winter tires

I am not that equipment "knowledgeable" and having had an all wheel drive S4 prior to this car I am lost...My car has 18" wheels so I know these should be replaced with 17" wheels however could you please tell me the most appropriate tires...I have looked into the Dunlop Winter Sport M2 (225/45 HR17) and the Blizzak WS-50 (ss5/45 QR 17)...are these what I should look at? Are any special wheels more desireable? I live in a hilly area in Long Island and drive mostly in the NY metro area. Thanks so much!

I'm sure the gurus on the Tires forum can help you

*moved*

Check out the tests done by tirerack if you haven't already. Some good hard data is always nice when choosing a tire...

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/...jsp?perfType=W

I like OEM wheels for the winter. Pick up a used set from the bimmer.org classifieds or get a new set from http://www.pacificbmw.com/catalog/wheels/default.asp

I went with the Dunlop Wintersports last year. I like them very much. Quiet on dry pavement and still gave great grip as well as in the snow.

I really like my Blizzak LM-22's, and have had good experiences with Nokian NRW's on other cars.

Here is some basic info to get your started (from the winter tires sticky above):

Get snow tires appropriate to your climate and driving style. If you don't see too much snow during the winter, and you like to drive/corner fast, look into the H-rated high performance snow tires like the Dunlop winter sport M2/M3 or the Blizzak LM-22.

If your area gets heavy snow, then look into a more aggressive, Q rated snow tire like the Blizzak WS-50.

We had a more severe winter last year than usual, so demand will likely be higher this year, so don't wait too long. We should have most inventory available in late September/ early October. Tires and wheels purchased together are mounted and balanced at no charge to make changeover easy.


You can view available wheels, tires and pricing here :

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