I am not sure which route to go on the wheels for my order. I live in the mountains and we have lots of snow, so I will need a set of snow tires in the winter. Which route makes more sense 1) order the AMG trail package that comes with the 20" or or the 22" cross spokes and get an after market set of snow/rim package? ( or vice/versa)... would love to see a few pics if someone went aftermarket on rims.

 

Definitely stay with 20" or 22" wheels, as the tire selection in 19" and 21" is dismal. I'm located next door in Colorado where seasonal driving conditions are similar to yours. IMO, a primary decision factor is you annual driving mileage. If you're doing at least 10K/year, 2 season-appropriate wheel/tire sets make sense. A second set of not-so-expensive wheels with snow tires is a good investment, and you can get attractive pricing from online and store front dealers when you buy a wheel/tire package (flipping 2 sets of tires on/off 1 set of rims twice a year is not a great solution). I'm driving only about 5K/year, and 2 sets aren't practicable for me (could never keep track of balancing/rotation schedule). I mounted a set of A/T mountain/snowflake rated tires in place of the OE Pirelli's, and they work well for me year-round. There are earlier posts on this forum and the older generation G forum where you'll find pics of aftermarket wheels and tires.

 

You confirmed where I am leaning.. I am ordered the black 22" cross spokes and will search for a cool set of 20" with Nokian Hakkapeliitta R3 or similar. I live in the same canyon as Snowbird/Alta so dedicated snow tires are mandatory for at least 5 months

 

I have no personal experience with Hakkapeliitta's but I've heard others say they're awesome winter tires. I run Blizzaks on my Wrangler and am able to push a 7' snowplow with them. Haven't ever had to "chain-up" since mounting them. You can't beat a spec'd "snow-rated" tire to get you through a Rocky Mountain winter. Hope you're getting some of this winter storm that's moving through -- already 4" on the ground here in Durango, and its supposed to continue through tomorrow.

 

I'm in Deer Valley (half as much snow as Little Cottonwood Canyon). I have the OEM 22" Pirelli Scorpion Zero Asimmetrico (summer tires) on my G 63. I got my truck in July, and I've been in California all winter. But. I'm heading back to Utah at the end of the month. I won't even try the Pirelli summer tires in the snow. I only spend about two months in Deer Valley in the winter (I'm mainly in California), so I asked Mercedes in SLC for advise on a tire that I could use year-round that would fit my 22 inch wheels. They put me in touch with their "go to" tire guru in SLC (Mike Pruitt at Wheel Werks in SLC...Mike's a very nice guy BTW). I explained the situation to Mike, and he likes Continental Viking Contact 7 winter tires with the 3PMSF rating (they have sizes that fit the G 63's 22 inch wheels... as far as I can tell Nokian Hakkapeliitta R3 tires aren't available for 22 inch wheels). Mike has a lot of clients in Park City that run the Viking Contact 7 tires year-round. They are not a performance "summer tire", so you have to keep the speed under 118 MPH. That's fine with me. He also said winter tires will have more tread wear in the summer, but they work well year-round. I try to simplify my life nowadays, so I'm going to try this solution.

Here's a good review on winter tires.
winter tire reviews

 

That is great info on the Vikings... I am going to do a bit of research on those, I have met Mike a few times over the years with various rides and through my company. My G63 is slotted to be here late July./ early August. That would make things a bit simpler just to swap out tires, not to mention keep the look of 22's year round.
thanks