F30 3 series - Winter wheels and tyres
Discussion
Winter tyres make an amazing difference to a BMW in snow. Without them it's virtually impossible to get moving even on the straight (I speak from experience!) With them, you can drive around on a snow covered road or car park with no problem at all (again, I speak from experience). Definitely worth the money for the once or twice each year I'd have otherwise got stuck.
Bear in mind it's common to drop an inch for your winter wheels, plus narrower. This improves resistance to aquaplaning, and gives more snow traction. On my M235i my rear summer 8Jx18 + 246/35-18 are replaced by winter 7.5Jx17 + 225/45-17 and the front 7.5Jx18 go down similarly.
I found the narrower winter setup significantly better in heavy rain and standing water then the summer. As you might expect, the winter setup isn't as good once it gets warmer and dryer.
I found the narrower winter setup significantly better in heavy rain and standing water then the summer. As you might expect, the winter setup isn't as good once it gets warmer and dryer.
I've had winters on a 330d E92 and went from 19" to 17" ... they looked ok and were awesome when it snowed. 6" and I passed a Q7 slithering on it's 20" wheels 
I have just fitted a BMW 18" set to my now M240i Convertible and though yet to be tested they feel ok and the alloys look as good as the standard ones.
I have just fitted a BMW 18" set to my now M240i Convertible and though yet to be tested they feel ok and the alloys look as good as the standard ones.
Utter nonsense this winter tyre lark.
As we have done since the beginning of time, be gentle with the throttle and all is good with a rear wheel drive. My e92 335d and subsequent e93 320d slipped about in the snow but nothing that couldn’t be hendled with a bit of restraint and common sense.
As we have done since the beginning of time, be gentle with the throttle and all is good with a rear wheel drive. My e92 335d and subsequent e93 320d slipped about in the snow but nothing that couldn’t be hendled with a bit of restraint and common sense.
FerdiZ28 said:
Utter nonsense this winter tyre lark.
As we have done since the beginning of time, be gentle with the throttle and all is good with a rear wheel drive. My e92 335d and subsequent e93 320d slipped about in the snow but nothing that couldn’t be hendled with a bit of restraint and common sense.
I guess you've never got stuck then.As we have done since the beginning of time, be gentle with the throttle and all is good with a rear wheel drive. My e92 335d and subsequent e93 320d slipped about in the snow but nothing that couldn’t be hendled with a bit of restraint and common sense.
I've got an F25 X3 35D, just under 6k miles since i got it in September - so decent tread depth. A few weeks back when we had the snow, it was ok.
When we had this recent snow just after Christmas, I got well and truely stuck - read, coming off the footbrake and zero traction just spinning on the spot. Full on digging the car out and putting down grit didn't offer much help.
In the end i got towed out by a Delica on Nexen winter tyres up a hill out of the village.
The reality is, you're only as good as your tyres, and even with 4WD it made zero difference to me. Yes, I'll become part of the 'sheeple' and get winters for next year...
FerdiZ28 said:
Utter nonsense this winter tyre lark. As we have done since the beginning of time, be gentle with the throttle and all is good with a rear wheel drive. My e92 335d and subsequent e93 320d slipped about in the snow but nothing that couldn’t be handled with a bit of restraint and common sense.
And the Earth is Flat as well. For an evidence and fact-based discussion of why winter tyres are worth it for a performance car, see the excellent Winter Wheels, Tyres & Chains Guide at
http://www.babybmw.net/howtos/Winter%20Wheels%20Gu...
The Guide is slightly biased towards the RWD M Performance 2 Series models, but most of it is generic. References to xDrive are the BMW all-wheel drive thing, and 'M-Lites' are the BMW M Performance models like the M135i/M140i and M235i/M240i, as opposed to the full M2.
And on a practical note, whether you get winter tyres or not, do some research on how to set your traction controls for snow (if you have traction settings). In my M235i, the manual is really confusing - it takes about 200 poorly-translated words to tell me to press the 'car with wriggly lines' button for a few seconds when I hit snow, then press it again once I'm back on tarmac. The various acronyms like DTC, DSC etc. don't help.
Edited by msej449 on Monday 1st January 11:23
Often good deals to be had on genuine BMW wheels with winter tyres on ebay, but you could always get a nice set of wheels for £500 and then get a brand new set of winter tyres for another £500 (and that's 18's).
Check if you need 18's or not - a mate has a 330d and 17's fit fine. I have the M sport plus pack (blue calipers) and need 18's to clear the front brakes.
Check if you need 18's or not - a mate has a 330d and 17's fit fine. I have the M sport plus pack (blue calipers) and need 18's to clear the front brakes.
FerdiZ28 said:
Utter nonsense this winter tyre lark.
As we have done since the beginning of time, be gentle with the throttle and all is good with a rear wheel drive. My e92 335d and subsequent e93 320d slipped about in the snow but nothing that couldn’t be hendled with a bit of restraint and common sense.
What an ill-informed comment! As we have done since the beginning of time, be gentle with the throttle and all is good with a rear wheel drive. My e92 335d and subsequent e93 320d slipped about in the snow but nothing that couldn’t be hendled with a bit of restraint and common sense.
Anyone who has driven on snow with and without winter tyres knows what a massive difference there is!!
For an alternative supplier ty
http://www.mrwinterwheels.co.uk
no connection other than bought from them
http://www.mrwinterwheels.co.uk
no connection other than bought from them
Winter tyres are worthwhile on any car, but even more so on RWD models.
Better grip on cold winter days and reassurance that the weather is not going to stop you getting home. A couple of inches of snow seems to cause mayhem in the U.K. but any car on winter tyres is going to be fine.
I bought a package of ‘lookalike’ BMW style wheels and tyres from here:
https://www.performancealloys.com/
They are spot on and with a set of BMW centre caps from eBay look pretty genuine.
I would stick with 18 inch rims, but consider a square set up (same front and rear). This puts more weight over a slightly narrower contact patch at the rear, which is supposed to be better in snow or ice.
Better grip on cold winter days and reassurance that the weather is not going to stop you getting home. A couple of inches of snow seems to cause mayhem in the U.K. but any car on winter tyres is going to be fine.
I bought a package of ‘lookalike’ BMW style wheels and tyres from here:
https://www.performancealloys.com/
They are spot on and with a set of BMW centre caps from eBay look pretty genuine.
I would stick with 18 inch rims, but consider a square set up (same front and rear). This puts more weight over a slightly narrower contact patch at the rear, which is supposed to be better in snow or ice.
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