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[ben@tirerack]

Originally Posted by stingray23

any other 19" tires for the M3 besides the Blizzaks? I prefer the Michelin pilot PA3. I'm gonna need tires really soon and dont want the Blizzaks.

235/35R19 F and 255/35R19 R, Dunlop wintersport 3D is available.

[mpardun]

Originally Posted by ben@tirerack

235/35R19 F and 255/35R19 R, Dunlop wintersport 3D is available.

BEN: Pls confirm Rear ZCP (19x10) would stretch the 255 rear too much or not? I am worried about performance first and foremost, looks second.

Thanks!

[ben@tirerack]

Originally Posted by mpardun

BEN: Pls confirm Rear ZCP (19x10) would stretch the 255 rear too much or not? I am worried about performance first and foremost, looks second.

Thanks!

Tire manufacturers recommend the 255/35R19 to fit from 8.5"-10". So yes, it fits, there is no safety hazard, and the tire will perform as intended by the manufacturer.

It definitely will look a bit stretched (not like VW tuner stretched, but the tire is about 10" wide in it's normal state, and the wheel is 10" wide at the bead seat, and more like 11" wide flange to flange.

[walsh]

Im going to run stock 18s as winter wheels and I'm trying to decide on a tire. First I can't decide whether to put the same size tires on front and rear or to stick with the sock staggered sizes. Second is whether to get performance winter tires or ice/snow tires. I'll b daily driving it just north of Boston. What are your thoughts?

[llis]

For the 19" ZCP rims, how would you describe the differences between the Blizzak LM-60s and the Dunlop Wintersport 3D (both in 235/255 staggered setup)?

[Das M]

Will 18x8.5 ET 35 Front and 18x9.5 ET 30 Rear clear the brakes on a E90 M3? As far as spacers what would you recommend? Thanks.

[ben@tirerack]

Originally Posted by llis

For the 19" ZCP rims, how would you describe the differences between the Blizzak LM-60s and the Dunlop Wintersport 3D (both in 235/255 staggered setup)?

Very similar. Blizzak a little more snow traction, Dunlop a little sportier handling, but they are quite similar.

[ben@tirerack]

Originally Posted by 335viaSTi

Will 18x8.5 ET 35 Front and 18x9.5 ET 30 Rear clear the brakes on a E90 M3? As far as spacers what would you recommend? Thanks.

Offset and width are not enough to determine brake clearance. Spoke design plays a major role. More reliable is to talk to the vendor of the wheel, and see if they can confirm it fits the M3.

[ben@tirerack]

Originally Posted by bwalshy99

Im going to run stock 18s as winter wheels and I'm trying to decide on a tire. First I can't decide whether to put the same size tires on front and rear or to stick with the sock staggered sizes. Second is whether to get performance winter tires or ice/snow tires. I'll b daily driving it just north of Boston. What are your thoughts?

Square (all 4 front size) works better in more serious winter weather. Staggered gives better performance and handling on clear roads.

Same choices apply on ice/snow and performance winter.

If you want an ice/snow tire, our only choice is square setup.

If you go performance winter, you can go either way.

Basically, get the best snow traction you can with handling that you can live with.

Rhetorical questions: Do you have situations where you MUST drive, and must use the M3, no matter how awful the weather (ie doctor on call)? If so, you get the ice/snow tire.

Are you more likely to be a) raging with frustration b/c your handling is not sporty enough or b) freaking out because you're sliding down a steep winding road that is iced over?

Is this your only vehicle, or do you have another car to drive if the weather is truly nasty?

[Doctor J]

Here's my winter setup

19" 167s (staggered M6 offset) with 255/35-19 and 265/35-19 Blizzaks:

[quality_sound]

That looks really, really good.

[Greeney]

Where did you get the wheels?

[Ra_Ra]

So what if I just switched tires each season on the OEM 19s? Seems uncommon so what are the pitfalls? I know the tires are bigger, wider etc and I'm aware of the general tradeoffs. I'm going with performance snow tires rather than the full deal.

Most my driving is inside the city of Chicago. Limited distances and well-maintained roads, but its cold and snows frequently. Parallel parking is a necessity and snow accumulates in parking spaces despite plowing.

What should I expect for the maintenance costs of mount/dismount each season? Advantages seem that I avoid purchasing winter wheels & get good looking (19") forged wheels year round. I'd probably buy non-forged, 18" vmr v710s otherwise.

[Doctor J]

Originally Posted by Greeney

Where did you get the wheels?

I bought them from a guy here on m3.post in the classifieds back in MAY (I was thinking ahead...). Nobody buys snow tires in May

http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=364503

All 4 wheels (OEM BMW with TPMS) + tires = $1500 USD.

Almost brand new. Cheap!

[bobbyd1961]

snows are on

[llis]

Originally Posted by ben@tirerack

BMW Recommended winter setup is 235/40R18 with 18x8 wheels all around…

...If you want a staggered setup, use 255/40R18 for the Rear. The only snow tire in 265/40 is a Pirelli that will not be here until late October/early November. A little narrower will help in snow anyway. Front can be 245 or 235/40R18.

I have the 235/40R18 and 255/40R18 on my E92 (Dunlop Wintersport 3Ds), and it is riding what seems like an inch or more lower, and my speedometer, pretty close on the ZCP wheels & Conti tires, is now 4mph off at 65mph.

If one were to believe that actually lowering the car for winter is probably non-ideal, how would one adjust this package to get back to decent clearance for winter?

[gthal]

Originally Posted by llis

I have the 235/40R18 and 255/40R18 on my E92 (Dunlop Wintersport 3Ds), and it is riding what seems like an inch or more lower, and my speedometer, pretty close on the ZCP wheels & Conti tires, is now 4mph off at 65mph.

If one were to believe that actually lowering the car for winter is probably non-ideal, how would one adjust this package to get back to decent clearance for winter?

If all you changed were the width of the tires, the car should only sit 0.3" lower. A 245/40-18 tire (stock for the M3) is only 0.3" taller than the 235/40-18. If the car is riding 1" lower, something else is going on. Also, the speedo should only be out 0.7 mph at 60.

See this link for the calculation... http://www.rimsntires.com/rt_specs.jsp

I think going 235 front and 255 rear will only have a nominal difference on ride height and on the speedo. I went 245/40 all around, myself. This kept the front at stock height and the rear slightly off. Seems fine so far.

[llis]

The ZCP wheels are 19". Tires are 245? & 265. So to summarize:

Front: 19" 245 -> 18" 235
Rear: 19" 265 -> 18" 255

[gthal]

Originally Posted by llis

The ZCP wheels are 19". Tires are 245? & 265.

True but 245/40-18 tires and 245/35-19 tires are the exact same height. That's why the 18" option on M3s is 245/40 and 265/40 and the 19" option is 245/35 and 265/35. Whether yoiu go 18" or 19", the height of the rims/tires is the same.

Either way, if you are running 235 front (18" or 19") and 255 rear (18" or 19") you should only be off around 0.3" to 0.4" in height over stock. If yours dropped more than that, I would get the car checked out.

[llis]

235/255 is the Tire Rack recommendation for snows. This is the big frustration. The *only* reason I went with 18s was because of the perception that 19s won't be able to handle road hazards as well. But I suspect this 18" setup has no more protection. Are there no higher profile tires without going so wide they're essentially worthless on snow?

[mkoesel]

The 18" setup does have more sidewall and so should indeed offer a bit more cushioning from bumps, ice chunks, potholes, etc.

I didn't understand the question at the end of your paragraph. Are you asking whether or not there are 18" snow tires with more sidewall? If so - then yes, there are, and probably in whatever width you want. But I agree with what gthal has said above. The tires you have are only slightly small in diameter than the 19" OEM summer setup you have. Certainly the difference is not enough to cause a noticeable decrease in ride height. Remember, the second dimension in the tire size - the "35" or "40 in this case - is an aspect ratio. It's not a measurement itself, but is instead a percentage of the width of the tire. When you do the math you'll see the your winter tires are just the right size.

If your car feels different, its probably just because the of the differences in the winter setup. I have an OEM-sized 18" setup on mine, and I run OEM 18" in the summer as well. Even though the tires are identical in size, and in fact they are from the exact same manufacture (Michelin PS2 and Michelin PA2), the car still feels very different with the different setups installed.

Originally Posted by llis

235/255 is the Tire Rack recommendation for snows. This is the big frustration. The *only* reason I went with 18s was because of the perception that 19s won't be able to handle road hazards as well. But I suspect this 18" setup has no more protection. Are there no higher profile tires without going so wide they're essentially worthless on snow?

[llis]

I don't know how much lower it is now, but I do have to be careful on driveways, whereas before while never reckless I didn't really give it a thought.