Limited options for 19" snows
 

Gary (and others),

I have a 2012 335i (Luxury) with the staggered 19" setup (fronts: 225/40/R19, rear: 255,35,R19). I need a set of dedicated snow tires, and it looks like my choices are limited in that size. I see the Pirelli Winter Sottozero Serie II Run Flats available, and that appears to be my only run flat choice. I bought a pair of Bridgestone Blizzaks from you for my 530i and liked them. They weren't the quietest tires, but they gripped well in the snow. They show as a choice for me as well.

So a couple of questions.

1. Do you recommend the Pirellis?
2. My dealer said that my car's suspension is "tuned for run flats" (whatever that means) and that I should stay with them. Is this bogus, or should I follow his advice?
3. Tirerack recommends 225/40/R19 Pirelli's on all four wheels, but lists the staggered setup as alternate choices. Is there some particular reason to avoid the staggered sizes on the winter tires?

Thanks and cheers.

Sam

It appears that for this winter season, the Pirelli will be the only run flat winter tire option made in both sizes. No one has been able to prove that BMW "tunes" their vehicles for for run flat tires and many go to non run flat tires and are quite happy with the results. If you move to a non run flat tire, the Blizzak LM60 is made in both sizes and would be a step up in snow and ice traction from the Pirelli (but a slight step down in dry grip and steering response).

Going to a more narrow tire in the rear would offer a bit better loose snow traction.


Winter http://www.tirerack.com/a.jsp?a=AB2&...nter/index.jsp

IMHO, a dedicated set of 17" rims and snow tires would work out better-- the roads in the north east are horrible in the winter.

the 19" runflat snows run about 1200. mount and balance is going to run you about 100-140, twice a year.
a set of non runflat 17s on rims with sensors costs about 1500. you break even in 1 year, and save money over the 19" snows.

the benefit is that you run no risk of damaging your 19"s with the bi annual mount/remount and no risk of cracking or bending a 19" rim on a pothole.

Can I do a 17" set with a 2012 335i cabriolet? M-sport.

We have a handful of wheels that will clear the brakes in 17" and work well with 225/45R17 tires. Two of the more popular choices are the Rial Salerno and Sport Edition A7.


Winter http://www.tirerack.com/a.jsp?a=AB2&...nter/index.jsp

Gary

Am I better off with 18's? If so, same wheel style?

18" may look better from a cosmetic standpoint, while 17" setups will have a taller sidewall for more wheel protection and are typically more economical as well.

Winter http://www.tirerack.com/a.jsp?a=AB2&...nter/index.jsp

What about using non run flats? I'm a little nervous about that, not having a spare

Non run flats work great, but if you're nervous about not having a spare you may want to consider sticking with a run flat.

Do I need any special equipment to jack up a BMW? Or is any hydraulic jack OK? I thought I read about some sort of adapter is needed. Sorry if I'm beating a dead horse, but I've never done this before. I've changed plenty of tires, but it's been a while, and never a BMW.

Anyway, I'm going to go with the LM-25 because of the run flats and wheel set with TPMS pre-installed. I guess I can sell the wheels if I don't get another 3 after the lease is up.

you'll need a jack with a low enough saddle height (less than 4"). you can get jack pad adapters, but IMHO they are unnecessary-- if your jack has a rubber pad on the saddle you'll be fine as long as you make sure to center the jack point. a hockey puck works well also.

most bottle jacks and non low profile floor jacks will be too high to get under the lift points unless you drive the car up onto boards to get more clearance.

So after much debating and haranguing and discussions with friends and with Gary@TireRack, I ordered a 17" winter setup with the SportEdition A7 wheels (got silver, should have gotten the darker color). Delivery was near instantaneous, so when we have the freak foot of snow, my tires were... on the garage floor! LOL. I got stuck. So today I went out and got a new jack, breaker bar, torque wrench and a 17 mm socket (wrapped with electrical tape so as not to damage the wheels) and set out to change my tires. An hour later, I'm done. Only one oops -- forgot the new tires came with their own wheel bolts and replaced the BMW wheel bolts. Then, after I was done with 3 of the wheels, I found TireRack's directions that said to use the wheel bolts that came with the wheels. Oh well. But now I'm done and I think it's all ok. Thanks to everyone for talking me through this. I think I only saved a few dollars, but I got the satisfaction of doing it myself.

Anyway, one question:

The car came with the M-Sport staggered 18" wheels and I put on a square set of 17's. The tire pressure listed for the car is for the stock tires and wheels. Is it the same for the winter set?

Thanks again to all.