[IanR]

I'm new to this forum and am about to take delivery of a 335i sedan. I had been hoping that winter would break here in Waterloo and I could take delivery with the standard wheel and tire setup and then have the spring/summer/fall to figure out a solution to winter wheels and tires. With the temp. at -16C this morning and the snowbanks at about 6ft in height, I'm thinking better deal with it now. The dealer package is $3000.00 for the 158 and Blizzak LM-22, which I consider obscene. I visited my local tire shop and am told that they cannot get any wheels for BMW vehicles because the distributors won't or can't provide them. This is not a supply issue, it seems to be something more mysterious. I can source wheels and tires from TireRack from the US but am reluctant about shipping/duty etc. Tire Trends will also provide packages which include ASA JH3 with Blizzaks at about $2100.00 - again concerns about shipping but at least I'm dealing Canadian. Does anyone from this part of the world have solutions to offer more locally? And I'm really stumped over the story from my local tire guy - again, anyone have an explanation to offer? Sorry for the long winded first posting but look forward to active participation in the future.

[spacedogg]

There must a be a postal company/outlet in Buffalo. You can probably have TireRack deliver care of you at the postal outlet in Buffalo. Then you can go pick up from there, and when you come back pay tax and duty. You'll save around $200 or $300 for your time. Do the numbers...

At least, that's what I did (I have the ASA JH3s). I had them delivered to a town just across the border and then came back and declared them.

Good luck.

[Snecro]

Call a few other shops in the 'loo. Someone there should be able to order the JH3s for you.
I got mine from Kipling tire in Toronto (http://kiplingtire.ca/) at the beginning of the winter. My BMW CA actually recommended the shop to me after we discussed how rediculous the $3k BMW package was. Being the first 335 they had seen at Kipling tire, I had to "explain" the situation to them as well. In the end, they were accomodating. I paid just over $2100. You could give them a call, if you don't mind the drive into west-end toronto, that would be a good option for you as well.
I have also heard good things about tiretrends and 1010tires.com, if your looking to shop canadian online.
gl

[selmar]

Might want to try Steelcase at http://www.steelcasetires.ca/
You'll have to let them know if you are getting the sport package or not as it makes big difference. They have great service and large volumes. Might have to order way ahead of time as winter rim/tire stocks are low now.

[E90PWR]

I have a set of 17" style 159 with Nokian Runflat Tires that are mint which were used for one season only.

As well 18" BMW Wheels on hankook Winter Tires. I've used it for Winter 2005 & 2006 let me know if you are interested.

[fastrack]

Hey guys i'm thinking about getting a 335. Are you having problems finding tires because it's a size nobody has? Pls help a newbie understand I don't really feel like spending $3000 for winter tires, is it the same with the 328?

[aspiring335]

Originally Posted by IanR

I'm new to this forum and am about to take delivery of a 335i sedan. I had been hoping that winter would break here in Waterloo and I could take delivery with the standard wheel and tire setup and then have the spring/summer/fall to figure out a solution to winter wheels and tires. With the temp. at -16C this morning and the snowbanks at about 6ft in height, I'm thinking better deal with it now. The dealer package is $3000.00 for the 158 and Blizzak LM-22, which I consider obscene. I visited my local tire shop and am told that they cannot get any wheels for BMW vehicles because the distributors won't or can't provide them. This is not a supply issue, it seems to be something more mysterious. I can source wheels and tires from TireRack from the US but am reluctant about shipping/duty etc. Tire Trends will also provide packages which include ASA JH3 with Blizzaks at about $2100.00 - again concerns about shipping but at least I'm dealing Canadian. Does anyone from this part of the world have solutions to offer more locally? And I'm really stumped over the story from my local tire guy - again, anyone have an explanation to offer? Sorry for the long winded first posting but look forward to active participation in the future.

I ended up going with the BMW 17" / Blizzak package for my 330i sedan, primarily because they could roll them into my lease (which at 3.4% softens the $3k blow a little). Sourcing wheel and tire packages locally didn't seem to be a problem in Calgary, though.

In addition to the overpricing, I'm also disappointed in the Blizzaks themselves. They haven't performed nearly as well in the Calgary snow as my last two sets of Michelin Pilot Alpins.

[335xi]

Go with tirerack, they have the best prices, the duty is not that much and shipping is cheap as well.

I have purchased two sets of wheels and one wheel and tire set from them and have always been very happy with the service, cost and speed of delivery.

They deliver to Canada no problem. Last set of tires I ordered from them (Dunlop Wintersport M3 225x45x18) were delivered two days after I ordered them, and I paid for regular shipping.

[ctgazer]

try contacting http://www.tirewerkes.com/ or check this link for e9x...

http://www.e90toronto.ca/forums/showthread.php?t=50

[halB]

You can get 17" ASA JH3 in Canada for around $170 CAD each. For my 06 530Xi I brought a set of Dunlop M3 on 17" ASA JH3 from Bramalea Tire in Brampton. The whole set cost just under $2,000 CAD back in November.

[picus]

I put my winters on stock wheels (the 18's), got them (hankook W300) from 1010tires.com, it was $770 shipped.

It's a good option if you're going aftermarket wheels, otherwise I'd say the ASA JH3 deal from tirerack is best.

[shipill]

Originally Posted by IanR

I'm new to this forum and am about to take delivery of a 335i sedan. I had been hoping that winter would break here in Waterloo and I could take delivery with the standard wheel and tire setup and then have the spring/summer/fall to figure out a solution to winter wheels and tires. With the temp. at -16C this morning and the snowbanks at about 6ft in height, I'm thinking better deal with it now. The dealer package is $3000.00 for the 158 and Blizzak LM-22, which I consider obscene. I visited my local tire shop and am told that they cannot get any wheels for BMW vehicles because the distributors won't or can't provide them. This is not a supply issue, it seems to be something more mysterious. I can source wheels and tires from TireRack from the US but am reluctant about shipping/duty etc. Tire Trends will also provide packages which include ASA JH3 with Blizzaks at about $2100.00 - again concerns about shipping but at least I'm dealing Canadian. Does anyone from this part of the world have solutions to offer more locally? And I'm really stumped over the story from my local tire guy - again, anyone have an explanation to offer? Sorry for the long winded first posting but look forward to active participation in the future.

Dude , I picked up my 335 coupe on 14 feb and the day after i picked up the car I got winter wheels and tires ( style 158 with blizzak tire, from bmw dealership ) It was on sale so I got them for 2500 $ including instalation ( parkview BMW ) if you have time come to toronto and get these wheels for 2500 $ but before coming toronto call them .

[marcvtec]

I did the tire rack deal was $ 1900 +- a few loonies
Dunlop M3 DSST JH3 17"

[IanR]

marcvtec:

Did you get any brokerage fees, etc in addition or was that the total cost?

[M4TW]

I'd like to hear from anyone out west who went the Tire Rack route and how it paned out.

Doing the currency exchange on Tire Rack's rims, tires, mounting, and shipping and then assuming I'd pay GST, PST and a 6% tariff for "road wheels and the parts and accessories thereof" I came about about $1,000 less than what BMW would charge.

This would leave me with enough to buy a sweet radar detector and still pocket about $400.

[spacedogg]

Originally Posted by Sparkplug

I'd like to hear from anyone out west who went the Tire Rack route and how it paned out.

Doing the currency exchange on Tire Rack's rims, tires, mounting, and shipping and then assuming I'd pay GST, PST and a 6% tariff for "road wheels and the parts and accessories thereof" I came about about $1,000 less than what BMW would charge.

This would leave me with enough to buy a sweet radar detector and still pocket about $400.

What I did was have them shipped to a US postal outlet (The Letter Carrier in Blaine) and I picked the wheels up. Paid GST & PST of course. I also saved on shipping and brokerage fees on top of TireRack's cheaper price (since I was doing the brokering heh). Calculated it out...but ended up saving approximately $300 - $400 to what the local tire shop was offering their "best" price on the exact same setup.

And of course saved thousands compared to the dealership.

[Jaws]

Originally Posted by Sparkplug

I'd like to hear from anyone out west who went the Tire Rack route and how it paned out.

Doing the currency exchange on Tire Rack's rims, tires, mounting, and shipping and then assuming I'd pay GST, PST and a 6% tariff for "road wheels and the parts and accessories thereof" I came about about $1,000 less than what BMW would charge.

This would leave me with enough to buy a sweet radar detector and still pocket about $400.

I've bought tires/rims for the S2000 and winter tires for the E90 from TR. Your estimates are about right, but add about $80-100 for brokerage fees from UPS. You can also buy from 1010tires.com or tiretrends.com. They are both out of the Vancouver area. I just bought Beyern Mesh rims from 1010 and everything went well. BTW, 1010 has free shipping right now.

[spacedogg]

Just to clarify if you ship from US you will have to pay:

GST 6%
PST 7% (for BC anyway)
Duty 6%
Brokerage Charge (charged by the shipping company)
Shipping from US (extra cost shipping to Canada)

If you ship to a US drop point, pick them up and declare them yourselves then you save on the brokerage charge and shipping as shipping charges within the US is always cheaper.

If the tires or rims are made in the US or Mexico, make sure you say that as you shouldn't have to pay duty in that case.

[YYZguy]

get them shipped to a US tire dealer, install them, throw your dirty OEM in the trunk, and then tell customs you bought 4 used OEM rim+ tires for 500$ cash!

[spacedogg]

Originally Posted by YYZguy

get them shipped to a US tire dealer, install them, throw your dirty OEM in the trunk, and then tell customs you bought 4 used OEM rim+ tires for 500$ cash!

Yah I'm not sure I would recommend doing that. I've seen my share of cars being impounded by people who don't declare properly. It doesn't look like fun. I saw a E90 in the impound lot last time I was crossing border too. It's just not worth it.

Now here's a comparison if you do it the legit way. It should tell you how much you will save with each method. Like I said before, I prefer to buy online from TireRack and have them ship to the US where I do pick up. For all scenarios I have used the ASA JH3 17" wheels with Dunlop SP Wintersport 3D tires (which are the ones I got). Also shipping, tax rates and tire levies are calculated for BC...so may vary for other provinces.

A. TireRack (You pick up from US)
4 x Tires = $396 USD
4 x Rims = $564 USD
Shipping within US (ground) = $89 USD
=============================
Subtotal $1049 USD = $1230.63 CDN
Duty/PST/GST on wheels/tires (19%) = $213.19 CDN
--------------------------------------
TOTAL = $1443.82 CDN

B. TireRack (ship to Canada)
4 x Tires = $396 USD
4 x Rims = $564 USD
Shipping to Canada (ground) = $195 USD
=============================
Subtotal $1155 USD = $1354.65 CDN
Duty/PST/GST on wheels/tires (19%) = $213.19 CDN
Brokerage fee = $80 CDN approx. (may be more or less)
--------------------------------------
TOTAL = $1647.84 CDN

C. Buying locally from Tiretrends.com with shipping
4 x Tires = $1017.80 CDN
4 x Rims = $757.80 CDN
Shipping included
=============================
Tire Levy $18.08
PST = $124.29 CDN
GST = $106.54 CDN
--------------------------------------
TOTAL = $2024.51 CDN

Let me know if I've screwed up my calculations...but I think that's right.

NOTE TO SELF: Damn...I should stop doing these types of calculations and just do my darn taxes.

[M4TW]

No point doing your taxes when the computers are down. Your time is better spent finding ways for me to save money on my tires.

I like the tires and rims you picked and shipping method #2 appeals to me since a trip over the border and back would cost me more than I would save.

Since I am getting my car mid-May I am going to hold off ordering until early fall. Or should I be ordering off-season for a better deal?

Either way this is a + $1,000 saving over getting the tires from BMW!!!!

Do you have a picture of your car with the winter tires on it? And why did you go with the Dunlops and how are they?

[spacedogg]

Originally Posted by Sparkplug

Do you have a picture of your car with the winter tires on it? And why did you go with the Dunlops and how are they?

Tonnes of other users who have photos of the ASA JH3s. Here's two thread:

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10216
http://www.e90post.com/forums/showpo...9&postcount=19

Personally, I don't think they look GREAT...but for a winter tire, they're not bad. In fact, I actually prefer them to my current summer 161s (which is a bad sign when you prefer the look of your winter tires to your summer tires).

I went with Dunlop Wintersport 3Ds versus the Dunlop M3s because A) they are a newer tire and B) I do not need/want a runflat winter tire (the M3 comes in runflat or non-runflat versions). I bought a tire flat fix kit (Conti kit) from TireRack as well.

My comments on the Dunlops? They're great! (cue Tony the Tiger from Frost ed Flakes). I had no problems this winter. Except on one day I was able to stop properly in icy conditions with ABS kicking in...the bozo following closely behind me in his Jeep Grand Cherokee couldn't so he ended up rear-ending me. Frickin' SUV drivers who think they are invincible... *grumble grumble*

It doesn't snow much out here on the west coast, so I picked a winter tire that would handle more slush and rainy conditions more than true snow and icy conditions. Winters here are usually mild with temperatures around -1 to 3 degrees at night and 4-6 degrees during the day. It snowed about four times this season...and every day it did snow...I found these tires to be very dependable. Didn't see a single BMW out on the roads. Funny passing by all the other SUVs that were slowly tip-toeing along in the right lane. HAR!!! From my experience, they seem to be excellent in the snow.

If you need more ice traction, the popular saying seems to be that you should get the Bridgestone Blizzak . They have a softer rubber compound...but it will wear significantly faster than the Dunlops. And the softer rubber compound is only is on top part of the tread so once the tires wear down, the rest of the tire doesn't have the same ice traction.