got an 05 1.8t auto with the stock 17inch wheels on it. Wanna get some tires that will actually make this car good in the snow. Its got yokohama h4z on it, and they aren't very good, ok, but not great when the flakes are flying. My old 98' 1.8t had smaller wheels on it so i never had an issue with all season tires.

what would people recommend for this newer model with bigger wheels on it?

 

Most of the major brand studless snow tires work great. Bridgestone Blizzaks are fantastic and I've also had good experience with Nokyan Hakkapalleta Q tires. I have a set of Hankook Ice Bears on the 2002 now and I'm not overly impressed with them.

If your whells are in nice shape I would recommend that you buy a wheel/tire package for the winter. This will save you a bit of money over the life of the tires since you won't be paying someone to mount and dismount your tires twice a year (minimum of $10 per tire, so $80 a year). Plus it'll keep the tire monkey at the garage from scuffing up the lips of your wheels...I had a bad experience years ago when I tried to save a few bucks and in the end, after about 4 years I had to replace my wheels because the lips had been scuffed up enough to no longer hold a good bead. Probably an isolated incident, but anough hassle that I will never put snow tires on my regualr "summer" wheels again.