Will a 215/45/17 fit on an 8" rim

I would personally look for a 215/50/17 or a 215/55/17
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Bridgestone&tireModel=Blizzak+WS-50&vehicleSearch=false&partnum=155R7BZWS50&fromCompare1=yes&place=1

Then you would get a taller skinner tire. This will give you a little more ground clearance and a smaller footprint to “cut” threw the snow.

Remember how tire sizes work

First number is the width in MM a mm is friggen small 10 mm isn’t much larger…
Second number is the aspect ratio of sidewall height to width aka 50 is 50% of your width = your sidewall
Third is rim diameter in inches.