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[jeffnnj]

I am probably in the minority here but I am going to put winter tires on my stock 19s. I have another car I can drive, more then one actually, but I don't think it's a bad idea. I had Dunlop Winter M3s on both of my 500is and loved them but they're not available for my E93. My choices are Bridgestone Blizzak LM-60 or Pirelli Winter 240 Sottozero Serie II. Any thoughts??

[JohnnyRoaster]

I would suggest getting another set of rims and running the Dunlops on 18" wheels. I have a square set up of 235s all the way around. The car handled great last winter. The only thing that holds you back is the ground clearence when the snow is deeper than 5 inches.

I have had Blizzacks in the past and they are great at first. Once you get half way through the tread, it is almost like a different compound that has way less traction. I have heard good things about the Pirellis but they don't last as long as the other two.

[gthal]

Originally Posted by JohnnyRoaster

I would suggest getting another set of rims and running the Dunlops on 18" wheels. I have a square set up of 235s all the way around. The car handled great last winter. The only thing that holds you back is the ground clearence when the snow is deeper than 5 inches.

I have had Blizzacks in the past and they are great at first. Once you get half way through the tread, it is almost like a different compound that has way less traction. I have heard good things about the Pirellis but they don't last as long as the other two.

I agree with JohnnyRoaster on the 18" setup. Also, the non-performance Blizzaks do have a different rubber compound for the first 50% of the tread, however, the performance version (LM-60) do not have this.

If you are going with the 19's, the LM-60s will give you better snow/ice traction but perform more poorly on cold dry pavement. The Sottozero's the opposite... great performance on dry roads and less performance in bad conditions. So, I would go with whichever tire fits your climate and driving needs best.

Where I live, I would choose the Sottozero's only because 90% of the time the roads are clear and when I'm on squishy winter tires (like the LM-60s), I start to hate driving in the winter. So, for me, I would rather have the dry weather performance of the Sottozero. On the 8-10 really bad days, I will leave the M3 in the garage and take my wifes SUV.

[jeffnnj]

Thank you for your replies. I thought about getting different rims like I did with my 550i. The problem is that it's such a PITA to get them in and out of such a small car and I really don't feel like having to make a seperate trip twice a year to the dealership with another car. I also like the look of the 19s. Do you really think it would make a huge difference?

[Poppin Fresh]

Have you seen this one? Alufelgen has Dunlops on 19"

http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=433249

[mrkbbd]

I have Vredestein Wintertrac Extremes on 19s, 245s in the front and 255s in the back, I recommend these to everyone, check them out, great dry weather performance (ultra-high performance tire), awesome snow performance (I was doing better than 4wd SUVs last winter), check them out

[swanny71]

Originally Posted by mrkbbd

I have Vredestein Wintertrac Extremes on 19s, 245s in the front and 255s in the back, I recommend these to everyone, check them out, great dry weather performance (ultra-high performance tire), awesome snow performance (I was doing better than 4wd SUVs last winter), check them out

I'm going with the same set-up - OEM 19's, 245 and 255 Wintrac's.

The UK winter only has a few days of proper snow so I don't see any dis-advantage (apart from tyre cost) of running bigger wheels and wider tyres than the optimum 18" and 235's all round.

[ALUFELGEN]

We have done several packages for this Winter and most customers have decided to go with 19" on Dunlops and Blizzaks. I would love to hear more about the Wintrac how they perform in comparison to the other tires.

[Reedomn]

Originally Posted by jeffnnj

Thank you for your replies. I thought about getting different rims like I did with my 550i. The problem is that it's such a PITA to get them in and out of such a small car and I really don't feel like having to make a seperate trip twice a year to the dealership with another car. I also like the look of the 19s. Do you really think it would make a huge difference?

I use OEM 18's in the winter with snows and OEM 19's in the summer. Its very simple to change them yourself with a decent floorjack and torque wrench. No need to ever go to the dealer....IMO, the 18's are really much better in the snow and cold and it keeps the OEM 19's out of the salt and looking good!!!

[Ctm309]

Where I live, I would choose the Sottozero's only because 90% of the time the roads are clear and when I'm on squishy winter tires (like the LM-60s), I start to hate driving in the winter. So, for me, I would rather have the dry weather performance of the Sottozero. On the 8-10 really bad days, I will leave the M3 in the garage and take my wifes SUV.[/QUOTI

I Have the Sottozero's on oem 18's and love them. Had Dunlop M3's they were really good also. I agree with gthal completely.

[ben@tirerack]

Originally Posted by Reedomn

I use OEM 18's in the winter with snows and OEM 19's in the summer. Its very simple to change them yourself with a decent floorjack and torque wrench. No need to ever go to the dealer....IMO, the 18's are really much better in the snow and cold and it keeps the OEM 19's out of the salt and looking good!!!

That's how I'd do it. Avoid the frequent mount/dismount of the 19" tires on the oem wheels, and you have fewer chances of bead damage to tires or scratches on the wheels. Your nice 19's stay out of the snow, and you have the power to change over in less than an hour whenever you feel like it.

If you just like having 19" wheels and tires all year, the same would apply to a separate 19" package.