Winter wheels/tyres

E

ed80

Member
 Bristol
In anticipation of my Z4M turning up, I started planning a road trip to visit a friend in Denmark in February. This will take me through Germany, which mandates winter tyres. Has anyone else come up against this, and what are the options for winter tyres on the M? Is there a BMW approved fitment that doesn't require 255 wide rears (I think on M3s the winter wheel option is square 17s?).

I suspect there would be insurance issues if I had an accident in Germany on the wrong tyres.

Cheers,
Ed
 
All seasons rather than winter tyres are your best choice…look at Michelin cross climate 2 or GY all seasons or Conti..if you want to retain stock tyre sizes that may limit your choice…a set of winter wheels is good for those who winter regularly…but yours is a one of trip…best take the plane… :thumbsup:
 
I'd recommend fitting a set of all-seasons, as they'll do you from now until April and will perform better on high-speed dry/cold roads than full winters. Usually means more sizes available too.

Something like the Goodyear Vector 3/4 or new Continental AllSeasonContact 2 (which is what I'm using on the 320D at the moment).

But if you want a proper set of winters, then the BMW official tyre is 225/40r18 Continental WinterContact TS810S (size is also on the door jamb).
 
Thanks for the advice. It's a visit to a friend who's a bit of a car nut and who just got divorced, so I definitely want to take the M if possible. Looks like the cheapest option is probably a set of 225/40R18 winter tyres I can swap out as needed, i'll keep an eye on ebay for the next month or so and see if any deals show up.

Did the M ever get a winter wheel package too, or do the tyres just go on the standard rims?
 
Another for fitting all season tyres over winters, as long as they have the 3PMSF & M+S (as this is the legal requirement in Germany for winter use). When temperatures get into double figures winter tyres tend to get a little soft, come March you'll drive to work and its -3 C and by mid day there getting into double digits and they'll feel like they're flat! The new Pirelli Ccinturato SF3's are winning the awards at the moment, though I've just ordered a set of Continental AllSeasonContacts 2 for our new XC40, being fitted Friday because they were much cheaper :thumbsup:
 
Ok, sounds like the most sensible option is to cancel my appointment to get Eagle F1s fitted, find some all-season tyres for now, and then swap out when the weather turns happier.

255/45/18 all season tyres are not super common, Black Circles only offers 4, and they are all around £200!
 
ed80 said:
Ok, sounds like the most sensible option is to cancel my appointment to get Eagle F1s fitted, find some all-season tyres for now, and then swap out when the weather turns happier.

255/45/18 all season tyres are not super common, Black Circles only offers 4, and they are all around £200!
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Are you going to fit them to the standard R18 alloys are going to buy another set of alloys? The size you quoted above doesn't seem right? should it be 225/45 R18 fronts & 255/40 R18 rear
 
mmm-five said:
But if you want a proper set of winters, then the BMW official tyre is 225/40r18 Continental WinterContact TS810S (size is also on the door jamb).
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Which would mean another set of wheels as I don't think a 225 tyre would work on a 9J rear rim!

I'm pretty sure 17s wouldn't clear the front brakes either.

As sars says 225/45 front and 255/40 rear were the OE sizes so may be All Seasons in those sizes might give more choice?

A 255/45 will fit on the rear without rubbing as I have them on my car and they make the speedo just about bang on accurate! I was hoping for a bit more ride comfort though (I've got coil-overs) but they didn't make any noticeable difference sadly.
 
I ended up ordering Michelin Crossclimate 2s in the standard staggered fit. Kwik Fit have 20% off all premium tyres this week which made it only slightly extortionate. The Continentals are out of stock everywhere in 225/45/18, and basically nothing else is available in the rear tyre size. Fitting next week.

Car is in the driveway now, once the insurance documents get emailed through I am off for a careful :driving: on the current tyres (dealer fitted ditchfinder on one of the fronts :headbang:)
 
20% off is not to be sniffed at :thumbsup:
Had the Continentals AllSeasonContacts 2 fitted today on the XC40, here's hoping for snow :lol:
 
Kwik Fit lost the delivery of my tyres, so they pushed back the fitting to today. Yesterday they were showing the AllSeasonContact 2s back in stock, with a discount that made them £50 cheaper than the Michelins. Cancelled my fitting and ordered the Continentals :thumbsup:

Getting them fitting (I hope) on Saturday!
 
I've done about a 600 miles on the Continental AllSeasonContact 2, very happy with them so far, quiet, comfortable and grippy :thumbsup:
 
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