[johnung]

Starting to think ahead to what winter tire and size to get just a few months from now. Stock tires were runflats in 225/45-18. This past Spring installed summer goflats : Michelin Pilot Sport 4S in 245/40-18. The MPS4S are incredible. Wish there was something like that for bad weather. When the outside temperature gets down in the 40's I'll need to switch to some sort of all-season, winter or snow tire.

I'm in NJ where it has been averaging roughly 25 inches of snow a season which is about what NYC gets but less than the 40-50 inches they get in Boston. NJ winters often mean dealing with icy roads as much or more than snow covered roads.

To deal with winter ice and snow like I described in NJ would you recommend an all-season, winter or snow tire. Any particular tire models?

I recall some TireRack advice where they recommended going down a wheel size to have more sidewall in winter. 18" wheels are it for me because M Performance brakes can't go less than 18's. Probably the biggest sidewall I could get would be by going with 245/45-18. For snow and ice is it better to have a thinner tire like a 225/45-18 or a wider tire like a 245/45-18?

Any advice is appreciated! Thanks.

[draggy]

Narrow tires help cut through the snow while a wider tire tends to make you float on the snow. I would go with the stock 225/45-18. I run dedicated snows too - worth it even for a couple of days that i might be driving in the snow and slush.

[chowser51]

Grab a set of 18s and stick with 225/45/18 for winter.

[alohasurftoad]

i'd go the happy medium 235/45/18. bridgestone blizzak ws90 or nokian hakkapeliitta

here's thx@ wdeerfield with 235/45/18 on 18x8.5 square

https://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh...&postcount=110

https://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh...81&postcount=7

https://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh...06&postcount=8

[ntailor]

Originally Posted by alohasurftoad

i'd go the happy medium 235/45/18. bridgestone blizzak ws90 or nokian hakkapeliitta

This is the same size I'll be going with as soon as I get my hands on a second set of wheels. Either Nokian R3 or Sottozeros for me.

[x328x]

so here in Australia we dont get the crazy snow falls that overseas do. However we are legally required to carry snow chains in our alpine areas and very rarely have to put them on

I have a set of snow chains for my 255/35/19 stock m sport tires for the rears. While they "fit" and i have tried them on

They are pretty close to the guards and the plastic wheel arches. I also noticed with all the gear in the car the car drops a little and I question it

So here is my thoughts. The stock 18in rims would work right?

However would the front 19inch rims running the 225s work on the back. I can get 2 second hand ones from the wreckers. that way i have marching rims and only need to change 2 tires when I go to the snow. would that give me extra clearance around the arches and guards?

[wdeerfield]

Originally Posted by alohasurftoad

i'd go the happy medium 235/45/18. bridgestone blizzak ws90 or nokian hakkapeliitta

I second this

I went up to the 235/45/18 to have a little better sidewall than a slightly stretched 225. This size provided a meaty sidewall with more rim protection and has not really limited my driving on dry roads during the winter. Granted a narrow tire will do better with lane changes where there is sluth between the lanes but the 235 manages fine for me and i daily this car and on weekends drive to vermont to ski, often on snow covered roads in hopefully "bad" weather. blizzak or the hakkapeliitta will be much better than my iceguards by yokohama. I went with this to give them a shot and the price was attractive at $130 a tire in this size.

[cfm56d7b]

Adding a bit more to an already helpful list of suggestions.

I had very good experience with Pirelli Sottozero winter tires. During the winter, run flat tires may save you from changing the tire in slush and ice after an unexpected encounter with a snow covered pot hole.

[zole2112]

I did stock size Blizzaks (225/45/18) on my stock wheels. Not bad at all! Summer I'm running the Michelin Pilot Super Sport - 255/35ZR19/XL Square set up.

I seriously thought about getting all seasons as well since there are not many days I have to drive in deeper snow but I'm glad I went with the Blizzaks. I was worried about low sidewall stiffness, which was really apparent with my 540i, but the handling is much better on my 335xi.