Quote:
Originally Posted by brianray18
Anybody just using the stock rims and buying winter tires for the 19's and 20's or is that a bad idea?
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Just for context on the below, I'm in New Hampshire; our winters are no joke:
Short answer: I am using my stock 825M wheels w/Pirelli Sottozero 3's
Long answer: I wanted to maintain stock sizes for appearance. I'm going to buy some 826M bi-color wheels for the summer tires that are coming off my 825 wheels.
I couldn't find anything other than sottozero 3's on sites like tire rack, and by the time I made my decision, they were out of the rear size and told me it would be likely end of December/January before they got more.
By this point, I already knew my dealer had some, so I called and asked what else they had. I don't remember all the options, but the Michelin Alpin PA4 was one. I don't remember the options because I had researched a bit online and talked to tire shops in my area and they said the sottozeros are good winter tires, period.
Bottomline, my dealership basically price matched tire rack for the sottozero's, let alone had them in stock, and had other stock wheel size options for winters where nowhere else I looked did…and I personally never buy tires from the dealership due to mark up, but it was well worth it this time around.
I had a 2013 335xi which you can see in my garage in this forum still, and the less than 5 times I needed xdrive, I could have not been driving or used my wife's SUV.
I work from home, and have the luxury of an SUV when I need to go out in bad weather, so I'm in a position at 39 years old to drive my M3C this winter only when I know I'm good to (e.g after plowing).
Hope this helps you and others think through their position in making a decision what's best for you.
FWIW: the sottozero 3's go on my M3C on The 15th…always try to wait as close to those constant, below 40 temps, as I can before switching to winters. I'll post pics after they go on…my M3C is lowered on MSS springs and 15mm spacers all around; anxious to see what adjustments I'll need to make, if any.