Petes550i

I don't think it makes that much difference as far as for winter driving. The biggest factor is going to be tire width. General rule of thumb is the taller and narrower the tire, the better it's going to be as far as snow traction.

luigi524td

My vote is the 17" set-up. The narrower and taller profile is better suited to real winter driving and will be less likely to be taken out by frost heaves and pavement caves (potholes). And, last but not least - better tire values for equal performance in the 17" size! Rudy - don't forget the link in my signature to get additional rebates from TireRack and other on-line stores.

Petes550i

The one thing that sucks with going with 17" at Tire Rack is that they only got 1 style of rim in stock at that size at the moment...it's kind of ugly....but they got a bunch of 17" snow tires though.

Rudy

Keep in mind that it's likely they're talking Canadian dollars. I doubt the numbers are for tires only...

Rudy

In my other thread I linked to above, I explained that the 17" wheel shown at the Tire Rack is likely to be the only 17" wheel that'll fit the car so don't expect to see them offering too many more 17" suggestions...

bobblehead

Yep! We, Canadians always have to pay much more for the same product. The $3600 is Cdn and includes style 281 rims + Dunlop 3D ROF. The US dealers charge $2500 for the exact same rims/tires package. Therefore, it is usually much cheaper to buy from the US, even factoring in custom taxes, delivery, local & federal taxes.

jlgjwu

I'll be picking up my 535i M-Sport order around the end of Nov. My car is a week 43 (ie this coming up week) production. As such, I've already purchased my winter wheel setup. I live on the west coast in the Vancouver area and our winters are not as severe as back east. The snow tires are only mandatory in Quebec from what I'm told. As our winters are milder and we don't have to deal with deep snow, I decided to go with V rated high performance snow tires. I picked up the Falken Eurowinter HS439 which reviews indicate they're good in light snow, wet and slushy conditions. That pretty much describes most west coast winters.

On rim size, I really asked alot of questions and did alot of research. In the end, I'm still not 100% certain if the 535i will take 17" rims. The reason is that the 535i and 550i have larger front rotors than the 528i. The 535i front rotors are 13.7" in diameter while the 528i has 13" rotors. The rears are the same size in both models 13". I've had 2 dealers tell me that the 17" rims will not fit because of this. Some have said they're not sure and would have to try. Based on this and the fact that it would be a big pain in the rear to have to return an online purchase (eg. Tirerack), I decided to be safe and go with the 18" rims. They will also look better no doubt as I'm not really sure how the Tirerack ones will look.

If you have the 528i, the 17" will fit. It's just the 535i and 550i that are uncertain.

I decided to go with an M6 replica rim so that it's an exact fit on the centre hub bore rather than having to use hub centric rings that would be needed with the Tirerack option. The rims are Replika brand and you can see info on them on their website

www.replika.ca

I've been told that their quality is good. I got the 18 x 8.5 with a 37mm offset which is a better fit for the 245/45R18 size snow tires. After you do the offset calculations, these rims will sit in 1mm from the stock non sport OEM setup (18 x 8 with 30mm offset). As 1 mm isn't noticable, I think these will be fine and the M6 replicas should look pretty good IMO. I think they'll work just fine for winter as my 19" M-sport rims will be my summer rims.

I purchased the rims from Volco tire here in Vancouver. They also have an online retail site (same company) called

www.1010tires.com

I think that they may even have free shipping on wheel and tire packages for Canadian customers.

The Falken tires are $215 each which is $25 more (after you factor in the small exchange rate) that they are in the US from discount tire direct. That's too small a difference to bother getting them from the US. This way, they also fit the rims and tires for me and will take care of things if I have any fitment issues. The rims were on sale for $200 CAD each including the BMW oem centre caps. Not too bad for an 18" rim and way cheaper than OEM. In total, my package was around $1600 CAD + tax.

On the TPMS sensors, see this website

www.tpmswholsalers.com

They sell the BMW oem TPMS sensors. These are made by the oem names Beru. The sensors have Beru's name stamped on them vs. the BMW logo. They are the identical item just without the BMW logo. The cost is appox $34 US each + another $10 for the valve stem. This is the best price I found anywhere and there was even free shipping to my mailbox just across the border. I wasn't even going to bother with the TPMS until I saw these.

While I was doing tires, I also decided to get rid of the summer tires the car is coming with. From all that I've heard and from my RFT experience in my E60, I decided to get rid of the RFT's in my new F10 535i. Another reason is I really don't understand why BMW would equip the new 5 (especially ones that come with the sport and M-Sport pkgs) with grand touring tires which is what the OEM tires are. I really want to enjoy the handling of the new 5 so I've ordered some max performance summer tires which I'm sure will make the car handle way better. These are much cheaper from Tirerack in the US which is where I ordered the tires and will get them installed onto my 19" rims.

As I'm getting rid of the RFT and using non RFT snow tires, I'm getting a portable air compressor and tire plugs. I'm going to stay away from the sealant stuff.

I hope this info helps somewhat.....

Scandic24

There seem to be a matter of debate among the experts on which type of tire will provide the best traction.
My conclusion is that narrow tires with smaller footprint and consequently higher ground pressure per sq/cm has better grip on slushy or fresh snow.
Wider tires with bigger footprint is better on roads that are wet or with hard/packed/icey snow as it adds more friction to the surface although with a lower ground pressure.

bobblehead

I strongly suggest a test fit for the 18" replica wheel at your place of purchase, if possible. I have also done lots of research myself here in Toronto, Ont., Canada. Vendors will sell me anything I want but if the aftermarket rims don't fit, then I am stuck with them. The critical question is the fitment for the front brake caliper clearance. Some vendors offer spacers to make them fit but I do not want them since no manufacturers have yet to make them for the F10 yet, thus which may lead to wheel vibration on the highway.

Scandic24

+1