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[5teN]

Hi Guys,

I'm looking for some thoughts on a winter setup utilizing the staggered width 18" OEM wheels. I'm planning on a more aggressive tire and wheel setup for the summer so I would have no other use for the OEM wheels.

Ideally, I'd would have liked to find a staggered setup (so that I maintain optimal tire to wheel width) that was 10mm narrower front and back. 205 and 235 for example. Unfortunately I haven't found any 205/??R-18 tires.

Next idea would be to use OEM widths, front and back. Obviously not ideal as narrower is better for snow but I also don't plan on rallying my bmw... although that would be fun.

The only tires in OEM widths I can find are taller by ~ 3%. I don't think this would be a problem, thoughts?

18" Winter Front Tire 215/45R-18 Blizzak LM-60 OD 25.6" Rev/Mile 813
18" Winter Rear Tire 245/40R-18 Blizzak LM-60 OD 25.7" Rev/Mile 810

Or there is the option of fitting the same tire front and back on the staggered wheels. The only reason I don't like this is that one tire will be stretched more than the other. Maybe I'm being to picky when I'm thinking about the sidewall stiffness changing and perhaps the rolling DIA slightly...

For this option I would go with this tire which has the same rev/mile as OEM

18" Winter Tires 225/40R-18 Blizzak LM-60 OD 25.1" Rev/Mile 831

Anyone have any comments or recommendations? I'm sure someone will say "GET 17's"...

Thanks

[MAR]

I believe these are OEM staggered sizes:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/TireSe...SortCode=53950

[Gary@TireRack]

Those are taller than OEM. Rubbing could be an issue on the front strut housing...very tight clearance from the factory.

[BFD99]

I'm in the same boat, but want something along the lines of an All Season, like maybe the Conti DWS. What tire sizes is recommended for the stock 18" wheels? I have my VMRs on Hankook Ventus Evos for Summer duty.

[BrokenVert]

Did it. Drove on it.

Cracked a damn wheel

[VMRWheels]

Those profile sizes are too large. I would not recommend them, as they'll be outside the recommended 3% which could cause rubbing and possibly brake failure. Unfortunately though in those sizes you do not have many options.

[5teN]

Originally Posted by BrokenVert

Did it. Drove on it.

Cracked a damn wheel

Thanks for your response. Which setup did you do? The staggered setup as listed below:
18" Winter Front Tire 215/45R-18 Blizzak LM-60 OD 25.6" Rev/Mile 813
18" Winter Rear Tire 245/40R-18 Blizzak LM-60 OD 25.7" Rev/Mile 810

Or the 225/40R-18 all around?

[5teN]

Thanks everyone for their responses.

So to summarize..and to ask one more question.

It is not possible or safe to go with a larger OD that stock (which is ~25.1") tire due to clearance issues and possible brake problems (can someone elaborate on these brake issues?)

Would you recommend going with the 225 all around then? What are you thoughts on the same width tire but different width wheels?

Thanks again for the input.

[BrokenVert]

Originally Posted by 5teN

Thanks for your response. Which setup did you do? The staggered setup as listed below:
18" Winter Front Tire 215/45R-18 Blizzak LM-60 OD 25.6" Rev/Mile 813
18" Winter Rear Tire 245/40R-18 Blizzak LM-60 OD 25.7" Rev/Mile 810

Or the 225/40R-18 all around?

I did two different setups over the 3 years I ran on the OEM wheels.

A 225/40 - 255/35 setup of Pirelli 240 Sottozeros (loved them, but they wore down after 5K miles and were way to expensive to replace every year)

Then for the next 2 seasons I ran on a set of Dunlop WinterSport D3s (225/40 all round) This was great, until this happened...





That was the day that I swore off 18"s. I now run a 245 square setup on 17" OZ Ultras in the summer and I picked up a 225/45 R17 - 245/40 R17 Dunlop D3 set about a month ago.

[5teN]

Wow that is kind of crazy. So with that setup (225/40/18) your OD was the same as OEM meaning it couldn't have been an interference issue.

Was that a front or rear wheel? What do you think caused the failure? Did you hit a huge pot-hole?

[BrokenVert]

Originally Posted by 5teN

Wow that is kind of crazy. So with that setup (225/40/18) your OD was the same as OEM meaning it couldn't have been an interference issue.

Was that a front or rear wheel? What do you think caused the failure? Did you hit a huge pot-hole?

TR lists the od of those sizes as 25.2" I never had an issue with striking.

And yeah, huge pothole taken by the rear wheel.

[5teN]

Originally Posted by BrokenVert

TR lists the od of those sizes as 25.2" I never had an issue with striking.

And yeah, huge pothole taken by the rear wheel.

So maybe it has to do with the fact that the tire was stretched which not only made it slightly stiffer, but also didn't offer as much protection to the rim itself.

I'm surprised to hear that a OD of +3% can cause issues! I literally just got my 135i and haven't had a chance to put it on the lift yet.

[RX-BMW]

I had the 225 LM-60s mounted tonight on all 4 OEM wheels (18s). I get the car back tomorrow morning, I'll let you know if it rubs or what. I didn't do my research and Tire Rack's recommended setup was this one. Guess we'll see. The service dept warned me that the tires might be too big for the fronts but shipping them back and getting new tires would be $.

[Mr Kleen]

I had a similar experience but because I live in Germany everything was even more complicated.

I wanted to do the same thing: use the stock wheels for winter and buy a nice set for summer. I purchased a set of 225/40 Blizzaks from Tire Rack. The tire shop on base couldn't install them because they didn't have a machine that would remove the run-flat tires. The local shop they recommended to me flat out REFUSED to install them on the stock wheels saying "those tires won't fit on the front wheels." A friendly local mechanic contacted a friend of his at a local BMW shop. That guy said that BMW guidelines say a 225/40 tire won't fit on the stock M-sport front rim. I tried to order tires locally that would fit the stock wheels but the 2 shops I checked with said that size was out of stock.

It's starting to get cold here, most mornings on the way to work it's around 34 - 40 degrees Fahrenheit, so my back was against the wall. I broke down and ordered a set of rims that fit those tires.

I swear that if I [finally] get them installed and they rub I'm gonna LOOSE MY MIND.

But I still love Tire Rack. They've been great to me for 15 years and this is the first issue I've had.

[BrokenVert]

you shouldnt have had to do that. Theyre full of it if they said that to you.

you should get your money back if you can

[ptack]

There's nothing wrong with 225/40s. I've been runnning them every winter on the OEM wheels for 3 years. They fit fine - no issues. Be careful with potholes with any tire on the 18" wheel. I just got a slight dent on the inside of one of my F14s. It started banging on the suspension immediately and I had to put the donut on. Tire is fine. I was able to get the wheel fixed so it's no biggie, but the next time I passed that spot I saw the culpret - a nasty square pothole in the middle of the RR crossing I couldn't see at night.

[RX-BMW]

Just got my car back. No rubbing, PERFECT fit in the front, a little narrow in the back but whatever.

Rant: local bmw car dealer charged me $358 for mounting/balancing/alignment and environmental fees....(i kept my old tires wtf). GRRRR. ok done.

[litebulb]

Running 225/40 all around with Michelin Pilot PA3, slight rubbing on the driver front wheel well right behind my headlights. But it could be because I have a Dinan cold air installed which adds a panel. I took a look at it last day and its superficial.

[Mr Kleen]

Originally Posted by BrokenVert

you shouldnt have had to do that. Theyre full of it if they said that to you.

you should get your money back if you can

I trust Tire Rack but what can I do? I'm in Germany and the only place that would install them didn't have a tire machine that could get the run-flats off. The only place that had a machine that could get the run-flats off wouldn't install them. No money exchanged hands so there's no refund to fight for. I just ordered a set of wheels from Tire Rack for the tires I already have in my position.

Because everything about living in a foreign country is harder...

[NTTY]

Originally Posted by 5teN

Hi Guys,

I'm looking for some thoughts on a winter setup utilizing the staggered width 18" OEM wheels. I'm planning on a more aggressive tire and wheel setup for the summer so I would have no other use for the OEM wheels.

Ideally, I'd would have liked to find a staggered setup (so that I maintain optimal tire to wheel width) that was 10mm narrower front and back. 205 and 235 for example. Unfortunately I haven't found any 205/??R-18 tires.

Next idea would be to use OEM widths, front and back. Obviously not ideal as narrower is better for snow but I also don't plan on rallying my bmw... although that would be fun.

The only tires in OEM widths I can find are taller by ~ 3%. I don't think this would be a problem, thoughts?

18" Winter Front Tire 215/45R-18 Blizzak LM-60 OD 25.6" Rev/Mile 813
18" Winter Rear Tire 245/40R-18 Blizzak LM-60 OD 25.7" Rev/Mile 810

Or there is the option of fitting the same tire front and back on the staggered wheels. The only reason I don't like this is that one tire will be stretched more than the other. Maybe I'm being to picky when I'm thinking about the sidewall stiffness changing and perhaps the rolling DIA slightly...

For this option I would go with this tire which has the same rev/mile as OEM

18" Winter Tires 225/40R-18 Blizzak LM-60 OD 25.1" Rev/Mile 831

Anyone have any comments or recommendations? I'm sure someone will say "GET 17's"...

Thanks

Hi, I live in Switzerland. I used the OEM wheels with 225/40/18 front and 255/35/18 rear (Continental 810)



I'm now back to a square setup (225/40/18) as rear was moving a bit too much when running fast and with kind of deep snow.



I stay with the Continental, very happy of those tyres.

Cheers.

[GeeRam]

Originally Posted by 5teN

Hi Guys,

I'm looking for some thoughts on a winter setup utilizing the staggered width 18" OEM wheels. I'm planning on a more aggressive tire and wheel setup for the summer so I would have no other use for the OEM wheels.

Ideally, I'd would have liked to find a staggered setup (so that I maintain optimal tire to wheel width) that was 10mm narrower front and back. 205 and 235 for example. Unfortunately I haven't found any 205/??R-18 tires.

Next idea would be to use OEM widths, front and back. Obviously not ideal as narrower is better for snow but I also don't plan on rallying my bmw... although that would be fun.

The only tires in OEM widths I can find are taller by ~ 3%. I don't think this would be a problem, thoughts?

18" Winter Front Tire 215/45R-18 Blizzak LM-60 OD 25.6" Rev/Mile 813
18" Winter Rear Tire 245/40R-18 Blizzak LM-60 OD 25.7" Rev/Mile 810

Pirelli make winter tyres (Sotto Zero) in the OEM size of 215/40x18 and 245/35x18..... but they are RFT though.

Here....

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/TireSe...40&diameter=18

and here...

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/TireSe...35&diameter=18

[BFD99]

So I just ordered 225/40-18 and 245/40-18 Continental DWS tires. Should be getting them on tomorrow!