[Ronin76]

Hi All,

Ok, so I do not have my M2 yet but have a production number...YES!!

I live in the northeast so will eventually need a winter tire setup for next winter as I do not expect to get my car anytime soon. I have been doing research like many of you have and am finding it very difficult finding a 285/30/20 winter tire. So instead what I did was try to find tires what would have a wheel width range that would work for the OEM wheels. Below is what I found. It seems odd but I think it would work and was hoping someone more knowledgeable than me could tell me if it would be OK.

Here we go...

Fronts - 235/35/19 - specs say this tire would fit wheels 8" to 9.5" (OEM wheels are 9.5")

Rears - 295/30/20 - specs say this tire would fit wheels 10" to 11" (OEM wheels are 10.5")

What do you guys think? I know the front tires are actually narrower than OEM (by ALOT) and the rears are 10mm wider than OEM but I would think they would fit without issue.

Am I wrong?

[DBV]

I know people traditionally go narrower for winter setups, but that would be too narrow for me. I originally wanted Michelin Pilot Alpin 5s, just because I always want the "best" tires on the car. But they were backordered, ended up looking at what WAS available and went with Hankook ICept Evos. Same size as OEM 19/20 setup. Really good winter tire from my experience so far.

[Mr. Hankey]

Originally Posted by Ronin76

Here we go...

Fronts - 235/35/19 - specs say this tire would fit wheels 8" to 9.5" (OEM wheels are 9.5")

Rears - 295/30/20 - specs say this tire would fit wheels 10" to 11" (OEM wheels are 10.5")

Am I wrong?

Is this your only car? ie If there is an 8-16 inch snow event in your area will you HAVE to drive in it?

If so then I would go for studded tires that are narrower. If you can find it a 245-255 tire would be great for the front, 235 seems too narrow to me and might be stretched to the point that in deeper snow you will have some sidewall causing lift in the snow. You want the footprint of a snow tire to be as square as possible, stretching makes it more of a "U" and the sidewall could cause lift, and therefore loss of traction, in deeper snow - that 235 will be stretched and not ideal even though it will technically work.

You can get a 275/35 R20 for the rears. You can get a 245 or 255 for the front 19s. For the rears I haven't personally found much else that will fit, but going wider if driving in snow not the best option but if its what you have then its what you have, but 275 being the narrowest option unless you go to a square setup with 9.5 rims....

Living in New England I run a 275 width all around and have done well, but not driving in snow deeper than 3-4 inches (and being lowered once it gets to 5 inches the entire bottom of the front part of the car is snow-plowing anyway)....hope that helps!

[Ronin76]

Originally Posted by Mr. Hankey

Is this your only car? ie If there is an 8-16 inch snow event in your area will you HAVE to drive in it?

If so then I would go for studded tires that are narrower. If you can find it a 245-255 tire would be great for the front, 235 seems too narrow to me and might be stretched to the point that in deeper snow you will have some sidewall causing lift in the snow. You want the footprint of a snow tire to be as square as possible, stretching makes it more of a "U" and the sidewall could cause lift, and therefore loss of traction, in deeper snow - that 235 will be stretched and not ideal even though it will technically work.

You can get a 275/35 R20 for the rears. You can get a 245 or 255 for the front 19s. I haven't found much else that will fit on the fronts unless you go to a square setup, but going wider if driving in snow not the best option but if its what you have then its what you have....

Living in New England I run a 275 width all around and have done well, but not driving in snow deeper than 3-4 inches (and being lowered once it gets to 5 inches the entire bottom of the front part of the car is snow-plowing anyway)....hope that helps!

Thanks for the reply. No we actually have my wife’s Audi Q3 we can use in the snow. I would only drive the M2 if there is a coating and just plain ole cold temps.

[Mr. Hankey]

Originally Posted by Ronin76

Thanks for the reply. No we actually have my wife’s Audi Q3 we can use in the snow. I would only drive the M2 if there is a coating and just plain ole cold temps.

In that case I've run a 275 setup all around and it has worked great for 8 years on my M3, and now on my M2. Enough width for traction and handling the weight of the car. If you get stuck in some snow or slush it has no issues. Maybe compromised compared to a 255 width in deeper snow but not by much, and does well with the patches of ice that you will encounter here or there and in parking garages. No need to get super-fancy with the widths.

I just put on 275/35 19 on the fronts and no rubbing without a spacer. I'm sure you could get a 275/30 20 for the rear (I think Nokian makes them, but I'm sure most manufacturers will have that size). The 295 out back shouldn't rub if that's the size you want, the 275 is a little stretched but not too badly.

[Ronin76]

Originally Posted by Mr. Hankey

In that case I've run a 275 setup all around and it has worked great for 8 years on my M3, and now on my M2. Enough width for traction and handling the weight of the car. If you get stuck in some snow or slush it has no issues. Maybe compromised compared to a 255 width in deeper snow but not by much, and does well with the patches of ice that you will encounter here or there and in parking garages. No need to get super-fancy with the widths.

I just put on 275/35 19 on the fronts and no rubbing without a spacer. I'm sure you could get a 275/30 20 for the rear (I think Nokian makes them, but I'm sure most manufacturers will have that size). The 295 out back shouldn't rub if that's the size you want, the 275 is a little stretched but not too badly.

I was able to find a set of vredestein wintrac pros in 275 all around. The fronts are perfect at 275/35/19. The rears may be stretched a little bit.

They have 275/30/20 but when looking at the “specs” of the this tire it says a wheel range of 9”-10”. That is a bit of a stretch right?

They also have a 275/35/20 and that tire appears to fit a wheel between 9”-11” but I was not sure if having the same aspect ratio of 35 for front and rear was a good idea. Maybe it is OK but I am not knowledgeable about wheel and tire fitment which is why I made the post.

[Mr. Hankey]

Originally Posted by Ronin76

I was able to find a set of vredestein wintrac pros in 275 all around. The fronts are perfect at 275/35/19. The rears may be stretched a little bit.

They have 275/30/20 but when looking at the “specs” of the this tire it says a wheel range of 9”-10”. That is a bit of a stretch right?

They also have a 275/35/20 and that tire appears to fit a wheel between 9”-11” but I was not sure if having the same aspect ratio of 35 for front and rear was a good idea. Maybe it is OK but I am not knowledgeable about wheel and tire fitment which is why I made the post.

The 275/35 20 will stretch a bit easier than the 275/30 20, but is an inch taller in diameter than your front tires.

The 275/30 20 vredestein is 26.5” diameter, the 275/35 20 is 27.6”. Stock Pirelli P-Zero is 26.6”…if you aren’t lowered the 35 profile should fit and not rub, and be slightly easier to mount…but the front 275/35 19’s in the front have a diameter of 26.6” making the 30 profile tire out back a better match. It will stretch but I don’t know how easy an install that would be on that rim, you’d have to ask an installer.

[apez]

There is definitely limited winter tires options for stock wheels, I was lucky to find a set.

You can also look for some all seasons with good winter performance for those cold and lightly snowy days if you have the luxury of choosing when you drive the M2. I think once my snow tires are gone I will go for the Continental DWS 06 or similar.

[Tag]

Winter tires are seasonal, so you won't see that many offerings this late in the year. You can check each tire manufacturers regional website to see what winter tires they offer or wait until September/October next year when their winter tire stocks are replenished.

[aerobod]

For use in any reasonable amount of snow, I would go with 255/40-19 winter tyres all around on either a 9.0” or 9.5” wide wheel. There is a good selection of tyres in this size and they are about the right width for the car weight to cut through slush, while still being able to use power well on dry roads.

On our Z4M I used 225/45-18 tyres on 18x8” wheels all around, that worked very well in our winter conditions, as the car was a daily driver. In summer I used 245/40-18 front and 275/35-18 rear tyres on the same car.

[Ronin76]

Originally Posted by aerobod

For use in any reasonable amount of snow, I would go with 255/40-19 winter tyres all around on either a 9.0” or 9.5” wide wheel. There is a good selection of tyres in this size and they are about the right width for the car weight to cut through slush, while still being able to use power well on dry roads.

On our Z4M I used 225/45-18 tyres on 18x8” wheels all around, that worked very well in our winter conditions, as the car was a daily driver. In summer I used 245/40-18 front and 275/35-18 rear tyres on the same car.

I understand but I am looking for winter tires that fit the OEM wheels which, for the rears, are 10.5" on 20s.

Again, as I will not have my car till the Spring (I hope) I have time to look but was wanting to get an idea of what is out there. Maybe Tag is correct, start looking in Sept/Oct?

[TallGibbs]

Ronin76 If you want to save yourself some $$$ I would highly recommend scouting the member classifieds in the M2, M3 and M4 forums. There is frequently winter wheels & tires for sale on there which are lightly used. Especially if you have an alternate vehicle in heavy snow.

I found a great deal on the used side for only $1,100 for 4 wheels and tires with less than 2,000 miles on them (19" satin bronze wheels look amazing on the car BTW).

I'm with Mr.Hankey and recommend the 275/35/19 square wheel setup.

[luckylingy]

I ran Michelin PA5 in the 275/35/R19 square set-up on my G82 M4 with no issues (actually performed quite well through two northern Michigan winters). I bought a second pair of 'front' rims and 12mm spacers for the rears; retained OEM stance and made matching F/R tire circumference (for xDrive) a non-issue.