Winter Tyre Compilation

[MikeRSR]

Calling tyre experts! I see a few D3 owners are using 17" and 18" wheels for their winter tyres in place of their 19" classics.
How do you chose your winter tyre size and especially profile to give you the correct rolling radius for gearing and speedo etc;?

[PATAKET]

Winter wheel and tyre sizes (M&S) and pressures are listed on the driver's B pillar sticker.

PÃ¥ Taket

[Kyle]

Hi there
i have an E60 B5 Saloon, what are my options for winter tyres and can i get some steel wheels to fit them on my B5.
Quick update i am told by sytner nottingham that only alpina wheels can be fitted onto an E60 B5, these are £495 each for 18 inch classics and complete with Michelin Pilot Alpin A3 Tyres the total is £3990, needless to say i am looking for alternatives.

Hi Mr. Finch

You are limited... the LEGALLY required option in Germany is per ALPINA GB advice and that is exactly the advice you will be get from Buchloe too. I spent a long time talking with them about it last winter.

One of your problems is the size of the brakes, given that they are HUGE. 18" classics is the smallest wheel you can use, you'd need to find another alloy of exact size, form and offset to work.

If your in the UK, I believe you don't have to stick to manufacture specs, legally.

Your most cost effective option would likely be to put some 19" Vredestein wintrac rubber on your existing wheels. This is pretty much the only option you've got with the 19"'s

That, or don't use the B5 and buy a scrapper for winter

Calling tyre experts! I see a few D3 owners are using 17" and 18" wheels for their winter tyres in place of their 19" classics.
How do you chose your winter tyre size and especially profile to give you the correct rolling radius for gearing and speedo etc;?

Mike, page 4 of the online tyre bible has rolling radius calculator

[MikeRSR]

thanks, Pataket and Kyle. Acquired some 17" OEM wheels, now for the tyres.
Michelin Alpin or Vredistein xtreme's seem popular for the D3's here, but looking at the 2010 winter tests:

Continental Winter Contacts
Dunlop Winter Sports
Goodyear Ultra Grips

seem to come out on top.
Down to prices and availability I think now.

[dodgyken]

The 530XD has Goodyear winter tyres - no idea the actual model. The Roadster doesn't have any - and will only see the light of day when the roads are dry/and I have the time.

[PATAKET]

As long as you stick with the known brands and the B pillar label sizes you can't go too far wrong. Apart from that it comes down to price and whether you want an asymmetric or directional tread pattern.

On the D3 I went for Nokian WR G2, trusted winter tyre maker and asymmetric pattern as in the long run you have more interchangeability. Complete package from Delticom (mytyres) with steel wheels came out LESS THAN the discounted price of a single Classic rim !!! Although the prices seem to have risen somewhat since last year.

On the X5 I had already invested £800 in a set of effectively new 18" wheels (off an upgraded X5) so wanted to keep the cost of the tyres down as much as possible. Ended up with Vredestein Wintrac 4 Extreme directionals at a barely believable £105 each (delivered) from Camskill. They're enormous and improve the ride massively.

Both solutions make the cars "fit for purpose" in the five inches of snow we have here at the moment

PÃ¥ Taket

[dodgyken]

Both solutions make the cars "fit for purpose" in the five inches of snow we have here at the moment

PÃ¥ Taket

We had a good 12" on the driveway when we went to our weekend house on Friday night. The X-trail (which was exchanged for the 530xd on Saturday) was positively dancing its way up the hill.

I'll admit to cheating though, the house is 900m - and sits on the Northern edge of the Alps.

[thomas v8]

Any members heard of the Coopers weather Master Snow, Tyre.

Good, bad?

[thomas v8]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Charles
B3S Touring (E46)
Wheels - secondhand set of 17" E46 wheels from Ebay (£175)
Tyres - Michelin Primacy Alpin 225/40/17 (£660)

Scorchio
B3 3.3 (E46)
Wheels - RC Design RC02 (free with purchase of car)
Tyres - Michelin Pilot Alpin 225/45/17 (free)

Misko
BMW 118d
Wheels - 16" standard but should have gotten steel rims as it costs ~£80 for two fittings and removals per year!!!
Tyres - Goodyear Ultra Grip 7+ 195/55/16 from mytyres.co.uk (~£300)

ChrisLux
B8 4.6 Touring (E36)
Wheels & tyres from Ebay.de - 17'' Softlines with Michelin Pilot Alpin
225/45x17 Eur400
(205/45x17 normally recommended for B
(When the Michelin's wear out I will replace with Continental ContiSport
M&S which I've had on my last 2 E36's,E39 and E53 and would thoroughly recommend)

vblanche
D3 touring (E91)
wheels : set of genuine BMW 17" alloys from Ebay (£400)
tyres:Michelin Primacy alpin PA3 91H 225/45R17

IAM Joe
D3 MT (E90)
Wheels: Secondhand E-bay - E90 BMW 17" (£300)
Tyres: 225/50 R17 (98V) XL - Vredestein Wintrac Xtreme (£564) from Tyremen

PÃ¥ Taket
D3 MT (E90)
Steel wheels and Nokian WR G2 205/55 R16 91H M&S
Complete package from Delticom (www.mytyres.co.uk) £520 delivered.

X5 xDrive 35d (E70)
Unused 18" alloys off upgraded vehicle from bmminiparts £800.
Vredestein Wintrac 4 Extreme 255/55 R18 109V M&S XL from Camskill£420 delivered plus £50 local fit / balance

Darmstadt (B3BT)
Wheels: 8x18" Alpina Classics (summer is 9x19" Alpina Dynamics)
Tyres: Michelin Pilot Sport 2 M+S 235/40R18 (summer are also Michelin Sport Pilot 2 245/35ZR19 and 265/35ZR19)

Simon1397 (B10 3.3 Touring)
Wheels: second-hand 7 x 16" BMW Turbine alloys from e-bay for £170
Tyres: Avon Ice Touring ST winter tyres 225/55 R16 for £109 each

Estoril Sport (B3 BT)
Wheels Alpina Classic 8 x 18" Tyres - 235/40 R18 95V M+S Michelin Pilot Alpin PA3 For all four wheels. Bought as a set from Sytners

thomas V8 (e39 528 touring)B10 v8 Garaged
16" bmw turbines.
Tyres: Copper Weather-master snow tyres, 225/55 R16 95V Winter tyres.
£460.00 fitted Via Elite-direct in Essex.

[dodgyken]

Any members heard of the Coopers weather Master Snow, Tyre.

Good, bad?

I had them on the front of the X-Trail - mega grip - and will take spikes (where legal).

Be warned though - if you have them on only 1 axle the other axle won't have a matched level of grip. The X-Trail in locked 4wd mode would drift beautifully because the Dunlops Grand Treks didn't have the same level of snow grip.

[thomas v8]

Any members heard of the Coopers weather Master Snow, Tyre.

Good, bad?

I had them on the front of the X-Trail - mega grip - and will take spikes (where legal).

Be warned though - if you have them on only 1 axle the other axle won't have a matched level of grip. The X-Trail in locked 4wd mode would drift beautifully because the Dunlops Grand Treks didn't have the same level of snow grip.

Hi dodgyken,

So far so good are the coopers weather-masters, I'm glad someone has heard of them . Their apparently part of the Avon tyre group but i'm unsure of this just going by what the tyre guy's explained to me.

[PATAKET]

Cooper Tire (U.S. multinational) bought the rubber part of the Avon business a few years ago and now sell under Cooper and Avon brands plus a couple of others.

PÃ¥ Taket

[E24man]

.

[thomas v8]

Stupid me

Cheers E24man.

[mike finch]

Hi there
i have an E60 B5 Saloon, what are my options for winter tyres and can i get some steel wheels to fit them on my B5.
Quick update i am told by sytner nottingham that only alpina wheels can be fitted onto an E60 B5, these are £495 each for 18 inch classics and complete with Michelin Pilot Alpin A3 Tyres the total is £3990, needless to say i am looking for alternatives.

Hi Mr. Finch

You are limited... the LEGALLY required option in Germany is per ALPINA GB advice and that is exactly the advice you will be get from Buchloe too. I spent a long time talking with them about it last winter.

One of your problems is the size of the brakes, given that they are HUGE. 18" classics is the smallest wheel you can use, you'd need to find another alloy of exact size, form and offset to work.

If your in the UK, I believe you don't have to stick to manufacture specs, legally.

Your most cost effective option would likely be to put some 19" Vredestein wintrac rubber on your existing wheels. This is pretty much the only option you've got with the 19"'s

That, or don't use the B5 and buy a scrapper for winter

Calling tyre experts! I see a few D3 owners are using 17" and 18" wheels for their winter tyres in place of their 19" classics.
How do you chose your winter tyre size and especially profile to give you the correct rolling radius for gearing and speedo etc;?

Mike, page 4 of the online tyre bible has rolling radius calculator

Kyle
thanks for the info. yes the only other wheels that fit are the 18 inch classics, these are £2500 incl. VAT but i could not get any winter tyres at all to fit them and most tyre dealers are looking at february before any stock arrives.
so maybe i could get a fiat panda 4 x 4 for the same amount of money for wheels and tyres (£4000) and maybe some fun as well without worrying too much if things went a bit a pear shaped.

Mike Finch