# Which winter tires to choose...



## OBS3SSION (Oct 1, 2002)

I'll be taking delivery of my 330i in the dead of winter, so I'll want to have some snow tires mounted up on wheels ready for the day I bring her home. Problem is choosing the tire. I'll be mounted them on a set of 16" AT Italia Type 5's, so the tire size is 205/55R16.

My criteria is good dry handling and low road noise while maintaining good bad weather traction and tread wear. Yeah... sounds like I want the "perfect tire"... and I do.

Choice 1: Dunlop Wintersport. Seems to be rated as a great all-around winter tire, and at ~$90 each, how can you go wrong?

Choice 2: Toyo Garit HT. I've always liked the other Toyo tires I've had, and Toyo always seems to be rated high as a brand, but for between $120-140 each, are they worth it?

Choice 3: I don't have any other choices... yet.


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## geomax (Dec 22, 2001)

Is the AT Italia Type 5's the one 16" wheel that will fit a 330?

Dunlop Winter Sport M2, Blizzaks, Alpins - they're all good. A lot of 330 owners here tend to favor the 225/45/17 Blizzak LM-22 though....But you're out in Western MA, so I imagine you're looking for Max snow/ice traction?? Where will you be driving the most?


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## Mystikal (Dec 20, 2001)

I was about to post the Consumer Reports article, but when I opened the thread I noticed that you had already seen and replied to it.

FWIW, I absolutely love my Pirelli 210 Snowsports, and was out pushing the E30 for the past couple days with Nokian NRW's on, and they grip about 250% better in the wet than the summer setup, which are Bridgestone RE930's. Now, the funny thing is they grip in the dry better too. :yikes: Same kind of deal with my E46, the Pirelli 210's grip _almost_ as well as the Contisports in the summer, and that disadvantage is most likely due to the siginificant size difference (195/65/15 vs. 225/50/16) than the tire itself. These new generation winters are incredible! :thumbup:


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## Ack (Mar 16, 2002)

I've had the Blizzak LM-22's (225/45/17's) on my car the last two weeks. No snow yet but the dry and wet handling are pretty damn good for a winter tire. The road noise is about the same as my Contisports. They don't grip as well as the Conti's in the dry but at least feel like they handle better in the wet.


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## nate (Dec 24, 2001)

My winter tires grip great dry and wet :angel: :angel:


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## OBS3SSION (Oct 1, 2002)

nate328Ci said:


> *My winter tires grip great dry and wet :angel: :angel: *


Thank you for rubbing that in!!! 

I guess these Toyo Garit HT's are pretty new. Anyone seen a review on them, or know anyone who's tried them out?


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## geomax (Dec 22, 2001)

OBS3SSION said:


> *
> 
> Thank you for rubbing that in!!!
> 
> I guess these Toyo Garit HT's are pretty new. Anyone seen a review on them, or know anyone who's tried them out? *


Here's a few:

1010Tires.com


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## jderry (Sep 24, 2002)

*another vote...*

for the LM-22's -- handle great. The Blizzak WS-50's are pure, pure, winter tires. However, those will wear quickly in dryer conditions. I think the LM-22's are a good balance. Extremely good in wet/snow (2-3 inches...if you are driving around in higher accumulations, you shouldn't be driving the bimmer...  ).... on ice, luckily, haven't had to REALLY test their abilities (freezing rain but not sticking)....

I've heard good thing about the Pirelli's as well. I don't think -- you can really go wrong with any of the major three. After that, it comes down to personal preference. Some swear by LM-22s's, some Blizzaks, some pirelli's, etc.


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## Dr. Phil (Dec 19, 2001)

nate328Ci said:


> *My winter tires grip great dry and wet :angel: :angel: *


:tsk:

Those smaller tires do work better in bad weather:flipoff: :flipoff:


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## ChrisTO (Jan 24, 2002)

my 2 canadian cents...

i hear that the Toyos have really soft compound treads. my coworker purchased a set of Toyos and was told by the tire shop to get them off by April as the heat will kill the tires.(anything over 11C)

as for me...Nokian Haka 1s are splendid for winter. if they are good enough for the Finnish i'm sure they are good enough for us NA. Nokian probably offers the largest selection of winter snow tires of all tire manufacturers. most other tire companies offer 1 or 2 models whereas Nokian offers a dozen or so.

http://www.tc.gc.ca/roadsafety/topics/winter/wtirlise.htm


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## Pete Teoh (Jan 27, 2002)

I just got LM-22s installed on my car tonight. There's no snow on the ground yet, so all I can tell you is that they handle great on dry pavement. They're also quieter than the stock Bridgestone Turanza ER30s I have. Handling is comparable.

Can't wait for that first snow storm to try it out. :thumbup:


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## '02-325XiT (Jul 27, 2002)

I put on a set of Michelin Pilot Alpins (205/50/16) on my 325 Xi wagon for the winter, and while I haven't had a chance to drive them in snow yet, I'm quite happy with the the dry / wet handling so far.

One note of caution, if you are buying a set of wheels and tires to keep for winter use, make sure they will fit properly. I have 17" SP BMW wheels for my summer tires, but decided to buy 16" wheels for the winter set (saves a few $). The first set of wheels I tried (16x7.5, advertised to fit BMW, 5 hole, 120 pattern) actually just touched the control arm bushing that sticks out beyond the brake shields in the front, and I had to change to a different wheel.


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## ak330i (Jul 17, 2002)

*LM22 and 16" beware*

First, as mention before, 16" wheels do not clear 330i brakes, except a few special ones. Make sure you ask.

As for LM22, tirerack told me that when the softer outer layer is worn, it becomes a regular summer performance tire with the hard rubber. I end up getting 215/45R17 Michelin Pilot Alpins.

For max snow and ice traction, go with winter tires that are specifically designed for ice surface, such as bridgestone MZ-01. Also go with narrower tires (205 instead of 225).


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## OBS3SSION (Oct 1, 2002)

The wheel I'm getting is the AT Italia Type 5 16", which is the ONLY 16" wheel Tire Rack has that fits a 330i SP. I saw on one of the boards another person with a 330 successfully using them. Oh, and it's also nice that they are a reproduction of an actual BMW wheel (who knows... perhaps they were the OEM manufacturer for it.)

Anyway, the tire size I'm looking to get is the 205/55R16, so yes... I'm going for the narrower tire.

I'm trying to knock my local tire place down on the tire price for the Toyo Gariit HT's. They don't stock the Dunlops. But their price on the wheel is better than Tire Rack.


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## sshuit (Apr 15, 2002)

I got the Blizzak MZ-01's in 205/55/16's and of course once they were mounted the weather got 15 degrees warmer and there doesn't appear to be any snow on the horizon 

*sigh*

It's fricking november in Canada. Would it be too much to ask to get some fricking snow?

:banghead:


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## CD-55 (Dec 19, 2001)

OBS3SSION said:


> *The wheel I'm getting is the AT Italia Type 5 16", which is the ONLY 16" wheel Tire Rack has that fits a 330i SP. I saw on one of the boards another person with a 330 successfully using them. Oh, and it's also nice that they are a reproduction of an actual BMW wheel (who knows... perhaps they were the OEM manufacturer for it.)
> 
> Anyway, the tire size I'm looking to get is the 205/55R16, so yes... I'm going for the narrower tire.
> 
> I'm trying to knock my local tire place down on the tire price for the Toyo Gariit HT's. They don't stock the Dunlops. But their price on the wheel is better than Tire Rack. *


That is my exact winter set-up, same size tires and all. I have Blizzak LM-22's. They work fine and ride well. Even if there is no snow, I will switch to these as soon as the weather gets cooler. In cold weather, they really grip well, but if it warms to 70F, they give out. Summer tires are better in the heat, but in the winter it seems to even out.


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## Mystikal (Dec 20, 2001)

sshuit said:


> *
> 
> It's fricking november in Canada. Would it be too much to ask to get some fricking snow?
> 
> :banghead: *


That's why I have Pirelli Snowsports, I'm hardly sacrificing ANY traction.


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## berford (Sep 10, 2002)

Ack said:


> *I've had the Blizzak LM-22's (225/45/17's) on my car the last two weeks. No snow yet but the dry and wet handling are pretty damn good for a winter tire. The road noise is about the same as my Contisports. They don't grip as well as the Conti's in the dry but at least feel like they handle better in the wet. *


I got the same set up and have exactly the same reaction...so far. They feel good but not quite as good in the corners as the performance tires.


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## Sjumper (Jan 16, 2002)

I posted some of my early views of Dunlop WinterSport M2s in another thread. Now, after 2 weeks of driving with them in wet snow, rain, and dry, I am very impressed by them. They must have the stiffest side walls for any winter tire. In fact, they are probably stiffer than most summer performance tires. Cornering is excellent and comparable to the Bridgestone RE730 I use for summer tires. These are only 205/50/17. Very good traction during the bit of wet snow we got and no problem with rain. Braking is not as good but I think the tire width is the reason. Noise level is much lower than the RE730. It has been warm the last view days and the tires haven't behaved any differently.

The one thing I don't like is the tramlining (likely due to stiff sidewalls). I am used to tramlining since the RE730 are on the M68 staggered setup but I thought going with the 205 width would eliminate it. Oh well. Obviously, the stiff sidewall also makes the ride a little rough. It also results in a more "floaty" ride which is a little annoying.

Hopefully, unlike Geomax, I got 4 good tires.


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## geomax (Dec 22, 2001)

Sjumper said:


> *I posted some of my early views of Dunlop WinterSport M2s in another thread. Now, after 2 weeks of driving with them in wet snow, rain, and dry, I am very impressed by them. They must have the stiffest side walls for any winter tire. In fact, they are probably stiffer than most summer performance tires. Cornering is excellent and comparable to the Bridgestone RE730 I use for summer tires. These are only 205/50/17. Very good traction during the bit of wet snow we got and no problem with rain. Braking is not as good but I think the tire width is the reason. Noise level is much lower than the RE730. It has been warm the last view days and the tires haven't behaved any differently.
> 
> The one thing I don't like is the tramlining (likely due to stiff sidewalls). I am used to tramlining since the RE730 are on the M68 staggered setup but I thought going with the 205 width would eliminate it. Oh well. Obviously, the stiff sidewall also makes the ride a little rough. It also results in a more "floaty" ride which is a little annoying.
> 
> Hopefully, unlike Geomax, I got 4 good tires. *


Yes, I had some bad luck initially with them 

But Tirerack took the 2 tires back, no questions asked, and sent me out new ones, which made for a good set. Another reason I wanted to give Michelins a try - quality control.

I've been on the Pilot Alpins for a few days now, and the handling is respectable, but not on par with the Dunlops. They float more, but the grip does stick. Not as good in the rain as the Dunlops. In this regard, the Dunlops are outstanding. Michelins do have better ride quality though. Very smooth and quiet. It's hard to judge them right now though because the temps have been in the 50's (or above) and snow tires are optimized for lower temps, of course.


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