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[pick333]

The more I read about what snow tire will fit my 2013 1series, the more confused I get. I live in Denver and need to know what tire will handle the snow the best and will fit my car. This should be simple, but even Discount Tires couldn't tell me.Why does Tire Rack give me only the Bridgestone Blizzaks and Pirelli Winter Sottozero Serie II when I input my wheel sizes (Front-215/40/17; Rear-245/35/17)?

[128Convertibleguy]

Originally Posted by pick333

The more I read about what snow tire will fit my 2013 1series, the more confused I get. I live in Denver and need to know what tire will handle the snow the best and will fit my car. This should be simple, but even Discount Tires couldn't tell me.

"Everything should be as simple as possible, but not simpler."

Tirerack.com can tell you.

The basic concepts are:

Real winter tires, which are marked by a snowflake and a mountain.

Slightly narrower and taller is better than low and wide.

A question is whether you want run flats. Advantage - minimize the chance you'll be changing a tire in a snowstorm, recommended by BMW. Avoids the major problem of not having a spare tire. Disadvantages - expensive, rides a bit hard (somewhat less so in the taller tire).

People will have their favorites, and disagree about what is the "best", but if you stick to the above, you can't go very wrong.

Here's one decent choice, that's "OE approved", I make no claim it's the "best".

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....r=Base%20Model

Some people are sold on Nokian Hakkapeliitta R2, which come in the same size. They're a bit expensive and harder to find.

[IEDEI]

1. go square. 225 all around. do NOT stagger snow tires....makes no sense.
2. Hakkapaliitta R2s (225/45/17)
3. get 17" wheels
3. Have fun in the snow!

[DietTab]

a: Doesn't matter. Get a brand name snow tire and call it good.

[Freon]

Tirerack has ratings written by consumers you can read. I prefer them over Discount Tire. They'll also show everything that fit, and even let you pick out a wheel/tire combo.

I would suggest 205/55/17 and not 225 wide. The wider you go the more the car will try to ride on top of the snow rather than clear down to the road. 205/55/17 is also what Tirerack will recommend if you put your car in and do searched for winter tire/wheel combinations.

Blizzak WS70 is a good aggressive winter tire if you regularly need to drive over snow that's not been plowed. Otherwise a sportier option like Blizzak LM25 or Dunlop Winterforce is good. There really are countless options out there and I'm sure everyone has their opinions. I've tried out a handful myself and have no super strong positive or negative comments for any of them (WS60 [now WS70], Hankook W404, Winterforce, LM-25, etc).

Tirerack ratings will give you a decent idea on how "hardcore" a winter tire is. Some have better ice/snow ratings, others retain better steering response and grip. It's a trade off.

If you need to drive over more than a few inches of snow regularly you just need a difference car. Ground clearance in the 1er is not very good for driving over deep snow no matter what tire you chose.

[Gary@TireRack]

Top choices for maximum ice and snow traction include the Michelin Xice Xi3 and Bridgestone Blizzak WS80.

Winter http://www.tirerack.com/a.jsp?a=AW7&...nter/index.jsp

[Kgolf31]

Originally Posted by DietTab

a: Doesn't matter. Get a brand name snow tire and call it good.

NO, THIS IS FAR FROM THE TRUTH.

I ran Blizzak LM-25s and they were absolute garbage. The compound sucked and couldn't deal with any deep snow

Originally Posted by Gary@TireRack

Top choices for maximum ice and snow traction include the Michelin Xice Xi3 and Bridgestone Blizzak WS80.

Winter http://www.tirerack.com/a.jsp?a=AW7&...nter/index.jsp

I now have Michelin Xice Xi3 and they are far superior than anything I've had before. Stupid amounts of grip and deep snow traction is amazing

[Diver]

Move South and forget about snow forever

[chris82]

blizzaks. you simply can't go wrong with them

[MightyMouseTech]

Another vote for Hakka R2's, best non studded winter tire available right now IMHO. Better grip than the multicell Blizzak, and will actually last more than 1 winter. The non-multicell Blizzak are terrible in the snow. More like a glorified all season.

Here running 205/50/17's at the Motorsport Club of Ottawa winter driving school.

[chris82]

Originally Posted by Kgolf31

NO, THIS IS FAR FROM THE TRUTH.

I ran Blizzak LM-25s and they were absolute garbage. The compound sucked and couldn't deal with any deep snow

I now have Michelin Xice Xi3 and they are far superior than anything I've had before. Stupid amounts of grip and deep snow traction is amazing

The LM25s are categorized as a 'performance' snow tire. That would be comparable to the Pilot Alpins. The Michelin Xice Xi3s are straight up winter snow tires and would compare with the Blizzak WS series. On the two sets of Blizzaks I've owned (in 17" and 18") I've never had problems with them. Compound is great. In below zero up hardpacked snow driveways I don't slip.

[MightyMouseTech]

Originally Posted by 128Convertibleguy

"
Real winter tires, which are marked by a snowflake and a mountain.
.

Just so you know. There are absolutely no standards for requirements when it comes to the companies putting the "snowflake in a mountain" emblem on. Any tire company can put the symbol on anything they want. I actually know the guy who was the creator of this marking system. In recent testing, they have found many cheaper tires with the symbol are actually WORSE than many better quality all-seasons in the snow.

Just like everything else in life, you get what you pay for, and buyer beware.

[chris82]

Originally Posted by MightyMouseTech

Just so you know. There are absolutely no standards for requirements when it comes to the companies putting the "snowflake in a mountain" emblem on. Any tire company can put the symbol on anything they want. I actually know the guy who was the creator of this marking system. In recent testing, they have found many cheaper tires with the symbol are actually WORSE than many better quality all-seasons in the snow.

Just like everything else in life, you get what you pay for, and buyer beware.

Wow, what a joke!

[Dackelone]

Get snow tires in this size: 205/50/17

That's the tire size what BMW says to use on 7j x 17 wheels for the 128i and 135i.

Personally I have had Dunlap M3's before. I liked them. Very sporty dynamics. They are more for high speed dry(winter) driving than for driving in deep snow. But they work with snow.

My current snow tire is Michelin Alpin A4. I like these tires better than the Dunlaps, I have had in the past. Plus the Michelin's seem to last much longer. The Dunalps were better at the high speed driving(feel), but the Michelin's are not bad performance wise - plus they have better grip in the rain and snow - I think. And they last much longer - thread life.

Most of my winter driving is at cold temps, high speeds(H rated winters, up to 210 kph, with short blasts past 210 kph) with some occasional snowy road travel. When it snows here, its all gone in a day or two. I think IF I had to drive all the time in snow... I would get some Hakka's. I would not get Blizzak's - everyone I know has been dissapointed with them. Too squirmy and not a sporty tire.

[Gary@TireRack]

Originally Posted by MightyMouseTech

Just so you know. There are absolutely no standards for requirements when it comes to the companies putting the "snowflake in a mountain" emblem on. Any tire company can put the symbol on anything they want.

Untrue.

"In 1999, The U.S. Rubber Manufacturers Association (RMA) and the Rubber Association of Canada (RAC) agreed on a performance based standard to identify passenger and light truck tires that attain a traction index equal to, or greater than 110 (compared to a reference tire which is rated 100) during the specified American Society for Testing and Materials traction tests on packed snow"

More : http://www.tirerack.com/winter/tech/...&affiliate=AW7

[MightyMouseTech]

Originally Posted by Dackelone

Get snow tires in this size: 205/55/17

That's the tire size what BMW says to use on 7j x 17 wheels for the 128i and 135i.

Personally I have had Dunlap M3's before. I liked them. Very sporty dynamics. They are more for high speed dry(winter) driving than for driving in deep snow. But they work with snow.

My current snow tire is Michelin Alpin A4. I like these tires better than the Dunlaps, I have had in the past. Plus the Michelin's seem to last much longer. The Dunalps were better at the high speed driving(feel), but the Michelin's are not bad performance wise - plus they have better grip in the rain and snow - I think. And they last much longer - thread life.

Most of my winter driving is at cold temps, high speeds(H rated winters, up to 210 kph, with short blasts past 210 kph) with some occasional snowy road travel. When it snows here, its all gone in a day or two. I think IF I had to drive all the time in snow... I would get some Hakka's. I would not get Blizzak's - everyone I know has been dissapointed with them. Too squirmy and not a sporty tire.

You mean 205/50/17?

[MightyMouseTech]

Originally Posted by Gary@TireRack

Untrue.

"In 1999, The U.S. Rubber Manufacturers Association (RMA) and the Rubber Association of Canada (RAC) agreed on a performance based standard to identify passenger and light truck tires that attain a traction index equal to, or greater than 110 (compared to a reference tire which is rated 100) during the specified American Society for Testing and Materials traction tests on packed snow"

More : http://www.tirerack.com/winter/tech/...&affiliate=AW7

I have talked to Nigel about this, I race/instruct with him, including winter driving schools. Here is a good article about it. I just wish the Tirerack sold Hakkapeliittas. There are actually many all-season tires that achieve this 110 rating now.

http://autos.ca.msn.com/specials/win...entid=19293560

Don’t trust the snowflake We need a new standard

Accidents prompted the creation of performance standards for winter tires in 1999, but Transport Canada now says you should not blindly trust the ‘snowflake-on-a-mountain’ symbol to pick your vehicle’s winter boots.

........

Ten years ago, serious winter-time accidents prompted government and the tire industry to address the false perception that 'all-season' tires, or tires bearing the letters M+S (mud and snow), could carry drivers safely through harsh Canadian winters.

Winter Tire Standard
The rubber and tire industry, with input from Transport Canada, established a performance standard for winter tires in 1999. From that point on, consumers were encouraged to look for a symbol combining a stylized snowflake overlaid on a triple mountain peak on their sidewalls while shopping for winter tires. This standard establishes that a given tire has achieved 110 per cent of the winter traction of a specific 'all-season' tire that was chosen as the control tire.

The problem, according to Mortimer, is that the 'snowflake' symbol "is no longer an indication for good (winter tires). People use it for not so good ones now," Mortimer says.

"The snowflake (symbol) is not doing the job anymore," Mortimer says. "Tire technology has evolved greatly since 1999. Some modern winter tires are now at 130 or 140 per cent of the control tire's performance. We need to move to a higher standard."

Picking good winter tires
So now that we have you convinced that the best and safest way through the Canadian winter is to equip your vehicle with four good-quality winter tires, how do you go about choosing the right ones? Not an easy proposition, given the great variety of choices out there.

Winter Tire Standard
"We know the good and bad ones, because we also get complaints," Mortimer adds, in reference to his department's ongoing tire testing program. But it's also a question of money. In short, Mortimer says that the purchase price is often a good measure of a winter tire's overall quality: "you get what you pay for."

And how do you find out which is the best tire? Mortimer recommends consulting the web sites of the APA and Tire Rack, a U.S. tire retailer known for its hands-on, multi-brand winter tire comparison tests.

[Dackelone]

Originally Posted by MightyMouseTech

You mean 205/50/17?

Oops! Yes, I meant: 205/50/17

[IEDEI]

Originally Posted by Dackelone

Get snow tires in this size: 205/50/17

That's the tire size what BMW says to use on 7j x 17 wheels for the 128i and 135i.

Personally I have had Dunlap M3's before. I liked them. Very sporty dynamics. They are more for high speed dry(winter) driving than for driving in deep snow. But they work with snow.

My current snow tire is Michelin Alpin A4. I like these tires better than the Dunlaps, I have had in the past. Plus the Michelin's seem to last much longer. The Dunalps were better at the high speed driving(feel), but the Michelin's are not bad performance wise - plus they have better grip in the rain and snow - I think. And they last much longer - thread life.

Most of my winter driving is at cold temps, high speeds(H rated winters, up to 210 kph, with short blasts past 210 kph) with some occasional snowy road travel. When it snows here, its all gone in a day or two. I think IF I had to drive all the time in snow... I would get some Hakka's. I would not get Blizzak's - everyone I know has been dissapointed with them. Too squirmy and not a sporty tire.

dackel....the reality is that if you are not buying SERIOUS snow tires....then you don't need to do 205s as they're too skinny. Pilot Alpins or Dunlop Wintersports aren't really great snow tires but they are GOOD winter performance tires.

Skinny is better for true and hardcore heavy snow....but it doesn't make a difference for just winter performance or light snow.

[adamferrell]

you can use dunlop winter sport... it will work best in snow..
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[IEDEI]

Originally Posted by adamferrell

you can use dunlop winter sport... it will work best in snow..

it's not a dedicated snow tire. the winter sport are winter performance tires...but not nearly as good in snow as a true snow tire. i've used them before...good for wet and dry cold, average for actual snow.

[MightyMouseTech]

Originally Posted by IEDEI

it's not a dedicated snow tire. the winter sport are winter performance tires...but not nearly as good in snow as a true snow tire. i've used them before...good for wet and dry cold, average for actual snow.

Ya, they make a great intermediate tire. For that time when it is too cold for summer tires, but still no snow on the road.