Need advice on winter tires and rims

[mister-en]

Hi all,

It's time for me to get some winter rubber and I'm faced with a few decisions to make. Right now I have the M68 style wheels with my Fuzion ZRi summer tires that have 9/32" left (that's a lot, right?). I will unquestionably buy winter tires (likely Pirelli 210), but the debate now is whether I should just use my current M68 rims or buy another set of wheels.

The problem is that I'm operating on a budget for rims of around $600, so the only decent 17" rims I can get are probably the M5 replicas. I have no experience with replica rims, so I have no idea if that's something I should do. I don't mind exposing my M68s to my Canadian winter conditions, but I would prefer not to have my tires remounted twice a year. My best case scenario is if I could find some good used OEM wheels at a decent price, but I guess pickings are slim.

So basically, the questions going through my head are:
1) How do OEM rims (say M68) compare to replicas (17" M5, specifically)? I've read of one horror story about replicas, but I don't plan on launching my car through the air.
2) Should I keep my M68's and remount until I find a good deal on used OEMs? (ie, are good OEMs worth the wait?)

Another thing to keep in mind is that the break-even point for buying M5 replicas vs remounting every season is 4 years, or 8 changes, though I realise the added tire stress of mounting. I plan to keep my car for another at least another 3 years.

Do any of you have any advice on what I should do?

 

[Average Jae]

somehow over my time here, i'm always answering this question ^_^

i have the replica m68 rims for my winter rims. iirc they are 17 x 7.5s although they could be 8.0s replicas come in one size.. anyway, they ran like $700 give to take, and i couldn't be more satisfied with them.

i'd def get rims just for your winter "shoes" because while mounthing/ remounting the tires maybe chaper, it's not all that good for your rims nor your tires. damage during the process/ messing with the seals and all that other stuff may not be worth it.

there is one 16 inch rims that fit your e46 330. iirc italia type 5 (e36 M rims) 16 inchers are cheaper, altho they don't look as good on the 330.

btw, most replica rims cost about the same.

oh and try to find one that is not uni-directional, and get them all in the same size so you can actually roate them. 225 was a good width for me. some go 205, and narrower is better, but unless you live in a place covered with snow the whole winter, 225 is a better fit for cold, but dry weather imo.

or you can upgrade your summer rims and use the m68 for winters. like getting style 135 replicas 18x 8 i bevlieve. (weird for me to be pimping replica version of my zhp rims, but imo they are THE best looking rims you can get on a bmw.)

good luck

 

[jfh]

winter tires

On the suggestion of someone in CT, I went to TireRack.com and purchased the Dunlap winter sport m3's.

It's hard to say how it compares because they are the only ones I've used in snow.
But I've driven in up to 8" of new snow and they were great.

Note: my car has the performance package and 18" wheels.

I have the Dunlaps on 16" AT Italia's.
The theory here is: more side wall to absorb pothole hits, a narrower tire
putting more weight per square inch of rubber on the road and supposedly
a narrower tire rolls through the snow more easily than a wide tire.

I like different wheels also to save the tires from repeated on/off cycles and
because I can wait until pretty late in the season to swap them because I don't
have to worry about getting to the tire store.