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Confused Newbie

886 views 5 replies 5 participants last post by  pointandgo 
#1 ·
Be gentle with me clever car people, newbie here looking for advice. Firstly lets be clear I know nothing about cars.

So having driven Discovery 3/4 for the past seven years I am accustomed to smugly driving past BMW drivers struggling to get traction in the ice and snow.

I'm now one of those BMW drivers and need your wisdom please.

I will invest in a set of winter wheels and tyres however for the first time I have a car with different wheels sizes front and rear.

Today I have 225/40 R19 89Y Front & 255/35 R19 92Y Rear, all run flats. 330d Touring SE (sport ish mongrel) as it's an SE with Sports Wheels, Gearbox and Seats

So advice please what size black alloys wheels should I buy, I was thinking 18 may be better as they look lower in cost and more availability. Someone has confused me by offering a completely different set of dimensions. They keep using the word offset which I'm guessing is the difference between the two sizes?

I'm hoping buying them in summer will be better value than waiting until Oct

Thanks
 
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#2 ·
I would go with 17" if they'll fit over the brakes. If you haven't looked at tire prices yet the smaller the rim size the cheaper the tires in general. Something like 205/50/17 would be my suggestion but don't hold me to that exact size. You should read up on offets here -

http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/tech/techpage.jsp?techid=101

You're best bet is to get the wheels and tires from someone who knows what they're selling you. I suggest Tirerack but there are lots of options.

Tim
 
#4 ·
I agree with Tim here, the price of the tires is dramatically different based on wheel diameter and width. However, that is not the only argument (or even the best IMO) for a smaller and narrower winter set up, they are simply better for winter.

A narrower contact patch for a tire provides better traction in slippery conditions, and a smaller diameter wheel typically provides more cushion against the uneven, debris riddled winter roads, because of the taller sidewall of the tires. This is all documented fairly well on tirerack.com so take a look even if you may have issues purchasing from here in the states. Lots of good info there and pretty easy to find.
 
#3 ·
Go to the BMW website or your owners manual. I think I have 17 x 7.5" wheels, 37 mm offset. Get something similar for all four wheels.
 
#6 ·
Thank you folks

Sent from BimmerApp mobile app
Just out of curiosity are you limited by EU rules (TUV) for tire size swapping...or are you free to exchange tire sizes as you wish as long as the load index meets the original tire?
 
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