Snow Tire/Wheel question
11-18-2004, 06:42 AM
#51
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My Ride: Now Driving a Freakin' Prius!
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2004 545i | SMG | White/Black | Sport | NAV | Logic 7 | PDC | Fold-down Seats | Adaptive Headlights | Cold Weather Pkg | Clear-again Bra | Mud Flaps | Bluetooth | Coat Hangar | Aux Input | All Weather Mats | 18"X8.5" BBS RK w/ Michelin Pilot Alpin's (winter) | New steering rack @ 1.2K & 17K miles| Software V.19.1 | B&B Exhaust (vrrrroooooommm!) <---Click.
Originally Posted by Jimbo' date='Nov 17 2004, 08:42 PM
Nice setup realtyman! Winter or summer, those rims rock!
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11-22-2004, 03:49 AM
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My Ride: 530, Mystikblau, external heater with remote, comfort seats, xenon, active steering, amethyst leather, cd changer, hi-fi speakers, advanced aircondition, lights package, non-smoking, seat heating, wood trim poplar, alarm, and a lot of fun
[IMG//C:\Documents and Settings\Gunnar Henriksson\Mina dokument\Mina bilder\2004_11_22\bilen winter.jpg
In Winter You need Winter tires. NOKIA Hakkapellita4 225/55 on 16 to make room for the snow
In Winter You need Winter tires. NOKIA Hakkapellita4 225/55 on 16 to make room for the snow
11-22-2004, 12:19 PM
#53
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My Ride: 2005 545i sports package, Nav, HUD, cold weather, Prem sound, Orient Blue, Auburn int. Steptronic
Great looking car realtyman. I'm just getting caught up as I've been driving my new 545 all the time. What wheels are those? I was convinced about 17inch but after seeing those......How are they in the snow?
11-22-2004, 04:55 PM
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what does your winter setup look like? do you haev pictures?
Originally Posted by andy545' date='Nov 14 2004, 09:46 AM
After long consideration over this topic, I went for the 17" setup..( check it out in the Gallery ).
The bottom line is I guess, image or safety - and personal choice regarding the risks...Inherently an 18" setup will be harder and have a lower profile and wider tread footprint on a road eventually covered with water,
snow or slush...sure on a nice clear winters day you will have better grip, performance or whatever, but the one time you will want that extra bite on grip the wider footprint might betray you. 225/50/17 is the min. that BMW reccommends for the 545i, that's what I went for as a winter setup. This means theoretically that the basic handling of the car, according to our good friends, engineers at BMW, is still comensurate to the abilities of the car, while enjoying
the benefits of winter tires.
Especially for harsh winters : image and safety is a marginal case. I would only go
for safety. But anyway, if you look at my car the 17" setup, can someone say that the car looks bad ? ...considering the safety enhancement for winter driving.
There are so many factors to consider...driving style, how bad the weather can get, even luck..so even on 17" you can have a bad/unlucky day...!
But , when you compare the pure merits of tires based on softness, footprint,
grip - smaller and lower is technically better for winter style driving.
Next time you see a rally in Scandinavia, just notice how thin and tall the tires are!!
IMHO?
The bottom line is I guess, image or safety - and personal choice regarding the risks...Inherently an 18" setup will be harder and have a lower profile and wider tread footprint on a road eventually covered with water,
snow or slush...sure on a nice clear winters day you will have better grip, performance or whatever, but the one time you will want that extra bite on grip the wider footprint might betray you. 225/50/17 is the min. that BMW reccommends for the 545i, that's what I went for as a winter setup. This means theoretically that the basic handling of the car, according to our good friends, engineers at BMW, is still comensurate to the abilities of the car, while enjoying
the benefits of winter tires.
Especially for harsh winters : image and safety is a marginal case. I would only go
for safety. But anyway, if you look at my car the 17" setup, can someone say that the car looks bad ? ...considering the safety enhancement for winter driving.
There are so many factors to consider...driving style, how bad the weather can get, even luck..so even on 17" you can have a bad/unlucky day...!
But , when you compare the pure merits of tires based on softness, footprint,
grip - smaller and lower is technically better for winter style driving.
Next time you see a rally in Scandinavia, just notice how thin and tall the tires are!!
IMHO?
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11-22-2004, 06:46 PM
#56
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My Ride: Now Driving a Freakin' Prius!
Was...
2004 545i | SMG | White/Black | Sport | NAV | Logic 7 | PDC | Fold-down Seats | Adaptive Headlights | Cold Weather Pkg | Clear-again Bra | Mud Flaps | Bluetooth | Coat Hangar | Aux Input | All Weather Mats | 18"X8.5" BBS RK w/ Michelin Pilot Alpin's (winter) | New steering rack @ 1.2K & 17K miles| Software V.19.1 | B&B Exhaust (vrrrroooooommm!) <---Click.
Originally Posted by sdpike' date='Nov 22 2004, 04:19 PM
Great looking car realtyman. I'm just getting caught up as I've been driving my new 545 all the time. What wheels are those? I was convinced about 17inch but after seeing those......How are they in the snow?
[snapback]59478[/snapback]
The wheels are BBS RK's (it's also in my signature :winkcool: ) As you know, we haven't had much snow yet, but they did quite well. That's one of the reasons that I stayed with 18's and went with a high-speed rated winter tire. I know we'll get more snow but when you figure how many days that we have snow on the road vs. how many days they are either just wet or dry the 18's aren't that bad. Now if I lived in Canada my choices would be different.
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