Trying to understand my options with wheels and rims

[SoulRaven]

My current situation is I have 4 tires in storage that I'm told are good tires, despite two of them having bald shoulders. Back in October I got a variety of opinions, all the professionals told me those two bald tires were unsafe for winter, one even told me they were illegal. Pictures in this thread. However they all told me it'd be fine for summer driving. I'm in a Toyota Sienna with AWD, the tread difference between the two very worn ones and the two good ones is still acceptable to prevent wrecking the AWD, or so I'm told.

I'd like to do a seasonal tire rotation, since I'm in Seattle full time and in the winter there's steep streets and ice, and any snowstorm tends to cause a lot of road chaos here. I also already have the storage (4'X5') and don't expect that to change anytime soon. However the cheapo used tire place I got my current tires at for a steal quoted me $80 PER TIRE to rotate them without a second set of rims, which is wayyyyy out of my budget. I'm thinking in order for this to work I'd need to get a second set of rims.

Buying used rims is sounding really good in theory, but researching it I'm getting instant information overload. It sounds pretty overwhelming ot make sure you're getting the right thing an dit seems you have ot really know what you're doing. Which I...don't. But maybe could learn?

The other issue is I hear I might have difficulty finding anyone willing to even put those two worn tires back on the rims and my vehicle in the first place because they could technically be considered illegal. But if they're on rims and I'm rotating them myself or with friends helping me or whatever, it's much smoother.

Or I could try to sell the two good ones. All 4 are four years old. It seems it'd be a shame to chuck them at this point. And honestly I'm not sure my health is good enough to manage selling them, and that has been the case for several months now....and no, no one I know who's willing is competent at selling things on my behalf.

Advice?

 

[SoulRaven]

Tires are something I don't like gambling on. I wouldn't put those tires on my van.

I think you need to find some new tire guys, because those guys sound like rip off artists to me.

 

[pnwgypsy]

Bitty, WalMart in Renton has a Oil & tire center. They're probably the cheapest spot going for tire mounting, but as you say, they may not mount the "bad" tires.

 

[Canine]

I don't do winter tires anymore. Winter tires are awesome in the winter, but rotating them out is a pain. I also don't like storing the tires since I don't have a place to store them anymore.

I've also ran into the problem of not putting enough miles on either set and they became dry rotted before I was able to use them up. Very expensive mistake.

Now I get a more aggressive tread and have them siped. I'm surprised at the quality of traction I get with the setup I have now. It's not as good as winter or studded tires, but pretty darn good! They aren't that noisy, either.

 

[BC Guy]

I went the other way. I have run winter or mud and snow tires on my vehicles all year round for the past 15 or more years. Yeah, they claim that they will wear faster in the summer than all season. I don't care. I am not interested in keeping a second set of wheels.
Bitty - anyone that is going to charge $80 per tire to rotate them is ripping you off severely. Throw the bald ones in the garbage.

 

[rvpopeye]

I ran mud and snow year round on all my trucks.

Those and a look at my Maine plates convinced a DOT guy to let my do the Grapevine during a "chains only" condition.

 

[idn88]

With AWD do you really need winter tires? The cost of rotating them and holding extra rims to me far outweighs any savings long term.

If it were me, I would find a All Season with a good traction rating. They are rated by letter, AA, A, B, etc. Of course the rating is for wet roads, not winter - but they often are similar. The higher the rating will likely have softer rubber compound, meaning they won't last as long, but should have better traction. Most people go look for the longest mileage rating thinking there getting the best tire - when in reality that typically means a harder compound and less aggressive tread meaning they last a long time and have no traction.

I have never actually bought from here - but check out www.tirerack.com - they have a lot of good information about what tire might work for you.

 

[Goshawk]

I have bought from tire rack web site. They delivery exactly what you order. No weirdness. Full shipment tracking.

 

[ZoNiE]

You may find that Toyota Camry wheels fit the Sienna. Not sure, but they share their basic platform...
Same for Lexus RX300... A Craigslist search may yield something nice. Go with aluminum, as they are lighter and easier to handle.

Used tire shops will mount anything cheaply.

I wouldn't use tires older than 5 years.

 

[Goshawk]

I would debate the merits of aluminum versus steel rims. All my aluminum rims leaked air due to corrosion on the edges that could never be completely sealed. Slow leaks. Steel rim does not have that issue. Maybe. Lol. You can obviously have a rusty steel rim and that can be fixed.

 

[Loquincy]

All that is required to rotate your tires is unbolting them and swapping them in an "x" pattern, all you would need is a set of jack stands, a lug wrench, and a jack. I believe walmart charges $20 to rotate all 4 of your tires for you if doing it yourself is no option. $80 dollars per tire would cover the crack smoking fee for the dirt bag doing it, and he probably wouldnt even rotate them.

 

[LostlnTransit]

One of our goals was to locate an "All weather" tire.. which has been hard because these tires are only available in Europe.. However just over the boarder, (Canada) they offer an all weather tire, but I don't like the tread pattern.. I guess the closest thing I was able to find was the Maxxis tires.. In your case I would not put those worn out tires back on your vehicle and I would even avoid those road site tire shops that sell nothing but used tires.. Storing tires is another issue, if you do not know the date code, your tires could be worn out/old before you've had a chance to have them on your vehicle. Beside how often does one drive around in the snow.. true if you actually need to get somewhere, but states typically tell drivers to stay off the road for a reason. Another thing to consider, is road side assistance.. if you have a blow out or flat.. and if you don't have road site assistance.. one best have 1 or even 2 spares handy. I'm not afraid to change/rotate my own tires.. but it is getting harder to do when the dealership uses 200 psi on the lug nuts.. If I cant brake the lug.. My wife can't and this is unacceptable. Make sure you can change a tire yourself.

 

[ccbreder]

Two things are first on the list before driving. Good brakes and good tires. Snow tires don't work well on ice. There should be no question, if a tire is bald, even 'only on one side' it should be replaced. It sounds like your alignment is off.

 

[SoulRaven]

All that is required to rotate your tires is unbolting them and swapping them in an "x" pattern, all you would need is a set of jack stands, a lug wrench, and a jack. I believe walmart charges $20 to rotate all 4 of your tires for you if doing it yourself is no option. $80 dollars per tire would cover the crack smoking fee for the dirt bag doing it, and he probably wouldnt even rotate them.

"Seasonal tire rotation" is not the same as the tire rotation you're referring to. I'm referring to the practice of having a set of "winter tires" as well as a set of "all weather" tires, and swapping them out as seasonally appropriate. It's good practice to also rotate them during the seasonal rotation as well. Of you have an additional set of rims, the practice is simpler because it's similar to what you've described, only with removing all the wheels and replacing them with four others you've had in storage. However buying an extra set of rims is pricey. If you don't have a spare set of rims, you're stuck paying someone to remove the rims from each tire and place the next set of tires on the rim. This seems a much more highly involved procedure than a simple wheel change.

One of our goals was to locate an "All weather" tire.. which has been hard because these tires are only available in Europe.. However just over the boarder, (Canada) they offer an all weather tire, but I don't like the tread pattern.. I guess the closest thing I was able to find was the Maxxis tires.. In your case I would not put those worn out tires back on your vehicle and I would even avoid those road site tire shops that sell nothing but used tires.. Storing tires is another issue, if you do not know the date code, your tires could be worn out/old before you've had a chance to have them on your vehicle. Beside how often does one drive around in the snow.. true if you actually need to get somewhere, but states typically tell drivers to stay off the road for a reason. Another thing to consider, is road side assistance.. if you have a blow out or flat.. and if you don't have road site assistance.. one best have 1 or even 2 spares handy. I'm not afraid to change/rotate my own tires.. but it is getting harder to do when the dealership uses 200 psi on the lug nuts.. If I cant brake the lug.. My wife can't and this is unacceptable. Make sure you can change a tire yourself.

I cannot change a tire myself and I've made my peace with that. Same with carrying a spare. I do have roadside assistance. I can read date codes, which is why I stated in my original post that the tires are 4 years old. I did not obtain them at a shop that sells nothing but used tires.

I want to address this point of yours because I feel it's really important: "Besides how often does one drive around in snow.. true if you actually need to get somewhere, but states typically tell drivers to stay off the road for a reason."

Definitely. If there's a snow storm, ice storm, or freezing rain you can bet your boots I'll be staying put as much as possible. The problem? I've learned, through multiple instances, that inevitably I end up needing to drive anyway. A significant contributor to that is I have an anxiety disorder that includes panicking whenever I feel trapped, which is relieved by proving to myself that isn't the case. But there have also been a lot of practical reasons, e.g. the multiple times someone was attempting to break into my van and I drove away to escape. Or the times I've woken up to an unexpected windstorm parked underneath trees, and moved (once to find the next morning a large branch had smashed that exact spot). Maybe it's turned icy out and I happen to be parked someplace drivers are particularly prone to ping-pong into me. All I know is that "staying put" is very difficult for me--perhaps because I have no sticks and bricks home, perhaps because it's difficult to make a minivan comfy, perhaps because I'm a really social person, perhaps because of my PTSD, anxiety disorder, and bad experiences with staying in one place for too long. Whatever the case, it's something I've been extremely highly motivated to change for financial and even mechanical reasons and yet have been unable to do so.

So, knowing myself, knowing how the area gets when a bad storm hits, and knowing that even when living in a sticks and bricks house without fail every single large storm has required someone in my family driving somewhere for some urgent reason or another--it makes more sense to me to be prepared, rather than assume it won't be needed.

That said, snowbirding is looking mighty tempting as an alternative...

Two things are first on the list before driving. Good brakes and good tires. Snow tires don't work well on ice. There should be no question, if a tire is bald, even 'only on one side' it should be replaced. It sounds like your alignment is off.

The alignment was off when I got it and has since been fixed. The two tires were underinflated, so they had bald shoulders. The tread on them is not bald. If you go to the thread linked in my original post you can see pictures and further details.

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

Until I recently retired, I had the kind of job where I was expected to show up regardless of the weather.  My answer was a set of four STUDDED winter tires mounted on junkyard rims.

In NY, they are only legal between October 15th and April 30th.

In some states, they are not legal at all,  If that's the case where you live, I hear nothing but good things about Bridgestone Blizzak tires.

Nokia tires, from Finland, are said to be the best snow tires available, and are often fitted to winter rally cars.

Regards
John