Winter Tire Advice

[SSwitch]

Hey gang. I have a 2011 535i on order - should be arriving in December. I have the Sport package (19" light alloy V-spoke wheels style 331-with performance run-flat tires). I did not want to get the X-DRIVE because I felt a noticeable difference in performance and handling, which means that I now have to account for winter tires. I went to the dealer to ask for a recommendation, and my sales manager said something about a package and something about it costing between $2,000 and $2,500, at which point I blacked out. When the I came to, I asked... "why so much?". He mentioned something about the 535i needing special tires, yada-yada-yada. Given that I have run-flat summer tires, with no spare, I wonder if I also should get run-flat winter tires, if they even exist, etc. Does anyone have any words of wisdom that they can bestow upon me? What might be the best set of winter tires for a 2011 535i (i.e. brand, product)? About how much should they cost? I live in NJ, so I am also wondering at what point I should consider putting them on the car - i.e. is it okay to have them on, so long as it is cold out? Thanks. Signed, Mr. Novice.

[mryakan]

The cost is high because BMW OEM wheels are expensive and dealers charge almost 2x for tires. Just go to tirerack.com and see what they recommend for your car, you will probably pay much less. Stick with the runflats, they are much more convenient in the winter and not really that much more expensive.

[Schnell325]

I have 2 2011 335xi's that I take care of.

From the BMW dealer (Canadian) it was $3,500 for ONE car, and I got 9 (4 for one car, 4 for the other and 1 for a spare) for $3,900. (and that would have been $7,900 from the dealer for the same product, all things considered)

Do the math.

[mryakan]

I have 2 2011 335xi's that I take care of.

From the BMW dealer (Canadian) it was $3,500 for ONE car, and I got 9 (4 for one car, 4 for the other and 1 for a spare) for $3,900. (and that would have been $7,900 from the dealer for the same product, all things considered)

Do the math.
In Canada it is even much worse since we get raped on tire/wheel prices due to our lousy national competitiveness. I got my tires/wheels from the US (tirerack) and saved 50% of what I would have payed here outside the dealer, so just image the savings vs the dealer.
The same tire I got for 160 is 300+ at the cheapest place here.

[musclesam]

Moved from California to Indiana. Hoping I figure out this driving in the snow crap quickly. I guess I got the right car though.

[samger2]

I work for a BMW dealer and I can attest to what Myrakan has said...we're so expensive because A) they're OEM wheels...and B) we don't get good deals going through our BMW tire program, so we therefore can't offer great deals to the customer.

Go to Tirerack.com, you'll save at least $500 if not more

[Shadowline335is]

You may also want to consider going to a smaller wheel/tire size for winter. I have a 2011 335is and just bought my winter wheel/tire package from Tirerack.com. My OEM wheels are 19" too. They look great but let's face it - with all that Jersey ice and salt a one inch difference will not be noticed in winter. The smaller wheels (I ordered 18's) will allow for a bit more sidewall height which will help soak up pot holes and road joint bumps.
As far as tirerack goes, I have dealt with them for years and they do a very nice job. Just have the sets shipped to an installer close by (some BMW Centers will do this) and they will mount them right up.
I checked into run flats for the winter as I have them on my "summer" wheels. There was less of a selection looking at run flats for winter. I chose to go with regular tires and purchased a tire repair kit/compressor from griotsgarage.com (another GREAT site!).
If you look at ordering just remember to also check into tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) sensors to go with the wheels. Tirerack charges around $200 for a set of four but this will save you having to swap them between wheels sets and having to buy a rebuild kit each time you do that.
One last point, the tires BMW uses on the 335 and 535 are pretty soft compounds. You can figure between 18-25K miles on a set with typical use. Most of us will but at least one new set in the first two years. By buying a winter wheel/tire combo you are essentially prepaying this cost as now you will be good for awhile.

[apes]

Great info. I'm new at this and looking at getting Run flat snows. It sounds like the best thing to do is get winter tires and wheels as a package and go with smaller size. I have never dealt with any of the recommended installers in my area, are they usually good and reliable?

[mryakan]

Great info. I'm new at this and looking at getting Run flat snows. It sounds like the best thing to do is get winter tires and wheels as a package and go with smaller size. I have never dealt with any of the recommended installers in my area, are they usually good and reliable?
Go with 17s and 225 width, that is ideal for your car.

[apes]

Any preference on tire, these are the 2 tire rack has? It looks like I can the wheels for a little over $100 plus TPMS.

Bridgestone Blizzak LM-25 RFT
Pirelli Winter 210 Sottozero RFT

[mryakan]

I got the Blizzaks. Haven't put them on, so I have no real feedback yet, but the review seemed somewhat better and the non-RFT Blizzaks always get good reviews.