Ram Promaster Wheel Upgrade

Even though it’s not officially winter, old man winter has been here for a month or more. One of the first things I noticed while driving the Promaster for the little time I’ve had it is the poor winter performance of the standard factory tire. So I figure if I’m going to put new winter tires on the van I should upgrade the rims as well. This ram ProMaster wheel upgrade Includes the Toil 450 custom wheels Ultra and a new set of Hakkapalita CR3 tires from Nokian. See a list of Ram ProMaster Custom Wheel choices here.

Keep reading for full details on the sideways movement’s……

Ram ProMaster Wheel Upgrade

Winter Tires On Rims Or Not

If you’re mechanical in any way then having your winter tires on separate rims is it a no-brainer. You can swap out your winter tires at your convenience, and it takes no more than an hour. This is less time than it takes just driving to and from the tire shop for your seasonal tire changeover. Also, the savings over the life of the tire easily surpass the cost of your new rims. Winter tires on separate rims for me.

Steel Versus Aluminum Wheels?

If you’re using your ProMaster for commercial use, then it makes sense to go for plain steel rims. They cost less and it will be less upsetting when they undoubtedly get damaged on the job site or by a careless employee.  If the Promaster is your personal drive, then put your personal touch on it with a slick set of Ram Promaster custom wheels. Aluminum wheels it is!

Choosing Ultra Wheels Toil-450 for Our Ram ProMaster Wheel Upgrade

Winter durability: I like the look of a machine faced wheel but I don’t like what the winter does to their polished look. The salt and road grip really takes its toll on shiny wheels. I have read the Toil has a winter approved finish.

Cost and availability: I purchased the wheels through Tdot Performance. The price was affordable with free shipping and no hidden duties or taxes. They were marked as a special order but were still shipped to my door within a week.

Size: I wanted to make sure I kept my speedo and check the ratios same by using the stock 2257516 tire size. The toil 450 part number 450-6630BM+45 fits this tire size perfectly.

Choosing The Nokian Hakkapalita CR3 for Our Ram ProMaster Wheel Upgrade.

Nokian Hakkapalita CR3 VS Nokian Hakkapalita LT2

The new winter tires had to be Nokian, there was no doubt about that. It was just a matter of which model to choose for our ProMaster. The Nokian Hakkapalita CR3 or the Nokian Hakkapalita LT2?

Cost: the LT2 is actually a little cheaper than the CR3, by about $20 per tire.

Conditions: Being in Calgary the winter is regularly broken up by warm chinook winds this clears the streets free of ice for some of the winter. For this reason, I felt the studs in the LT two were a little overkill. Plus, I have had studs before and the noise gets annoying after a while. However, the studs would be very valuable for any mountain adventures in the future.

Performance: After talking with sales reps at two different locations, the consensus was the CR3 is best winter tire to suit my needs. They have some of the best in class rolling resistance, so no drop in mileage and the winter performance is top of its class.  Nokian Hakkapalita CR3 tires it is!

To wrap up

I’m extremely happy with how the wheels look in this Ram ProMaster Wheel Upgrade. The tires drive smooth. I now have confidence the van will stop when I want it to stop.

Let me know what you think in the comments section below and as always, thanks for reading and check out some more #Vanlife related content Here.

And remember to always take the road less traveled!