Sponsored by The Tire Rack

[BBursey]

Hi folks -

I just signed for a 2011 135i w/ M Sport package and take delivery on Thursday. I plan to use sparingly through winter, but still wanted a winter tire package for it, so off to tirerack.com. I wanted run-flats in a square set-up - my selection was somewhat limited and made worse due to time of year.

I selected the following package and wanted to see if anyone's experience indicates there might be issues when I get them installed.

225/40R18 Blizzak LM-60 RFT
18x8 +42 Elbrus I05
No TPMS (since it's a Canadian car)

I'd appreciate any feedback you might have.

Cheers,
Bryan

[Maconer98]

Have you thought about getting conventional tires and putting in a small donut in the trunk?

[BBursey]

Originally Posted by Maconer98

Have you thought about getting conventional tires and putting in a small donut in the trunk?

I had priced out a 17" winter package without the run flats, but after shipping it wasn't that much cheaper (and would probably have been the same or more with a 5th smaller wheel included).

Thanks,
Bryan

[drinkcoke3]

Originally Posted by Canucker

225/40R18 Blizzak LM-60 RFT
18x8 +42 Elbrus I05

im running these in a non-RFT setup. so far so good, not m uch snow though. im about 1inch they were better than on dry, thats for sure.

[ZIPNBYE]

Shipping, duty, GST, etc in, I suggest that you look at TireTrends in BC, as they should be either on-par or cheaper than Tirerack (for a Canadian customer) unless you're having the wheels / tires shipped to a Montana address and are picking them up.

As to the size, go with the 17" size for the car...cheaper and better.

[Dackelone]

Bryan - you could also go with 17" wheels on a 135i. Your BMW dealer sells complete wheel/tire packages if you inquire. Or Tire Rack and the like.

I run four (square setup) 7j x 17" wheels with 205/55HR17's on my car. IF you will travel on lots of snow you need the skinnest and tallest tires that you can fit on your car. The above package is just what you need. That said, lots of ppl get by with 18" snow package. But I like the idea of a taller sidewall when going over broken pavemnt in those winter months.

Dackel

[BBursey]

Richard -

Thanks for pointing me to TireTrends. I hadn't found them in my earlier searches. It looks like the price is comparable with TireRack post-shipping, etc. Unfortunately, with delievery of the car on Thursday, I pulled the trigger on the original wheels last night to try to get them here in time.

Dackel -

I don't plan to use the 135i much in winter, but wanted boots that would keep me out of too much trouble if I had to venture out. If I'd been ordering earlier in the fall, I probably would have gone with 17" wheel but TireRack's selection was limited (and I didn't know about TireTrends at the time!).

Regards,
Bryan

[VMRWheels]

OP,

You'll be perfectly fine with that setup.

-Charles@VMRWheels

[BBursey]

Thanks Charles. Looks like they've shipped from TireRack, but won't be here for initial delivery of the car. I'll have to schedule a follow-up to get the winter boots on.

Cheers,
Bryan

[ZIPNBYE]

Bryan,

Shame on that, but good for supporting a forum sponsor.

BTW, you may want to join the Southern Alberta BMW Club, and consider enrolling in the Alberta Advanced Driving School's Spring 2011 school (May 27-28 at Race City in Calgary).

http://www.bmwcsa.ca/Home.html