[rhinothatflies]

soooo question. the tests that have been referred to in this thread were conducted one on ice and one on snow. where does the average michigan road condition of 'quagmire' fall on this spectrum? my noobness is showing. i live in ann arbor where the roads are cleared fairly well but i work in a backwater town where the standard condition is slush with a side of snow. will driving WS80s in cold weather on cleared roads kill the tread?

[Sportstick]

Originally Posted by rhinothatflies

soooo question. the tests that have been referred to in this thread were conducted one on ice and one on snow. where does the average michigan road condition of 'quagmire' fall on this spectrum? my noobness is showing. i live in ann arbor where the roads are cleared fairly well but i work in a backwater town where the standard condition is slush with a side of snow. will driving WS80s in cold weather on cleared roads kill the tread?

The WS70 I run on our MB E Class and another set of WS70 I ran on the recently departed C Class both held up well with my winter driving style (cautious) over at least three seasons. Going in, my local indy shop told me they see Blizzaks typically go 3-4 seasons. So, with care, I might get a 5th season. It is far more typical around here to be on snow than on hard ice, other than the so-called "black ice" (because it cannot be seen, it is so thin a layer!) which can form on road surfaces which seem to be clear. Even most cleared roads still have hard-packed snow. When I hit clear and dry concrete, I am very careful with braking and turning to reduce tire wear. Can't wait for Spring!

[rhinothatflies]

Originally Posted by Sportstick

The WS70 I run on our MB E Class and another set of WS70 I ran on the recently departed C Class both held up well with my winter driving style (cautious) over at least three seasons. Going in, my local indy shop told me they see Blizzaks typically go 3-4 seasons. So, with care, I might get a 5th season. It is far more typical around here to be on snow than on hard ice, other than the so-called "black ice" (because it cannot be seen, it is so thin a layer!) which can form on road surfaces which seem to be clear. Even most cleared roads still have hard-packed snow. When I hit clear and dry concrete, I am very careful with braking and turning to reduce tire wear. Can't wait for Spring!

good to know, thanks! for what it's worth: http://www.beyond.ca/michelin-x-ice-...ews/12491.html

[335BOY]

Originally Posted by Sportstick

...and the point is? Hated winter for all those years and in the rest of the year, enjoy the benefits of Skip Barber racing training. Age is a mindset, as is which seasons one enjoys or wishes to escape from. I know "old fart" mindset 20-somethings, both here and in Ontario!

Moving on......

there is no point. You asked how I knew how old you were...............

[midwest 340xi 6sp]

Originally Posted by alz0rz

I'm running 225/40-18 Dunlop Wintersport 4D's on the stock M235i staggered wheels - really impressed by their performance thus far.

I ran Dunlop Winter Sports on my 550i and loved em, a lot!

Ive learned the hard-way to always go winter performance over winter snow/ice...But thats my personal preference and understand thats not every bodies spec for winter tires.

[Sportstick]

Originally Posted by Midwest X6

Ive learned the hard-way to always go winter performance over winter snow/ice...But thats my personal preference and understand thats not every bodies spec for winter tires.

Completely respect the choice, although I go the other way, but intrigued by "learned the hard way". What possibly happened?

[rhinothatflies]

there is a guy in my area selling a square set of blizzak lm-32s on black BMW rims with TPMS included. 235/40R18, with +35 offset. they've got under 2000 miles on 'em. he's asking $1200 but i think i can get them away from him for $1000. would this be a good choice for my 228i with THP? thanks.

[Sportstick]

Originally Posted by rhinothatflies

there is a guy in my area selling a square set of blizzak lm-32s on black BMW rims with TPMS included. 235/40R18, with +35 offset. they've got under 2000 miles on 'em. he's asking $1200 but i think i can get them away from him for $1000. would this be a good choice for my 228i with THP? thanks.

Here we get into the "winter performance" vs. "studless" discussion again. I wouldn't take them as I think this area requires every bit of traction possible, even at the loss of some of the typical BMW driving enjoyment we have the other three seasons. Overcoming the season's challenge more than offsets the lack of driving thrill for the few months.....welcome to Michigan! I wonder if he's selling them because they weren't capable enough last winter? If it's Blizzak, I would only consider the WS80 at this point, not the LM. His in particular are also too wide....215 is the goal, 225 at most.

[335BOY]

Originally Posted by Midwest X6

I ran Dunlop Winter Sports on my 550i and loved em, a lot!

Ive learned the hard-way to always go winter performance over winter snow/ice...But thats my personal preference and understand thats not every bodies spec for winter tires.

same here. To me, anything less than performance winter is brutal on anything other than snow covered roads. They are squirmy, loud and feel unstable. Too big a difference for me. While WS 80 are probably better in deep snow, for me, they would be worse in every other situation. Roads are rarely covered in lose snow for very long.

[SmallTownBoy]

Originally Posted by Sportstick

His in particular are also too wide....215 is the goal, 225 at most.

+1 I got Nokian 225s. I think BMW Canada's recommended package are 17" Conti 205s, but that's biased toward deep snow traction and bit too skinny for my liking.

[midwest 340xi 6sp]

Originally Posted by 335BOY

same here. To me, anything less than performance winter is brutal on anything other than snow covered roads. They are squirmy, loud and feel unstable. Too big a difference for me. While WS 80 are probably better in deep snow, for me, they would be worse in every other situation. Roads are rarely covered in lose snow for very long.

ditto for me...Key is for buyers to be aware of the predominant conditions they'll be driving in and what driving characteristics they want in their winter driving..

Not a right or wrong...different strokes.

[nzw212]

Originally Posted by SmallTownBoy

I live right across the border from Detroit and have no intention of giving up the PSS. We get plenty of time to enjoy them.

Got the winter tires installed this morning, just in time for the snow. Went with Nokian WRG3s - 225/40R18 on a square set of 18 X 7.5 wheels.

Looks like I took the opposite tack to you. The WRG3s are a winter-rated "all weather" performance (v rated) tire, with a 65,000 km (40,000 mi) tread warranty, which *could* be driven year-round. I intend to use them only for mid-November to mid-April. Since our climate is fairly mild by Canadian standards, I felt that was the best best balance.

I'm considering the WRG3s for the same reasons but I'm wondering if the Hakka R2s are smart considering how much snow we can get here in NY. How do you like the WRG3s and did you consider the Hakkas?

Thansk

[BEM-S4]

Originally Posted by rhinothatflies

there is a guy in my area selling a square set of blizzak lm-32s on black BMW rims with TPMS included. 235/40R18, with +35 offset. they've got under 2000 miles on 'em. he's asking $1200 but i think i can get them away from him for $1000. would this be a good choice for my 228i with THP? thanks.

I had LM32 over 100 today on the turnpike, didn't realize I was going so fast. Ride was remarkably good considering it's a winter tire.

[Wheelwright]

This is my winter setup: 2014 Dunlop 4Ds (I asked for the newest tires) on top of el-cheapo Bremmer Kraft rims: 18inch 225/40 with +45 offset all around.

As close as possible to OEM parameters including rim weight in order not to throw off adaptive suspension computer. Also I didn't want light alloys because potholes could damage those.

The rims have dark silver color, same as brake disks so it all looks quite cohesive, almost OEM-like. I didn't want BMW caps because M235i has enough self-advertising.

[Sportstick]

Originally Posted by Wheelwright

This is my winter setup: 2014 Dunlop 4Ds (I asked for the newest tires) on top of el-cheapo Bremmer Kraft rims: 18inch 225/40 with +45 offset all around.

As close as possible to OEM parameters including rim weight in order not to throw off adaptive suspension computer. Also I didn't want light alloys because potholes could damage those.

The rims have dark silver color, same as brake disks so it all looks quite cohesive, almost OEM-like. I didn't want BMW caps because M235i has enough self-advertising.

The wheels look great...not cheap-looking in any way at all! Any plan to also paint the mirror caps?

[SmallTownBoy]

Originally Posted by nzw212

I'm considering the WRG3s for the same reasons but I'm wondering if the Hakka R2s are smart considering how much snow we can get here in NY. How do you like the WRG3s and did you consider the Hakkas?

Thansk

I did consider the R2s; they're an excellent full-on winter tire. Our temp and road conditions here vary a lot over the winter, so the WRG3s seem the better choice.

If had to do more driving in deeper snow, I would have gone with the Hakka R2s, probably no wider than 215.

[nzw212]

Thanks for the feedback. Good luck.

[Kidu]

Hi all!
I am eagerly awaiting my EB M235i at Denver! It should reach here this week, I am thinking I can take delivery right after Thanksgiving. Really excited!
Had a quick question about Winter Tires - my car is RWD and obviously has the Michelin PSS tires on it. I want to get a set of winter tires and rims. What is the advantage of having a smaller size wheel for a winter tire? I see the Orange car with winter tires on it on smaller wheels - how do I pick the correct smaller wheel/tire size? Any tips would be greatly appreciated!!

Thank you!

[Sportstick]

Originally Posted by Kidu

Hi all!
I am eagerly awaiting my EB M235i at Denver! It should reach here this week, I am thinking I can take delivery right after Thanksgiving. Really excited!
Had a quick question about Winter Tires - my car is RWD and obviously has the Michelin PSS tires on it. I want to get a set of winter tires and rims. What is the advantage of having a smaller size wheel for a winter tire? I see the Orange car with winter tires on it on smaller wheels - how do I pick the correct smaller wheel/tire size? Any tips would be greatly appreciated!!

Thank you!

The issue is not so much the wheel diameter as the width of the tread. Large diameter (18/19") typically don't come in such narrow widths, but the diameter is not the major factor here....width is. Think about the difference between a knife blade and a snowshoe....which cuts through the snow better versus riding on top of it, where it is more slippery? That conveys it visually. Also consider the physics....the weight of the car is a constant. If the tire contact patch is smaller, that constant weight is being held up by a smaller area, so the downforce in pounds per square inch goes up, improving traction.

I bought 215/50-17, with the 215mm being the key part for traction....a narrow tread. The 50 part - the aspect ratio - is the measurement percentage of the sidewall height. The higher the aspect ratio, the taller the sidewall. If you drive on potholed roads like we do in winter, that provides more cushion before bending a rim.

I asked tirerack.com to put those 215s on 7.5" wide wheels which cleared the MSport brakes in our Track Package. However, I also now see that X Ice xi3 and Blizzak WS80 come in 205, which is even better, as it is narrower. Call Tire Rack to discuss with them, but you would ideally want 205/50-17 on 7.5" rims which clear the MSport brakes.

[Kidu]

Thank you! Appreciate the help!

[Uridian]

I went with 205/50-17 on mine. Wheels are 17x7.5 et 35, all square.

You can just put in all your info at tirerack.com and pick your wheel/tire package. They will default to the smaller, more narrow sets like they should. I don't have the M Sport brakes, but I'm sure they take that into consideration.

[MikeG12]

I went with Bridgestone LM32 snows 225/40-18 on style 264 wheels from a 135i. Wheels are staggered but went with same size tires front and rear. 225's are spec'd to go from 7.5 to 9" width wheels. Handling is still respectable. Hopefully the tires perform OK in frozen and light snow. Had LM 25's on my old E36 M3 and they worked fine.