[Blacktemplar]

Taking delivery of my G87 this week, which looks to be shod with summer PZeroes. It’ll be my daily driver, though now I’m retired my mileage is pretty low. I’m based in lowland Scotland, so not too far beyond The Wall.

Given how little snow we seem to get in the UK, and generally mild/wet winters, what’s everyone’s take on changing wheels/tyres in the colder months? - particularly those who’ve run their car through last winter which seems to be fairly typical.

I previously ran a RWD F31 330i and had a set of winters for that, but didn’t bother when I moved to an X3 M40i and just ran that on PZero summers which were fine, albeit with X drive.

Very conscious that the G87 is a vastly different beast from either, and with that amount of torques going to the rears I really don’t want to bin it before we get to summer. That said, it was 12-14C here at times in July, and we rarely get much below freezing in recent years.

Interested to hear opinions, and as always the expectation is for the forum to help me spend more money…

[verysideways]

I'm in Scotland at the moment in a G87 and the grip from the tyres is appalling.
This is just on damp roads with leaves. it's not even that cold yet!

You'll want a set of winters (second set of wheels).

[Blacktemplar]

Ooft… thanks for that…

Are you running the 240i with Xdrive? If so that’s concerning as I’m moving to it’s RWD big brother.

I’ve watched a lot of YouTube footage of various testers including your mate Joe running the G87 last autumn/winter and nobody mentioned it being a bit squirrelly in the cold/damp.

To an extent I suppose it depends on how enthusiastic you are with the loud pedal, but doesn’t bode well for when the temperatures drop.

What rubber are you running? - Michelin or Pirelli seem to be the stock options in the UK. If I need to change to make mine driveable then I guess it’s cross climates vs full winters.

[verysideways]

Good afternoon from the north coast :-)

Ran the 240's during 2022, they were damn good actually. Too soft for the European stuff but perfect for Scotland and/or as a daily.

Currently in a pair of G87 M2's, one red and one black.
Have been through a few sets of PS4S this year, one of the cars is on Goodyear Eagle SS and one is still on PS4S, the Eagles have a slightly stiffer carcass so great for turn in but not quite as comfortable.

I'm actually running the CrossClimate 2's on my i4 at the moment and they're pretty good but you'll never be able to use full throttle (ever!). They're squirmy at less than 300hp.

I'd suggest PS4S for your summers and a separate set of full winters if that's a possibility.

[Blacktemplar]

And a grand part of the world it is too... hope the weather's not being too unkind

Thanks for that. As you say, putting close to 500bhp and 550nm torque trough the rears could prove 'interesting' to say the least on summer rubber through a Scottish winter.

The M2 is a retirement gift/last petrol hurrah, and most of my driving will be of the 'pottering about town' nature at least in the short term, but I guess it doesn't take much to overcook the throttle on the G87. I'm also of an age where 'spirited' driving means me running out of meagre talent long before the car runs out of grip!

Looks like I'll need to cough up for a set of full winters... it's only money...

Pushing my luck here, but what would you recommend? Some seem to prefer a square 19x9.5 setup, others stick with the staggered OEM pattern.

Cheers

[TallGibbs]

Blacktemplar seems like you already have your answer (which I agree with, get winter wheels & tires). Further evidence towards this decision: read Yokohama's specs on this page (my car came with the Yoko tires which is why I read this link).

Search for "minimum" and it will take you to the paragraph about temperature considerations, which I'm sure will apply in the UK still. Especially note that the concerns are NOT just grip related: risk of cracking the tire/rubber when the temps are cold because the rubber loses its elasticity. Especially on a low profile tire like our OEM tires.

https://tire.yokohama.ca/season/highperformance

[Blacktemplar]

Originally Posted by TallGibbs

Blacktemplar seems like you already have your answer (which I agree with, get winter wheels & tires). Further evidence towards this decision: read Yokohama's specs on this page (my car came with the Yoko tires which is why I read this link).

Search for "minimum" and it will take you to the paragraph about temperature considerations, which I'm sure will apply in the UK still. Especially note that the concerns are NOT just grip related: risk of cracking the tire/rubber when the temps are cold because the rubber loses its elasticity. Especially on a low profile tire like our OEM tires.

https://tire.yokohama.ca/season/highperformance

Thanks for that. Interesting you linked to the Yokohama site - that's one of the few (only?) sets of winters that can be had in the OEM staggered setup here in the UK.

Have you used the Yoko's yourself?

[TallGibbs]

Originally Posted by Blacktemplar

Thanks for that. Interesting you linked to the Yokohama site - that's one of the few (only?) sets of winters that can be had in the OEM staggered setup here in the UK.

Have you used the Yoko's yourself?

I’ve only used the Yoko summer tires. Winter tires I normally run Blizzaks on past cars. Haven’t don’t a winter yet in the G87 but will shortly 😀

[Blacktemplar]

Been digging about a bit for UK options that don't require the sale of internal organs, and came across an outfit called Driftworks who sell the Japan Racing wheels. They have quite a few decent-looking bronze options available. OK, they're a budget cast wheel, probably a little heavier than the OEM 930M's but for winter use they're not too bad. Seem to get reasonable reviews as far as I can tell.

They also do a 1000M lookalike for a bit more;

https://www.driftworks.com/japan-rac...oy-wheels.html

Getting offset winter tyres in the UK is a bit more of a challenge, however Asda Tyres supply the Yokohama BluEarth V905/906 at a reasonable price, so it's possible to retain the staggered setup.

Anyone got any experience of either of these? just over £2K seems like a very reasonable outlay for the 3-4 months of the year these will be needed.

.

[verysideways]

Originally Posted by Blacktemplar

And a grand part of the world it is too... hope the weather's not being too unkind

Pushing my luck here, but what would you recommend? Some seem to prefer a square 19x9.5 setup, others stick with the staggered OEM pattern.

Cheers

We love Scotland in all weathers - it's always beautiful and majestic and spectacular. Sometimes the dark clouds just add to the scenery.

I usually just check what bmw.de offer for winter sets, and they're usually square rather than staggered...

Here's what it says when i put my VIN in:
https://www.bmw.de/de/shop/ls/dp/physical-goods/901077

[Blacktemplar]

Originally Posted by verysideways

We love Scotland in all weathers - it's always beautiful and majestic and spectacular. Sometimes the dark clouds just add to the scenery.

I usually just check what bmw.de offer for winter sets, and they're usually square rather than staggered...

Here's what it says when i put my VIN in:
https://www.bmw.de/de/shop/ls/dp/physical-goods/901077

That it is. Though living without sunlight for 11 months of the year is a bugger. Not like the sunlit uplands of the Cotswolds

Much as I’d love to give BMW more of my pension fund, I think I’ll stick with aftermarket rather than OEM. Given I’ll only run winters for maybe 3/4 months a year, spending that kind of money feels extravagant.

[verysideways]

Originally Posted by Blacktemplar

That it is. Though living without sunlight for 11 months of the year is a bugger. Not like the sunlit uplands of the Cotswolds

Much as I’d love to give BMW more of my pension fund, I think I’ll stick with aftermarket rather than OEM. Given I’ll only run winters for maybe 3/4 months a year, spending that kind of money feels extravagant.

Oh i agree, but there are often bargains to be had on German ebay for lightly used genuine BMW stuff, or just trying and replicate the sizes and offsets they use with your aftermarket stuff.