Winter wheels 35is

aquazi said:
This thread is pretty amusing to be honest.

I have winter tyres... I put them on between november/ march and earlier this year it reached 15 degrees in march and i still had them on... They work fine just wear quicker. The same cant be said for summer tyres in winter, dont work fine at all.

My winter tyres were budget falkens and they work a million times better then my eagle f1's when its wet and cold, let alone with snow.

My take on it... Better to be safe then sorry... Tyres are the only contact you car has to the road... Forget brakes and suspension in my mind tyres are the most import thing... Even if it doesnt snow anything below 10 degrees budget winters will perform better then the best summer tyres.

And skinny tyres are good for snow, and normal road use... Just not for bends... But tbh how people plan to track their car in snowy cold weather so that really matters? If you want to save a few quid get skinny winter tyres all around.




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There's plenty of reading about budget winters. I just don't see the point in sacrificing traction in everything but snow.
[youtube]XzWXO7hiAYo[/youtube]

My summer tyres are going to provide more traction for the majority of the winter If this winter is anything like the last.

If it snows I just won't be on the road. If I need to be for work purposes then I always have the option of a rental car.

If you enjoy the experience of preparing for adverse weather conditions and have the free time and money then I see no problem with buying winters. But making it law to change to winter tyres is completely stupid.
I have worked up in the north east and Scotland a fair but and the winters are noticeably worse. But the majority of UK drivers are living in the south.

You guys are all a fair bit older than me so maybe you have experienced some harsh winters that I have not. But in my living memory I can only recall two occasions where it has actually snowed to the point the roads have been covered. And even then people still got around without killing children and bursting into flames.
 
I agree with r.e92 about making it the law... The weather here is nowhere adverse enough like germany etc to legalise it.

Since buying my Z in 2009 we have experienced snowfall every winter except last winter... My Z has been stranded once, and since then i got winter tyres!

I have access to company car (no better being a 1 series!) and can work at home, however i never want to experience getting stranded again which is why i chose to get them.

If it snows bad i wont go in my Z anywhere... Its basically a snowplough... But if i am already out atleast i have no fear of getting stuck.

In terms of performance i can guarantee in the cold may falkens perform better then my eagle f1's... Not snow but in the cold they aspire more confidence.

The other advantage for me... The tyres on my 19's cost more then my 18's... So prolonging the life of them and getting smaller 18's winters makes financial sense too.. As an example my 18's second hand wheels and new winter tyres cost me £650-700. I can recoup £200 odd when i sell the wheels...


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aquazi said:
I agree with r.e92 about making it the law... The weather here is nowhere adverse enough like germany etc to legalise it.

Since buying my Z in 2009 we have experienced snowfall every winter except last winter... My Z has been stranded once, and since then i got winter tyres!

I have access to company car (no better being a 1 series!) and can work at home, however i never want to experience getting stranded again which is why i chose to get them.

If it snows bad i wont go in my Z anywhere... Its basically a snowplough... But if i am already out atleast i have no fear of getting stuck.

In terms of performance i can guarantee in the cold may falkens perform better then my eagle f1's... Not snow but in the cold they aspire more confidence.

The other advantage for me... The tyres on my 19's cost more then my 18's... So prolonging the life of them and getting smaller 18's winters makes financial sense too.. As an example my 18's second hand wheels and new winter tyres cost me £650-700. I can recoup £200 odd when i sell the wheels...


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The law thing was my main point. They are really useful in snow but not something that should be enforced.

I drove my last BMW in snow once and had no issues. Not even a squished child. My stopping distance may have increased but I allow more room infront to compensate.
I know ronk will say "what if a child had run out". But that argument can be applied to any scenario where you need to stop fast.

A Corvette Z06 stops in 28m from 60mph. A Golf GTI will take 40m to stop from the same speed.
By that logic everyone who owns a Golf is at risk of murdering children.
 
R.E92 said:
My summer tyres are going to provide more traction for the majority of the winter If this winter is anything like the last.

If it snows I just won't be on the road. If I need to be for work purposes then I always have the option of a rental car.

If you enjoy the experience of preparing for adverse weather conditions and have the free time and money then I see no problem with buying winters. But making it law to change to winter tyres is completely stupid.
I have worked up in the north east and Scotland a fair but and the winters are noticeably worse. But the majority of UK drivers are living in the south.

You guys are all a fair bit older than me so maybe you have experienced some harsh winters that I have not. But in my living memory I can only recall two occasions where it has actually snowed to the point the roads have been covered. And even then people still got around without killing children and bursting into flames.
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End of the day its entirely upto you whether you consider it a safety issue or not and take the gamble and run on summer tyres in bad weather. My tyres cost 400 quid which I think is nothing to pay out for peace of mind etc and can carry on virtually as normal. In an ideal world you get up in the morning switch the weather on which forecasts snow and you decide not to use the car :) unfortunately it never quite works out like that as I found out. I think unless you have tried winter tyres you don't appreciate how good they actually are so are non the wiser. Remember winter tyres are not just for snow.

Tim.
 
So should there be no seatbelt laws ? No crash hat laws? No tread depth laws?
Next you'll be boasting you've never had a bump or a near miss!
 
Winter tyres for your car is a great idea but only if you have the money to buy them, a place to store your other tyres when not in use and more so if you plan to have the same car for many years.
You pretty much need a spare set of wheels with winter tyres on them as its not great to keep taking tyres on and off a rim.
If you change cars frequently there is no way you can keep buying another set of winter tyres/wheels for each car.
The other problem you have is that tyres go off with age so after a few years you would have to replace your hardly worn winter tyres for new ones.
 
ronk said:
So should there be no seatbelt laws ? No crash hat laws? No tread depth laws?
Next you'll be boasting you've never had a bump or a near miss!
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That's taking the argument to absurdity.

Every winter tyre thread is the same. Always an extreme element suggesting people who choose to do without winter tyres are rogues with no respect for others lives.
 
No it is not absurd!

The question was asked as there were many who suggested that they could drive or ride appropriatey and didn't need to be protected by mandatory rules.

Nobody called you a rogue or said you had no respect for life - that was your chosen phrase.

It's also worth looking at the met office data for the temperature of North Wales. You will see that it's not quite as warm as you think.
 
I don't think people should be forced to fit winter tyres. For starters no politician is going to risk asking millions of people to stump up hundreds or thousands of pounds to buy a new set of wheels and tyres, when like last year (and about 17 out of the last 20 years) even in the North Midlands, we didn't see a snow flake. This country already resembles a nanny state and we don't need more examples.

Having said that, I think if people want to buy them they ought to be encouraged to do so (maybe a credit against your VED for example). Because as some people suggest, it's the road temp of 7c and below that matters and they definitely make winter driving a less hazardous experience.

My own situation is this - I only use the M in decent weather so buying all season or winter tyres is a waste of money for me. My other car is a Honda Civic which is absolutely brilliant in deep snow (we had 14 inches and temps of -17c 3 years ago and I got everywhere without any issue at all). So I am a bit reluctant to fund them,
especially as the car is probably only worth £1,500 anyway.
 
Its a pity more manufacturers don't fit all season tyres as standard and if you want specific summer tyres/performance tyres its upto the individual. I know Dacia fit all seasons, unsure who else does.

I'm guessing the reason manufacturers don't fit them as standard is down to mpg claims :|

Tim.
 
Surely the all season tyre as got to be the answer, even most of us, as enthusiastic drivers would baulk at changing wheels or tyres twice a year, and jo public no chance. I know that they may be a compromise both summer and winter, but I'd sacrifice a bit more wear in the summer for the extra grip in the winter, and to my none technical mind even in warmer temps wouldn't they grip better in extreme wet conditions with there softer compound and more aggressive tread patterns.
 
Haha. Same polarised debate as on the MBz and D3 / FF forums. :D

Free choice in the UK, fit winters or not, do what you want. Fact is that once you've had them through any icy / slushy / snowy spell, it's pretty hard to go back to enduring the relatively much worse performance of standard rubber in those conditions.
 
KERMIT1970 said:
What have I started ! Only wanted to know what would fit my 35is. So no more fighting :D
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I asked for mine - style 276 or 290 in 17" for the 35iS according to my dealer :) Both styles looked ok. £1600 or £1800 new though.
 
SO8 said:
KERMIT1970 said:
What have I started ! Only wanted to know what would fit my 35is. So no more fighting :D
Click to expand...

I asked for mine - style 276 or 290 in 17" for the 35iS according to my dealer :) Both styles looked ok. £1600 or £1800 new though.
Click to expand...
Did they mention the valves/sensors ?
 
KERMIT1970 said:
SO8 said:
KERMIT1970 said:
What have I started ! Only wanted to know what would fit my 35is. So no more fighting :D
Click to expand...

I asked for mine - style 276 or 290 in 17" for the 35iS according to my dealer :) Both styles looked ok. £1600 or £1800 new though.
Click to expand...
Did they mention the valves/sensors ?
Click to expand...

Nope. have had winter wheels from BMW before on a 2010 LCI 330d coupe and they never mentioned valves or sensors then either + no issues.
 
I asked for mine - style 276 or 290 in 17" for the 35iS according to my dealer :) Both styles looked ok. £1600 or £1800 new though.[/quote]
Did they mention the valves/sensors ?[/quote]

Nope. have had winter wheels from BMW before on a 2010 LCI 330d coupe and they never mentioned valves or sensors then either + no issues.[/quote]
Going to pop into dealer tomorrow & ask. Changed wheels on most of my other bm's but these silver tpms v/vs's on the new models have cast some doubt over my plans. :thumbsup:
 
Well folks just for your information. Some of the newer models have tpms systems fitted,(metal valves) that have the tyre sensor fitted in the tyre & not on the hub. :thumbsdown: meaning if you change your wheels on models fitted with this system your dash will light up like a Christmas tree :headbang:
£300/£400 for extra sensors if you want a set of winters. Don't think I'll bother :x
 
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