[Sportstick]

Originally Posted by stewart8

I am new to the bmw fam this year, you guys have been super helpful (have been reading a ton of posts about winter set ups). Getting to that time where I need to quickly decide on winter rubber for the northeast (almost ski season!). I have the 21 inch staggered summer run flats. It seems a vast majority of people go square as it provides better winter performance.

Am I crazy to go with a staggered set-up from tire rack like the below for the winter over a standard square / run flat set up (BMW has the 695’s in 20 inch square for ~$3k and TR has a ton of options as well)? Having run the m40i wider rear tires all summer, it’s making me want to keep the wide look in the winter as well if I’m rocking winters for half the year. Was thinking of going with this set up (unfortunately would have to go without run flats):

MSW type 44 with Pirelli scorpion winters for ~$2500
Front: 20x9 +28mm offset / 245/45R20
Rear: 20x10.5 +40mm offset / 275/40R20

You're not crazy, but IMHO, you would not be making a wise decision. What is more important to you...the appearance or the performance? This is a long thread and this issue has come up before. Those are very wide tires for winter and all the data known reveals that narrow tires in a balanced square setup are superior to cut through snow/ice and generate more downforce in winter and maintain control. You don't want to "snowshoe" on top of snow/ice...the goal is to cut through it for traction. Go square and go as narrow as fits and meets load requirements for winter tires. If you need winter tires for half the year due to a heavy winter where you reside (really 6 months of snow somewhere in NY???) or heading into ski country, look for a dedicated winter tire such as Blizzak WS or Michelin XIce, not the lesser performance winter tires.

[pheagles]

Originally Posted by lefizzet

Just test fitted my winter setup that I'll throw on probably at the beginning of November

Square setup
Enkei Tuning Raijin 19x8 +35
Vredestein Wintrac Pro 235/55R19

Are you happy with the tires? Looking to buy a set of 20" for my winter set-up.

[lefizzet]

Originally Posted by pheagles

Are you happy with the tires? Looking to buy a set of 20" for my winter set-up.

Yes ran them last year, performed very well for a performance based winter tire. Obviously going to be a lot softer than summers/all seasons when it comes to turn in, but happy with the performance. I ran Pirelli Scorpion Winters on my previous Macan and they are comparable.

[Svensken]

Just fitted my new AEZ Steam wheels with Pirelli Ice Zero studded tires.
245/45-20
275/40-20

Happy with how it turned out.

[PNWM40i]

Moda MD26 wheelset from my old B9 SQ5. 15mm BMS Spacers and 235/55/19 Blizzak DM-V2 tires, unstoppable in the snow now

[Sampark]

Originally Posted by Portadown95

Hello,

Has anyone in North America contemplated using non-BMW rims for their snow tires setup ? I just checked the BMW website and they want 3500 for 20 inch rims and snow tires (pirelli scorpion)—the only setup they have listed.

Tire rack's configurator shows packages with blizzaks and Generic 18 inch rims for about 1500 dollars. Not sure the better looks are worth the 2000 extra dollars.

I had an 2012 x3 35i with 19 inch all seasons and it's traction was crap in snow so when i bought the new m40i I got it with summer tires knowing I would put snow tires and rims on.

Any suggestions would be appreciated as I will be driving in snowy mountain conditions this winter

Official size 19inch for m40i is 245/50 R19 105v. See this.

[peeezy]

Originally Posted by Sampark

Official size 19inch for m40i is 245/50 R19 105v. See this.

yes but then your speedo is telling you your going faster then u really are.

235/55/19 is ideal

[Sampark]

Originally Posted by peeezy

yes but then your speedo is telling you your going faster then u really are.

235/55/19 is ideal

I didn't know that!! 235/55/19 can be fit?? And better performance?

[nord1899]

Yeah I run 235/55-19 on 19x8 ET 35 aftermarket rims for winters. Advantage of that tire size is more to chose from than 245/50-19. Another option is 255/50-19, but wider is NOT better for winter tires.

[COM40]

Originally Posted by nord1899

Yeah I run 235/55-19 on 19x8 ET 35 aftermarket rims for winters. Advantage of that tire size is more to chose from than 245/50-19. Another option is 255/50-19, but wider is NOT better for winter tires.

I came across this video recently and his findings were there wasn't a big difference between 225 and 255 widths.

Of course real world performance in deep slush/heavy snow might favor the narrower tire.

Personally I've always gone with the conventional wisdom of going -1 in the winters in terms of wheel sizing - but my concern was more to get more sidewall.

[bringit]

Hi All,

I picked up a '19 X3 3.0i Xdrive with the blue caliper M brakes and the 20" 699M wheels. I'm trying to find winter wheels/tires for this car. I've been reading this thread and it seems 18" do work and the biggest issue is the clearance on the calipers.

On Tirerack, whether I select the M40i or 30i with M calipers I get the same wheels. However, on these other websites like quattrotires.com, when I select the different model cars, I don't get the same wheels to choose from.

I'm looking at the Replica 165 in black as I see they work on the M40i. Since my car is the blue M calipers, I shouldn't have any issue selecting M40i on the website and using these Replica 165s on my xdrive with the blue calipers right?

This is the post with the wheels I'm referring to: https://x3.xbimmers.com/forums/showp...&postcount=719

TIA!

[strohw]

Originally Posted by peeezy

yes but then your speedo is telling you your going faster then u really are.

235/55/19 is ideal

It's .2mph at 60mph for the OEM setup. Your suggestion has a larger deviation of 1mph off at 60mph. I'm not sure how it would be ideal if that's your criteria?

[peeezy]

Originally Posted by Sampark

I didn't know that!! 235/55/19 can be fit?? And better performance?

also cheaper too. almost $300 price difference when i bought nokian r5 winters

[peeezy]

Originally Posted by strohw

It's .2mph at 60mph for the OEM setup. Your suggestion has a larger deviation of 1mph off at 60mph. I'm not sure how it would be ideal if that's your criteria?

well im in canada and on 245/50/19 oem wheels my speedo was reading 5-6km/h faster then i was actually going. with 235/55/19 its only 1km/h off now.

[JJ 911SC]

Originally Posted by peeezy

well im in canada and on 245/50/19 oem wheels my speedo was reading 5-6km/h faster then i was actually going...

And when I raised the same problem during a maintenance visit, the print says that it's was within BMW Spec's.

In Europe, there is huge fines for manufacturer speedometer showing lower speed than actual so they go overboard the other way...

Probably save you from big speeding fine.

[floorithoney]

Same thing for me running 245/55/19's - speedo reads 2-3mph over GPS speed.