Buying new 17" rims for winter, but wondering what do you guys think about using 18" ones.

I don't have the xDrive, rear wheel drive only.

Is it a big difference between driving on 17"s and 18"s on a typical thin sheet of snow and mud?

 

You will not notice a difference. Always nice to have a dedicated set of winter tires mounted on rims so you can change the tires yourself, but if you do not mind paying the local tire guy twice per year to change the tires then tires alone will be much less expensive. My local tire shop charges me $70 to balance and mount 4 tires, so $140/year.

 

I get it, I've been doing it like that on my previous car (about the same labor cost), but I think I was not clear in my initial post. I have 19" rims for summer and buying 17" for winter, but considering 18".

They are more expensive, tires are more expensive as well, but it looks better. Was curious to hear if it's more difficult to drive on +1" inch on snow, or makes no difference. My wife is often afraid of driving in winter so if 18" rims make a notable difference in putting more stress on a less experienced driver, I'd go for 17" rims instead. What do you think?

 

It's less an issue of tire height but more of tire width. Generally, the narrower the tire, the better the traction in snow. You want the narrowest tire your rims will support. Generally speaking, the smaller the tire diameter, the smaller the width you can obtain. Bottom line: Set you wife's mind at ease and go with the 17's.

 

If you are going to get a dedicated set of winter tires mounted on rims then I would go with 17.

 

Thanks.

I'll get some 17"s designed for the newer F10. Hoping for a fresh matched look (most of E60 stylings are a fine, but feel a little outdated).

 

I got a set of 18" M6 replicas, non-staggered, for my winter setup. I thought they did very well. I did go with the skinniest tires I could get. I think they are 225's.

 

I've run with 18s wheels and winter tires for several winters with no issues. 17s would be less expensive to purchase.

 

Size won't make a difference at all, especially a minor change such as 17" to 18". I coincidentally changed last winter from 18 to 17 with the same brand/model winter tires and there is no difference whatsoever in handling on snow/wet/ice. Only advantage of the 18's was that under dry road consitions they provide a slightly more direct feel to steering when pushed...
So it's basically cost vs. cosmetics for you.

Good luck!

 

Interesting, thanks for the info!