Correct sizing for winter tires

The E60 OEM tire setup is usually 225/50/R17. For winter driving in snow, the narrower the tire, the better.

What is the absolute minimum snow tire width you'd recommend for a E60 xi: 215? 205? At what point is performance affected?

What about tire height? It would seem that the higher, the better, Is 55 too high?

Just interested in understanding the dynamics operating here for snow tires.

Higher profile tire the better.
I know you guys want big rims for good looks, but for winter tires it's bad.
On slippery surface softer makes better, but ofcourse there can be limits about what fits each car.

(Probably noone will listen to me because in Finland we know nothing about winter?)

225/50R17 is the most narrow and tall size that we have found to properly fits the E60. This is considered a pretty narrow tire as far as newer five series fitments go.

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

Originally Posted by Gary@Tirerack

225/50R17 is the most narrow and tall size that we have found to properly fits the E60. This is considered a pretty narrow tire as far as newer five series fitments go.

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

It's interesting that Tire Rack lists 245/40/18 as the OEM size for my vehicle, but I purchased it with 225/50/17 all season tires on Style 138s, which, I'm pretty sure are the stock rims that came with the '07 530xi. That's why I thought I could go with a lower profile than I already have for winter tires.

I'm eyeing a good price I'm seeing on Craigslist for a set of Mastercraft snows in 215/50R17.

How much do you think performance will be affected by 215 vs, 225? It's what... a quarter of an inch?