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[ben@tirerack]

If you're not looking for fancy wheels, the Sport Edition A7 is the obvious choice. They have been discussed at length in this thread.

For tires, everyone has an opinion, but any of the Performance winter tires from Bridgestone, Michelin, Pirelli, or Dunlop will fit pretty well with your climate. A little reading in the posts here will give you an idea of what guys have been doing.

[BMWNTHZST]

Ben, what's the correct offset for a square 18" set up running 245 / 40 / 18 ?

Thanks!

[snowmants]

I am using the factory M3 18" Staggered wheels as my winter set. I just ordered the following from the tirerack which should work great since we get minimal snow. If we got more I would have gone narrower.

FRONT 245/40R-18 Bridgestone Blizzak LM-60 XL
REAR 265/35R-18 Bridgestone Blizzak LM-60 XL

Total cost for the full set of tires was less than $1,000 including shipping.

[BMW Fanatic]

I called Ben yesterday, left him a voicemail and got a call back with-in the hour, answered a few questions I had with no troubles whatsoever and then gave me a quote on wheels/tires which I purchased shortly afterwards.

For those of you who get quite a bit of ice as well as snow and drive the ///M all year around, I'd go with the following set-up that we worked out;

Rims
Sport Edition A7 in BLACK - 18x8 - offset 20 - Fronts AND REARS

Tires
Bridgestone Blizzak WS60 - 235/40/18 - Fronts AND REARS

The reason I chose to downgrade from putting LM60's on my competition package rims was because I read that they are an EXCEPTIONAL snow tire but not that great on ice. So 18's and WS60's would be the best choice IMO.

Thanks again Ben@Tirerack

[laoha]

Ben,

What is the available size for Pirelli Sottozero Serie II to set up 19" OEM?

[pleahy]

I was able to switch over my summer wheels/tires for my winter set today in my regular old home garage in under 1hr by myself. This little tool called a "wheel hanger" made all the difference in the world (https://ssl.zoovy.com/c=qvWfEu99U332...r-12mmx15.html). It helps to balance the 45lb+ wheel onto the rotor while you install the bolts (see pics).

You will need a 17mm socket w/ a small extension. A torque wrench is also recommended -- 88ft lbs.

I am writing this in hopes of saving others some time, and also as a reference for myself for later. I included a couple of iPhone pics of the stance w/ the A7's w/ LM60 Blizzak's. The car has ZCP, but no spacers. The winter wheels are certainly not the coolest looking wheels, but very functional. I cannot say enough about the LM60's also (see my previous post from last fall).

Hope this is useful...let me know if you have any questions as I've tried it all when it comes to searching for winter tires. Ben @ tirerack is super-helpful.

[Yea Boi]

Can anybody help me with my winter setup, i have the 19 inch blizzaks, but i cant seem to find a 19 inch wheel other then oem 19's to clear my 380/380 brembo kit, i heard the vmr vb3 dont clear, are there any 19 inch options out there for below 1k that clear brembo 380/380 kit? Let me know.
thanks

[Factoy Pilot]

Hello,

I'm in the dire need of winter tires for my M3(comp pkg). It will be delivered on (21 Nov) with a staggered set up for the summer on the day I pick her up . I'm contemplating on the winter set up because it will be used daily. Only serious issue is that they would have to be mailed to an APO address. Are you able to ship with tires mounted? Thx in advance for any recommendations.

Kev

[pleahy]

Originally Posted by kevin.m.timmons

Hello,

I'm in the dire need of winter tires for my M3(comp pkg). It will be delivered on (21 Nov) with a staggered set up for the summer on the day I pick her up . I'm contemplating on the winter set up because it will be used daily. Only serious issue is that they would have to be mailed to an APO address. Are you able to ship with tires mounted? Thx in advance for any recommendations.

Kev

Tire rack will deliver mounted tires/wheels already balanced. You can also get the TPMS sensors installed and they have the "BMW" center caps for most wheels.

[MJM]

I have a set of brand new BMW Style 270M winter wheels with Michelin Pilot Alpin 3s mounted and balanced ready to go.

Here is the link to the F/S post: http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=610500

[gsrbri]

Ben and guys:

Any thoughts/recommendations on inflation pressure for the winter tires? I went with the Tire Rack set-up with the 18" sport edition wheels with 235 and 255 Dunlop 3Ds.

I'm currently running the recommended inflation for the factory 18" wheels on the E90 M3, but this factory recommendation is for 10mm wider tires per corner (about 35 psi all around).

Any other ideas or calculations to be had?

Thanks.
-Brian

[Factoy Pilot]

I'm looking at at the A7 rims with Blizzacks but I prefer black rims. Do you have anything that compares for approx the same price?

[BMWNTHZST]

someone told me that I can't run 225/40/18 for a winter set up because the speedo will not read accurate. Is this true do I need to run 235/40/18 or will I be ok?

Thanks!

[SymphOfEvil]

Ben and everybody,
I'll be needing some winter tires to drive my inbound E90 (on stock 18's) from the PDC in SC, through DC, through IN, and then eventually to North TX. Aside from the possibility of real winter weather on that drive, where I live we might get hit with one "snow storm" that drops 6" and shuts down the town for a couple days, so no real snow driving. Other than that, it stays around 20-40 degrees and is only occasionally icy, so I'm planning on sticking with a staggered setup, but I'm flexible on width (235/255 vs. 245/265). Not a whole lot of options on tirerack.com right now, any recommendations between Michelin PA2's, Pirelli SnowSports/Sottozeros, or Blizzak LM-60's? Thanks in advance!

[Factoy Pilot]

Do the A7 (Black)w/ Blizzacks available? 18in for M3.

[ben@tirerack]

Originally Posted by SymphOfEvil

Ben and everybody,
I'll be needing some winter tires to drive my inbound E90 (on stock 18's) from the PDC in SC, through DC, through IN, and then eventually to North TX. Aside from the possibility of real winter weather on that drive, where I live we might get hit with one "snow storm" that drops 6" and shuts down the town for a couple days, so no real snow driving. Other than that, it stays around 20-40 degrees and is only occasionally icy, so I'm planning on sticking with a staggered setup, but I'm flexible on width (235/255 vs. 245/265). Not a whole lot of options on tirerack.com right now, any recommendations between Michelin PA2's, Pirelli SnowSports/Sottozeros, or Blizzak LM-60's? Thanks in advance!

Staggered is hard to do right now given stock availability. PA2's and Pirellis fit well with the driving you intend, which seems to be mostly cold weather without a whole lot of deep snow involved.

[ben@tirerack]

Originally Posted by kevin.m.timmons

Do the A7 (Black)w/ Blizzacks available? 18in for M3.

Black A7's are sold out. Silver A7 are available, as are the Blizzaks.

[ben@tirerack]

Originally Posted by username11

TireRack:

Why don't you have Dunlop 3D 255/35/19 ?

We sold all we got from Dunlop, and they have no more.

[ben@tirerack]

Originally Posted by BMWNTHZST

someone told me that I can't run 225/40/18 for a winter set up because the speedo will not read accurate. Is this true do I need to run 235/40/18 or will I be ok?

Thanks!

Speedo will be slightly less accurate. That's getting pretty small for a tire on the M3, esp on the rear. I would stay with 235 if possible.

[ben@tirerack]

Originally Posted by gsrbri

Ben and guys:

Any thoughts/recommendations on inflation pressure for the winter tires? I went with the Tire Rack set-up with the 18" sport edition wheels with 235 and 255 Dunlop 3Ds.

I'm currently running the recommended inflation for the factory 18" wheels on the E90 M3, but this factory recommendation is for 10mm wider tires per corner (about 35 psi all around).

Any other ideas or calculations to be had?

Thanks.
-Brian

The short answer: OE pressure should be fine.

Longer answer: Gross Axle weight ratings may vary slightly with vehicle options, but shouldn't be much over 2300 lbs F and 2650lbs R. At 35psi your 235 and 255 setup will carry (1312lbs x 2 tires) front and (1477 lbs x 2tires) rear. So you have plenty of capacity over and above the heaviest expected weight ratings for a fully loaded vehicle.

The front Dunlop is extra-load rated, and adding 3psi or so would bring it back to the load rating of the bigger tire, but as there is no corresponding benefit for the standard-load rear tire, and given that pressure recommendations are related to ride/handling characteristics and not just load, factory pressure seems to be the best way to go.

Information on load at specific pressures was obtained from appendix B here:
http://www.tiresafety.com/images/Tir...t%20Manual.pdf

[lhsa]

ben, if i have 18x9.5 et25 square setup on stock suspension, can i fit 265/40/18 LM-60 or PA2 without rubbing inside or is 255 recommended?

[ben@tirerack]

Originally Posted by lhsa

ben, if i have 18x9.5 et25 square setup on stock suspension, can i fit 265/40/18 LM-60 or PA2 without rubbing inside or is 255 recommended?

255 is better. 265 might rub in front. The 255 will fit the wheel just fine, and is the safer bet.