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[N55_BBM]

Hey guys so I pretty much decided that I'm going to buy a set of winter wheels and tires for my 135i. Never bought winter sets before (always had A/S on my previous rides), so I wanted some advice from you. I plan on keeping it under $1300 or so..

Tires
I'm quite inexperienced in driving in snow so I want good winter performance tires that'll get me good handling and safety. I'd rather get more expensive tires than more expensive rims. Heard good things about the Dunlop 3Ds and Blizzaks, but wanted some input from you. I was advised to go with 205/50/17, would that be the wise thing to do?

Wheels
I was advised to go for 17" (lower price), so unless I can find a really good deal for 18"s, that's what I'll go with. Now here's the thing... I currently have stock 264s which I love, but I've been keeping an eye on wheels such as the BMW 269s or the VMR 710 or VB3s. Love the style, it's growing on me. But I'd like to keep a set of wheels with less spokes (like my current 264s) and one with more spokes (like the VMRs mentioned above) to alternate between summer/winter and get some variety in there. Also, it would be neat to have a set in silver (like my 264s) and one in hyperblack or gunmetal, just to vary a bit again. Seems like the easiest thing to do would be to get winter wheels in a darker finish with a design similar to the VMRs, but that would mean that given my above strategy I wouldn't get those sweet 710/vb3's in the summer .. So...... what would you guys recommend?

I'm having a lot of trouble looking at winter wheels because the only design I come close to kind of liking is the ASA GT1/GT2.. I've looked all over tire rack pretty much. So do you know of anything else out there that might be similar in style to either these ASA or my current 264s?

Lastly, WHEN SHOULD I BE BUYING THIS?? When do the sales and specials on winter stuff start??

Thanks for your help and sorry for the extremely long post!

[Xaeryan]

I have a set of four 18 x 8.5" ASA GT1s in bright silver with Blizzak WS60s mounted on them (and tire pressure monitors) that I'll sell you less than getting them new. The rims are near perfect still, and the Blizzaks have plenty of tread on them. The WS-60s are about the best you can get for an all-out snow tire (some of the other Blizzaks are less aggressive, maybe designed for regions that have less snow). The WS line is actually cheaper than the rest of their lines (LM etc.) but better in the snow at the expense of some extra noise (it's not bad). Sadly, these tires actually ride BETTER than the stock tires (silly stock run-flats). That brings up another note - like most winter tires, these are not run-flats, so I'd carry a spare with you if you can.
Where are you in PA? You'll save a ton on shipping if you're nearby (assuming you're interested). I'm not near them now to take pics, and haven't come up with a price quite yet (for reference, I paid around 1500 before s/h, but I think I can fit your budget), but if you're interested we can talk further.

[Xaeryan]

Oh yeah, and with snow tires you'll do just fine - it's leagues above any car with all seasons. I was hanging with 4 wheel drive vehicles even in considerable snow. Plenty of fun to be had, too! (Just wish it had an LSD)

[N55_BBM]

ok so I just thought of this... where am I supposed to carry a spare in my 135i if I go with non RFTs..? Sounds like a pain to me

Xaeryan, I live in Harrisburg. Winters tend to be more wet/slushy here rather than a lot of snow on the ground since we don't get thaaat much snow compared to other places.... how do those Ws60 compare to the LMs in the wet? And what size are those tires?

[ND40oz]

If you're not getting any real snow for any amount of time, I wouldn't worry about going snows. They're going to suck for any real performance grip in the dry, siped tires don't inspire confidence in spirited driving, they get squirmy. If you really want to keep your summer tires for the summer, I'd switch to all seasons in the late fall and then back to summers in the spring if you're really that worried about light snow and slush.

[Xaeryan]

Originally Posted by brunobm

ok so I just thought of this... where am I supposed to carry a spare in my 135i if I go with non RFTs..? Sounds like a pain to me

Xaeryan, I live in Harrisburg. Winters tend to be more wet/slushy here rather than a lot of snow on the ground since we don't get thaaat much snow compared to other places.... how do those Ws60 compare to the LMs in the wet? And what size are those tires?

Same place every one else does; the trunk! ;-) But seriously, I bought the space saver spare kit from Leatherz which has a (faux?) leather jacket for the tire, then I just use two bungees to keep it from flying around much.
You could also try the mobility kit, which is what BMW includes with the M cars without runflats - it's a small air compressor which runs off the cigarette outlet and some BMW branded fix-a-flat. It fits nicely in the little cargo net compartment area. This will guard you against most punctures, but if you have a blow-out or massive puncture, you'll be stuck calling BMW Assist (or similar).

I wouldn't be able to tell you how they compare to the LMs in the wet, but I can say I agree with the other poster in that the tires do give a squirmy feeling and don't have the performance grip in the dry, but they're not meant to. We get tons of snow here in NE PA, and these tires make sure you can get through just about anything.

I do disagree, however, in switching to all-seasons seasonally. If you're gonna switch during the winter season, do it right and switch for a winter tire. It doesn't have to be the WS-60, there are plenty out there which are not as dedicated to snow driving and still offer far better snow performance than all-seasons can offer. All-seasons make big compromises (snow grip, dry grip, etc.) to be "all-seasons". They are not good AT ALL in the snow, regardless of their name. Please see the OPs first post:

I'm quite inexperienced in driving in snow so I want good winter performance tires that'll get me good handling and safety.

[ND40oz]

I'd have to disagree about all seasons not being decent in the snow. I had no issues using them in CO, I doubt you'll see the same snowfall in Harrisburg that we experience in Denver, but I never lived in PA, just MD. That being said, I never had an issue using Pilot Sport A/Ss or BFG Super Sport A/Ss and getting around in several inches of snow. I wouldn't recommend driving in feet of snow with them but it's not like they'll leave you stranded at work if it starts snowing during the day.

To put on winter tires for 6 months of driving, during that time you may have a week or two of actually driving in some slushy snow doesn't make much sense to me.

The real reason to switch tires during the winter season is the temperature, your summer tires rubber won't perform at temps below 40, which is where an all season or a winter tire will.

Again, all of this is just my opinion and you know what they say about opinions.

[N55_BBM]

Originally Posted by Xaeryan

Same place every one else does; the trunk! ;-) But seriously, I bought the space saver spare kit from Leatherz which has a (faux?) leather jacket for the tire, then I just use two bungees to keep it from flying around much.
You could also try the mobility kit, which is what BMW includes with the M cars without runflats - it's a small air compressor which runs off the cigarette outlet and some BMW branded fix-a-flat. It fits nicely in the little cargo net compartment area. This will guard you against most punctures, but if you have a blow-out or massive puncture, you'll be stuck calling BMW Assist (or similar).

I wouldn't be able to tell you how they compare to the LMs in the wet, but I can say I agree with the other poster in that the tires do give a squirmy feeling and don't have the performance grip in the dry, but they're not meant to. We get tons of snow here in NE PA, and these tires make sure you can get through just about anything.

I do disagree, however, in switching to all-seasons seasonally. If you're gonna switch during the winter season, do it right and switch for a winter tire. It doesn't have to be the WS-60, there are plenty out there which are not as dedicated to snow driving and still offer far better snow performance than all-seasons can offer. All-seasons make big compromises (snow grip, dry grip, etc.) to be "all-seasons". They are not good AT ALL in the snow, regardless of their name. Please see the OPs first post:

yeah so i'm not so sure about keeping a spare in my trunk as i use it a lot, and don't know about the whole changing tires thing in the middle of winter.. must suck!

i was thinking more along the lines of getting the LM series, maybe an LM-25 RFT or LM-60 RFT. are those pretty good or would they be the same crap as my current RFTs? I don't get enough snow here to justify a WS, an the noise would really really annoy me.

another option i was looking at is the Dunlop 3Ds.. but the RFT versions don't come in the size I need... what's the general feeling about those?

So Xaeryan if you'd be willing to get rid of those rims (not tires) I might be interested in them depending on the deal I can get, the condition they're in, etc etc.... I live like 2 hours away, it's not too bad. Send me pictures when you can (mounted on the car preferably)

[N55_BBM]

Originally Posted by ND40oz

I'd have to disagree about all seasons not being decent in the snow. I had no issues using them in CO, I doubt you'll see the same snowfall in Harrisburg that we experience in Denver, but I never lived in PA, just MD. That being said, I never had an issue using Pilot Sport A/Ss or BFG Super Sport A/Ss and getting around in several inches of snow. I wouldn't recommend driving in feet of snow with them but it's not like they'll leave you stranded at work if it starts snowing during the day.

To put on winter tires for 6 months of driving, during that time you may have a week or two of actually driving in some slushy snow doesn't make much sense to me.

The real reason to switch tires during the winter season is the temperature, your summer tires rubber won't perform at temps below 40, which is where an all season or a winter tire will.

Again, all of this is just my opinion and you know what they say about opinions.

yeah I know but what's steering me away from A/S is that I also plan on getting summer tires for next summer.. so I might as well do this right and get specialized tires for each occasion

[Xaeryan]

Originally Posted by brunobm

yeah so i'm not so sure about keeping a spare in my trunk as i use it a lot, and don't know about the whole changing tires thing in the middle of winter.. must suck!

i was thinking more along the lines of getting the LM series, maybe an LM-25 RFT or LM-60 RFT. are those pretty good or would they be the same crap as my current RFTs? I don't get enough snow here to justify a WS, an the noise would really really annoy me.

another option i was looking at is the Dunlop 3Ds.. but the RFT versions don't come in the size I need... what's the general feeling about those?

So Xaeryan if you'd be willing to get rid of those rims (not tires) I might be interested in them depending on the deal I can get, the condition they're in, etc etc.... I live like 2 hours away, it's not too bad. Send me pictures when you can (mounted on the car preferably)

I would have to guess the RFT snow tires are pretty jarring, considering snow tires are usually a bit more harsh than non-snow tires... so add RFT on top of that... but I don't know from experience here.

I'm hoping to get rid of the wheels and tires all as one package, so it's a no-go, sorry.

[N55_BBM]

Originally Posted by Xaeryan

Same place every one else does; the trunk! ;-) But seriously, I bought the space saver spare kit from Leatherz which has a (faux?) leather jacket for the tire, then I just use two bungees to keep it from flying around much.

can you post pictures of that?? I'm having a hard time understanding how it's worth carrying a full spare tire on the trunk and taking up so much space... if only that freakin battery wasn't there to ruin things...

winter = snowboarding, i need every square inch of my trunk for random gear

[Xaeryan]

Originally Posted by brunobm

can you post pictures of that?? I'm having a hard time understanding how it's worth carrying a full spare tire on the trunk and taking up so much space... if only that freakin battery wasn't there to ruin things...

winter = snowboarding, i need every square inch of my trunk for random gear

It's only a space saver, the goofy little "donut" spares. If you need the trunk space, the mobility kit is very compact. I just take the spare when I'm going farther than a few miles, in case of an actual blowout.

Unfortunately, such is the compromise when switching to non-RFTs, but in my opinion it was totally worth it.

[N55_BBM]

can anyone suggest any other nice 17" rims i could get?

[gavolant]

Originally Posted by brunobm

can anyone suggest any other nice 17" rims i could get?

I plan on getting the borbet lv5's here in a couple weeks. Not too cheap, not too pricey. Should be a good winter rim.

[N55_BBM]

so is now the time to buy winter wheels/tires or should I wait a little more? i wanna make sure i get em on sale because my budget is pretty tight these days

[gavolant]

I called tirerack(.com) a few weeks ago and they said that they usually put out a coupon for $100 off sometime the first or second week in september.

[david @ eas]

I get a good amount of guys calling in and PMing me asking about the 18x8.5 ET40 all around w/ a 225 Blizzak or something similar. These should be a hot seller and we've got a good amount in stock to keep the orders for winter set ups going!