calpalmer

I have a new 550i coming in early March, and probably will not need winter tires this season but certainly next. I think my question's been asked a jillion times, but a search didn't turn up much when I looked for "550i winter tire", so I'll post my request -- any straight-forward recommendations for a decent looking 18" set-up for winter? If I wanted OEM wheels, is it best to try to find some 124's or something on eBay, or another source?
Thanks in advance,
Cal

1esquire

I did a lot of research on this before I found a set for my 545. Most people/sites recommend going with 17in winter wheels/tires if you get a lot of snow and really need them to be effective, because narrower tires work better than wider tires. If you got the staggered 124s, they may be too wide to really work well. I went with a pair of take-off OEM 138s (17in) with Contiweather winter tires. I found the set on Ebay already paired. It is easier to find 17 inch take-offs than 18s, as most people who want to upgrade do so from the 17s. I got mine for about $500 for the set.

Check Ebay and the classifieds here and on bimmerfest. If you get the hubcentric centering rings, then you can use E39 wheels as well, which could be a good alternative as well. If you want brand new, go with tirerack. Good luck

tachyon

Yes, 18" style 124 sport wheels work well with winter tires ... that's what I did. See sig below.

Rudy

The Tire Rack http://www.tirerack.com is generally accepted as the place to start researching and shopping. They are very knowledgeable in what fits BMWs and have great pricing and service.

Many of us use the Dunlop Winter Sport M3 (and a new model I can't remember the name of) and many others use Bridgestone Blizzaks. If you're looking for extreme snow/ice performance (trading off dry road performance) then there's a Blizzak model that you can't go wrong with. If you want a more balanced snow/ice/dry performance tire, there's a different Blizzak model as well as the Dunlop models that should make you happy. I personally have the Dunlop Winter Sport M3 mounted on a 17" rim and they work great.

I'm sure you'll get some additional feedback from other members but until you do, take a look here (in no particular order):

http://forums.e60.net/index.php?showtopic=33966
http://forums.e60.net/index.php?showtopic=48442
http://forums.e60.net/index.php?showtopic=47580
http://forums.e60.net/index.php?showtopic=31720
http://forums.e60.net/index.php?showtopic=47928
http://forums.e60.net/index.php?showtopic=45548
http://forums.e60.net/index.php?showtopic=7418
http://forums.e60.net/index.php?showtopic=4865
http://forums.e60.net/index.php?showtopic=32552
http://forums.e60.net/index.php?showtopic=48496
http://forums.e60.net/index.php?showtopic=31885
http://forums.e60.net/index.php?showtopic=30067

Come to think of it, after reading all of the above, you might not need anyone else to add their opinions!

yayankee

http://forums.e60.net/index.php?showtopic=...mp;#entry507653

Check with Newport, RI BMW they discount 25% the 124 wheels and shipping is very reasonable. Check the sticky in the Parts, Accessories and Mods forum. I bought wheels and had tire rack ship Dunlop M3's to them.

westcoast550

Cal, the 184s look great on 550's , they are an 18" wheel............ good luck

calpalmer

Thanks guys, I have some home work to do! Rudy, thanks for the links, I don't know why I didn't come up with those, maybe too specific with my search terms. eBay didn't have much for oem wheel sets right now, will monitor and try to find some decent looking 17 or 18s for a decent price. Not real interested in $600 wheels for a few months in the winter.

Thanks again,

Cal

JeffNNJ

Hell Yes. I bought 18" Style 135 replica wheels mounted with Dunlop Winter M3 tires. You can search style 135 on eBay and find them. I think the seller was Wheels & Caps. The whole set up was around $1600 including shipping and honestly, I couldn't be happier. They look awesome and the care is exceptional in snow. I actually called them today to see if they had a 19" set up but the tires are not available. I will definitely use them on my 08 next winter, as well.

LetsGetHYE

Bought some remanufactured BMW 124s and stuck on Dunlop M3s 245/18r all around. Cost less than $1600.

sol

Cal-

Looks like Rudy has you covered but for what it's worth I picked up 18 inch Dunlop Graspic DS-2 (on sale for $115), with cheap wheels and TPM sensor for $1100 from TireRack. Only a little snow so far this winter but they seem to perform well and aren't that harsh of a ride.

Good luck.