Snow tires and engine oil question.

[infamxkris]

hey guys i have a 09 e92 m3 with the stock 19s on them. Now i live in ny and its about that time where it starts snowing so i wanted to get a pair of snow tires. First question would i be able to just put them on my stock 19s and be fine for the snowstorms? or would i need new rims like 18s to drive better in the snow? Also can anyone tell me which ones are the best? ive heard alot about blizzaks.. also is wider worse for the snow conditions? lets say i was to get 295s instead of 265s or something would it be worse? and lastly i have wheel insurance from BMW and was wondering if i could just call them and ask to have insurance changed everytime i change my wheels and rims? or would it only cover the wheels and rims the car came with?

My other question is about engine oil. So recently i got my oil changed at bmw service center after 8k miles instead of the mandatory 15k.. so it wasnt covered under the free maintence.. i told them not to reset the idrive that has the engine oil information like how many miles till the due 15k service date. So they didnt reset it and just recently i looked to see my oil level and it was near low just how it read before i took it into service.. now is this because the idrive wasnt set? because last time i got my oil changed the oil level read low but after a couple days it changed the reading to full. But of course that time i had the idrive reset. Anyway its been about a week or 2 and its still reading low is this because of the no reset? or is it some other issue?

[BigHat]

Hard to find snows for the 19s and your instinct about 18s doing better is right on. Thinner is better too.

I have the wheel/tire insurance and I believe OEM gear alone is covered. You're on your own for damage to your winter wheels. They probably won't care if you take a nail in the snow tires on the OEM wheel, but that's not the best idea in my view.


Wheel and tire kits on Tire Rack's site to give you an idea of the options and read the tire reviews. Don't forget TPMs.

Regarding oil. iDrive resets the change interval, not the level reading, that's determined solely by the oil in the car as far as I know. If it's stays low follow the directions, wait for a one qt/liter low and add that amount. Don't screw around trying to out smart the system or you'll be draining oil before you know it. Of course, you could go back to the dealer and tell them about it and maybe they'll top it off for free.

[llis]

Depends upon conditions you're driving. There are quite a few threads on this topic. 18" staggered, 18" square, 19" staggered are all viable options. There's universal agreement, though, that you pay a price in "road salt" damage and potential tire-change wear on the wheels if you use your OEMs for the winter setup.

Here's what 18" A7s with Dunlop Wintersport 3Ds looks like.

[infamxkris]

can someone link me what type of rims and wheels i should i get from tire rack? for both front and rear? this is my first time buying wheels and dont have a clue on what to do haha.. ohh and also a link to the tpms will be appreciated.. and about the oil.. so does that mean the people at bmw service didnt change the oil? because i actually had to pay for this one of out my pocket..

[jrlee53]

I had bought Dunlop wintersport 3D's for my 19's last year, seemed to do pretty well in the snow. I noticed you can't find any on tire rack anymore. Might be best to just call them up and see what the have. I had to call them just to see what they got and it wasn't listed on the website.

[Doctor J]

Originally Posted by infamxkris

can someone link me what type of rims and wheels i should i get from tire rack? for both front and rear? this is my first time buying wheels and dont have a clue on what to do haha.. ohh and also a link to the tpms will be appreciated.. and about the oil.. so does that mean the people at bmw service didnt change the oil? because i actually had to pay for this one of out my pocket..

Try the wheel/tire forum -- tons of info there. Sticky on snow tires

http://www.m3post.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=119

[llis]

Oil changes are now annual or mileage, whichever comes first.

For wheels, there are many suppliers out there. Just make sure the wheels are either made for the M3 or will fit on the M3 (i.e., clear the brakes), and whether they need spacers. TPMs can usually be bought with the rims from the same supplier.

[Ctm309]

Had Dunlop 3D's and loved them. This time I got a set of OEM 18" wheels and wanted to stay with the stock size and Dunlop didn't have them.

I went with Pirelli Sotozero in 245 and 265 and they are as good as the 3D's. Great dry/wet and snow/Ice performance. No noise.

[Zeus69]

I've used Dunlop 3Ds in the past and they are very good, but this year I went with Blizzak WS-60s. I preferred the studless ice/snow traction over the "performance" winters...

[Brosef]

I ordered Dunlop 3Ds from Tirerack for my stock 19s about a month ago. They wouldn't show up when I searched by vehicle, but they're on there if you search by brand. Drove them through the snow last weekend and they performed flawlessly. I'd highly recommend them.

They are also available in the ideal sizes for the stock 19's:

235/35R19
255/35R19

[valeram]

You can use Tire Rack as your research web site. I believe they are also one of the recommended/sponsor of this site. I am using 18" square setup. The 18" will provide more rubber for that extra protection during this time of the year in which pot holes are starting to show up. A winter set will also save you in the long run because the 18" winter tires is cheaper that those 19" summer performance tires.

[llis]

Originally Posted by valeram

You can use Tire Rack as your research web site. I believe they are also one of the recommended/sponsor of this site. I am using 18" square setup. The 18" will provide more rubber for that extra protection during this time of the year in which pot holes are starting to show up. A winter set will also save you in the long run because the 18" winter tires is cheaper that those 19" summer performance tires.

My 18" tires may provide more "rubber for that extra protection" but my car is riding noticeably lower as well. Especially a concern now on dips in driveways and speed bumps.

[infamxkris]

thank you for some great info on the winter tires guys! but does anyone know why my engine oil level is reading the same as before i went to get an oil change? is it because they didnt change it? They charged me $255 for an oil change and im not so sure they did it... The idrive not being reset for the oil change shouldnt have anything to do with it right?

[ring007]

resetting idrive doesn't have anything to do with your oil level. It takes a few minutes to update after changing the oil. Try letting your car idle while not moving for a few minutes with your oil level view up on the dash and it will reset to the current level. Maybe the case that they accidentally left it a 1/2 liter low.
I like the look of the 19" better than the 18"'s and have had great luck with Blizzaks in the past and I really like the Michelin Alpines now. Either way the snow tires will transform your car for winter. I would recommend a separate set of winter wheels. Makes the change over in fall and spring simple and cuts down on wear and tear on the wheels from changing tires 2x year. Either buy a set of wheels and tires from TR or strike a deal with a private seller on the board for a set of oem wheels and get the TPMS and winter tires from TR mounted on those wheels. I would go with a square setup so you can rotate them front to rear to maximize tire life. 255's should be perfect for you.

[infamxkris]

Originally Posted by ring007

resetting idrive doesn't have anything to do with your oil level. It takes a few minutes to update after changing the oil. Try letting your car idle while not moving for a few minutes with your oil level view up on the dash and it will reset to the current level. Maybe the case that they accidentally left it a 1/2 liter low.
I like the look of the 19" better than the 18"'s and have had great luck with Blizzaks in the past and I really like the Michelin Alpines now. Either way the snow tires will transform your car for winter. I would recommend a separate set of winter wheels. Makes the change over in fall and spring simple and cuts down on wear and tear on the wheels from changing tires 2x year. Either buy a set of wheels and tires from TR or strike a deal with a private seller on the board for a set of oem wheels and get the TPMS and winter tires from TR mounted on those wheels. I would go with a square setup so you can rotate them front to rear to maximize tire life. 255's should be perfect for you.

okay its been about 2 weeks since the oil change has happened.. the oil change before this one took a couple days before it reset to the right oil level but it hasnt done so yet on this oil change.. and its near the low line on the oil level inidcator even though it says engine oil is fine i dont think it should be anywhere near the low level if i just got an engine oil change.. even halfway is understandable.. and i have wheel and tire insurance from bmw so wouldnt it be best for me to use the stock 19s all year round so if they do crack or w.e i can always get them replaced free of cost? and correct me if i am wrong the snow tires wont be covered under the bmw wheel and tire insurace right? just the stock rims and tires the car came with? anyway i can call them and ask them to change the insurance to the winter setup?