[glowbalgroup]

New BMW X3 M40I Owner,
From Vancouver, British Columbia.
We are not like the rest of Canada, we get snow maybe a total of 1 week per year 1 day here and 1 day there kind of deal. Right now its around 7 degrees and only rains.
Our temperature maybe gets to minus 1. But looking at January long term forecast no Snow maybe 1 day.
My X3 came with front 245/40/21 rears 275/35/21
The tires on these are straight up summer performance tires.
First question do i need winter tires?
Second, i see most posts on here people seem to have got 20" rims stock on there X3 M40i how come i got 21"?
Third is there a all season tire or all weather tire i can fit on my size of stock rims?
What sizes can i go up or down to on the front and the rear?
I was shocked to get a new SUV that i cant drive in the snow
Thanks sorry if these are newb questions, when search most posts nobody has a 21 option

[RFernando]

If you plan on going up the sea to sky or up the coquihalla between October and March then technically by law you need at least an “M&S” tire ideally with the 3-peak mountain (Winter tires).

Also all the Canadian m40i’s come standard with the 21 inch wheels whereas I believe it’s an add on/option elsewhere. That’s why you see a lot of others with 20’s.

I just got a winter set of 20 inch wheels/winter tires and will swap out at the seasons change.

[glowbalgroup]

See if we in Canada had stock 20 inch rims we could have winter tires but there are no winter tires or even all season for the 21 inch option we have!
Were did you you get your 20" set from?

[FirstBMW19]

I recommend using winter tires and wouldn't use summer tires during winter in Vancouver. When I took delivery of my X3 last month, I had 255/50/19 winters put on and the 21" summers went into storage.

[Deliberate2]

One of the scariest rides I ever took was driving the 50 miles to work following a dusting of snow in early November.I was in my Audi S4 with summer tires. Even with Quattro (all wheel drive) the car drove like I was on a skating rink. It was not just the absence of an appropriate tread pattern. Summer tires are made with rubber that stiffness in cold temps - I have read under 40F. Not wishing to repeat that experience, I have religiously made sure to switch out the tires well ahead of the season change, or I buy all season tires for the summer and robust snow tires for winter. Don't forget, even though your car has all wheel drive, when it comes to acceleration or stopping, 4 x 0 = 0. My new M40i came with 20" all season shoes.I bought as set of 19" wheels and put dedicated snow tires (Nokian R3) on them. Makes the switch something even I can do with the torque wrench and a jack. You bought a beautiful car. You value your safety, and that if your passengers. Don't skimp on tires. All season or winter - your call. But not summer.

[freitz]

Originally Posted by glowbalgroup

New BMW X3 M40I Owner,
From Vancouver, British Columbia.
We are not like the rest of Canada, we get snow maybe a total of 1 week per year 1 day here and 1 day there kind of deal. Right now its around 7 degrees and only rains.
Our temperature maybe gets to minus 1. But looking at January long term forecast no Snow maybe 1 day.
My X3 came with front 245/40/21 rears 275/35/21
The tires on these are straight up summer performance tires.
First question do i need winter tires?
Second, i see most posts on here people seem to have got 20" rims stock on there X3 M40i how come i got 21"?
Third is there a all season tire or all weather tire i can fit on my size of stock rims?
What sizes can i go up or down to on the front and the rear?
I was shocked to get a new SUV that i cant drive in the snow
Thanks sorry if these are newb questions, when search most posts nobody has a 21 option

Personally I am going to all seasons just to avoid switching and storing tires.

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests...y.jsp?ttid=216

Good article

[Tchgrif]

you need winter tires, period......full stop. you can order 20 inch versions with the same staggered sizes front to rear. I ordered mine from tire rack but they are on back order for the rear tires and they are not run flats. so I am just avoiding driving it till the new tires arrive.

[strike4A]

You can get 21" winter rears for your setup but you won't find matching ones for the fronts as it's an unusual size.

Best bet is to take the plunge and get a dedicated winter set. Your summer tyre life will then be extended.

BMW sell square setup winter packages based on the following dimensions which match the summer setup:

19"
Wheels: 7.5Jx19 ET:32
Tyres: 245/50 R19 105V

20"
Wheels 8Jx20 ET:27
Tyres: 245/45 R20 103V

There is scope to use wider wheels/tyres but you need to be sure there is no rubbing at the front. Also you run the risk of the speedo reading slightly out.

[nyalpine90]

avoid headache and purchase a set of 20" wheels with winter tires.

[RFernando]

Originally Posted by glowbalgroup

See if we in Canada had stock 20 inch rims we could have winter tires but there are no winter tires or even all season for the 21 inch option we have!
Were did you you get your 20" set from?

You probably could have have negotiated with your dealer swap out 21's for 20's or you could have placed an order for an M40 spec'd with 20's as well.

I ordered them from a tire shop based in Quebec (saved on some taxes) - but anywhere should be able to help you out (1010 tires, tire rack, etc). You can even go buy a 20" winter setup from your dealer directly if you like, but would be spending more than going 3rd party.

[teaston]

Sounds like you get very similar weather as we do, so really it depends how you use your car. If you only do little mileage, and mostly on gritted main roads then property not worth it, but if like me you do a lot of mileage around remote country roads then it is worthwhile.

Have you managed ok on summer tyres before? I got badly stuck a few times and had a crash due to snow so decided winter tyres would be beneficial to me.

[munna]

I'm also located in Vancouver and I've already swapped out to winter rims/tires. While its true that it barely snows here, running on summer tires in winter is not a risk I want to take.

Previously I had a rear wheel drive 328i with all seasons. It was very easy for the back end to lose grip when the temps were near 0 and the roads a bit slick. The random times we had snow was a whole other experience in that car

[SROC3]

I'd play it safe and get a set of winters or some seriously rated all-weathers. I'm in CALI and was thinking I should change my tires to All -Seasons for when I go up to the mountains for snowboarding...but the reality is that that will happen like 5 times in the whole season. Plus, the temps in Los Angeles never (usually) go below 40. I will get a set of "Autosocks" to slap on when i'm on snow covered roads.

[TX3M]

I live in MD where we typically get a few snow storms a year, and it also gets quite cold in winter. I have owned several high performance vehicles (including my current X3 M40i), and have never needed a separate set of snow tires. I have always run all-season (currently the Continental EC DWS06) and they have done very well in the snow we get. Unless you want to invest in a separate set of rims and tires, you will be fine with all-season (but definitely NOT summer tires).

[teaston]

Originally Posted by TX3M

I live in MD where we typically get a few snow storms a year, and it also gets quite cold in winter. I have owned several high performance vehicles (including my current X3 M40i), and have never needed a separate set of snow tires. I have always run all-season (currently the Continental EC DWS06) and they have done very well in the snow we get. Unless you want to invest in a separate set of rims and tires, you will be fine with all-season (but definitely NOT summer tires).

Yes all seasons will get through everything, but don’t you miss the grip
/feel in summer?

[skier219]

I have run many sports cars year-round with summer tires and been fine in the winter as long as the pavement is dry and I drive sensibly. These have been RWD cars and I don't take them out if it's snow or ice (I have a 4x4 truck for that) -- between the RWD, the low ground clearance, and the summer tires, these cars would be hopeless.

The X3 is a little different in the sense that it's AWD and has a little better clearance, so summer tires are the only issue and those can be swapped out. I'm looking for a set of 19" wheels with all season tires I can put on for the winter. That said, I still prefer my 4x4 truck for snow, as the roads near me do not get plowed and the X3 would really get beat up unnecessarily. When unplowed roads get rutted and freeze back up, anything short of a truck will take a real beating and maybe even get underbody parts torn off.

As far as wheel size, the M40i can come with 19", 20", or 21" factory wheels. If you're not involved in spec'ing or ordering the car, you could get any of those three. So I see nothing unusual about 21" wheels (a ton of people on this forum have them, including me). Main disadvantage of the 21" wheels is that tire selection is extremely limited, and summer tires only. Thus, if you bought an M40i with 21" wheels and you think you need an all-season or winter tire option, then you need to look for a second set of 19" or 20" wheels. I think 19" has the best tire selection, and if it's only for winter then looks won't matter so much.

[TajoMan]

Originally Posted by skier219

I have run many sports cars year-round with summer tires and been fine in the winter as long as the pavement is dry and I drive sensibly.

Summer tire can crack if the temperature gets below 20F. (they shouldn't even be stored in that temperature)
It's not just about grip.

[Shaw]

I’ve had 6 BMW’s in Canada all with all-season tires, with the exception of one...which brought me nothing but cost and waste of time to have them swapped twice a year...not to mention the back pain of putting them in the trunk every time (x5 wheels!).
The all season is perfectly fine for 97% of the time during winter... so what about that 3%? Well if the weather is that bad, I find it that even with winter tires you are not secured, and so it may be best to just not drive on the road!
All this is always with an important presumption: that you are a good driver who pays attention...as if you are a careless driver, no winter tire can make any difference.

[weez]

Originally Posted by munna

I'm also located in Vancouver and I've already swapped out to winter rims/tires. While its true that it barely snows here, running on summer tires in winter is not a risk I want to take.

Previously I had a rear wheel drive 328i with all seasons. It was very easy for the back end to lose grip when the temps were near 0 and the roads a bit slick. The random times we had snow was a whole other experience in that car

When I was living in England I had a 328i with Summer tires, and since it doesn't snow a whole lot or get extremely cold in Cambridgeshire, I figured I'd keep them on year round. Well one night the snow came down pretty heavy and fast and I barely made it home and couldn't even pull all the way up my driveway. Luckily I had a set of winter tires/wheels from when I spent some time in Germany where it was required. Next morning I threw on the winter tires to dominate those white roads. I back out of the driveway and immediately got stuck in the middle of the road. I was stuck there for half an hour blocking the road trying to get out lol. Luckily nobody was on the roads because of the snow. Suffice to say, those tires didn't inspire a whole lot of confidence immediately, but turned out to be 100x better than summer tires and 20x better than all seasons.
My vote is that if you're going to get a second set of tires, get winters. They will make an all wheel drive car just about unstoppable in the snow, and you'll be glad even if it snows just once. All seasons are the jack of all trades, but master of none....they're just ok in any weather conditions.

[nvestr]

Most likely all-seasons are fine but would advise against keep the summer performance tires on for the winter. Ultra High perf rubber compounds wear out very fast in cold temperatures and have the worst grip you can imagine. It's a lose-lose.

[TX3M]

Originally Posted by teaston

Yes all seasons will get through everything, but don’t you miss the grip
/feel in summer?

For me, the all-seasons provide very adequate grip for "spirited" driving (mind you, I do not track my car). I don't drive my car so hard on public roads that I risk losing grip altogether, except for the occasional 4-wheel drift on my favorite off-ramp when the pavement is wet . If you really want the ultimate grip, you will need a dedicated set of tires for the summer and you should get another set for winter.

[teaston]

Originally Posted by TX3M

For me, the all-seasons provide very adequate grip for "spirited" driving (mind you, I do not track my car). I don't drive my car so hard on public roads that I risk losing grip altogether, except for the occasional 4-wheel drift on my favorite off-ramp when the pavement is wet . If you really want the ultimate grip, you will need a dedicated set of tires for the summer and you should get another set for winter.

I did toy with the idea of fitting all season tyres for year round use, but I thought they might have been too much of a compromise in summer time, sounds like maybe they're not then!

Oh well, I've bought the winter wheels and tyres now!