evperry

I have the sport package, is it possible for me to get a set of winter tires to fit the factory rims?

hinckley

Yes. Alot of us use Tire Rack. I got a set of 18-inch Dulop M3s. the 18s may not give me great traction in snow, but they look and ride great.

CRRobert

evperrry,

I had Mich Pilot Alpins winter put on my sport package. They were 245 width all the way around (stock front tire size). The rear wheel is more prone to getting curb rash I guess, since the tire does not go out over the rim now. At the time, Tire Rack did not have 275 width for the rear in any winter tire. I will load some pictures I took of the rear with the 245 when I get home for you to see.

evperry

yeah, i would appreciate a picture of that. i dont wanna buy rims, i just wanna get the tires and thats it.

CRRobert

Here you go. Only have these two, so hope this helps.

First from the front looking to the rear,




Second from looking behind the car

Rudy

Boy those rears really look "stretched" widthwise...

evperry, getting a wheel/tire package isn't that much more expensive from Tire Rack. The smaller wheels (17's) mean better traction, less problems with potholes, and less expensive snow tires. Having them permanently mounted to another set of wheels allows you (or someone else) to easily mount and dismount them on the car. Also, there is no wear and tear on your "good" wheels during the winter.

If you add up the cost of two mount/dismount and balancing each year, you'll find that the wheels pretty much pay for themselves after some time.

For me, an added benefit is that I can wait until the very last minute to install them so I don't have to drive around on them until it actually snows.

pharding

I just got 2 pair of the front 124 wheels from bmwwheels.com and Dunlop M3's from tirerack.com for winter wheels and tires. Works great for me.

Sans

I got the Bridgestone Blizzak MZ-03 18 inch runflat snows on my sport wheels last year and they were quite good. I drove on the standard RF's for a couple of snows before these went on and I would say they improved the ride 100%. They have less grip and are a little harder ride on dry pavement but no surprise there. I remembered them being noisier then they are but I think my RF (now with 10k miles) are getting louder. <_<

Interestingly, my dealer could not put them on the wheels and had to outsource it to someone else in town. Weird since they mount 19"s all the time....anyone else have that happen to them?

CRRobert

Sans,

What is the width on the rear? Is it 245, because it does not seem as stretched as my rear.

Sans

Yep, 245/40R18 all around...