what is better to get as a winter set of wheels and tires ? 16s or 17s?

or should i just buy tires only and get them mounted and balanced every year?

do driving on snow tires make the car drive a lot worse and a lot less fun?

 

Snow tires are a softer compound so if you drive it "fun" you will wear through them a lot faster. They are also often less grippy on dry roads, so you wont be able to be as spirited without risking loss of control more easily.

I would just use your stock size and get a spare set (be it the same rims or steels or whatever) if you can just to save the hassle of having to swap them twice a year, on and off.

Snow tires are meant to let you drive on the snow, they really aren't made for fun, even if they are Z rated. I still have fun now and then when it's still soft snow on my snow tires drifting a corner every now and then and going crazy in empty parking lots, but I wouldn't make a habit of it, especially with other traffic around. You never know when something might catch you off guard.

 

i would suggest en extra set of rims, cheap if they need to be, cause most places charge you about 40-80 bucks to remount tires everytime.

so if you get rims you can do it yourself if you want to spend a bit of time getting to use your jack.

as for fun driving, i would not do it on them in dry conditions, you'll go right through them. if you do it in light snow just be careful and do it where no one's going to get hurt, including yourself and your car

 

16s are typically cheaper and would have a taller side wall to help fend off pot holes. An extra set of wheels is a good idea if they use salt in your area. The salt will get under the clear coat and ruin your wheels after a couple of winters.

I've got some AP1 wheels for sale, sent you a PM.

 

16s. Cheaper and better for winter weather. I've had 16" Dunlop Winter Sport M3s on my car for the past few winters. You definitely notice the handling difference when you switch over, but you get used to it quickly. They feel way better in wet weather than the summer tires.