[TucErDoc]

Happy new year all,
I live in AZ and have zero experience with winter tire and wheel set up and driving in the snow.
I'm planning on taking my x5 up to the mountains of Colorado to ski.
What's the best wheel size and tire for the trip? Do I need snow tires?
I was thinking of buying a second set of oem wheels (maybe the 20")?
I currently have the 22" with summer tires, would these work with chains?

[gqgambler]

Spoiled by the sun and sand. Don't use you summer 22", the problem with summer tires start before you even hit the snow. The rubber compound doesnt perform well below 45 degree and can be outright dangerous in cold temps. Chains typically are required at a specific starting point on the roads and chances are you'll hit the cold weather before then. So you are left with 3 choices: 1. Buy and mount 22" winters on your current rims, 2. Buy and mount 22" all-season tires with chains for when needed, or 2. Buy a dedicated set of winter rims. 20" is the recommended OEM set-up and fitment will be square tires; narrower tire with more sidewall.

[BHCJJS]

Depending on how long the trip is and how often you plan on making that trip, it might even be cheaper to rent a vehicle versus making one of those choices above and racking miles on your vehicle. Depending on the weather near the mountains, you'll need a set of chains no matter which vehicle you have (checkpoints at specific points).

Personally, I bought a set of winter wheels and tires (as a set - 748Ms on 20 inch square set up) since I move a lot, and it typically happens to be in 4 season locations.

If you do purchase a winter set up, keep in mind the cost to swap wheels twice a year. With a decent set of tools (maybe around $200), you can do it yourself - 3 ton floor jack, jack adapter, breaker bar, torque wrench, wheel hangers, and a 17mm non marring socket.

[jad03060]

The industry always suggests smaller, narrower tires for use in winter to help prevent floating and to be able to dig in more. If you're looking for best snow/ice performance, then a 19" wheel with a good winter tire will give you the best performance. A 20" one might be okay, but not as good as a 19". The issue is, snow can cover up all sorts of stuff like potholes, curbs, etc., and the taller the sidewall, the less likely you'll damage a wheel or tire if you hit it.

Winter tires come in various configurations:
- optimized for deep snow and ice
- optimized for cold and wet
- optimized for high speed in the cold

You can't have all of those in one tire. Choose one best suited to your level of comfort. A Nordic winter tire will handle the first, while one designed for the middle would be one optimized for middle Europe. One optimized for the last would be if you only drove in the winter on plowed, conditioned roadways and never saw snow or ice there. The variations between them can be huge, but in general is a bit more than subtle. A summer tire in deep snow is likely to not make it up even a slight grade, and that's assuming it gets started at all. Forget about stopping with summer tires in the snow or ice, but still longer on dry roads than one designed for the cold. The rubber on a summer performance tire is moderately hard at summer temperatures so that as you press them at speed, they don't start to disintegrate as the heat softens them. That means that they're just too hard in the cold as that hardens the rubber to conform to the roadway and obtain any traction. Plus, the tread design is often made with few sipes, so there aren't that many gripping edges that you'll see on a winter tire.

Unless you have one of the optional brakes, the 19" wheels should fit and the wheels/tires will be less expensive as will chains, should you need them.

[X5 45e]

Originally Posted by jad03060

Unless you have one of the optional brakes, the 19" wheels should fit and the wheels/tires will be less expensive as will chains, should you need them.

I have 19 inch winterwheels on my 45e with m pack and the blue M brakes.

Second season now and now problems. I have seen others driving around with this combination and also reports on this forum.

I think there is some confusion about two types of Blue M brakes. The first are the optional 19' ones like I have and the 19 inch wheels fit. The other ones (M sport ?) are 20 inch and don't fit on 19 inch wheels.

https://www.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh...php?p=26996689

[X5 45e]

If it just a 1 week trip once a year or even less: as suggested is renting another car not cheaper? On the other hand a second hand set of 19 inch won't be that expensive and maybe be cheaper than renting a car for a week for 4 years. And you can sell them afterwards. If you don't like the look of the 19 inch: it is only for 1 week a year and it is the beste tire for snowdriving.

[adr1974]

Get the 20" BMW 748M winter set and throw them on when you need them.

[arciga18]

Originally Posted by X5 45e

If it just a 1 week trip once a year or even less: as suggested is renting another car not cheaper? On the other hand a second hand set of 19 inch won't be that expensive and maybe be cheaper than renting a car for a week for 4 years. And you can sell them afterwards. If you don't like the look of the 19 inch: it is only for 1 week a year and it is the beste tire for snowdriving.

Good luck finding a rental with snow tires in the US .

I had a hell of a time securing just awd Suburban / Yukon/ expedition last month.


Denver area rentals might offer it but i understand the op wants to drive from Az

[jad03060]

Depending on where in AZ, it may get below 40-degrees F or so fairly often. That alone could lean towards winter tires. Summer tires get harder and harder as it gets colder and not only don't grip well, they start to lose their wet weather advantage they may have had when it's warm out.

[Qsilver7]

Summer tires can also get damaged in temps below their minimum operating parameters. If I remember correctly, the rubber compound can crack and become damaged by cold ambient temps:

[Jrunr]

I have a set of the factory BMW 748 winter wheels and tires (Michellin Alpin) for sale. PM me if interested! 👍 pictures in the post linked below:

https://g05.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh...9#post24166289

[PittsburghG]

Jrunr do you still have those winter tires for sale? It's my first time using the bimmerpost site so I wasn't sure how to PM you directly.