Climbing a snowy hill

[tastelid]

Here in Portland, OR, we just had our first (and probably only) snow of the year. Two inches of really wet, heavy snow. My neighbor took his (apparently FWD) Lexus hatch out and immediately began sliding around. He noped back into his driveway pretty quick, after enlisting neighbors to help him shovel clear a path...

Our X5M made it down and up the steep ass hill leading to our house without any problems. Good to know she is capable in the snow!

[Vassilis1971]

1st snowfall and treacherous driving conditions tonight in Toronto. My F85 with oem winter setup was flawless. Too many cars on and off the roads to get a real feel for her, I don't expect any issues. I plan on giving her a better test when the roads are more empty.

[tastelid]

OEM winter package here too.

[2thdr]

How long ago did you guys pick up your OEM 21" winter tires? Just finalized a deal on an X5M today and need to locate some of the 21" rear Pirelli tires, but initial searches are showing a lot of places are out of stock.

Thanks!

[jcfay]

I ordered my 20" winter OEM wheels about 4 weeks ago. I was told they should be in end of this month. Haven't heard anything yet and finally now getting some sleet so hoping they show up soon!

[Vassilis1971]

Purchased my set in late Sept.

[Roundown]

Still waiting here too- was told mid Jan.

[carri0n m3]

just completed my commute on a couple inches of snow and ice in boston-area; no issues at all with the winter package; got on it on some uncleared roads and clearly not perfect when you try emergency stop going 20-30 mph but it slows down well and held its line well around the corners; I'll wait to judge until we get a more proper snow storm

[Cuturass]

The rear 325 tire is on national back order. I'd be surprised if they show before spring. I'm running 285/295/35/21 all around currently.

[JohnG123]

Been told my OEM winter wheel and tyre package due in mid January.

Appears both front wheels with tyres are now at my dealers rear wheels and tyres still not due in Germany until mid January.

Guess the fronts are no good without the rears

[tastelid]

The oem winter package comes with 20s, and I ordered it with my car. They arrived together.

[jcfay]

Originally Posted by tastelid

The oem winter package comes with 20s, and I ordered it with my car. They arrived together.

Yup, OEM winter package front and back are 285/40s although on 20", front 10" and rear 10.5" widths. So not sure why they only have your fronts since it's the same tire... Mid January would suck. I have a feeling the actual winter weather is going to kick in soon and I'd be totally skating on the Summer wheels. And I don't want to have to drive around in my Grand Cherokee while my new X5M sits in the garage...

[JohnG123]

I believe this issues is the 10.5 rear wheels are in short supply,

[JNoSol]

Originally Posted by jcfay

I ordered my 20" winter OEM wheels about 4 weeks ago. I was told they should be in end of this month. Haven't heard anything yet and finally now getting some sleet so hoping they show up soon!

Originally Posted by cSurf

Still waiting here too- was told mid Jan.

If I were you guys, I'd cancel the order and mount winter tires on your OEM wheels. There's nothing wrong with swapping out tires, instead of wheels + tires.

The only reason why I have a set of BC Forged for the winter is because there wasn't winter tires or DWS06 options for the 21s at that time. Now there are 21" OEM size winter tires for our cars. The other reasons are they look great and more convenient to swap wheels.

Not sure what the OEM winter wheels cost, but if it's even near $4k then my set is less expensive than that.

[jcfay]

Originally Posted by JNoSol

If I were you guys, I'd cancel the order and mount winter tires on your OEM wheels. There's nothing wrong with swapping out tires, instead of wheels + tires.

The only reason why I have a set of BC Forged for the winter is because there wasn't winter tires or DWS06 options for the 21s at that time. Now there are 21" OEM size winter tires for our cars. The other reasons are they look great and more convenient to swap wheels.

Not sure what the OEM winter wheels cost, but if it's even near $4k then my set is less expensive than that.

Yup, now I was just told mid Jan too. And yes, it's near 4k. I keep a 2nd set due to convenience as well, as it's far easier for me to swap them out in my garage whenever I want to. The only reason I went OEM was I figured BMW would give me less grief if (when) I make any claim on the wheel/tire insurance I have (although it does cover aftermarket wheels, I was told), and that it would've taken 4 weeks to get the aftermarket wheels. And it was about the same amount, would've been more actually, with the aftermarkets + tires.

What a pain... At least I can enjoy your set vicariously through the pics

Oh, and BMW won't allow cancellation of the order, I believe. The parts guys stressed this when I had to pay in full at time of order. He said too many people order and then cancel. Gee, I wonder why...

[Roundown]

Originally Posted by JNoSol

If I were you guys, I'd cancel the order and mount winter tires on your OEM wheels. There's nothing wrong with swapping out tires, instead of wheels + tires.

The only reason why I have a set of BC Forged for the winter is because there wasn't winter tires or DWS06 options for the 21s at that time. Now there are 21" OEM size winter tires for our cars. The other reasons are they look great and more convenient to swap wheels.

Not sure what the OEM winter wheels cost, but if it's even near $4k then my set is less expensive than that.

If there were winter tires for my 20"s, I'd buy them and then pick up a set of 21" for Summer (by way of timing, they weren't available to me new)...but there aren't any (that I know of).

I can get a set of DWS or DWS06 that are an OK fit, but I want true winters.

[JNoSol]

Originally Posted by cSurf

If there were winter tires for my 20"s, I'd buy them and then pick up a set of 21" for Summer (by way of timing, they weren't available to me new)...but there aren't any (that I know of).

I can get a set of DWS or DWS06 that are an OK fit, but I want true winters.

Check out Nokian tires. You don't need exact tire size for your OEM 20s, you can use one width size smaller. remmib is a fan of Nokian, quiet and lasts long. (non-studded)

I recommend 275/40/40 front and 315/35/20 rear. They're technically non-M E70/F15 20" staggered tire size, which has the same rotational diameter front and rear. They will not look stretch as it's only 1/2" narrower compared to stock tires.

[Roundown]

Originally Posted by JNoSol

Check out Nokian tires. You don't need exact tire size, you can use one size smaller. remmib is a fan of Nokian, quiet and lasts long. (non-studded)

I recommend 275/40/40 front and 315/35/20 rear. They're technically non-M E70/F15 20" staggered tire size, which has the same rotational diameter front and rear. They will not look stretch as it's only 1/2" narrower compared to stock tires.

I love Nokian, the R2 is probably the best tire going for winter. Those sizes are close, but the sidewall is ~1cm shorter. From what I gather, that's enough to cause issues with xDrive (seems suspect)?

That and I like the idea of my wheel and tire insurance applying to both sets...

[jcfay]

Originally Posted by cSurf

I love Nokian, the R2 is probably the best tire going for winter. Those sizes are close, but the sidewall is ~1cm shorter. From what I gather, that's enough to cause issues with xDrive (seems suspect)?

That and I like the idea of my wheel and tire insurance applying to both sets...

double check the insurance as my understanding as it TOTALLY varies from dealer to dealer who the underwriter is, and what they insure. And also if you have the cosmetic.

The OEM winter package is 20" 10/10.5 with 285/40 Pirelli scorpions front and back. I'm not sure if these are available on the market, though...

[JNoSol]

Originally Posted by cSurf

I love Nokian, the R2 is probably the best tire going for winter. Those sizes are close, but the sidewall is ~1cm shorter. From what I gather, that's enough to cause issues with xDrive (seems suspect)?

That and I like the idea of my wheel and tire insurance applying to both sets...

FYI, I'm running the same tire size. No issues. As long as the front and rear have the same tire diameter, the computer cannot pick up that the entire car 8mm shorter in height (as both the front and rear will be 8mm shorter in height). If you're just replacing the front OR rear tires with a different size, then yes, the computer will sense the 1% difference front/rear.

Only thing impacted is your speedo will read 1% faster than actual.

Trust me on this: 275/40/20 front and 315/35/20 rear. Both are exactly 728mm tall. OEM front and rear set are 736mm tall.

Good to know on wheel/tire insurance.

[jcfay]

Originally Posted by JNoSol

FYI, I'm running the same tire size. No issues. As long as the front and rear have the same tire diameter, the computer cannot pick up that the entire car 8mm shorter in height (as both the front and rear will be 8mm shorter in height). If you're just replacing the front OR rear tires with a different size, then yes, the computer will sense the 1% difference front/rear.

Only thing impacted is your speedo will read 1% faster than actual.

Trust me on this: 275/40/20 front and 315/35/20 rear. Both are exactly 728mm tall. OEM front and rear set are 736mm tall.

Good to know on wheel/tire insurance.

So it's the wheel/tire height diff. that would throw a code, and not the rotational diameter? I remember on the AMG forums before I switched over there were all sorts of theories around what would cause a code to be thrown, and potentially mess with the traction control, etc. I'm not sure anyone really knew what the real answer was . But obviously the swap from 20s to 21s and vice versa isn't a problem for the car, so that's good.

Thanks

[Roundown]

Originally Posted by JNoSol

Check out Nokian tires. You don't need exact tire size for your OEM 20s, you can use one width size smaller. remmib is a fan of Nokian, quiet and lasts long. (non-studded)

I recommend 275/40/40 front and 315/35/20 rear. They're technically non-M E70/F15 20" staggered tire size, which has the same rotational diameter front and rear. They will not look stretch as it's only 1/2" narrower compared to stock tires.

Looks like the only Nokian available are the Hakka 8s. If the R2s were available, I'd do it. 8s are a bit too aggressive (they're a studded Nordic tire).

Are you aware of R2s in these sizes?