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2Addicts | BMW 2-Series forum Technical Topics Wheels and Tires -- Sponsored by The Tire Rack Recommendations for M235i winter wheel/tire setup. What did you do?

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      05-29-2015, 07:54 PM   #23
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Zooks527 View Post
You get a bit better purchase with the narrower 205s, but the load range ratings can often get a bit squirrelly with some of the pressures you may need to use. Fine if you check it and it works (varies by brand, IIRC), but it's not as clean as a straight 225 setup, which is pretty much always OK.
This could affect some brands, but for the Blizzak WS80 in 205/50-17, the load rating is 1433 lbs per tire at a maximum inflation of 50psi x 4 (in a nice 50/50 weight distribution like a 228i) allows for a 5732 lb GVWR vs 4165 on the label on my 228. Plenty of capability.
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      05-30-2015, 07:24 AM   #24
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I went with staggered Michelin PA4s one of the most sporty choices for a winter tire. Performance is just unbelievable even compared to the SuperSports. Here is what it looks like on Enkei's
http://www.2addicts.com/forums/showp...&postcount=169

I imagine you get very little actual snow in Maryland (ignoring the last winter for a moment) and it may be more important to have a tire that can deal with cold and wet road conditions. The smaller width of the tires will reduce grip 99.9% of your winter driving and if you want much more performance in the winter month I recommend a more aggressive choice. The PA4s which I had on my Acura TL before are pricey but soo worth it!!! If you live in Michigan you don't have that option for sure .

BTW, there are lots of posts in the wheel/tire subforum for more feedback.
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      08-20-2016, 07:57 AM   #25
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I hope this post can get me some answers since it was last used a year ago. I have to have winter here in Germany for my 2015 M235. Was wondering if y'all still recommend the same tires (Blizzak). Is it a good idea to get a different set of rims or just use the same ones? I will get a square set up. I do have to go up moderate hills but nothing to crazy but most of my driving is 40-60 MPH on curvy roads not to many hills. I also have xdrive if that changes your advice on which tire.
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      08-20-2016, 09:30 AM   #26
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TACP View Post
I hope this post can get me some answers since it was last used a year ago. I have to have winter here in Germany for my 2015 M235. Was wondering if y'all still recommend the same tires (Blizzak). Is it a good idea to get a different set of rims or just use the same ones? I will get a square set up. I do have to go up moderate hills but nothing to crazy but most of my driving is 40-60 MPH on curvy roads not to many hills. I also have xdrive if that changes your advice on which tire.
Very happy with my winter setup last year: WS-80s on a separate set of 17" rims in a square setup (225/45R17 on all 4 corners). We didn't get much snow, but on the days we did, the car was great.
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      08-20-2016, 09:33 AM   #27
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I've never put winter tires/wheels on any of my BMWs...but then, I was living in TX up until 2014 - only snows lightly there, but they do get some ice storms. Here in SE NC, I've stayed on summer tires, but again, we have had practically no snow to deal with, although it does get fairly cold for a month or so. So far, so good, though.
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      08-20-2016, 10:06 AM   #28
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TACP View Post
I hope this post can get me some answers since it was last used a year ago. I have to have winter here in Germany for my 2015 M235. Was wondering if y'all still recommend the same tires (Blizzak). Is it a good idea to get a different set of rims or just use the same ones? I will get a square set up. I do have to go up moderate hills but nothing to crazy but most of my driving is 40-60 MPH on curvy roads not to many hills. I also have xdrive if that changes your advice on which tire.
If you go back and read the earlier posts, the recommendation for narrow Blizzak WS80 still stands. Separate rims also remain the better approach to reduce potential damage during mounting/dismounting and to save with having to do that long process each time versus a few quick minutes of just 20 lugnuts. XDrive does not change the recommendation. If you can't get Blizzaks or will trade a small bit of capability for better dry road performance, also look at Michelin XIcexi3.
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      08-20-2016, 11:14 AM   #29
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Great advice. I have always run winter tires and rims one size down on my BMW's, xDrive or not. Simplest solution is to speak to someone at Tirerack on the phone. They have never steered me wrong.
Be careful with the M235, since the wheels need to clear the brakes, which means you will have very few options. My current set are Titano and they are fine.
Downside: a bit noisier and reduced handling.
If you own the car and you sell it privately, the winter set-up is a plus for the buyer.
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      08-20-2016, 12:32 PM   #30
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I have to have a set of tires that is rated for Snow. Germany law mandates it by Oct 1st I think. Maybe sooner. Any cheap options for wheels we know will fit over the brakes?
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      08-20-2016, 12:37 PM   #31
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TACP View Post
I have to have a set of tires that is rated for Snow. Germany law mandates it by Oct 1st I think. Maybe sooner. Any cheap options for wheels we know will fit over the brakes?
Not sure what the equivalent of tirerack.com is for Germany, or if you want to pay overseas shipping, but if you enter the model name with MSport brakes, they will show you which wheels fit over the blue MSport calipers, including 17" which will be optimal for winter. I bought both low cost winter wheels and 3-season BBS 17" wheels from them and the fit is fine over MSport brakes.
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      08-20-2016, 03:40 PM   #32
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Have you looked at the official BMW wheel configurator?

http://www.bmw.com/com/en/owners/acc...mplete_wheels/

It's worth a browse just to see what's on offer from BMW themselves. If you're doing ED in the winter, can you order winters instead of summers? If you are picking-up in the winter in Germany then winters might be better anyway. Here in the UK BMW my Dealer offer tyres 'free' with the wheels and swaps and stores them for me for £30/yr.

it may seem counter-intuitive, but if you get BWW winter wheels and tyres out of the factory, when the time comes to swap, you may find it much easier and have more choice of sources for summers. But as I said, I don't know if you can get winters on a factory order, even with ED.

Last edited by msej449; 08-20-2016 at 04:32 PM..
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      08-20-2016, 04:42 PM   #33
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I picked up another set of 436 orbit grey wheels from Brian at Sun Motors. I just ordered Michelin Pilot Alpin PA4 and tpms from Tire Rack. Does anybody have any experience with these tires? They got great reviews.
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Last edited by Marmugmotleocay; 08-20-2016 at 04:48 PM..
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      08-20-2016, 05:03 PM   #34
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Marmugmotleocay View Post
I picked up another set of 436 orbit grey wheels from Brian at Sun Motors. I just ordered Michelin Pilot Alpin PA4 and tpms from Tire Rack. Does anybody have any experience with these tires? They got great reviews.
Halfway between winter and performance. You'll enjoy them in the dry and should be "ok" on snow and ice. Not most winter-capable such as Michelin Xicexi3. If you insist on maximizing performance all the time, even in winter, probably a good choice. If you are concerned about getting highest levels of snow/ice capability and will back off on performance for winter in Pennsylvania, I'd try to change the order to the XIcexi3.

Last edited by Sportstick; 08-20-2016 at 06:27 PM..
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      08-20-2016, 08:11 PM   #35
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I found some take off style 380 wheels, for ~500 on ebay and mounted ws80s. In a few inches of snow, with traction control on, life was easy. And that's what I want from winter tires.
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      08-21-2016, 12:54 PM   #36
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sportstick View Post
Not sure what the equivalent of tirerack.com is for Germany, or if you want to pay overseas shipping, but if you enter the model name with MSport brakes, they will show you which wheels fit over the blue MSport calipers, including 17" which will be optimal for winter. I bought both low cost winter wheels and 3-season BBS 17" wheels from them and the fit is fine over MSport brakes.
I'm here in the states, and cannot find a way to enter the model name and "MSport brakes" on the Tire Rack website to get this information. Am I missing something?
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      08-21-2016, 12:58 PM   #37
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Quote:
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I'm here in the states, and cannot find a way to enter the model name and "MSport brakes" on the Tire Rack website to get this information. Am I missing something?
When you do the "Shop By Vehicle", with a M235i, it is not necessary, as all have MSport brakes. If you try the same vehicle selection process with a 228i, the choice appears.
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      08-21-2016, 01:00 PM   #38
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sportstick View Post
If you go back and read the earlier posts, the recommendation for narrow Blizzak WS80 still stands. Separate rims also remain the better approach to reduce potential damage during mounting/dismounting and to save with having to do that long process each time versus a few quick minutes of just 20 lugnuts. XDrive does not change the recommendation. If you can't get Blizzaks or will trade a small bit of capability for better dry road performance, also look at Michelin XIcexi3.
I agree with everything else you commented on but cannot support the WS80 Blizzak recommendation. The last pair of Blizzaks I owned (granted it was quite some time ago) handled like bricks on dry and wet roads and wore especially quickly. In it's December 2015 Winter tire comparison test, they finished a distant fourth out of six tires. Car and Driver said"Unfortunately, the WS80 posted the second-slowest snowcross time. We thought it had some of the worst at-the-limit behavior by abruptly losing grip with little progressivity and a lengthy recovery time.

Bridgestone says it invests more than $1 billion a year in research and development, and winter tires are a big part of that. But there is a noticeable step up in performance from fourth to third in this test, and we hope Bridgestone’s engineers will close the gap with the next-generation WS."
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      08-21-2016, 01:03 PM   #39
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sportstick View Post
When you do the "Shop By Vehicle", with a M235i, it is not necessary, as all have MSport brakes. If you try the same vehicle selection process with a 228i, the choice appears.
Thanks, I didn't realize that MSport brakes were standard on M235i's. I'm planning on dropping down to 17 inch wheels for winter and have been spending a fair bit of time on Tire Rack. I'm going to need to give them a call to talk this over. It appears there are VERY few, and no "good" tire choices that are usable in this scenario, which concerns me greatly. Add in the need for run-flats and it appears I have one, very limited, choice! This could be a real issue if accurate.

Last edited by TWO-BMW; 08-21-2016 at 01:22 PM..
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      08-21-2016, 01:07 PM   #40
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TWO-BMW View Post
I agree with everything else you commented on but cannot support the WS80 Blizzak recommendation. The last pair of Blizzaks I owned (granted it was quite some time ago) handled like bricks on dry and wet roads and wore especially quickly. In it's December 2015 Winter tire comparison test, they finished a distant fourth out of six tires. Car and Driver said"Unfortunately, the WS80 posted the second-slowest snowcross time. We thought it had some of the worst at-the-limit behavior by abruptly losing grip with little progressivity and a lengthy recovery time.

Bridgestone says it invests more than $1 billion a year in research and development, and winter tires are a big part of that. But there is a noticeable step up in performance from fourth to third in this test, and we hope Bridgestone’s engineers will close the gap with the next-generation WS."
I understand the concern, but I first consider the source and realize C&D is looking for different attributes in the winter than am I. Performance is the last thing I think about in the winter. It's about survival and getting through, stopping and turning safely and safe at, at most, moderate speeds. Snowcross and "at the limit" are not anywhere close to my radar. I've been quite successful with WS80 in congested rush hour traffic and taking it easy on snow covered interstates around here, and getting through with the same sheetmetal shapes wins out over everything else. WS80 have done well for that. They do wear faster on dry roads if driven aggressively, but that very softness is what makes them so excellent on snow and ice. I baby them on dry roads.

But, I also know that some will prefer the improved dry handling of the XIcexi3 even if it sacrifices some snow/ice traction...but that's not a trade-off which interests me for about 3-4 months each year. Another reason why I hope to move Southwest one day!
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Last edited by Sportstick; 08-21-2016 at 01:17 PM..
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      08-21-2016, 01:12 PM   #41
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TWO-BMW View Post
Thanks, I didn't realize that MSport brakes were standard on M235i's. I'm planning on dropping down to 17 inch wheels for winter and have been spending a fair bit of time on Tire Rack. I'm going to need to give them a call to talk this over. It appears there are VERY few, and no "good" tire choices that are usable in this scenario, which concerns me greatly.
With the caveat of more/less "performance" versus snow/ice, here are two top players in the narrower size which enhances winter performance.



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      08-21-2016, 01:16 PM   #42
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And, if the 205 concerns you, here are 215 treadwidth, also a size match for our cars.



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      08-21-2016, 01:31 PM   #43
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After further research at Tire Rack, it looks like a mistake to go with 17 inch wheels, at least with the M235i. There are quite a few more options in snow tires with 18's. Unfortunate given that going to the smaller size is almost always the better option for a set of winter wheels and tires.

Oops, scratch that. Only two run flat options available, one is discontinued and limited availability, and honestly, I don't want either choice
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      08-21-2016, 01:36 PM   #44
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sportstick View Post
I understand the concern, but I first consider the source and realize C&D is looking for different attributes in the winter than am I. Performance is the last thing I think about in the winter. It's about survival and getting through, stopping and turning safely and safe at, at most, moderate speeds. Snowcross and "at the limit" are not anywhere close to my radar. I've been quite successful with WS80 in congested rush hour traffic and taking it easy on snow covered interstates around here, and getting through with the same sheetmetal shapes wins out over everything else. WS80 have done well for that. They do wear faster on dry roads if driven aggressively, but that very softness is what makes them so excellent on snow and ice. I baby them on dry roads.

But, I also know that some will prefer the improved dry handling of the XIcexi3 even if it sacrifices some snow/ice traction...but that's not a trade-off which interests me for about 3-4 months each year. Another reason why I hope to move Southwest one day!
I understand your position. And I truly wish Car and Driver had also included dry and wet road performance of the tires as that is very important to me. Where I live, the winter cycle, and need for the tires is almost five months (generally the third week in November until the third week in April). While we certainly get snow (average 65-75 inches at my home) my estimate would still be that I'm driving on wet or dry roads for 75% of the winter, so how the tires handle those conditions is also very relevant.
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