[Motorsport_235i]

Hi guys
i need to buy winter tires on my car in 3months im kinda looking for the best tires and was looking for advice from winter owners
Here is Montreal we have crazy snow....i dont care about tire noise im looking the best performance on snow tires...also i dont have X drive
Im hesitant between the bridgestone W80 blizzark or some michelin x ice not sure which number...
also what are the dimensions of yours ?

[Rayscott]

I had Blizzaks on 2 of my S2000's. Fantastic tires, never had any issues winter driving.

[Sportstick]

215/50-17 for size. I recall 205/50-17 also work and actually match the original OD a bit better. Check for load rating. Narrow is better in winter to cut through snow. Also, be sure wheels clear the MSport blue calipers if you have that set-up. Tire Rack can show you which wheels do that.

Blizzak WS80 for most snow/ice capability, but a bit less so on dry surfaces during the winter.

Michelin XIcexi3 for better dry road performance in the winter and a bit less snow/ice capability than the WS80, as they are not as soft.

Both are excellent in any event...these are nuances.

[elus1ve]

Heard good things about both but as an owner of a rwd 1 series in Montreal for 3 years, my recommendation to you is to get tires with grooves as deep as possible first then brand name after. Also stay away from sport performance winter tires, it will do no good in deep snow.

Rwd in Montreal winters is brutal and I can't count how many times ive gotten stuck, and i tried 3 different tires until i gave up and got an xdrive car. So here are some other non tire advice if you care: Keep a good snow traction kit in the car, it may help sometimes. If you feel like doing a hardware upgrade, get the LSD. It will make a world of a difference as it will require that both rear tire be stuck rather than just one with open diff. Carry salt with you, and spray around tires when you park outside. It will decrease the chance u get stuck. Do not try to power through some deep snow thinking you will get out with just momentum or you will be in for a world of hurt. Enjoy the drive. RWD is effing fun.

[Sportstick]

Originally Posted by elus1ve

Heard good things about both but as an owner of a rwd 1 series in Montreal for 3 years, my recommendation to you is to get tires with grooves as deep as possible first then brand name after. Also stay away from sport performance winter tires, it will do no good in deep snow.

Rwd in Montreal winters is brutal and I can't count how many times ive gotten stuck, and i tried 3 different tires until i gave up and got an xdrive car. So here are some other non tire advice if you care: Keep a good snow traction kit in the car, it may help sometimes. If you feel like doing a hardware upgrade, get the LSD. It will make a world of a difference as it will require that both rear tire be stuck rather than just one with open diff. Carry salt with you, and spray around tires when you park outside. It will decrease the chance u get stuck. Do not try to power through some deep snow thinking you will get out with just momentum or you will be in for a world of hurt. Enjoy the drive. RWD is effing fun.

A lot of good pointers here. But, winter capability goes far beyond tread depth. Tread depth primarily channels liquid water to prevent hydroplaning. It does not necessarily provide an advantage on snow. Read this entire article to find snow performance discussion.

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests...y.jsp?ttid=210

Winter performance is most dependent on the chemical composition of the compound, how hydrophilic is the rubber, how soft it stays in sub-freezing temperatures...these are all critical determinates of traction on snow and ice. This is where the R&D from the leading tire companies results in superior products, and they usually do charge more for the privilege.

[elus1ve]

Originally Posted by Sportstick

A lot of good pointers here. But, winter capability goes far beyond tread depth. Tread depth primarily channels liquid water to prevent hydroplaning. It does not necessarily provide an advantage on snow. Read this entire article to find snow performance discussion.

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests...y.jsp?ttid=210

Winter performance is most dependent on the chemical composition of the compound, how hydrophilic is the rubber, how soft it stays in sub-freezing temperatures...these are all critical determinates of traction on snow and ice. This is where the R&D from the leading tire companies results in superior products, and they usually do charge more for the privilege.

I hear you and did my reading as well, but was just giving my recommendation based on my exp. Theory and practice is a very different thing with a rwd in Monteeal. I had pirrelis, and they were amazing as winter perf tires. As good performance as my summer tires on dry and very decent on ice but rubish in deep snow. Michelin x ice was decent all rounder but still got stuck badly. Ended up with a Norwegian brand which wasn't great on dry but was less troublesome in deep snow. Sorry i forgot the model or brand of some of them. The bigger the groove the better they tend to do in deep snow which i assume is the challenge in mtl. If you are looking for performance on dry road in winter, then theory mostly matches reality. Juat my experiwnce is all

[HeyMoe53]

Would those "Norwegian" tires be Nokian Hakkapellittas?

I have them on the Focus I drive during winter weather, and I like them a lot.

[X54TH]

Originally Posted by HeyMoe53

Would those "Norwegian" tires be Nokian Hakkapellittas?

I have them on the Focus I drive during winter weather, and I like them a lot.

I have the Nokian Hakkapellittas on my son's M235. An exceptional winter tire. We are using the OEM rims with them.

[elus1ve]

Yes! That's it. Such an easy name to remember lol. Thanks!

P. S: they are ugly as hell on a coupe but who cares when there's snow everywhere.

[X54TH]

Originally Posted by elus1ve

Yes! That's it. Such an easy name to remember lol. Thanks!

P. S: they are ugly as hell on a coupe but who cares when there's snow everywhere.

LOL. True about the name. Honestly thought they handled well from a performance perspective and thought they looked ok compared to others. Anyway, a great winter tire. Highly recommend them.

[idc]

I have the same setup (manual 235i RWD) and I bought a square set of 215/50R17 Michelin X-Ice Xi3 on Anzio rims. No problem with fitting, no need for centering rings. Not much snow in Seattle, but whenever snow was on the ground, including one bad snow storms in Portland I had no problems with them, despite many other cars abandoned on the side of the road. Felt a little better than my wife's Audi A4 Quattro with all seasons. I prefer Michelin since they seem to last longer than the Blizzacks. After a winter of driving they still look good.

[AbuQutaita]

I got a good deal at the end of a season for the official BMW winter tire package: http://www.shopbmwusa.com/PRODUCT/47...-TIRE-ASSEMBLY.

I cruised up 10% grades in the hills around here with almost no slippage (RWD, no LSD). I would highly recommend the Pirelli Sottozeros.

[elus1ve]

Originally Posted by AbuQutaita

I got a good deal at the end of a season for the official BMW winter tire package: http://www.shopbmwusa.com/PRODUCT/47...-TIRE-ASSEMBLY.

I cruised up 10% grades in the hills around here with almost no slippage (RWD, no LSD). I would highly recommend the Pirelli Sottozeros.

Sottozeros. That's the one i had first and it was useless in Canadian winters. Just don't

[aerobod]

Depending on which model of Sottozero, they perform quite differently. I've had Sottozero 1, 2 and 3 versions along with Michelin X-Ice 2 and 3 tyres on 7 different vehicles. The Sottozero 3 is significantly better than the Sottozero 2 and has better ice grip than the X-Ice 3 with equivalent deep snow grip. The Sottozero 3 does wear very quickly, though, twice as quickly as the Sottozero 2 on a RWD BMW, about 15,000km to a set before they reach the 4.5mm winter tread limit.

[msej449]

Here is the newer Pirelli Winter Zottozero S3 on my M235i Convertible RWD:



The newer S3 is much more of a snow tyre and performed well on snowy 10% inclines last winter in the Alps. It has a much chunkier tread pattern. I didn't have to use my snowchains on my RWD M235i.

The Serie-II trades some snow traction in return for better handling in the dry. It's aimed at people who drive performance cars mainly in the dry or slush but want to be able to handle snow if necessary.

My chains are Spykes Spider Easy Alpine - they take about 20 seconds to fit as they're the type that don't have a rear chain component, and are tensioned on the outside of the wheel only. Out of interest - do people use chains much in Canada? It's common in the Alps for people to use these, especially for deeper snow and steep inclines. But I assume that the OP is driving daily in serious snow, so they need the best snow traction they can get, without resorting ti chains.

[ABPReader]

Pirelli Sottozero3 are perfect on my RWD M235i, I highly recommend ! I daily drive my car here in Switzerland, maybe it's not Montreal but it's not Miami either.

[Motorsport_235i]

From what i read guys
I think i will stick with what i had in mind in the first place
W80 Blizzak
u cant go wrong with that !!
In Montreal its heavy snow for 3months here !!

[Cumberlandjames]

I live in the country near Ottawa so understand what winter is. I have been running Blizzacs for 5 years and love them. They perform very well on icy roads but are superb in the snow. My road does not get plowed sometimes for 2-3 days after it snows an they just cruise through the stuff. After all these years, 10,ooo kms per year, they are still in good shape and soft and pliable. Bought them at Costco for cheap. Absolutely love them.

[Sportstick]

Originally Posted by Motorsport_235i

From what i read guys
I think i will stick with what i had in mind in the first place
W80 Blizzak
u cant go wrong with that !!
In Montreal its heavy snow for 3months here !!

A very good choice....be careful about size...you don't want/need any wider than 215s for this application. You want the tire to cut through the snow, not "snowshoe" on top, as wider tires tend to do because the vehicle weight is distributed over a larger contact patch area.

[Motorsport_235i]

When i went to the tire shop the guy wanted to sell me the same size as summer tires for winter tires
215/40/18 front
245/35/18 back
is that bad???

[Sportstick]

Originally Posted by Motorsport_235i

When i went to the tire shop the guy wanted to sell me the same size as summer tires for winter tires
215/40/18 front
245/35/18 back
is that bad???

Yes, that is quite bad. The rear would slide around much more than desired. You want a "square" set up...Same size front and rear...215/50-17 or 205/50-17 on 17" rims which clear your blue MSport brake calipers. Just the fact that he wanted to use the same size for winter as summer indicates you need to shop somewhere else. Not sure about international shipping costs, but at least study tirerack.com for wheels which fit a 235i with MSport brakes and get an idea about US prices. (I think you have a typo for the front summer tire size.....215?)

[esp260]

Originally Posted by Motorsport_235i

When i went to the tire shop the guy wanted to sell me the same size as summer tires for winter tires
215/40/18 front
245/35/18 back
is that bad???

Yes, it's bad. Get a square setup, no need for staggered. I ran with 205s all-around for my 228i RWD for 2 winters in the Northeast. One tip is that when snow is bad turn traction off; if it is REALLY bad hold the button and turn everything off completely. Also, a lot of people on the forum recommend getting 17" for a winter setup instead of 18".