Snow Tyres
 

Hi Guys,

The time has come to swap the summer rims for the winter, I have grabbed a set of BMW 19 inch rims at a good price, just need some advice on Snow Tyres. Which makes and models do you guys recommend for 19 inch rims ??

Online purchasing would be great if you know somewhere, with delivery in Europe of course :)

Thanks

W.

Pirelli Scorpions have a good review but your best bet is to go to www.tirerack.com to compare sizes and brands.

Hope that helps, nice ride BTW. :thumbup:

Just my opinion, but the 19" rims are probably not the best for snow tires. I would recommend the 17" or 18". I myself have the 18" style 69's for my winter setup, with a set of Bridgestone Blizzak LM-22's.

I have the same exact setup as Jeff (18" style 69's with Blizzak LM-22's). I just put them on yesterday. Great in snow and ice as evidenced by performance in last year's Maine winter. I wouldn't go any larger than an 18" rim as well.

I've never lived anywhere with a real 'winter'. Maybe it's a blessing? I don't have to worry about new tires/rims, snowblowers, and the sort. But anyways, why are 19's not as good?

snow tires are best in 17" or 18" b/c the wider the tire, the less traction on snow and ice. i am trading out my stock 20s for 18" rims w/pirelli scorpions. not too excited about the change in look and feel, but from everthing i've heard, stock tires on the 4.8is are like skates on ice and snow.

I inquired at Tirerack and was told they didn't have a 19 inch dedicated winter tire that could fit the wider 19 x 10.0 rear wheels of the typical staggered 19" set-up on a BMW. So that ended my attempt (regardless if 17" or 18" are better in snow) to use the optional 19" Style 132s or any BMW 19" wheels for both winter and summer seasons. I have purchased a set of Style 87 replicas with 255/55/18 Pirelli Scorpion Snow & Ice as a dedicated winter set from LT&W, which will be installed when my '06 4.4 Sport arrives in a few weeks.

<-- Tire noob :banghead:

Can someone tell me why less tire surface area = more traction?

The wider the surface area = less pounds per square inch. The longert the ski the faster you go = the less friction. The wider the tire = the less traction

I just got the Scorpion Ice and snows put on my factory 18's. We only got a few inches of snow, but it is GRABBING the road. Definately seems to be a great tire if you need snow traction. The one change is it does feel a lot "softer" than the stock Michelin MXVK 4+

That makes so much sense, thanks. :thumbup:

If you're stuck with the OEM 19's, about the only Tire that people have in stock that fits the staggered 9"-10" front and rears are the Toyo S/T's. Rated as an all season, apparently the local high end tire shop around here has been putting them on Porsche Chayenns this season with owners raving about them....so.....i ordered a set for some 19"s i have, i will post when i get up to the snow with them. (I dont think the 18's would fit over my 14" front brakes, (4.8is). My 2 centz.

Hey B-A-R

18s would definately fit over your 14 inch brakes of you X. 17s dont fit

thanks for the comments and suggestions guys

i have been looking at

pirelli scorpion ice and snow 255/50/19

michelin x ice 255/50/19

all round, as they dont go wider for the back 10 rims. and less width the better in the snow.

tough decision which to buy !!!!

Both are excellent tires. I own them both running the Michelins on my '06 Honda Odyssey Touring and the Pirellis on my '05 X5 4.4. I love them both but feel that the Pirellis are the better choice for the X5 as they have marginally better dry handling so are slightly better suited to a high powered, performance 4X4 like the X5. They compromise a slight amount of snow and ice traction, but it is only a small amount and is essentially negated (IMO) by the 4wd and the improvement in dry handling.

Regardless, you can't go wrong with either.