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[MaxL]

Since winter is coming to Canada, I started thinking about a winter tire package. j/k

But seriously, I was going to replace my OEM 19" with something wider (especially at the front) and probably black. And I realized I cannot sell those wheels for any reasonable amount of money due to a couple of deep dings on the edge (can't see them from 4 feet away, but looks like crap on photos). I also like the wheels very much - good quality and the design that hits the spot for me. I'd keep them if they were wider.

So an idea came to my mind - what if I keep the OEM 19" as my winter wheels (which I need to buy anyway)? I was planning on 18" for winter, but 19" with 245/40 all around does not sound bad to me (I planned to go taller than stock on the tires in winter to compensate for a drop from springs to avoid bottoming out on the snow).

Any obvious issues with this approach?

Thanks!

[e90m3_6MT]

I am not sure what you mean, but the stock setup has 265 in the back and 245 in the front.

Now, the 245 would be borderline, but 265's in the snow is too wide and does not grip well. the best setup would be to buy replica 18'' wheels, I bought 18'' wheels that have the oem 19's style. They are 8'' wide which is the max you should go in our canadian winter. For the first winter in the m3 I had lm-25 blizzak tires which were perfect in the snow but they would wiggle in the back under hard acceleration. because of that I went to pirelli which were great under hard acceleration but they lacked grip in icy conditions.

I always run with spacers in the back so the less wide wheels in the back don't look as if they have been kicked inside the wheels arches.

hopes this helps.

[calintexas]

Choice is more limited in 19" for winters vs. 18's. Kev had Bridgestone Blizzak LM25 Front: 255/35R19 Rear: 265/35R19 on his car on M6 wheels (same widths as your forged M3 19's). Ben@TireRack is a good source for advice on tires and sizes. Be careful of 40 series 19's, I can't recall seeing anyone running them.
Kev's main thread: http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthr...v+winter+tires

Tire Rack Winter Thread: http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=174068

[serge]

Originally Posted by MaxL

Since winter is coming to Canada, I started thinking about a winter tire package. j/k

But seriously, I was going to replace my OEM 19" with something wider (especially at the front) and probably black. And I realized I cannot sell those wheels for any reasonable amount of money due to a couple of deep dings on the edge (can't see them from 4 feet away, but looks like crap on photos). I also like the wheels very much - good quality and the design that hits the spot for me. I'd keep them if they were wider.

So an idea came to my mind - what if I keep the OEM 19" as my winter wheels (which I need to buy anyway)? I was planning on 18" for winter, but 19" with 245/40 all around does not sound bad to me (I planned to go taller than stock on the tires in winter to compensate for a drop from springs to avoid bottoming out on the snow).

Any obvious issues with this approach?

Thanks!

I'm in the same boat. I will probably go with 19''s mainly because of looks, but I'm aware of the limited sizes for this set up. At first I thought about buying used OEM 18 or 19s, but it's hard to find these wheels w/o tires. I may end up going with VBR VMR's, which look almost like OEM Competition wheels. They have almost identical weight, width, and offset. Plus, the price is unbeatable.

[calintexas]

Originally Posted by serge

I'm in the same boat. I will probably go with 19''s mainly because of looks, but I'm aware of the limited sizes for this set up. At first I thought about buying used OEM 18 or 19s, but it's hard to find these wheels w/o tires. I may end up going with VBR VMR's, which look almost like OEM Competition wheels. They have almost identical weight, width, and offset. Plus, the price is unbeatable.

The VMR's are good quality at the price point, but if you stay with 19's you might want to consider Alufelgen's which are low pressure cast at about the same price point as the VMR's. If you want to go with 18's, the APEX ARC-8 are flow formed and only a bit more cost than the VMR's. All 3 brands have JWL & VIA certifications.

If you are going to use 19's, buy your tires as early as you can to assure you get what you want.

[jrlee53]

I swap out tires on my OEM 19's for the winter. I'm planning on getting some new wheels for summer driving and leave the OEM 19's with winter tires on. I put Dunlop Wintersport tires for the past winter and had pretty good traction.

[graider]

i have e46 m3 and I run 225/40/19 front and 255/35/19 rear on oem 19. worked fine...but did wiggle a bit when you accelerate from a stop. just be gentle on your gas pedal and you should be fine.