[BMWM4]

I was wondering what size rims is everyone here running for the winter? I want to get 18x 8.5 but I just spoke to a bmw salesman and they said they would not recommend me going wider than 8inchs all around do you think that will make a big difference? also I was looking for winter tires that will provide me with the most traction, I don't care for performance at all in the winter what tire would you guys recommend for most traction? thank you for help!

[CHCCubs]

I run a set of style 162 reps in the stock 17 inch size.

[KCX_335xi]

I have 17" OEM's with RFT's.....

[Funk365]

I run 16X7 with 205/55/16's

Narrower is better in the snow.

[PepE92M3]

I have BMW OEM steel rims and 205/55/16 Blizzak RFT. Narrower the better.

[couturegirl]

17" for me

[BRAISKI]

I have 17" non staggered. Why do you want 8.5?

[mad villain]

i run M6 rep's 18x8 all around

[BMWM4]

I was thinking of something like the vmr 710's 18inch non staggered, and they only come in 8.5 is that going to be to wide?

[m42stanle]

Originally Posted by jredor

I have BMW OEM steel rims and 205/55/16 Blizzak RFT. Narrower the better.

+2 - this is one of those decisions where you ask yourself whether you want to look cool in the ditch, or make it up that snowy hill. Go with the narrowest wheel you can, while still clearing the rotors. In our case it's either 16x7 for non-335i or 17x8 all around for 335i. (no need to stagger winters)

Plus (at least in GTA) winter & early spring is prime pothole season, so running 18 in for winters is asking for trouble, especially if you are sticking with RFT.

In terms of tire recommendations, this very much depends on what type of conditions you expect to encounter. For a performance winter tire (does extremely well on cold, dry pavement and reasonably well on snow/slush/ice, not too noisy, pretty responsive) I would highly recommend the Dunlop SP Winter Sport.

If you will be driving more in the North, expect mostly snow covered roads and/or are willing to trade off some noise and responsiveness for grip then a more aggressive winter like the Conti ExtremeWinterContact or Michelin X-Ice may be a better choice.

[BMWM4]

Originally Posted by m42stanle

+2 - this is one of those decisions where you ask yourself whether you want to look cool in the ditch, or make it up that snowy hill. Go with the narrowest wheel you can, while still clearing the rotors. In our case it's either 16x7 for non-335i or 17x8 all around for 335i. (no need to stagger winters)

Plus (at least in GTA) winter & early spring is prime pothole season, so running 18 in for winters is asking for trouble, especially if you are sticking with RFT.

In terms of tire recommendations, this very much depends on what type of conditions you expect to encounter. For a performance winter tire (does extremely well on cold, dry pavement and reasonably well on snow/slush/ice, not too noisy, pretty responsive) I would highly recommend the Dunlop SP Winter Sport.

If you will be driving more in the North, expect mostly snow covered roads and/or are willing to trade off some noise and responsiveness for grip then a more aggressive winter like the Conti ExtremeWinterContact or Michelin X-Ice may be a better choice.

thank you very much you have been very helpful I would prefer to go for something like the Conti ExtremeWinterContact or Michelin X-Ice. Just a question is there a difference between the 17x8 or the 18x8? if width is all we care about then perhaps if I get those tires on the 18 inch wheels that would be the same as those tires on 17 inch wheels as long as the width does not pass 8in all around?

[m42stanle]

Originally Posted by z435is

thank you very much you have been very helpful I would prefer to go for something like the Conti ExtremeWinterContact or Michelin X-Ice. Just a question is there a difference between the 17x8 or the 18x8? if width is all we care about then perhaps if I get those tires on the 18 inch wheels that would be the same as those tires on 17 inch wheels as long as the width does not pass 8in all around?

No difference at all in width 17x8 or 18x8, so all other things being equal there is no advantage of one vs. the other in terms of snow traction. However, there are two reasons I would suggest considering the 17 in option over the 18 in:

1) Selection of winter tires (especially aggressive and studdable tread patterns) will be more limited with 18 inch wheels. (a quick search on tirerack.com show 16 winter options for 225/45 R17 vs 6 options for 225/40 R18)

2) In the GTA pothole season, you'll be more likely to damage an alloy wheel/tire as aspect ratio decreases and if/when this does happen the larger wheels and tires tend to be more expensive to replace.

[Malapropism]

My winter setup is:

BMW OEM M3 Style 219 from Tischer
Square setup (4 front rims) 18 x 8.5 wrapped in Blizzaks WS60 235/40/18 from Tires23 (amazing service btw)

Don't mind the dirty wheel wells or the x-drive wheel gap, getting coilovers next summer

[Dr. G]

Depending on where you drive, going with an 8.5" vs an 8" could possibly make no diff at all. All depends on your driving conditions.

[E90MCF]

Running 19x8.5/9.5 for my winter set-up

[bulldog_yyc]

Originally Posted by E90MCF

Running 19x8.5/9.5 for my winter set-up

ballsy move in calgary - good luck with that lol

[E90MCF]

Originally Posted by turkish335

ballsy move in calgary - good luck with that lol

LOL Die hard

[PepE92M3]

Originally Posted by m42stanle

+2 - this is one of those decisions where you ask yourself whether you want to look cool in the ditch, or make it up that snowy hill. Go with the narrowest wheel you can, while still clearing the rotors. In our case it's either 16x7 for non-335i or 17x8 all around for 335i. (no need to stagger winters)

Plus (at least in GTA) winter & early spring is prime pothole season, so running 18 in for winters is asking for trouble, especially if you are sticking with RFT.

In terms of tire recommendations, this very much depends on what type of conditions you expect to encounter. For a performance winter tire (does extremely well on cold, dry pavement and reasonably well on snow/slush/ice, not too noisy, pretty responsive) I would highly recommend the Dunlop SP Winter Sport.

If you will be driving more in the North, expect mostly snow covered roads and/or are willing to trade off some noise and responsiveness for grip then a more aggressive winter like the Conti ExtremeWinterContact or Michelin X-Ice may be a better choice.

This is how bad my car look in winter

[morphius909]

Boy do I have a lot to learn.

Had to look up RFT LOL.

Taking possession of my 335 X Special Edition on Monday and I was going to ask the same question.

Are most of you using RFT because of the look in winter?

I prefer the x-ice as they are fantastic winter tires.

[Madhouse]

Bought 18x8 Moda's from Tire rack wrapped with 235/40R18 Pirelli Winter 240 Sottozero Serie II non-RFT. Still waiting to arrive. Due to a sale, these were cheaper than some 17" RFT options while still giving me a V-Rated performance winter. My main concern when I ordered these tires was the clearance for the front brake calipers. I have less than one centimeter between my 18" 287's and the caliper right now. I wasn't going to chance ordering 17's.

I realize that these will still be a bit wide, but if you are used to driving a RWD car in the winter (I previously had a G35) you should be fine with any decent winter tire (i.e. SP Sport, Blizzak or Pirelli).

[hubble bubble]

I have ben running 225-45-17 on Sport Edition (Tirerack's house brand) 5 spokes for 5 winters now. Looks great and never had an issue. I run Nokian Hakkapellitta R on my car, and I love them. Have Michellin XIce on my wife's Accord - they are really squishy on dry roads when there is no snow but great in snow and by far the best tire I have ever driven on ice or hard packed snow. Simply amazing.

I highly recommend 17" winter rims. Cheaper, more comfortable.

If you need rims and snows, check Tirerack's site, even if you end up buying elsewhere. No one can beat thier prices for rim-tire combos and they have an app that lets you view different wheel styles on your car.

[E90MCF]

Originally Posted by turkish335

ballsy move in calgary - good luck with that lol

I actually will probably end up running 17" 159s or 18" 162s if I dont find another is300 in time. Otherwise I'll keep my 19s on for nice days