Winter Setup and TPMS Question

[Chedman13]

I just bought a 2006 BMW 325xi. I am new to the forum, so I have a few questions.

I need a new snow wheel/tire set for this winter in Peoria area, IL. I have a couple questions I was hoping someone can help me out, I plan to buy from tirerack.com and see the moderator is an employee of tirerack.

QUESTION 1:
DO I NEED A RUN-FLAT WINTER TIRE?
I have no idea if I have a Flat Tire Monitor, I have a pretty basic 2006 325xi with premium package (no sports package). The dealership put brand new all-season run flats during their certification process for BMW Certified Used Vehicle and there is no spare tire.

I'm not sure if the dealership would put run-flats without sensors. I am fine without the run-flats if I don't get any lights on the dash. My wife will drive the car most and if she gets a flat, I would just have her tow it to the closest BMW dealership.

QUESTION 1a:
IF I DO NEED RUN FLATS, DO I NEED TO BUY TIRE PRESSURE SENSORS, AND IF SO HOW DO I DO THAT ON TIRERACK?
I read the TPMS post by Gary, but could not really figure it out. If I should get Run-Flat winter, does TireRack carry extra sensors? I did not get the option while I was shopping for winter tire on the website and the other sensors look like non-OEM.

QUESTION 2:
WHICH TIRE SHOULD I BUY?
I'm looking to buy one of the following:
1) Pirelli Winter Carving Edge 205/55R16 91T (I will not stud them)
2) Dunlop SP Winter Sport 3D 205/55R16 91H
or a run flat (pending on if I need them)
3) Dunlop SP Winter Sport M3 ROF 205/55R16 RunFlat 91H
4) Bridgestone Blizzak LM-22 RFT 205/55R16 Runflat - OE vehicle use only 91H

Priority is snow traction and longevity of tread life. The tires will be on cleared highway roads to and from work, but getting to the highway, there are country roads and suburban side streets where snow isn't cleared all the time. I do not drive fast, so I don't need high speed ratings or too concerned about dry cornering, I'm more concerned on safety in snowy conditions.

QUESTION 3:
CAN I GET BMW CENTER CAPS FOR SPORT EDITION F5 16x7.5? IF SO HOW DO I ORDER?
I want BMW Center Caps. The wheel I like is:
Sport Edition F5 16x7.5
but it says it doesn't fit the OEM BMW Center cap. So my next choice would be:
Sport Edition F10 16x7.5
as it says it fits OEM BMW Center caps, but there is no option it gives me to order BMW Center caps.

Thanks for helping this new BMW owner out.

[Orient330iNYC]

1) that answer is up to you. you can go with non-runflats and carry a spare or a tire inflator/sealant kit. I personally use runflats in the winter, non in the summer because a) the price differential isnt huge b) i would prefer to not change a tire in the cold/snow. i also carry an E60 spare tire kit in the trunk, plus a sealant kit. paranoid? maybe. but i do live and drive in NYC. be aware that a sealant kit will not help you if you cut a sidewall or crack a rim.
your car does not have sensors, only post 3/07 production E90s have TPMS sensors. your car uses FTM, which is based off of the ABS/DSC wheel speed sensors. you can tell for sure by looking at the valve stems. if they're rubber, you have ftm, no sensors. if they're aluminum, you have tpms. i'm 99.999% sure your 2006 325xi does not have tpms as the first E90s to get them were 3/07 production 335 and 328 i/xi cars


1a) see above. your car does not have sensors.

2) i would recommend either of the dunlops, i've had the lm22 in the past (on my 330i) i've had the wintersport M3s on both my S60R (non runflat) and on my 335i (runflat) and like them much better. the lm22s are quite old technology, going on 8 years. the wintersport3D is what i'll switch to when my M3 DSSTs wear out. my S60R (AWD) was unstoppable with the M3s.

3) you can also just buy a stick on emblem that would cover over the sport edition cap. i got those for my rial salernos because the bmw caps didnt fit as well. could not tell the difference even staring at them. i later found the new style bmw caps fit the salerano and switched to them.

[Chedman13]

1) that answer is up to you. you can go with non-runflats and carry a spare or a tire inflator/sealant kit. I personally use runflats in the winter, non in the summer because a) the price differential isnt huge b) i would prefer to not change a tire in the cold/snow. i also carry an E60 spare tire kit in the trunk, plus a sealant kit. paranoid? maybe. but i do live and drive in NYC. be aware that a sealant kit will not help you if you cut a sidewall or crack a rim.
your car does not have sensors, only post 3/07 production E90s have TPMS sensors. your car uses FTM, which is based off of the ABS/DSC wheel speed sensors. you can tell for sure by looking at the valve stems. if they're rubber, you have ftm, no sensors. if they're aluminum, you have tpms. i'm 99.999% sure your 2006 325xi does not have tpms as the first E90s to get them were 3/07 production 335 and 328 i/xi cars


1a) see above. your car does not have sensors.

2) i would recommend either of the dunlops, i've had the lm22 in the past (on my 330i) i've had the wintersport M3s on both my S60R (non runflat) and on my 335i (runflat) and like them much better. the lm22s are quite old technology, going on 8 years. the wintersport3D is what i'll switch to when my M3 DSSTs wear out. my S60R (AWD) was unstoppable with the M3s.

3) you can also just buy a stick on emblem that would cover over the sport edition cap. i got those for my rial salernos because the bmw caps didnt fit as well. could not tell the difference even staring at them. i later found the new style bmw caps fit the salerano and switched to them.

Thanks! This helps a lot, I'll probably get the Dunlops, I'm 50/50 on getting run flats or not.

[Orient330iNYC]

Thanks! This helps a lot, I'll probably get the Dunlops, I'm 50/50 on getting run flats or not.

its a $41 per tire premium, or 164 per set. (non runflat Wintersport 3D vs runflat M3)

i personally would go for the runflats, but then again i'm tire paranoid (as evidenced by the winter runflats, spare tire, and conticomfort kit). especially good if you're as adverse to getting stuck with a flat ( bmw roadside will only tow you to a BMW dealership, SOL if its a holiday or weekend)

with 16's the likelihood of tire damage is alot less than 19s or 18s. guess it comes down to what your comfort level is with the likelihood of flats (some people never get them, others, like myself, seem to attract them like a magnet, i had two catastrophic tire related failures 7 hours apart once, unrelated, on two different sets of rims and tires) :)

[Chedman13]

its a $41 per tire premium, or 164 per set. (non runflat Wintersport 3D vs runflat M3)

i personally would go for the runflats, but then again i'm tire paranoid (as evidenced by the winter runflats, spare tire, and conticomfort kit). especially good if you're as adverse to getting stuck with a flat ( bmw roadside will only tow you to a BMW dealership, SOL if its a holiday or weekend)

with 16's the likelihood of tire damage is alot less than 19s or 18s. guess it comes down to what your comfort level is with the likelihood of flats (some people never get them, others, like myself, seem to attract them like a magnet, i had two catastrophic tire related failures 7 hours apart once, unrelated, on two different sets of rims and tires) :)

Good advice. I never had run flat before, how evident is it when there is a puncture and the tire needs replacing? Also, where do I get the BMW stickers caps for these the SPORT EDITION F5?

Thanks again.

[Orient330iNYC]

Good advice. I never had run flat before, how evident is it when there is a puncture and the tire needs replacing? Also, where do I get the BMW stickers caps for these the SPORT EDITION F5?

Thanks again.

the FTM system will alert you. otherwise, its pretty hard to tell by feel when the tire is low/flat. the second incident on the day i mentioned i initially did not believe the TPMS system because i couldnt feel a difference. sure enough, when i pulled over, i was down to 4psi due to a sidewall tear. if i didnt dislike the harsh ride of the 18" sport package runflats, and the obscene price of tires (close to 400 for a rear tire) i would have kept them, they work that well in terms of running flat. my summer tires are 19" non runflat max performance tires, and those are surprisingly very comfortable. but thats another story for another thread.


i got mine here:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=BMW+wheel+emblem&x=0&y=0

you need to measure the current cap. the emblems are slightly convex, but will fit. clean the caps with rubbing alcohol before applying. i used my fingers to center them on the cap, then pressed down where the line of glue was.

[Chedman13]

Thanks again for all the help.

Called Gary and he helped me right away:
16x7.5 Sport Edition F9 Bright Sil
Bmw factory center cap
205/55R-16 Dunlop SP Winter Sport M3 ROF RunFlat