Not your usual question for a forum for modding cars, but it's something I've been thinking about (especially since I've got an old man car, which you can't make go faster without forced induction anyway )

So, even though I know the IS isn't fast or high power, but it is the first RWD car I've ever had, and on par with 3 series beemers and C class mercs as far as driving in the snow - ie, it doesn't fucking move (from what I've read / been told - I've not had it long enough to have driven it in winter)

Next door has a C180 Kompressor, and last two years hasn't even been able to move it from the front of the house - just sits there and spins. One of the problems is it's a 90deg turn onto an upward incline before getting to the main road, because my estate isn't council maintained it never gets gritted/treated/cleared, and lastly it's block paving not regular tarmac, so seems to suffer worse with compaction and icing.

I've never had a problem on it with my works van (until last year when I even got that stuck trying to get out of it's parking space!), Escort or Rover (both the cars had fairly narrow tyres - 195 and 185 I think), but the IS has 215/45 17s, so I'm expecting it to be as much of a pig as the other Beemers and Mercs I see everywhere getting stuck!

So, I've been thinking of getting a spare set of, standard, rims (17x7) and shoeing them with Winter tyres - probably 205/50's (as that's close enough to standard rolling radius, and a fairly common size I think). I'd rather get a set of 16's and run 205/55's, but it's a choice between £50 for a set of 17's, or £200+ for a set of 16's

My reasoning for being a pussy and getting winter tyres is
1) I want to be able to actually get the car off the drive and onto the road (and be able to park it back and not leave it by the side of the road somewhere)
2) Not slide all over the place and mash the wheels (freshly refurb'd) and tracking (freshly reset) on kerbs etc
3) The added stopping ability

Question is (after all that ) is what tyres?

1) Part worn decent brand (IE, dunlop), but only 4/5mm tread (cost, roughly £135, not fitted)
2) Retread (not remould) with 10mm tread (roughly £180, not fitted)
3) Brand new, non-brand (LINK) which I assume are 10mm tread too (cost £188, not fitted)

(obviously all are plus roughly £40 for having them fitted and balanced, plus the cost of the wheels - probably £80/£90 inc shipping to me)