changing tires question

[130hp]

i never had winter tires before so im a little bit confused about something; am i suspose to get my tires (and rims) changed at a shop so that they align and install them or can i do it myself? do i need that alignment thing they do? if so, does that mean i have to bring my car back to the shop to get my summer tires back on in the spring?

thanks.

[rowan]

The shop where you're buying your tires (if you're buying them new), will change them for you. No alignment should be necessary just for swapping wheels. If you're not getting your winter gear new, then you can change them yourself no problems. It helps if you have a torque wrench though to make sure the nuts are on ok.

[lizard]

To build on previous question. Is there any major advantages in getting steel rims and snow tires versus putting snows on factory rims?

I don't want to spend a lot and I realize that salt may have negative effect on factory mags.

When I had my tiburon i drove 3 years all year on factory wheels and they were fine but it seems that the dunlops on P5 are not as good. The tib had michelins mxv4 which isnt the greatest tire but it performed well.

Also can I only get 2 snows for the front wheels and leave all seasons in the back (other than uneve wear on the 4 all seasons)?
Thanks
Paul

[Jika]

Get the steel rims if you want to save your stocks. Switching rubber off and on rims is not good for either the tire or the rim.

Putting only two tires on a car can be a bit dangerous. Suppose you're trying to stop and you have snows on the front tires only. Your front tires will have more traction than your AS tires on the rear, which may slip while the fronts hold to the road. The result could be your ass end swinging out to the side with the chance that you could lose control of the car. If you're buying snow tires, the best thing to do is just get a set of 4. It's more money, but better in the long run.