for a great price but try them anyway). There are many cars that have your rim size so with the information you may be able to get wheels and tires off perhaps a Mazda or some other car (I don't know because I have not looked it up). Many wheels are interchangeable.
The benefit of winter tires, besides the obvious, is that you will not wear out your normal tires as much and might get away with returning the car and not having to buy tires.

[comicbookguy]

A new set of winter tires and rims will do a lot more damage to your wallet than a few hundred bucks, even cheap ones will cost more than that.
I too suggest looking in the for sale sections. Lots of folks are selling them right now. You do have to be smart though. Find out what the tire and rim size are and what bolt pattern you have. Go to tirerack or some such site and find the details, or ask the dealer, they may even have some used ones kickin around (not for a great price but try them anyway). There are many cars that have your rim size so with the information you may be able to get wheels and tires off perhaps a Mazda or some other car (I don't know because I have not looked it up). Many wheels are interchangeable.
The benefit of winter tires, besides the obvious, is that you will not wear out your normal tires as much and might get away with returning the car and not having to buy tires.

according to the site, i should be looking for 205/55 tires. what do these numbers mean?

[crisis1900]

according to the site, i should be looking for 205/55 tires. what do these numbers mean?

Tire measurements are usually 3 numbers yours should be (tirerack.com for 2006 jetta 2.0t) 205/55R16

205 is the width of the tire in mm
55 is the height of the sidewall from the rim to the tread, expressed as a percentage of the tread width.
R is the type of tire R=Radial. Virtually every new tire is a radial, unless you have a special tire for a classic car or a racing car
16 is the rim diameter.

Then there's the load and speed rating is a two digit number with a letter ie 89V.
The number represents the load rating or carrying capacity. The letter represents the maximum speed rating.

Check out this link for more detailed info.

http://www.dummies.com/WileyCDA/DummiesArticle/Reading-a-Tire-Sidewall.id-2667.html

[comicbookguy]

Tire measurements are usually 3 numbers yours should be (tirerack.com for 2006 jetta 2.0t) 205/55R16

205 is the width of the tire in mm
55 is the height of the sidewall from the rim to the tread, expressed as a percentage of the tread width.
R is the type of tire R=Radial. Virtually every new tire is a radial, unless you have a special tire for a classic car or a racing car
16 is the rim diameter.

Then there's the load and speed rating is a two digit number with a letter ie 89V.
The number represents the load rating or carrying capacity. The letter represents the maximum speed rating.

Check out this link for more detailed info.

http://www.dummies.com/WileyCDA/DummiesArticle/Reading-a-Tire-Sidewall.id-2667.html

thanks that was very helpful.

i've been able to determine that the bolt pattern on my jetta is either 5x100 or 5x112 which i understand to be 5 bolts and 100 or 112 mm in size. is it wrong to assume that these bolt patterns are interchangeable?

[BartBandy]

Even if you find the right sized tires, the rim is very vehicle-specific. Exhaust your VW Jetta and Golf-specific private sale used tire avenues before trying to match up tires and rims from other vehicles. It will be much easier.

[BartBandy]

thanks that was very helpful.

i've been able to determine that the bolt pattern on my jetta is either 5x100 or 5x112 which i understand to be 5 bolts and 100 or 112 mm in size. is it wrong to assume that these bolt patterns are interchangeable?

These two bolt patterns are very much NOT interchangeable.

[comicbookguy]

These two bolt patterns are very much NOT interchangeable.

ah, i thought so. thanks for all the input. i wish VW forums were as helpful as RFD!

[Piro21]

This (http://fastwheels.ca/FCW2008AppGuide-Web.pdf) says that for a 2006 Jetta 2.0t the bolt pattern is 5x112, thread size is 14x1.50b, centerbore is 57.1mm, and offset is +51 for the stock wheels. You also need tire pressure sensors for each tire. The wheels off a GTI or Rabbit will work perfectly.

For tire recommendations, anything on this list (http://www.apa.ca/template.asp?DocID=97) is good.

[comicbookguy]

This (http://fastwheels.ca/FCW2008AppGuide-Web.pdf) says that for a 2006 Jetta 2.0t the bolt pattern is 5x112, thread size is 14x1.50b, centerbore is 57.1mm, and offset is +51 for the stock wheels. You also need tire pressure sensors for each tire. The wheels off a GTI or Rabbit will work perfectly.

For tire recommendations, anything on this list (http://www.apa.ca/template.asp?DocID=97) is good.

those are perfect. thank you!

[hightech]

Get a set of Nokian WRG2 and use them all year round. They are a true 4 season tire:

http://www.nokiantires.com/tyre?id=11899&group=1.01&name=Nokian+WRG2

[belfour]

How about joining the current RFD group buy? Currently its $50 off the packages.

http://www.redflagdeals.com/forums/showthread.php?t=639602

[jus]

you can also check out audiforum.ca. they have a classified section there and it seems there are some people unloading their winters + rims..

audi's at least have the same bolt pattern (ie. 5 x 112), but not 100% about the actual tire size.

GL w/ the search!