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      11-07-2009, 07:37 AM   #111
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I agree with that as well. Not sure why Blizzaks are so popular, awful, squishy tire imo.
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      11-12-2009, 10:07 PM   #112
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Hey Ben,

I bought 2 sets of winter tires, one was supposed to come with a $50 amex card and the other was a $25, but I never received them?..
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      11-18-2009, 04:03 PM   #113
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winter package deals?

Hey Ben - I decided to bite the bullet and get a winter set up. Are there any "specials" right now on a winter tire/wheel packages? Do you have any inexpensive 18" wheels that will fit that have an all-black finish (matte)? Tire size I'm not too worried about. BMW recommends going all square (and narrower) for winter, so that's fine with me...235 or 245's. I'd be happy w/LM-25's (I know they are being discontinued) or the LM-60s...or Dunlops as well.

Please PM me.
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      11-21-2009, 09:20 PM   #114
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better in the DRY!

Just got my dunlops 235/40-18 installed and I'm amazed at the massive performance improvement (at least up to 7/10's agression)-increased torque due to smaller rear wheel,much less understeer due to more narrow rear tires, lower center of gravity due to attatchment point of suspension being 0.47 " closer to ground and with wheels at 18.5 lbs I am getting much quicker response to initial turn in and better steering feel and less steering effort , oh and the ride is more forgiving and more controled. I dont drive full out and I realize that ultimate cornering would be limited but I never get there (what % of us realy due?). Bottom line I wanted snow tires and I got a car that feels like a 911. But of course I have less ground clearance(like for snow), an inacurate speedo and an odometer that will end my warrany 4%ahead of time,higher revs at speed and of course lower gas mileage.
I'm kinda happy over all but wish I had been informed of the impact the lower rolling radius would have when I ordered the setup from Tire Rack so I could have made an informed decision.
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      11-21-2009, 11:01 PM   #115
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ben@tirerack View Post
I have been receiving a lot of questions about this, and the website has not gotten the winter packages up for the M3, so I am putting winter package info out here for everyone.

BMW Recommended winter setup is 235/40R18 with 18x8 wheels all around. This will fit, although it does not fill the fender well in the rear. The narrower tires are better in snow and ice.

The best winter wheel is the Sport Edition A7


They have a silver painted and clearcoat finish, and are a direct fit with no spacer. They will even use the original bolts. I have used this style for 3 winters. They will not win any car show trophies, but they have held up well, and they look fine on a BMW .

18x8 is $129. 18x9 is $134 for those who want to keep the staggered setup.

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.

Tires are pretty much all good. Most popular are the Bridgestone Blizzak LM-25's and Dunlop Wintersport 3D's. The new Pilot Alpin PA3's look very good as well. The Pirellis and Continentals are the sportiest handling, but the least focused on snow, more of a cold-weather performance tire, but still much better than all-season tires in snow.

An example cost for a package would be around $1400 with non-staggered Blizzak LM-25's delivered. Add $200 to any package to have BMW original Tire Pressure Monitoring Sensors (TPMS) installed. That will prevent the annoying "low tire pressure" light from coming on. (Unless you really have a flat)

The website does not show the wheels yet, but I am always in the office Monday-Friday 10AM-6PM Eastern. 800.428.8355 x660
Our website should have most of this info up soon.

Please visit: http://www.tirerack.com/a.jsp?a=AW8&...nter/index.jsp
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      11-22-2009, 11:01 PM   #116
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jeff4598 View Post
Just got my dunlops 235/40-18 installed and I'm amazed at the massive performance improvement (at least up to 7/10's agression)-increased torque due to smaller rear wheel,much less understeer due to more narrow rear tires, lower center of gravity due to attatchment point of suspension being 0.47 " closer to ground and with wheels at 18.5 lbs I am getting much quicker response to initial turn in and better steering feel and less steering effort , oh and the ride is more forgiving and more controled. I dont drive full out and I realize that ultimate cornering would be limited but I never get there (what % of us realy due?). Bottom line I wanted snow tires and I got a car that feels like a 911. But of course I have less ground clearance(like for snow), an inacurate speedo and an odometer that will end my warrany 4%ahead of time,higher revs at speed and of course lower gas mileage.
I'm kinda happy over all but wish I had been informed of the impact the lower rolling radius would have when I ordered the setup from Tire Rack so I could have made an informed decision.
When I give the Dunlops a little agression they slip quite a bit more than the PS2s it's certainly easier to hang the tail out on the street.

I've only done 100 KM on them though so they are not broken in yet.
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      11-23-2009, 09:30 AM   #117
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Maybe I drive slower than I realize!
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      11-23-2009, 04:11 PM   #118
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Type-S View Post
Hey Ben,

I bought 2 sets of winter tires, one was supposed to come with a $50 amex card and the other was a $25, but I never received them?..
Good question. Most of the rebates you see are mail-in deals from the manufacturers. So we would have mailed you a form, and you send it to the manufacturers. If you did not receive the form, call our customer service at 800.428.8355 x360.

As a side note about rebate:
Our site attracts visitors from all over the world, but most of the manufacturer rebates are limited to just the U.S. (AK, HI, and APO addresses are sometimes but not always included).
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      11-23-2009, 04:13 PM   #119
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Fen335i View Post
Hey Ben - I decided to bite the bullet and get a winter set up. Are there any "specials" right now on a winter tire/wheel packages? Do you have any inexpensive 18" wheels that will fit that have an all-black finish (matte)? Tire size I'm not too worried about. BMW recommends going all square (and narrower) for winter, so that's fine with me...235 or 245's. I'd be happy w/LM-25's (I know they are being discontinued) or the LM-60s...or Dunlops as well.

Please PM me.
We currently do not have any low-price black wheels for the M3. The TR Motorsport MT1 are matte grey, and are about $300, which is not super-expensive, but I would say probably more mid or upper-mid range.

PM sent as well.
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      11-23-2009, 08:35 PM   #120
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Type-S View Post
Hey Ben,

I bought 2 sets of winter tires, one was supposed to come with a $50 amex card and the other was a $25, but I never received them?..
Same here. I brought a set of Dunlop winter 3D. Never got a amex card.

Ooops....sorry, see you posted with a 800 number.

Thank you.
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      11-24-2009, 04:41 PM   #121
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jeff4598 View Post
Maybe I drive slower than I realize!
It's probably me being dumber than I realize!
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      11-24-2009, 04:45 PM   #122
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jeff4598 View Post
Just got my dunlops 235/40-18 installed and I'm amazed at the massive performance improvement (at least up to 7/10's agression)-increased torque due to smaller rear wheel,much less understeer due to more narrow rear tires, lower center of gravity due to attatchment point of suspension being 0.47 " closer to ground and with wheels at 18.5 lbs I am getting much quicker response to initial turn in and better steering feel and less steering effort , oh and the ride is more forgiving and more controled. I dont drive full out and I realize that ultimate cornering would be limited but I never get there (what % of us realy due?). Bottom line I wanted snow tires and I got a car that feels like a 911. But of course I have less ground clearance(like for snow), an inacurate speedo and an odometer that will end my warrany 4%ahead of time,higher revs at speed and of course lower gas mileage.
I'm kinda happy over all but wish I had been informed of the impact the lower rolling radius would have when I ordered the setup from Tire Rack so I could have made an informed decision.
Jeff I know we talked on the phone, but I wanted to post here for the benefit of everyone. I'm very glad to hear how pleased you are with the dry weather performance. It is often the case that a narrower width gives a little bit lighter steering feel, and going to the square setup can reduce understeer and give the car a bit more neutral feel.

With regard to fuel mileage, the reduced frontal area gives less drag, and the reduced diameter helps acceleration, but as you mention, higher revs on the highway can mean a reduction in mileage when cruising. So with more city miles it could help, more hwy miles and it could hurt. Generally fuel mileage goes down in cold weather anyway, so hard to get an apples to apples comparison.

On the dry handling side, don't everybody go buying 235's all around for your summer setup. Handling feel is *very* subjective, so not everyone will necessarily feel the same way about a given setup. Depending on how hard you push, you may feel the need for the wider widths for the dry weather. This is not to discount Jeff's experience, which is clearly very positive from a handling standpoint (and for snow too we hope ), just a word of caution that individual results may vary.
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      11-29-2009, 08:44 PM   #123
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ben@tirerack View Post
Another good question from a PM:



255/35R19 and 265/35R19 are the best sizes for the LM25 on stock 19's. Current prices as of 10/3 are $272 and $277. The 255's do fit all four wheels, although staggered wheels with same-size tires always look a little funny.
Sorry for digging up an old post. Ben would you recommend the same sizes for the newer LM60's or Dunlop M3's? Thanks.
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      11-30-2009, 09:53 PM   #124
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I'm not really happy with my M5 Reps, i'm planning to finda new setup while using the same winter tires(235/40/18 and 245/40/18) ... my 2 options would be 18x8.5 et25 all around, or 18x8.5 et25 and 18x9.5 et20 rears... are these okay?
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Last edited by bunnn; 11-30-2009 at 10:47 PM..
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      12-02-2009, 08:58 PM   #125
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Ben -

Just wanted to let you know that I received my Winter package (TR's and Dunlop 3D's @ 245/40/18) this evening and everything looks great! Now I can't wait for it to snow so I can see ow everything performs!

I would like to say thanks again for all your assistance with my order and helping with finding a substitute tire for the still-on-order LM-60's.


Jim
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      12-04-2009, 12:37 AM   #126
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Hi Ben,

This is an awesome thread. I am looking for winter tires and wheels for my e90 M3. I track the car and I've been looking at the TRM MT1 because of their light weight. I was thinking of getting the MT1s to mount my PS2's and run them for street and track in summer. Then, putting PA3's staggered set up on the OEM 18's for winter.

So I've got a couple questions. How are the TRM MT1's so light when they are gravity cast? Are they strong and durable (and safe) for track use?

I need the reassurance before committing to a purchase. Thanks for your answers!
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      12-05-2009, 10:27 PM   #127
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I want to put a winter tire on my stock 19s. Any suggestions?
I live in NY so if there is a better performing tire in wet conditions that would be helpful too.
I have aftermarket 19s with ps2s and stock 19s with ps2, I dont want to buy a set of 18s for 3 months of bad weather.
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      12-07-2009, 07:19 PM   #128
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Ben,
Got my Sport A7 and Michelin PA2 setup delivered today, and installed them on the e90 as it got dark. I'll grab some pictures for everyone tomorrow. I did a little driving around, and I'm very impressed so far. Thanks again for all your help and expert advice. It all happened just in time, as they're calling for a huge storm tonight and tomorrow!
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      12-07-2009, 10:45 PM   #129
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Hey Ben,
a little confused on this so i figure i ll ask you.
i have 225/40R19 and 245/40R19 LM25 pairs. can I use these on the 19inch wheel set up for the M3?
SlammedM3 gave me a site and the difference is less than an inch in diameter, they are narrower and i figure that would be better in the snow.
Thanks
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      12-09-2009, 02:32 PM   #130
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I got Dunlop D3's installed a few weeks ago and today it finally snowed. It was pretty slushy snow but I found the traction was very good in these conditions, will post more once I experience ice and real snow.
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      12-21-2009, 07:55 AM   #131
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Ben - Question regarding sizing. I know BMW recommends a square 235/40/18 setup (which I'm fine with) but this is almost an inch shorter than OEM rear so it'll hurt mileage as well as add phantom mileage. A 235/45/18 is .02" taller than OEM rear while maintaining the 235 section width as recommended but is roughly .75" taller than the OEM front. Would there be any problems running this size in the front? Any reason this isn't the recommended size, other than it being slightly larger than BMW's recommendation?

The only real snow I have to deal with is a few unplowed roads before I get to the priority and B roads before I get on the Autobahn. The priority and B roads and the Autobahn are all plowed regularly. Once I'm on base everything gets plowed eventually but then we only have a 50kph limit. Would a staggered setup be ok, or even preferable?

My M won't be here until mid January so I have a little time left before I have to buy but I want to consider all my options first.

Thanks.
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      12-22-2009, 04:13 PM   #132
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Quote:
Originally Posted by quality_sound View Post
Ben - Question regarding sizing. I know BMW recommends a square 235/40/18 setup (which I'm fine with) but this is almost an inch shorter than OEM rear so it'll hurt mileage as well as add phantom mileage. A 235/45/18 is .02" taller than OEM rear while maintaining the 235 section width as recommended but is roughly .75" taller than the OEM front. Would there be any problems running this size in the front? Any reason this isn't the recommended size, other than it being slightly larger than BMW's recommendation?

The only real snow I have to deal with is a few unplowed roads before I get to the priority and B roads before I get on the Autobahn. The priority and B roads and the Autobahn are all plowed regularly. Once I'm on base everything gets plowed eventually but then we only have a 50kph limit. Would a staggered setup be ok, or even preferable?

My M won't be here until mid January so I have a little time left before I have to buy but I want to consider all my options first.

Thanks.
Nothing wrong with the 235/45R18 that I can see. Given that the car does not need the height stagger to work correctly (some do, esp in regard to traction control, but the BMW doesn't seem to care) it is extra complexity for not a whole lot of gain, but there's nothing to say you can't do it.

Fuel mileage would not make the decision for me, as the difference there would not be very great. Phantom miles, maybe, but a couple percent over the course of a few months is usually not a big difference. If you feel like it's worth the trouble though, I do not think there would be any major downside other than perhaps fewer tire choices in matching pairs vs all same size.
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