Blah

I am just thinking ahead.....

My car comes with Bridgestone RE050 245/40-18 run flats on 135M (X-Drive version) double spoke wheels. They haven't seen winter yet and I am not going to find out how bad they are on snow and ice.

For the coming winter I am thinking of getting a set of Dunlop Winter Sport M3 DSST 225/50-17 run flats, mounted on inexpensice ASA JH3 17 X 7.5 wheels. Any comments or suggestions on this proposed set-up?

I have looked at BMW's winter wheel list and the selection seem very pricy.

leeb3

I also live in Toronto and have a 06 530xi with M sport package. I have your exact same summer set up. I went for OEM rims 18 style 124 - becareful the offset for the xi are different the the regular e60s. I just decided on the oem rims as I had issues with cheaper replicas with my M3. got a small discount from the dealer on these oem rims. I however ordered the tires from the internet via tires trends ( you can also check out 1010 tire) both are canadian internet operators out west. I ordered blizzak lm-25 high/euro performance winters which are the fantastic - I'm in collingwood almost every weekend in the winter - so it's not just city driving i experience. I had used the same tires on my M3 in the previous winter and was very impressed after using pirelli winters for over 10 years. I know your suppose to size down in the winter, but i found the winter performance is exceptional with the blizzak lm25s and on most days when it is dry you can enjoy the handling of the larger rim and wider tires. looked for winter run flats last season but just couldn't find them in the 18 inch size recommended by bmw - so i ended up buying an infation kit for the winter tires which are not run flat. I suspect the selection may be better this winter. i picked up our car in the winter so the dealer was nice enough to mount and balance my new rims and tires on delivery.

interesting note the blizzaks being non run flats are quiter over bumps than the summer run flats which I have found quite noisey as other formum members have also commented on the run flats.

Ricracing

Welcome Blah to the Forum.

The absolutely best choice for winter tyre would be Continental ContiVikingContact 3
in the size 225/45 R 17 Q and absolutely non RF's..

These tyre have won a lot of Scandinavian wintertyre tests and I can comfirm them.

BMW's are really sensitive for wheel balance so I strong recommend that you go for OEM
wheels or other quality wheels (also expensive).

If you go for aftermarket wheels be sure the offsets are exactly as recommended.

With these recommendation I garantee you a fine ride, actually a better and smoother
ride than you experience now.

jmatthe

I have ahd great luck with the performance Blizzaks (LM-22 I think) on $100 17" tire rack wheels. No vibration. I don't see the need for expensive wheels, they get trashed in the winter anyway. Total price just over $1000 mounted.

Ricracing

OEM BMW alu wheels don't.

I had mine for two winters now and they are like new!

Kendokuma

I have almost the exact same Winter Wheel setup on my 2006 530i Sport, but mine are not DSST. They performed fantastically in the NJ winter. I ordered them from Tire Rack, who mounted and balanced them. They were delivered within three days and included new lugnuts. Total cost was about $1150US delivered.

Blah

So I guess if I don't go the run flat route there are many other choices. May be I should carry an electric pump and a can of foam sealant instead.

Is there any different between a run flat wheel and a normal wheel? I have heard different stories about that.

A2 BMW

I'm struggling with this decision also. Though I have used Dunlop M3s in the past (non-RFT) I probably will go with the Blizzak tires based on the great reviews on TireRack etc. I would not get RFT for the winter as I would think that the already somewhat jarring ride would only get worse in the cold weather.

Question is the wheels. We have such crappy weather here in SE Michigan in the winter and the roads (and thus my car) are pretty much covered in white salt residue from December through March. I would like to get OEM wheels, but they are double the cost of what I can get for decent wheels elswhere. What I should have done is skipped the 18" 123s when I got the car, swapped out the RFT's after one season for snows and then bought myself a nice set of wheels and non-RFT performace tires. On this Father's Day I will quote my father "Hindsight is a great thing".

Landa220

I'm here in S.E. Michigan as well. I plan on getting Blizzaks also. You've got to keep me posted on where you found the best price. I usually go to Discount Tire. I just tested Belle Tire for my 19" wheels, but they didn't have the best price and wouldn't offer a road hazard warranty on low profile tires so no deal. I also considered Tirerack or someone, but by the time shipping and local installation costs are factored in, I'm cheaper locally.

Let me know what you've found.
Thanks