After nearly dying a few times in 1/2" inch snow today, I need to stop fidgeting and get winter tires. I have a MY04, 215/45/17 front and 245/40/17 rear.

I need to know if I've missed anything:

Option 1: keep current rims, get winter tires.
Pros: cheapest ($600ish for the tires)
Cons: use the lovely stock rims all winter long, have to pay to mount tires on rims, risk damaging them in the process, etc.

Option 2: get new rims and tires
Pros: Easy to swap wheels when the weather changes, stock rims see less winter wear and tear
Cons: Expensive ($1000+ incl. tires), don't know whether to use 16" or 17" wheels, etc.

Option 3: do nothing, call sister for ride to work if it snows
Pros: Cheap, sister hates me
Cons: Will miss a few days of work, sister hates me

The last option, getting another car, really isn't much of an option. Just insuring a second car would be outrageously expensive and getting a true cheap beater likely comes with a risk of it failing, leaving me stranded, etc. This is something I'd rather do in the spring when I have more time to search and make a good decision.

Any advice or thoughts on what to do? And specific questions,
- If you have/had a MY04, which of Option #1 and #2 would you recommend?
- If you recommend #2, what size rims should I shoot for?

 

I don't think it matters if you have an S or not, option #2 makes the most sense in my book for the reasons you gave. I'd get cheap rims & moderately priced winter tires in whatever size would fit. I don't think 16 vs 17 matters once you put on snow tires, provided they fit.

--Mike

 

Oh-oh - from Tire Rack's web site:

"Due to the unique technical aspects of this application, we are currently not accepting online orders for snow-tire and wheel packages for your 2004 Honda S2000 . Please call (888) 541-1777 to speak with one of our specialists about available products."

 

The easiest solution is to buy a set of take-off 16" rims from a MY 00-03 car, and then slap on some winter tires. The rim offsets are correct, so you won't have any fitment issues, tires are available in the correct sizes, and the price for the rims should be decent. I've seen rims go for around $400 a set lately (sometimes less) and there are a couple of sets for sale in the For Sale forum right now.

 

I'll second CoralDoc's recommendation- get a used set of stockers from a 00-03 and put some winter tires on it. Since you are just going to use them for winter you don't have to be picky and should be able to get a set with a little curb rash for cheap. Total cost should set you back less than the $1000 that you mentioned. This is basically the option that I chose and I don't have to face near the winter that you do. In the summer I run the OEM tires on Volks and in the winter I fun the OEM wheels with some Dunlop SP5000s. If I actually had a real winter down here I would put some real winter tires on it, but all we get down here is the occasional dusting.

 

I bought a brand new Civic for 11.5k and insurance is only another $400 a year. I call the Civic my primary car so this helps keep the insurance cost low. Its great to drive in the winter, good on gas, has 4 seats, and helps keep miles off of the S. Just thought I'd throw out another suggestion.