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[HK1971]

when do you typically swap to the winter tires ??

also, is it necessary to get both winter wheels and tires ?? or do you just put the winter tires (which are necessary) on your current wheels ?

[darkalley]

the anal m3 police are going to flame you for putting this outside the wheel section. I once used the word "wax" in a post outside the detailing section and they killed my dog.

In NJ I swap mine around the 3rd week in december. with the potholes I also drop to a 18 inch rim. mounting and rebalancing can chew up the rims.

[ase2dais]

I swap mine, the wkend after Turkey Day and Easter Sunday

[SlammedR8]

After the first snowfall, I just wont drive my car the first time it snows.

[Radiation Joe]

When temps are consistently below 40 degrees is my rule. Higher temps eat up winter tires.

Of course, if snow is iminent, I put on the snow tires.

Darky, You were warned not to discuss the "incident" again.

[kmarei]

i can't find any winter tires on tire rack
do i have to get 17" wheels or something
can't find for 18 or 19"

[Radiation Joe]

Originally Posted by kmarei

i can't find any winter tires on tire rack
do i have to get 17" wheels or something
can't find for 18 or 19"

If you can't figure this out yourself, call up the TireRack. The phone number is on the website. They will provide you with a solution.

I'm using 4 OEM 18 inch front wheels wheels with 245/40-18 winter tires on all four corners. I'm adding 10mm wheel spacers in the rear.

A better set-up is to run 225/45-18 winter tires all the way around.

[darkalley]

Originally Posted by kmarei

i can't find any winter tires on tire rack
do i have to get 17" wheels or something
can't find for 18 or 19"

I just hope you don't have a pet.

[kmarei]

thanks for the super helpful post above

i did a search for 2008 M3 coupe
clicked winter
clicked 18"
it says "Sorry, no tires match your current search criteria."
tried for 19" same

[Radiation Joe]

Originally Posted by kmarei

thanks for the super helpful post above

i did a search for 2008 M3 coupe
clicked winter
clicked 18"
it says "Sorry, no tires match your current search criteria."
tried for 19" same

Don't search for M3 coupe.
Look up winter tires.
Input the tire sizes I mentioned above. The 225/45-18 are not necessary for you since you are in Virginia.
You will have to buy winter wheels in the correct size and offset.
You should consult the TireRack by phone to achieve the best results. Expect to pay approximately $1700+ depending on the wheels you choose. They will also recommend a local shop for installation.

[HK1971]

thanks.. very helpful

[kmarei]

now that you mention it
i don't realy need winter tires
more All Season
plan B is to change the OEM tires when i get the car , and sell them with very low miles
and replace them with these
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....nLoad=S#Survey

[southlight]

All season tires?


Best regards, south

[kmarei]

yeah
i'm not going to track this car
i need it to be my daily driver
i'm not going to be driving more than 90mph
i had all season on my last car and never had any problems

[southlight]

I know all season tires are quite popular in the US. Nonetheless they're such a compromise I'd never consider them. You save like 3% of the car's price and get both worse summer and worse winter performance. Oh, and it's not about track use only, braking distance for example is important for daily driving either.


Best regards, south

[darkalley]

Originally Posted by kmarei

thanks for the super helpful post above

i did a search for 2008 M3 coupe
clicked winter
clicked 18"
it says "Sorry, no tires match your current search criteria."
tried for 19" same

just having a little fun with the m3 police. no disrespect. i have dunlop snows and really like them. better dry traction than the blizzaks. the cold climate is the real enemy to the stock tires tires since below 40 they begin to get hard.

[CirrusSR22]

Originally Posted by southlight

I know all season tires are quite popular in the US. Nonetheless they're such a compromise I'd never consider them. You save like 3% of the car's price and get both worse summer and worse winter performance. Oh, and it's not about track use only, braking distance for example is important for daily driving either.


Best regards, south

I'll preface this by saying I'm a HUGE fan of winter tires, so I'm not going to defend the use of all-seasons. But, all-seasons are popular because large portions of the US see little to no snowfall. The states of Texas, Florida and Louisiana alone are basically as large as Germany and France combined. That doesn't take in to account about 10 more states that don't see much for winter conditions. About 10 more might see winter conditions on just a few days per year.

[Singletrack]

Originally Posted by HK1971

when do you typically swap to the winter tires ??

also, is it necessary to get both winter wheels and tires ?? or do you just put the winter tires (which are necessary) on your current wheels ?

Once it is consistently in the low 40s. Low 40s + precipitation (lots of that here) results in sketchy handling.

I will be running the stock, staggered 18s with 245s on the front and 255s on the back.