08-09-2014, 10:16 PM | #1 |
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Winter tires and wheels for M3
Tire Rack says that they have no winter tires available for the 2015 M3. Is that right? Which brand and size tires should I be looking at? Thanks for any help.
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08-09-2014, 11:15 PM | #2 |
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Tirerack actually has winter tires for the 19" rims in stock size. Bridgestone Blizzak LM60 and Pirelli Sottozero II.
Tirerack has nothing listed for the 18" stock tire size though. I'm looking into probably VMR 18" rims for winters. Hoping to fit some Nokian hakkapeliita R2 tires on them. Closest size I can find is 245/40/18 for the fronts, and 245/45/18 for the back. Last edited by Nex; 08-09-2014 at 11:47 PM.. |
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08-10-2014, 12:12 AM | #3 |
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I picked up some E60 535i 18s and I'm gonna run them with 12mm spacers for the winter so I've been shopping for 245/40/18 snows. I imagine that'd be the size tirerack recommends since they recommend it to the 535 and they have the same wheel widths as we do.
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08-10-2014, 01:01 AM | #4 |
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Anybody know of pricing for BMWs new 18 and 19 snow wheels for the F8x?
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08-10-2014, 02:55 AM | #6 | |
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08-10-2014, 04:26 AM | #7 |
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Gary @ TireRack said there will be more options next month.
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08-10-2014, 06:17 AM | #8 | |
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I had a set of PA3 on my E92 M3 and actually took them off after the first storm and sold them... they were horrible in deep, wet snow. Dangerous IMO. Amazing on dry pavement but not in bad weather. I went with Blizzak LM-60 for the balance of the winter and they were much, much better. If someone's winters are very light, the Pilot Alpin are probably very good. If they are heavier snow/slush and ice, they are NOT very good. Lots of discussion around forums on how poorly they perform in deeper snow and slush.
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08-10-2014, 08:02 AM | #9 |
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Here's what I know about the 18" package winter tires:
If you go to the Michelin.fr (France) website and look up the F80 M3, you will see the recommended tire is the Michelin Pilot Alpin 4 in 255/40R18. Unfortunately I've learned through Michelin customer service that this tire won't be brought to the US market. You can still get the Pilot Alpin 2 in this size from Tire Rack, but that's a Porsche construction with a lower load rating than the OE BMW tire (95 instead of 99). If you go to the ETK or RealOEM database, in the wheels section you'll find the officially-recommended tire from BMW is the Continental WinterContact TS 830 P in 255/40R18 99V. Through my contacts at Conti, BMW and Tire Rack (their major distributor) I've learned that this tire isn't available yet but should be by late fall. Given that this is likely the tire that BMW did their winter testing (and ABS/ESC calibration) with, I'll probably get this one if I can. Looking at Tire Rack, there are six winter tire options in the 255/40R18 size. If neither of the two tires mentioned above become available, probably the best off-the-shelf alternative would be the Bridgestone Blizzak LM-60 or LM-32. I'd probably go with the H-rated LM-60 rather than the V-rated LM-32, since 130mph is plenty fast for public roads (especially in winter!) and I'd trade the higher speed rating for a slightly better winter compound. I had the LM-60 on my Z4 M Coupe and the car was unstoppable in the snow. Hope this helps. Last edited by Floridagator; 08-10-2014 at 08:03 AM.. Reason: Minor grammatical corrections |
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08-10-2014, 08:42 AM | #10 | |
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08-10-2014, 09:33 AM | #12 | |
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I'm sure more options will materialize as time goes on, but most likely the best option will be the BMW OE winter wheel package. In the aftermarket, I'd look for a square setup using an 18x8.5 with an offset around 35mm. The rear will probably be well inside the wheel well, but nobody said running around on winter tires was sexy. |
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08-10-2014, 10:41 AM | #13 | |
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08-10-2014, 10:50 AM | #14 |
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08-10-2014, 12:44 PM | #15 | |
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08-10-2014, 04:05 PM | #16 | |
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The PA3 was like a really good high performance all season tire. Amazing on cold and dry pavement. OK in a light dusting. A piece of crap in deep, wet or icy snow. Some climates get really dry fluffy powder and it might be better but in our winters we get wet, icy snow. The PA3 was no better than an all season tire in this. The LM-60 felt like a high performance winter tire on cold and dry pavement. Not sloppy like a Blizzak WS70 but not as firm and responsive as the PA3. In snow/ice, it was more like a real winter tire. I have been driving RWD cars in Canadian winters for many years without any issues. The only time I had any real "holy shit" or "I'm going to get stuck" moments was with the PA3. If I only drove the M4 when the pavement was dry, the PA3/PA4 would clearly be the ticket. However, I need to know I can get where I'm going if there is a mid-day storm and I'm at the office, etc. I did not have confidence in the PA3 in that circumstance. IMO, anyone who thinks the PA3 is a good snow/ice tire have never driven it in poor conditions. It is, at best, slightly better than a high performance all season in those conditions.
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08-11-2014, 07:50 AM | #17 | |
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08-11-2014, 12:03 PM | #18 | ||
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I'm considering them for optimal performance in deep snow. I don't care if on dry ground it's sloppy, I can deal with that for the winter months. I've always had dedicated snows with no good dry performance so that's no big deal. Would rather be safer when the roads are covered and they haven't plowed by the time I leave for work. |
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08-11-2014, 01:05 PM | #19 | |
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Here are my winter wheels... just arrived. Avant Garde M510 in a satin black powder coat. I plan to run 255/35-19 Hakka R2 in a square set up so they can be rotated. Got them from Golan at Need4Speed... fantastic service and highly recommended.
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08-11-2014, 02:19 PM | #20 |
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08-11-2014, 02:24 PM | #21 |
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19x8.5 ET 15.
That was the size Avant Garde recommended to be flush with the fenders and clear the brakes. The front/rear will be ~15mm further out versus OEM with 255 tires. I measured the clearance and it should be good but I haven't test fit them yet. Regardless, AG has guaranteed the fitment when I eventually put the tires on and mount the wheels. I originally wanted a wider wheel but will probably run a narrower winter tire (255 being the absolute widest I would personally use) to get get better winter traction in snow.
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08-11-2014, 02:36 PM | #22 |
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