Winter Rims & Tyres for 07 550 - Canada

I have had my 550 for nearly 5 months now, for the most part I'm fairly pleased.
As the threat of our dreaded Canadian winter rapidly approaches I need to start looking for a set of winter rims & tyres. The car has the M Sport pkg with the staggered 19" rims.
First off, will 17" rims fit over the front brakes.?
The rims that most people are recommending are the Replika (RWC) style.
From a price point (approx $190 CDN) they are about 1/3 the price of OEM's.
Have any members had experience with the effects of salt on this make of rim.?
I must add that I live in rural Ontario, Canada....not a place for the faint of heart.
I need very aggressive tyres so I can make it up my 800 foot driveway.
As far as the tyres go I am leaning towards 4 types.
1. Nokian Hakkapeliitta R or RSi (I've had these on RWD cars before)
2. Dunlop SP Winter Sport 3D ( Had the M3's on my previous AWD car.....in a word CRAP)
3. Bridgestone Blizzak LM-60 or WS-60 (I had all sorts of Blizzaks over the years)
4. Continental Extreme Winter Contacts (This is the first car I've had Conti's on)

Any real world experience or suggestions would be appreciated.

Cheers, ManuMad

I can't speak to what fits over the brakes, but I have used a couple of those tires before.

I live in Toronto, so I kind of know winter (not as much as you do living in an area that's not plowed before you get up in the morning). Given that I don't live in a rural area, I can say that I found the Dunlop's to be amazing tires. I had them on my M3 (also the older M3's vs. the 3D's), and I didn't have a single problem with them all winter. I'm guessing that you found them to be crap because they're not meant for deep snow.

On my previous car (323ci), I had the LM's (I think they were 50's instead of 60's at the time), and found them to be great tires as well. The felt like they had more grip than the Dunlop's, but weren't nearly as good in the dry times (your dry times will be far less than mine, so this is likely a moot point).

This saves the best for last. The hakka's are hands down the best winter tire I've ever used! I didn't have them on my car, but my dad used them, and they were unstoppable. His car is rear wheel drive (540i), and his car was rock solid. I can't imagine an AWD car with these tires.

Given that you don't have the luxury of plowed streets all the time, my recommendation would be for the Hakka's. They're more expensive, but you really can't put a price on winter safety!

My 535xi should be here in a week or so, and I'm planning on putting Dunlop's on the stock 18's. I figure with the 4 wheel drive, and generally plowed streets, I should be in good shape. Plus it gives me impetus to get aftermarket 19's for the summer!

Good luck with your search. Drive safe out there!

Originally Posted by ManuMad

I have had my 550 for nearly 5 months now, for the most part I'm fairly pleased.
As the threat of our dreaded Canadian winter rapidly approaches I need to start looking for a set of winter rims & tyres. The car has the M Sport pkg with the staggered 19" rims.
First off, will 17" rims fit over the front brakes.?
The rims that most people are recommending are the Replika (RWC) style.
From a price point (approx $190 CDN) they are about 1/3 the price of OEM's.
Have any members had experience with the effects of salt on this make of rim.?
I must add that I live in rural Ontario, Canada....not a place for the faint of heart.
I need very aggressive tyres so I can make it up my 800 foot driveway.
As far as the tyres go I am leaning towards 4 types.
1. Nokian Hakkapeliitta R or RSi (I've had these on RWD cars before)
2. Dunlop SP Winter Sport 3D ( Had the M3's on my previous AWD car.....in a word CRAP)
3. Bridgestone Blizzak LM-60 or WS-60 (I had all sorts of Blizzaks over the years)
4. Continental Extreme Winter Contacts (This is the first car I've had Conti's on)

Any real world experience or suggestions would be appreciated.

Cheers, ManuMad

Thanks for the advise/help.
I'm leaning towards the Hakka's mostly based on my previous experience.
The one area of concern for me are the rims.....
The BMW dealers want $4250 for 4 M double Spoke style 184 rims with Pilot PA's
I can get 4 Replika (replica) rims + 4 Hakka's for $2500.
I honestly cannot see spending almost 2 grand more for the BMW OEM's.

Cheers,

Gregg

I am running BMW style 135 18" replicas with Dunlop Winter M3 tires and the car is outstanding in snow.

I love my Nokians; highly recommended. Alternatively Gislaved. They're incredibly sticky. As for sizes, I just run what is stock on my car. It'll handle better in the dry this way and you still have a lot of traction. Rims: get the cheap ones. They may not look as good but they're winter tyres; the salt/sand and frost damage will hurt more if the rim is more expensive.

On my last car, I was running reps, and had no problems. The rims are just taking punishment from snow, salt, etc anyway, so I didn't want to spend any more than I had to.

Save the $$$ for the summer rims/tires where'll they'll be nice and clean.

Originally Posted by ManuMad

Thanks for the advise/help.
I'm leaning towards the Hakka's mostly based on my previous experience.
The one area of concern for me are the rims.....
The BMW dealers want $4250 for 4 M double Spoke style 184 rims with Pilot PA's
I can get 4 Replika (replica) rims + 4 Hakka's for $2500.
I honestly cannot see spending almost 2 grand more for the BMW OEM's.

Cheers,

Gregg

Getting screwed on pricing right now....

Canadian pricing for Hakka's is $430 each tyre, US pricing (Buffalo) $224....WTF
Even with the exchange rate and paying duty and taxes I'll save close to $800 just on the friggin tyres alone......
I'll drive my wife's car down and stick them in the boot and declare them for that price.

I'll still go with the Replica knock offs...I can get them for $180 in Toronto....no price yet from the dealer in the US.

Did you check TireRack? I believe they now ship to Canada an include taxes, shipping, and dreaded brokerage costs in the quote so that you can compare apples to apples.

I've never used them, so can't endorse them, but I remember hearing about other Canadians who had used them successfully.

Let me know how it goes, as I'll be going through the same process in a few weeks (gotta buy snows early while there's still choice available!)

Originally Posted by ManuMad

Getting screwed on pricing right now....

Canadian pricing for Hakka's is $430 each tyre, US pricing (Buffalo) $224....WTF
Even with the exchange rate and paying duty and taxes I'll save close to $800 just on the friggin tyres alone......
I'll drive my wife's car down and stick them in the boot and declare them for that price.

I'll still go with the Replica knock offs...I can get them for $180 in Toronto....no price yet from the dealer in the US.

I'd never drive my 5er in the snow.. That's my solution for winter setup

Tire Rack don't sell Nokian sadly.....
They do however sell the Conti Sport Contact3's for $332 ea for the rear ($540 in Can)
I'm trying to get price and availability from a Buffalo tire shop for both.

I was thinking of buying a 2nd vehicle for winter, I did this for 10+ years when I first arrived in Canada but truth be told I bought this car to enjoy all year round.

Ah, gotcha. That's too bad that Tirerack doesn't sell them.

Since I'm mainly on plowed roads, I'm likely getting the Dunlop WinterSports for my car, so hopefully Tirerack carries those at a reasonable price. I'll check when I get home.

Not to hijack the thread, but does anyone happen to know what size tire would fit on the stock 18" Msport rims. They come with 245/40/18, but since these are snows we're talking about, I'm trying to go as thin as possible. Could a 235, or 225 tire work, and if so, what would the correct series be?

Would 225/50/18's fit? Thanks for any help.

Originally Posted by ManuMad

Tire Rack don't sell Nokian sadly.....
They do however sell the Conti Sport Contact3's for $332 ea for the rear ($540 in Can)
I'm trying to get price and availability from a Buffalo tire shop for both.

I was thinking of buying a 2nd vehicle for winter, I did this for 10+ years when I first arrived in Canada but truth be told I bought this car to enjoy all year round.

Go with the Dunlop Winter Sports - I've had multiple sets on multiple vehicles - because they are a great tire. Outstanding snow traction and very crisp and quiet handling on the dry (even in the summer).

I agree that the Dunlops are a great tire (I'm getting them myself), but for the OP, I think the Nokian will be worth the extra cash.

The Winter Sports are amazing in light snow, or plowed roads, but in rural Ontario in a rear wheel drive car, he'll need serious traction.

Originally Posted by Facefixer

Go with the Dunlop Winter Sports - I've had multiple sets on multiple vehicles - because they are a great tire. Outstanding snow traction and very crisp and quiet handling on the dry (even in the summer).

I just answered my own question; 225/45/18 appears to be the best size for the Msport rims (18x8). For others who are looking, this helped immensely.

http://www.1010tires.com/tiresizecalculator.asp

I just checked Tirerack, and for all 4 shipped to my door, it's $1077. I'll do some checking locally before making a final call.

Originally Posted by KrustyClown

Ah, gotcha. That's too bad that Tirerack doesn't sell them.

Since I'm mainly on plowed roads, I'm likely getting the Dunlop WinterSports for my car, so hopefully Tirerack carries those at a reasonable price. I'll check when I get home.

Not to hijack the thread, but does anyone happen to know what size tire would fit on the stock 18" Msport rims. They come with 245/40/18, but since these are snows we're talking about, I'm trying to go as thin as possible. Could a 235, or 225 tire work, and if so, what would the correct series be?

Would 225/50/18's fit? Thanks for any help.

not sure how far outside Toronto you are but I purchased my set of Nokians from a tire shop in Markham (steeles and woodbine area) and they were basically within a few bucks of Tirerack but they included installation/balance...etc. you may want to give them a call just to price compare (Steelcase tires) before making the trek south of the border.

i'm surprised the price is that far off for the Nokians. Maybe in anticipation of another winter tire shortage after last year with QC mandate of winter tires?

Jeeeeeezuss. What kind of Nokians are you buying? I paid $830 for the four on my car. Granted they're 16" rims but that's more than double. Mine are about 235ish wide….

These guys hooked me up on ~2 days notice: http://www.profilecanada.com/company...ve_Hamilton_ON Worth a call if you haven't shopped around much on the Nokians.

Thanks for all the input...
I have called 3 dealers in the GTA...
The tyre in question is the Nokian Hakka R in 245/40/18 size
Kal tire wants $430 ea
Colalillo wants $436 ea
BMW (Budds) wants $425 (but they want $600 for each Rim)

Buffalo tire want $224.95 US ea but I'd need to drive down there and stick them in my trunk and then pay both taxes which is 13% plus 6.1% duty (if applicable) at the border.

My property is west of Orangeville (75 km's from Toronto)
My driveway is 800 feet and it blows in frequently so I need to be able to make it up at least to my bridge before I go running for the snow blower.....

I'll call the Hamilton place and see what they say.

Cheers,
Manumad

Wow, I had now idea the Hakka's were so expensive.

I just got quotes for LM-60's and Dunlop 3D for $1150 and $1250 respectively (4 tires mounted and balanced).

No question the Hakka's are going to be better in deep snow, but I'm wondering how much better they'd be than Gislaved 5's or WS-60's (the LM's are the sport version, with the WS's being a more aggressive snow tire). The Gislaved's seem to be a pretty aggressive tire - often found on Volvo's for Swedish winters.

Unfortunately, the place I'm dealing with doesn't carry Nokian's.

Good luck with the search.

Originally Posted by ManuMad

Thanks for all the input...
I have called 3 dealers in the GTA...
The tyre in question is the Nokian Hakka R in 245/40/18 size
Kal tire wants $430 ea
Colalillo wants $436 ea
BMW (Budds) wants $425 (but they want $600 for each Rim)

Buffalo tire want $224.95 US ea but I'd need to drive down there and stick them in my trunk and then pay both taxes which is 13% plus 6.1% duty (if applicable) at the border.

My property is west of Orangeville (75 km's from Toronto)
My driveway is 800 feet and it blows in frequently so I need to be able to make it up at least to my bridge before I go running for the snow blower.....

I'll call the Hamilton place and see what they say.

Cheers,
Manumad

howard @ mtc tire in oakville...got my hakka R's (225/50/17) for $249/ea+tx mounted and balanced

hcox@mtctire.ca
905.847.6665

Not to hijack the thread, but I seem to be completely clueless on tire sizes. I've got an '09 550i with sport package (staggered wheel setup 245/35/19 front; 275/30/19 rear). I'm planning to get a new set of rims for the winter. Can I swap out the summer setup with Style 135 rims (18x8) and 245/40/18 winter tires? I'm just not sure what the proper size rim and tire combination I need to go with. The winter tires would be mostly for the cold weather temps, as I think I'll tend to avoid driving the car in any significant snow, so I want to be able to keep up spirited winter driving on dry days. I'm sure I'm angsting over this more than I need to, but what rim and tire sizes can I go with in the winter to replace what the car came with? Thanks all!

I am still having issues with pricing and availability on the 245/40R18's.
Has anyone tried putting 17" rims on the 550 for winter.
My local BMW dealers says no....but then again he has a glut of 18" packages available.
ManuMad

Originally Posted by ManuMad

I am still having issues with pricing and availability on the 245/40R18's.
Has anyone tried putting 17" rims on the 550 for winter.
My local BMW dealers says no....but then again he has a glut of 18" packages available.
ManuMad

I see no problem with 17" rims. I am putting 17" ones on my 545 for winter.