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      01-06-2011, 10:41 AM   #1
dbs600
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Winter Tires

With winter run flat tires so hard to come by, especially for 20 inch wheels, has anyone installed conventional winter tires? If so, what size spare do you keep in your trunk, and where did you source it from? I'm thinking to do a conventional winter tire + donut setup for the winters...
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      01-06-2011, 11:26 AM   #2
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I bought the winter tire package from BMW (they come complete with BMW rims). The winter tires are RFT. If I recall correctly, they are Pirelli Sottozero II.
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      01-06-2011, 03:07 PM   #3
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It doesn磘 make sence to buy 20创winter tires, because for it size their winter capicities wont be good. Go for a 19创 complete set you can buy of your dealer, the smaller the tire the better the winter capabilities are.
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      01-06-2011, 03:53 PM   #4
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I live in northern Minnesota. We average over 70 inches of snow a winter and over the years I have driven every type of tire you can think of in the winter months.
I have been driving a Cayenne Turbo S with dedicated 20" snow tires the last three winters with no problems at all. My wife has had four SUV's in a row and always uses the stock all seasons with no problems (usually 18").
I am trading the Cayenne for a 750i xDrive M Sport this weekend 500 miles from home. I am putting non-run flat Michelin Pilot Sport AS Plus tires on the 20" M Sport wheels. I'll let you know in a couple weeks how they are in the snow, but I am not at all concerned.
I am going to be going spareless, and carry a flat tire safety kit (I have a Continental ContiComfort Kit). Hopefully that won't be a problem.
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      01-07-2011, 11:32 PM   #5
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Did I read this right? You're trading in a Cayenne Turbo S for a 750xi M? In northern Minnesota? You're kidding, right?
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      01-09-2011, 03:53 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BlackSaphire View Post
Did I read this right? You're trading in a Cayenne Turbo S for a 750xi M? In northern Minnesota? You're kidding, right?
Nope. Not kidding. Took a long time to decide between X5 M and 750 M Sport but in the end the 750 won out. I'm ready for a change.
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      01-27-2011, 08:07 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by thijs-v-d-H View Post
It doesn磘 make sence to buy 20创winter tires, because for it size their winter capicities wont be good. Go for a 19创 complete set you can buy of your dealer, the smaller the tire the better the winter capabilities are.
Not true...I live in the mountains of Utah and have a 2011 750li x M Sport with Pirelli Sottozero Serie II 240 run flats on the 20" factory M Sport wheel. I have had the car in the most extreme snow and ice conditions this winter and the traction and stopping is phemomenal. You have to buy these tires in September or you want get them.
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      01-28-2011, 08:15 AM   #8
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I think what thijs-v-d-H was referring to is not the actual diameter of the overall tire but rather the rim. The smaller the rim for the same size tire, the more sidewall you have and the better the traction in deep snow.
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      01-30-2011, 12:46 AM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by xDrive50i View Post
I think what thijs-v-d-H was referring to is not the actual diameter of the overall tire but rather the rim. The smaller the rim for the same size tire, the more sidewall you have and the better the traction in deep snow.
The sidewall has little to no bearing on snow and ice traction. Snow/ice tires have a specific tread compound. Arguably a 20" snow/ice tire is going to have the same traction as a 19" snow/ice tire. I will take my 750 li x with snow/ice tires anywhere I will take either my GMC Duramax or Ford Super Duty. The only difference is in deep snow I am pushing it with the 750.
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      01-30-2011, 07:49 AM   #10
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Sidewall hight does matter. The higher/bigger the sidewall the more capabilities it has to flex, this counts for radial flex as well as vertical flex. Winter tires have deeper profile (12mm from new, normal tires 8mm) wich allows them the gripp better incombination with a different rubber compount which has more natural rubber instead of synthetic rubber. So the more the tires can flex the better it will be at creating gripp.

Off course 20创 will do the job as well, but just not as good as smaller ones.
Remember ALL tires are a compromise.

@m3m5m7 In your case I think a lot off the tracktion is down to X-drive, perhaps more than you would think. Watch this movie:

Mind this car is on 19创 summer tires, it offcourse not a lot of snow in this movie however it does show how good its traction is.

Best,

Thijs
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      01-30-2011, 06:07 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by thijs-v-d-H View Post
Sidewall hight does matter. The higher/bigger the sidewall the more capabilities it has to flex, this counts for radial flex as well as vertical flex. Winter tires have deeper profile (12mm from new, normal tires 8mm) wich allows them the gripp better incombination with a different rubber compount which has more natural rubber instead of synthetic rubber. So the more the tires can flex the better it will be at creating gripp.

Off course 20创 will do the job as well, but just not as good as smaller ones.
Remember ALL tires are a compromise.

@m3m5m7 In your case I think a lot off the tracktion is down to X-drive, perhaps more than you would think. Watch this movie:

Mind this car is on 19创 summer tires, it offcourse not a lot of snow in this movie however it does show how good its traction is.

Best,

Thijs
X drive does absolutely nothing to stop the vehicle. Traction from stopping is a direct result of the snow/ice tire rubber compound and tread design. There would be no difference in snow/ice performance with the same tire in 19" or 20" that you would ever benefit from. Trust me.... I have run them both on multiple BMWs, Porsches and Audis. Kindly
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      01-31-2011, 01:24 AM   #12
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Agreed stopping power is entirely down to the tires. But explain me why BMW offers 18创 235 wide around the car as a winter option for the M3...
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      01-31-2011, 12:24 PM   #13
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I know it doesn't directly apply to our cars, but correct me if I am wrong, aside from the compound that the tire is made out of, isn't being as narrow as possible one of the more important traits of good snow tires? The wider the tire, the more difficult it is to cut through snow, as it is met with additional resistance when trying to pack / drive through same.

I've come to learn that the Pirelli run flats mentioned are really good 20" winter tires, but that they are very expensive, a limited run, and sell out super quick.

Otherwise, is it true that run flat tires contribute to high level of the road noise we experience in our 7's, and that a conventional tire setup helps mitigate same?

Last edited by dbs600; 01-31-2011 at 12:30 PM..
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      02-01-2011, 11:04 AM   #14
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Yes the more narrow the tires are the more pressure per square inch the more gripp you create with wintertires. And this makes sence on our cars to, since a 19创 set is 245 around and 20创 has widder wheels in the back.

In my opinion the road noise we do hear comes from the windsheeld.
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      02-01-2011, 08:11 PM   #15
dbs600
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Hmm... In all, when the time comes for new tires, I'm seriously considering conventional all-seasons as well as a small, yet capable, spare / donut for the trunk.

Does anyone have any spare / donut recommendations?

The thing is that with run flats, it's hard to even find all-seasons in 20 inches, as tirerack.com only has the two that come with our vehicles: Pirelli PZero and Goodyear Excellence, both of which are summer / performance tires.

Otherwise, not sure how switching to non-run flat tires will affect my 5 BMW Tire and Wheel Protection insurance plan, should I need to file a claim...!?
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