BMW Newbee needs tires
 

I've only had my 2002 for 2 weeks now and I love it. Only thing she needs is a new set if tires. I need an all season tire with good handling.
I have a 3.0i with 235/65/17's I'd like to jump up to maybe a 255/65/17 on the same wheels if that's do-able.

So, I'm looking for recommendations.

Anyone ?

Michelin Energy MXV4 (the OEM tire for most 17 and 18 applications) provide a great ride, quiet, and excellent tread life (I got amost 70K from my original set).

also, make sure you keep the same aspect ratio - I would do 255/60R17

255/60/17
 

Did a little browsing last night and I like your idea. I was surprised that the 255/60/17 were the exact circ. as the stock 235/65/17.

I like the look of the slightly wider 255's. I'm leaning towards sticking with the Michelins but undecided at this point.

For long-life, I would get Mich Energies. I would not upsize (I see you're in WI so you actually want a skinner tire for snow)

For snow traction, I would get Bridgestone Dueler Alenzas or Goodyear Tripletred

For bang for buck, I would get Bridgestone Dueler Alenzas or Yoko Geolandars

I just did the tire search for my mom (in MN)

GL

Goodyear Tripletred, nice tires I just put them on my car and they are great tires, great traction in snow and nasty weather.

Sweet a fellow stick-shifter...6th gear I've always wondered, what rpm are you turning at 80 mph?

I would also look into Grabber HTS. They are new to the market - look them up in tire rack / consumer reports. They are very good in grip dry/wet and are good in snow. This would be for all season use and are categorized in the SUV/truck segment. However realize that they are a bit more robust, therefore a bit more harsh. The Continental Cross Contact LX is a good alternative.

The Michelins Energy are also nice, but have a bit less snow capability. They have a softer ride, as they are more of a passenger car tire.

I just put on a set of General Altimax HPs. They're uni-directional all-season. Love the tread pattern and have had them on a 318Ti. They are wicked in the rain on the X5 and perform excellent on dry. Snow was great as well most recently. No complaints. As far as tread life goes, I put the tires on @ 87K miles and I replaced the original Michelin Energy. That's amazing tread life for a tire but I wouldn't sacrifice grip for tread life.

I put Hakkapeliitta 5 on my X5 this past winter, and felt like was driving a new vehicle. These are truly fantastic tires for WI winter driving. On the OEM tires, I was always getting stuck or loosing traction. This never happened with the Nokians! But now I need a set of summer treads. Any ideas?