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[Rekrul]

Originally Posted by kmarei

Dunlop Wintersport 3d
245/40 18"
honestly that day i drove them in the snow (less than 1/2 inch snow on groud), i might as well have been driving on PS2s.
and they had less than 2000 miles on them at that point, so still full tread.
i honestly think tires make little difference when you have no weight on the rearn tires.
i had Pirelli snowsport 240s on my 08 M3, they also sucked
and i do know how to drive in the snow, so this is not driver error
i learnt how to drive in Sweden so snow is not foreign to me

There is a massive difference between the wintersports and the ps2s.. I caught some snow early on with the ps2s. Not even close.

[kmarei]

Originally Posted by Rekrul

There is a massive difference between the wintersports and the ps2s.. I caught some snow early on with the ps2s. Not even close.

then explain to me how i was caught in the same situation twice
once on PS2s and once on wintersports
and in both cases i had zero traction
i.e the car could not move forward
if i can't move forward it makes little difference what my tires are
i'm not dissing the wintersports in particular
i'm just saying i've had very bad luck with them in snow
and i've also had bad luck with the pirelli snowsport 240
my guess is it's not the tires
its the M3

[Rekrul]

Originally Posted by kmarei

then explain to me how i was caught in the same situation twice
once on PS2s and once on wintersports
and in both cases i had zero traction
i.e the car could not move forward
if i can't move forward it makes little difference what my tires are
i'm not dissing the wintersports in particular
i'm just saying i've had very bad luck with them in snow
and i've also had bad luck with the pirelli snowsport 240
my guess is it's not the tires
its the M3

Quite honestly I do not know. It defies any sort logic or reason that you would have the same issue with two radically different tires. Perhaps you drive with a lead foot? That is my only explanation. They are not even close in the snow.

[1MOREMOD]

i live in washington and rarely have snow so over the previous winter left on ad08s all year just avoided leaving the garage in sub zero or snowy conditions. so no its never too soon.

[Rekrul]

Put on the PS2s... what a difference lol.

[jrlee53]

Originally Posted by kmarei

Dunlop Wintersport 3d
245/40 18"
honestly that day i drove them in the snow (less than 1/2 inch snow on groud), i might as well have been driving on PS2s.
and they had less than 2000 miles on them at that point, so still full tread.
i honestly think tires make little difference when you have no weight on the rearn tires.
i had Pirelli snowsport 240s on my 08 M3, they also sucked
and i do know how to drive in the snow, so this is not driver error
i learnt how to drive in Sweden so snow is not foreign to me

That's strange, I have the same wintersport 3D's on mine and went through our worst snow storm last year without any problem, as long as the road had enough clearance anyway. I have 2 Blizzak's on the fronts now, but didn't get a chance to see how they go with our light winter this year. Can't wait to put the summer's back on this weekend.

[richardbb85]

about to drop my car off to have it change to PSS, can't fuxking wait!!!!


jesus, what a world difference..so glad i m done with the snow tires

[M3SQRD]

Originally Posted by JDy80

That's strange, I have the same wintersport 3D's on mine and went through our worst snow storm last year without any problem, as long as the road had enough clearance anyway. I have 2 Blizzak's on the fronts now, but didn't get a chance to see how they go with our light winter this year. Can't wait to put the summer's back on this weekend.

Although I didn't get a chance to drive the M3 this winter in a lot of snow with the Wintersport 3D's but I thought they were fine in snow, wet and dry conditions. Plus I used the 3D's on my old S2000 and it drove great in the snow!

I wonder if part of kmarei's handling issues are partially due to wheel width/offset and the 245 tire size? I'm running a 235/255 setup on 18x8 and 18x9 wheels with front spacings equal to the ZCP wheel front spacings.

[kmarei]

Might be
Mine are 245/40 on 9.5" wheels
Maybe they are too stretched?

[M3SQRD]

Originally Posted by kmarei

Might be
Mine are 245/40 on 9.5" wheels
Maybe they are too stretched?

A 245 tire on a 9.5" wide wheel sounds like it would be very stretched. I wonder if the soft side wall and squirmy tread blocks when overly stretched results in poor handling?

[kmarei]

Well before I bought them I checked tire rack
The range for this tire is 8-9.5" wheel
So it might be stretched but still within limits
Now not sure what I'll do
I love the wheels but all 4 are 9.5
And with winter tires you don't want to go too wide
Maybe I'll keep the 245 in the front and get 265 in the back?
Confused

[signes]

Originally Posted by dbarnes

A 245 tire on a 9.5" wide wheel sounds like it would be very stretched. I wonder if the soft side wall and squirmy tread blocks when overly stretched results in poor handling?

That's my setup and it works great, even take my car skiing here. Then again I have Nokians (that are melting every day here with 70+ degrees...)

[M3SQRD]

Originally Posted by kmarei

Well before I bought them I checked tire rack
The range for this tire is 8-9.5" wheel
So it might be stretched but still within limits
Now not sure what I'll do
I love the wheels but all 4 are 9.5
And with winter tires you don't want to go too wide
Maybe I'll keep the 245 in the front and get 265 in the back?
Confused

I remember a thread at the beginning of winter where someone tried installing a 255 on a rear ZCP wheel and it was so stretched the dealership refused to install the second tire. I think the owner ended up returning the 255 and getting a 275 rear tire. TireRack showed the 255 was OK on a 10" wide wheel but once this specific tire was installed it didn't look safe/correct...

[M3SQRD]

Originally Posted by signes

That's my setup and it works great, even take my car skiing here. Then again I have Nokians (that are melting every day here with 70+ degrees...)

I'm wondering if it's the Wintersport 3D 245 tire mounted on a 9.5" wheel, not all 245 wide tires on a 9.5" wheel? Different brands will have different section and tread widths. Based on other posts it sounds like kameri is the only one having grip/handling problems with the Wintersport 3D's - only difference is wheel width and tire size. I think that's why we are all

Yep, I still have my winter tires on and the temp has been > 70 F for several days so I know the tires aren't happy...

[pbonsalb]

I have Wintersport 3D in 235/255 on stock 18 x 8.5/9.5. The tires are within the allowed range for the wheel width but are as pinched as I would like and there is no sidewall bulge to protect the rims. They work fine in the snow. I ran them last winter and this winter.

I swapped to my summer wheels last night. It is not too early given the weather conditions. And if there is some cold weather, a tire like the PS2 is comfortable. A higher performance tire like the RS3 and some others will give up so much grip in very cold conditions that it can be scary. Since I drive year round and live in an area with real seasons (NH), I have to compromise on the performance of the tire and stick with something that is OK in freezing weather.

If it snows, I will have to be very careful. The PS2s are useless in the snow on the M3. They are useless in the snow even on my wife's 535xi.

[Black Gold]

Originally Posted by username11

There are better tires for the Apex. Like the AD08s.

PSS = comfort tire with soft sidewall. You will be disappointed especially in 18 in. size. Unless you want a comfort tire, but then why buy Apexes?

I agree completely

A real performance tire (im using RS3's) feels totally different than a PSS.

I had PSS on my Morr wheels and just swapped out to my 18" RAC's with RS3 tires (265/35 and 285/35) and the feel is hugely different.

Much less roll and much more grip. The soft sidewall is really noticeable on a fat car like the m3 imo.

AD-08 seems to get great reviews. If they were available in the right size, id have gotten a set.

[mdosu]

Just saw a weather forcast today, they said it'll be unseasonably warm in the southeast and mid-atlantic for the next 60-90 days! Summers are going on soon for me.

[kmarei]

Originally Posted by username11

There are better tires for the Apex. Like the AD08s.

PSS = comfort tire with soft sidewall. You will be disappointed especially in 18 in. size. Unless you want a comfort tire, but then why buy Apexes?

well the standard assumption is that i got the Apex wheels to race
but i didn't
only reason i got them was i was sick of 19s and i wanted a light 18" wheel
plus i love the way they look, and they are not expensive

and i do want comfort so the soft sidewall is a blessing
this is my daily driver, and i often have my family with me so i don't want an all out racer

[JohnnyRoaster]

I was going to start a "should I put my summers on?" thread but it looks like I am late to the party. Crazy non-winter this year. I usually wait till around Easter weekend but looks like I will be making a swap to the summer shoes this weekend. I will be happy to get back on better rubber.

[1MOREMOD]

if it makes you feel any worse im headed to the track tomorrow and yes i have summers on.