New Winter Tires Rental Program

Yes, we currently have the necessary wheels & Winter tires available for your 750i from 29 November.

I'm picking my M3 Sedan up November 21 and haven't reserved winter tires yet.

Is it necessary to have them mounted prior to my taking delivery? Seems like a lot of people drive on their summer tires the short distance to EDWINTERTIRES.

Any thoughts?

John,

Anything available for my 550ix GT yet? Please let me know! My ED is 11/17.

Originally Posted by john lance

Yes, we currently have the necessary wheels & Winter tires available for your 750i from 29 November.

Hi John, I ordered 535i tires for 11/23-11/28, i need to setup paypal payment today. What do the rims look like? Thanks for the great service!

Originally Posted by Kurt_OH

I plan to "Roll the dice" for my November 7th delivery.

Either conditions will be sufficient to drive my M3 w/competition pkg on the tires it comes with, or I'll leave it at the Welt. Looking at historical data, it would be rare to experience daytime sub-freezing temps or snow in the first 10 days of November in Munich or anywhere along my tentative route: Munich -> Frankfurt -> Nurburg -> Luxembourg -> Reims -> Paris. I may have to wait a couple hours until the day warms up to get going, but even a dusting of snow overnight shouldn't seriously harm my progress since it'll likely evaporate/melt before I have to get underway.

Like zinp, if it looks bad a week out, I may make snow tire reservations. My hesitation has less to do with money/hassle, than completely screwing up my itinerary, since I'd like to drop off in Paris, after a lap of the 'ring and a stop at a couple Champagne houses.

Well, I did it, on summer tires, with no problem. BUT, I got VERY lucky. I met a friend at the Nurburgring, and he stayed for several days after I left. He NEVER got on the track again, due to cold/frost/fog.

This tire rental service is great. I'd definitely arrange it if I was headed out for a trip this time of the year, again.

I have just rented winter tires for the week from 2/20/12 through 2/24/12. I also added the fee for having ED Winter Tires put the winter tires on at the Welt, and for the car to be picked at my hotel to change the tires and be delivered for transport. Does that mean that the car will be dropped off at LOGINOUT, or dropped off back at my hotel for me to drive to LOGINOUT the day before we leave? Also, do I need to make a reservation at LOGINOUT whether I drop the car off or whether John Lance's company drops the car off?

Mikla

I returned to the ED Winter shop a couple of hours earlier than my appointment, at 1:00 pm on Tuesday the 24th of January 2012. It took them all of about ten minutes to switch out their wheels and put my brand new Michelin Pilot Sport tires on the M3 Cab. Super fast, quite efficient. Having these tires on the car was great as we drove a few times in 2-inch snow and quite a bit of slush.

It was well worth the rental cost in peace of mind.

When are Winter tires needed? I know, in the winter! Date range?

The legal mandate does not give a specific time, rather it requires winter tires in winter conditions (snow, sleet, slush, etc.). The general rule of thumb is October through April, winter tires are recommended. Depending on where you are going, this rule of thumb can vary (e.g., if you're heading to the Mediterranean coasts, you probably won't need them at all, if you're heading to the Alps, you might need them as late as June or as early as September.

If you stay flexible and can vary your itinerary or mode of travel depending on current weather conditions, you can avoid winter tires by picking days/locations with favorable weather conditions in which to drive. But in the end, the price of winter shoes is well worth the piece of mind.

Ok so there is no hard law on winter tires and dates in Germany? I was going to pick up my car Oct 10th and dealership thought 15th was the date I would need to put them on, but I plan on avoiding winter conditions if I can help it.

Originally Posted by trencher

Ok so there is no hard law on winter tires and dates in Germany? I was going to pick up my car Oct 10th and dealership thought 15th was the date I would need to put them on, but I plan on avoiding winter conditions if I can help it.

There is a distinct law on this. Though there are different pieces of information you can find about a specific date. In this case, since you're getting the vehicle from BMW, it's best to heed their published information.

In the "Travel Updates for 2011" brochure, that was sent to me for my January 2012 ED, it reads: "Winter Tires - As of the end of 2010, Germany requires that all vehicles must have winter tires or all-season tires (M&S tires) during inclement weather from October 15 - April 15. Please keep this information in mind if you have ordered a vehicle with Performance tires. ....(more)"

I have several German-born, German-residing friends, and they all-to-a-man reminded me of the law prior to my arrival. It seems that the natives (public) is very aware of this as well.

I rented winter tires. From reading postings here, plenty of people do not rent them. It's your choice, of course, as you assume the liability and risks based on your personal situation.

When I arrived at the BMW Welt, I had to sign a document that indicated I understood the law, and that I would assume the liability should I be in a collision and it was found that I did not have winter tires. (I took a quick glance for this document to scan and attach, but those files are off-site right now.)

What I am not clear on, is the enforceable approach on the law....it seems that if one was stopped for a traffic violation by the Polizei on, say, the 20th of October, without winter tires, that you would not be charged with an offense. But that if you were in a vehicle collision, whether you are at-fault or not at-fault, you would be cited for not having winter tires. Again, there's some murkiness about this, in regards to stories by internet postings, and urban legends.

I think the amount of money I paid for winter tires was a bit high, but it was more like an insurance policy. As it was, it was only the first three days of the eight-day trip that I ran into snow and ice; the remaining five days were all about above-freezing rain. The tires were splendid, and never during all the high-speed (avg 90 mph) rain-driving did I feel the car hydroplane. That money spent on the winter tire rental is pretty much gone and forgotten -- and the car is in perfect condition. Insurance policy....

Have fun! It's going to be a blast.


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http://www.garmisch.army.mil/info/Sa...nformation.pdf

http://www.german-way.com/ice-snow-tires.html

Thanks for the reply. I guess my question then is how's the weather normally between Oct 15th -20th in Germany? I plan on hitting Italy for a few days so feel like winter tires might not be worth it. But if conditions are bad there's no way I will risk it. Also since we're both in Texas, how long did it take to get your car back?

Originally Posted by trencher

Thanks for the reply. I guess my question then is how's the weather normally between Oct 15th -20th in Germany? I plan on hitting Italy for a few days so feel like winter tires might not be worth it. But if conditions are bad there's no way I will risk it. Also since we're both in Texas, how long did it take to get your car back?

Unfortunately, it is difficult to forecast weather conditions... Consider looking at weather websites around the 1st of October and see what is happening. If it's getting rainy and temperatures are dropping to the 40's already, then I'd rent the tires. If it's 80 degrees and sunny, then you have less risk. And then take a look at the websites again around the 10th of October. If you see the weather turning poor, contact the ED Winter Tires and get a reservation. (Do not rely on US-based Accuweather, or etc. Use Germany-based websites...use it via Google Chrome and you can translate. For example: http://www.wetteronline.de/ or http://www.wetter.de/)


Timing:
- Dropped it off at Munich's LogIn-Out on 23 January 2012.
- It sat at LogIn-Out (alone, in the snow) until the afternoon of the 30th of January 2012. Then loaded into a truck.
- It arrived in Brunswick, GA, on 24 February.
- Re-delivery at BMW Performance Delivery Centre in Spartanburg on the 16th of March.

It would have gotten to me earlier if I had a dealership delivery, of course, but I wanted the opportunity to do the PCD experience, drive the Tail of the Dragon, and visit Adrian at the dealership in Atlanta.


Edit 31 August 2012:
Interestingly enough, an inside-the-car window sticker just fell down last night and I noticed it for the first time. It reads "Mit diesen Winterreifen max. 240 km/h Lhr BMW Service Partner." Or, roughly, "on these winter tires, maximum speed is 149 mph, from your BMW Service Partner." That's good to know, because my max was 130 mph! (picture attached)



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This will be my first ED in December. I'll be picking up a Z4 on the afternoon of 12/12/12. Over a month ago, I went to the winter tire rental web page & sent in a reservation to rent the winter tires, but I never got a reply. Since then, I've seen John Lance's postings on here and sent him a private message on Bimmerfest asking about my reservation's status. I didn't get a reply. Then I sent the same request to the listed contact email for the company and still haven't gotten any response. My question for you is this the way they do things or am I missing something? The phone numbers on their web page say to use them only after arriving in Munich. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Originally Posted by Crosthwait

This will be my first ED in December. I'll be picking up a Z4 on the afternoon of 12/12/12. Over a month ago, I went to the winter tire rental web page & sent in a reservation to rent the winter tires, but I never got a reply. Since then, I've seen John Lance's postings on here and sent him a private message on Bimmerfest asking about my reservation's status. I didn't get a reply. Then I sent the same request to the listed contact email for the company and still haven't gotten any response. My question for you is this the way they do things or am I missing something? The phone numbers on their web page say to use them only after arriving in Munich. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Nope, something isn't working right... They were highly responsive when I contacted them. It could be your e-mail isn't receiving...or sun spots.

Don't wait -- just call them (early in the morning from the USA) at +49 (0) 1736-927232. I spoke with Annette (she speaks perfect English).


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I just reserved my tires for "end of November" and immediately received an email saying that they were processing my request.

Crosthwait, did you at least receive that?

If not, I would suggest a typo in your reservation.

Annette is absolutely amazing. Any chance I get I'll sing her praises. She went way beyond the call of duty to help my family and I out last February. Something must be wrong with the email system because John and Annette seemed to be answering my frantic 24 hours a day when I encountered a problem. I'd bet by now they've already read this thread and have gotten in touch.

Thanks everyone for the replies, I'll try contacting them again.

Haven't logged on here for a while, so didn't see this thread or the PM. Bud's reservation for Winter tires for his Z4 was received by me on 9.28 and processed and confirmed that day.

John - how long does it take to install the tires if it's brought to the welt and who does the install?

Originally Posted by SANguru

John - how long does it take to install the tires if it's brought to the welt and who does the install?

We take the wheel & tire set to BMW Welt the day before or the early morning of the day you are taking delivery of your vehicle. They are mounted by BMW technicians and will already be on your car by the time you arrive, so there is no waiting around at all and it does not affect your scheduled delivery time. Nearly all our tire sets are now BMW originals, so visually your car will look exactly the same.

Originally Posted by john lance

We take the wheel & tire set to BMW Welt the day before or the early morning of the day you are taking delivery of your vehicle. They are mounted by BMW technicians and will already be on your car by the time you arrive, so there is no waiting around at all and it does not affect your scheduled delivery time. Nearly all our tire sets are now BMW originals, so visually your car will look exactly the same.

awesome John! thank you

I recently put down my deposit for ED (still working on a date) but I'm thinking it's going to be December. I just checked the winter tire rental rates for the above company. I was taken back.

This is really expensive. 10 days and 1000 miles for a new 335i M-Sport is over $500. You can rent a car for less and these are just wheels and tires. Am I missing something? Is this just a manner of BMW customers have other options or is there some big value added service (or a bit of both)?

Yes, it's really expensive, of that there's no doubt. Unfortunately, the main reason is that once again this year, BMW have changed the specifications on nearly all the models and what fitted the cars last year, doesn't fit this year - so i get left with a whole load of wheels & tires that are of no use!

For example, I have a 6-series set, used only for 5 days, which cost 3,000 Euros, which just cannot be used any more. I have 3 3-series sets, 3 5-series sets and so on, none of which fit any 2013 BMWs!

That's the main reason - others are the cost of each set (usually 2,000 - 3,000 Euros), the fitting, strage and mounting/re-mounting costs, as well as paying for everything to be co-ordinated.

At the end of the day, after having done this for 4 years now, I may have 21 tire sets but have made not a $ in profit. Hey, it's fun though!

I get where you're coming from John, but why do car manufacturers do this? I'm not a real "car guy" and I just don't get why every individual car model has it's own specific tire size. Of course it's to make more money, but come on. They could probably lower car prices significantly if tire sizes were a bit more standardized. As it is, every week or so I get emails from Tire Rack advertising nice rebates on Michelin or Goodyear tires none of which fit on any of my family's 4 cars.