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[panda-R]

It's almost september and in Canada that means we got one more month until some people start swapping over their summer tires.

Might be my first year with the E90 in winter and I'm not sure what rims/tires to go with. 8.5 wide with 225/235/245 square is what I was thinking.

I have two sets of beautiful 219m's but prefer not to go with a staggered setup in winter (plus its too hard to find tires for that setup).

What is everyone else doing / running?

[kcxbaek]

i would love to know about this too.
its my first winter with e93 m3.
im thinking to keep my stock rim with winter tires for the winter
and put different rims(forgestar f14) during other seasons.

any idea or recommendation for winter tires?

[BeaterM3]

It's never too early. lol.

I have been buying new Winter tires piece meal. I have until around the beginning of Nov before the threat of snow in New England.

My Spring/Summer/Fall wheels and tires are Apex ARC8s 17x9 (with spacers) with BFG Comp2s 245/45 and 275/40. Next year I might purchase a new set of wheels with the correct offsets and widths and sell the 17x9s.

My winter tires will be on my 220Ms (19x8.5 and 9.5) ... 255/35/19 and 275/35/19 Blizzaks LM-32s.

When I had my 335i AWD last year, I was able to manage with All Seasons all around. I don't think I can do that with the M3 lol.

[pbonsalb]

19s are not ideal for snows because of the reduced sidewall. A little squishy helps traction. I run 255/235 on stock 18s and use Apex ARC8 18x9.5/10.5 for 3 season use. Been doing this since 2011. Even on snows, the M3 is merely adequate, not great. I would not drive without them and don’t think all seasons would be worth the risk.

[R3dliner]

Ran a 225 square setup and its been good last year. These Nokian tires are amazing. Can't go wrong with Blizzacks either

[panda-R]

i could split my 219ms and use the two 8.5s with a spacer for winter tire duties i suppose.
and then the two 9.5s for summer duties.... hmmmm

[CarPoor]

[QUOTE=pbonsalb;25198230]19s are not ideal for snows because of the reduced sidewall. A little squishy helps traction. I run 255/235 on stock 18s and use Apex ARC8 18x9.5/10.5 for 3 season use. Been doing this since 2011. Even on snows, the M3 is merely adequate, not great. I would not drive without them and don’t think all seasons would be

It’s not going to matter with our ground clearance. Like all BMWs ours are pretty good in snow for 2wd, but our ground clearance is going to be the only meaningful limitation. FWIW I have been driving from CO to Banf and the Bitterroot Valley a couple times a year round trip in winter using high performance rated snows on my M3. Probably less now that I bought a Jeep Wrangler JLU Rubicon though. Need to bring more stuff.

[Helmsman]

FWIW 235/40/18 square on M270 rims is what comes as standard winter wheels to the M3 over here.

[dparm]

Make sure your winter tires have the right load rating. Don't just use a 225 or 235 width and assume it's fine.

Find an inexpensive 18x8 wheel from somewhere like Discount Tire or whatever. Don't get a spoke pattern that's too intricate or complex, it can get packed with snow and throw off the balance. I see no need to run anything larger or staggered. You're not going to be attending track days in the middle of winter where you need extra grip.

Four 18x8 wheels + 235/40R18 XL tires won't break the bank and gives you plenty of choices.

[dparm]

Also, no, definitely not too early to discuss winter tires. There's always a huge run on the tire stores in October when people remember that it could snow soon, and then popular sizes go out of stock.

[panda-R]

Originally Posted by dparm

Make sure your winter tires have the right load rating. Don't just use a 225 or 235 width and assume it's fine.

Find an inexpensive 18x8 wheel from somewhere like Discount Tire or whatever. Don't get a spoke pattern that's too intricate or complex, it can get packed with snow and throw off the balance. I see no need to run anything larger or staggered. You're not going to be attending track days in the middle of winter where you need extra grip.

Four 18x8 wheels + 235/40R18 XL tires won't break the bank and gives you plenty of choices.

how does one calculate the load rating ? The Hakka R3 i'm looking at are 95T, should be good enough

[dparm]

Originally Posted by panda-R

how does one calculate the load rating ? The Hakka R3 i'm looking at are 95T, should be good enough

Nothing to calculate, just look at the sticker on the door jamb for what the OEM tire load rating is. It's also in the owner's manual. You need an equal load rating or higher.

[panda-R]

Originally Posted by dparm

Nothing to calculate, just look at the sticker on the door jamb for what the OEM tire load rating is. It's also in the owner's manual. You need an equal load rating or higher.

Roger that boss. Thanks.