Tire size question and recommendations
 

Looking for an all season tire. We live in Upstate NY and would need something that can deal with some snow and ice (snow removal is efficient)

Would like a tire that's reasonably quiet, handles decent and wears ok. Has to be better than the current Michelins, which shouldn't be hard to beat.

Our Volvo S40 T5 AWD currently has the Michelin's MXM4? in 205/50VR17

Looks like the tire choices in that size are somewhat limited.

Is anybody running 225/45R17s?

http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

205/50/17 has a sidewall of 4.0in, diameter of 25.1in and revs/mile of 804
225/45/17 has a sidewall of 4.0in, diameter of 25.0in and revs/mile of 808

My top pick so far is the Michelin Pilot Exalto A/S which is available in both sizes.

Looks like the section width for the Michelin Pilot Exalto A/S in 205/50/17 is 8.4" and for 225/45/17 its 8.9"

I can't imagine an extra half inch wider tire causing any problems?

The 205/50/17 runs $174 each (Tirerack)
The 225/45/17 runs $165 each (Tirerack)

So the Volvo OEM size is more money!

The 205 is a little narrower and should be a little better in the snow. But probably not that noticable.

Can you get steel rims for this car? This could make a slight difference and swing us towards getting winter tires. (Tirerack doesn't have them for this car for some reason)

Thanks.