Question for the group...

I have ordered an X5 50i M-Sport with 20" wheels and need to get real winter wheels/tires as I live in Ohio and we get some snow and it is fairly cold for most of the winter making the summer RFTs very dangerous.

Currently the two options I am considering are both 20" wheels since I do not really want to down size the wheels due to vanity...

I can either go with Staggered X6M reps at 9.5" and 10.5" sizes with the Pirelli Scorpio winter tires in the 275/40/20 and 315/35/20 sizes with TMPS and shipped for ~$2600...

OR

I can do the same wheel in a non-staggered setup 9.5" all around and get Blizzack LM-25s 275/45/20 for about $2100 shipped with TPMS. I would probably have to add a 3cm spacer in the rear so the rears arent tucked under the fender flares too much. That adds ~$200 for a total cost of $2400.

Thoughts? $200 less to run a smaller size in rear for "better" snow traction but then I have to deal with taking spacers on and off every winter and spring...

Also, are the LM-25s discontinued since they are discounting them? That would be a pain if you got a flat...

Thanks for your thoughts,
X