Help with Winter Rim Suggestions?

I could use some help with winter rim suggestions.

I have a 2007 530xi Wagon with the 18" rims.

Looking to get a set of Michelin Pilot Alpin PA3 dedicated winter tires.

My first choice is a decent 17" rim, preferably black as the car is space gray metallic.

Any suggestions for rims to put these on?



There's also a complicated option. I could use the current 18" rims for the snow tires, and get a set of say, 18" Beyern Mesh, and move the summer tires (Pilot Super Sport) to those in the spring.

OTOH, The Pilot Alpins cost $50 more per tire in the larger size, and an 18" Beyern mesh (or Breyton Race GTS) will be more expensive than a 17" rim as well.

Question, I believe 17" might be better than 18" for snow, although the 18" rims are only 1/2 inch narrower?

Could the brand new summer tires (installed in August) get damaged switching to new 18" rims?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated

thanks in advance

Call TireRack. They will give good advice and are very knowledgable.

It basically comes down to whether you want aftermarket rims in the Winter or the rest of the year. I went with rest of the year, on TSW wheels (same maker as Beyern), and am very pleased with my Summer choice. My Winter wheels are being powder coated so they add a custom look for the off season (stock 18" 124s). I have also chosen the Pilot Alpin PA3, just haven't mounted them yet. Hope they maintain some of the cars sporting nature in the cold.
If it is about money, it will definitely be cheaper with the 17"

I picked up a great set of Rials with snows off of CL last year - they looked and worked well. They were 17" rims - I forget what the tire brand was but it was a nice setup.

Or you could go to www.DetroitWheelAndTire.com and pick up a set of reconditioned OEM rims in your same style, and not have to worry about your car looking different all winter.

Originally Posted by WJGreer

Or you could ... pick up a set of reconditioned OEM rims in your same style.

There's an idea I hadn't thought of. Great idea if I decide not to get aftermarket rims for the summer tires.


Thanks guys, appreciate all the advice.


No one has commented as to whether the slightly narrower 17" tires might be better for snow. I can't imagine how they would be worse, esp given pothole season in the NE.

Taller and narrower tires provide better grip in snow and ice. Taller is also harder as the weight is applied via a narrower footprint and needs higher psi to keep its shape.
There's a trade off as the best snow tires are worse for comfort. So most winter tires strike a balanced compromise between efficiency and drivability.

If you do a lot of serious driving in snow and on treacherous roads you are better off with 17s. Better grip.
I had 16" rims and winter tires on my 540. They were unbelieavable, transformed the car. I used Dunlop SP Wintersport 3Ds which are very highway friendly.

For 17" rims you probably need 225/45/17 tires.

Originally Posted by cfmsp

No one has commented as to whether the slightly narrower 17" tires might be better for snow. I can't imagine how they would be worse, esp given pothole season in the NE.

The physics make it clear that a narrower snow tire is more effective than a wider one, all else constant. As far as the sidewall thing goes, that seems to be about potholes, which we have in the summer around here too.

It's a judgment call - IMO, the E60 body only looks good with a decent size set of wheels and tires under it. I wasn't willing to drive around five months of each year with my car looking like it was on tiptoes, so I bought a square (rather than staggered) set of 124s in the 8" width and bought snow tires the same size as the front tires on the sport package. 245/40 18.

Heading into my fourth winter with the car, and knocking on wood, I'll say that I've never gotten stuck, nor had any kind of driving incident in the winter that would relate to the tires. The tires have been fine.

I live in Denver, and it doesn't snow all that much here. I don't generally drive my 545 in the mountains in the winter, my wife has a Volvo Cross Country, and I do have an Explorer that I drive in case the snow gets really deep. So, with all of those caveats, I went with a larger, wider set of snows. Your mileage may vary.

I also live in Colorado. I went with the 17" rims primarily for cost and I did not want to swap the staggered Snows/performance tires every season. I did read the 17s would be better for the snow and would track better, but in the end it was less expensive to buy a dedicated set of 17s/tires than a new set of staggered tires. I drove it over vail pass 8 times last year - 7 times in Blizzard and snow on the road conditions. I was caught in numerous storms throughout Colorado and Wyoming and the tires did the trick even on RWD. They did fine in slushy conditions as well, but I don't know if they would have done better or worse than the stock sport setup with snows.

Picture of the 17 Rials - with snows.

I am doing a square 18" set-up like Will. 245/40/18 with winter tires. Bolt on/off every season.
This will give me more dry pavement performance and is sufficient for CT winter conditions where I live. They go on in Dec around time of first snow fall, come off late March usually. Many days the roads are clear and I could drive on my summer tires. That is why I go with 18s. Same dimension as my front set-up. (Rear summer tires are 275/35/18, pretty beefy)
Considering the Moda MD11 bright silver rims.

thanks all for the great advice.

Looks like I've got some shopping to do.

If you are gonna get custom rims then get them for the summer and enjoy them when clean. I painted my stock rims black and will use them for winter. They are staggered but it's what I had so I'll get by. I'm not sure that 17" would be a whole lot better than 18".

winter...