Winter Tires
- Thread starter jstiebe
- Start date
www.tirerack.com has reviews of most tires. They have reviews from people that have used the tires too. I have a 330 and just got a wheel and tire package from them. Bought the 17" mille miglia mm2's with bridgestone blizzack lm-22. Cost was around 1300 and they come balanced and mounted free of charge.
tirerack seems like a good place for research. read the user feedbacks and also their own tests to see what kind of tires seem right for you.
i decided on the dunlop wintersport m3s, and am currently looking for rims.. i'm actually gonna make the purchase at a local discount tire, since they offer free rotation and seasonal change over.
where in michigan are you at?
i decided on the dunlop wintersport m3s, and am currently looking for rims.. i'm actually gonna make the purchase at a local discount tire, since they offer free rotation and seasonal change over.
where in michigan are you at?
i'm in troy. so we are practially neighbors. ![[wave]](/images/smilies/icon_smile_wave.gif "Wave [wave]")
i remember a time last year, when the weather wouldn't let up for month straight: snow, then freezing, then cold, then freezing... i just kept my baby in the garage, couldn't even take it out to get it filled up completely..![[:(]](/images/smilies/frown.png "Frown [:(]")
at that point i decided to get winters, but thanks to the winter storm out east, tires were oos everywhere! so i'm getting started early this year ^^
i remember a time last year, when the weather wouldn't let up for month straight: snow, then freezing, then cold, then freezing... i just kept my baby in the garage, couldn't even take it out to get it filled up completely..
at that point i decided to get winters, but thanks to the winter storm out east, tires were oos everywhere! so i'm getting started early this year ^^I just bought a 2004 325i with 5 speed and sport package. Living in western Canada winter tires will be a must. I haven't bought yet but I have decided to buy the Nokian RSI. If you do serious research, I think you will find that these are generally recognized as THE BEST winter tires made anywhere. I believe they are made in Finland.
My second choice would be Michelin Pilot Alpin. I had the Michelin Arctic Alpins on my 98 Acura EL, and they were very good. The Toyos I had on my 2001 Nissan Maxima were garbage,
http://www.nokiantires.com/newsite/home.cfm
My second choice would be Michelin Pilot Alpin. I had the Michelin Arctic Alpins on my 98 Acura EL, and they were very good. The Toyos I had on my 2001 Nissan Maxima were garbage,
http://www.nokiantires.com/newsite/home.cfm
from what little i read about the Nokian RSI's, the R rating seems to be an issue for some, due to softer sidewall, the car isn't as confident in dry handling. and i guess the tire runs about 200 per.. so even if it does stick better, i'm still leaning towards the M3s.. 225/45-17s are gonna run me 160+ tax out the door. lil more than i wanted to pay, but i did decided to go w/ the 17" replica m2 rims.. too bad they dun make a 17" version of my current rims ^^;;
Well, I made the decision and went with the Nokians. Hakkepeliita RSI. Price was $242 each Cdn, which was about $100 less per tire than the Michelin Pilot Alpins or any of the Blizzaks. The guys at the tire shop were universally adamant that I would love these tires, and friends of mine have been equally raving about the Hakkas.
The rims were a bit tricky to get, though. Apparently the bolt pattern is "5 X 120" which meant that only a select few rims would fit, and they would have to be ordered. So I went with basic steel rims and wheel covers. Even these wheels were $159 each. Looks kind of crappy, but here's the clincher. Today (that's right October 16th) we have almost a foot of wet snow on the ground. I went out for a short spin, and I can tell you that these tires on a RWD car are waaaaay better than any FWD set up I've ever had.
I'll keep you posted. I do consider myself a bit of an expert, having lived in western Canada my entire life, where winter is a good 6 months of the year. I'll be interested to see what happens in minus 30 with black ice.
The rims were a bit tricky to get, though. Apparently the bolt pattern is "5 X 120" which meant that only a select few rims would fit, and they would have to be ordered. So I went with basic steel rims and wheel covers. Even these wheels were $159 each. Looks kind of crappy, but here's the clincher. Today (that's right October 16th) we have almost a foot of wet snow on the ground. I went out for a short spin, and I can tell you that these tires on a RWD car are waaaaay better than any FWD set up I've ever had.
I'll keep you posted. I do consider myself a bit of an expert, having lived in western Canada my entire life, where winter is a good 6 months of the year. I'll be interested to see what happens in minus 30 with black ice.
I just got some Pirelli 210 Alpines on my 325i yesterday (at the dealership). They're 16" wheels, and I got the BMW winter hubcaps as well. I decided on that brand from reading the Tirerack reviews. I drive 160 kms a day, some country (sheet ice, snow, wind) and lots of highway and a bit of city. It seems the reviews I read indicated this tire would have a good balance between Highway Performance and ice grip in the country.
Let it snow!!!
Let it snow!!!