[jpw172]

Hi All - first BMW and have an X5, need a 20” winter tire recommendation. My Audi A4 I used Conti VikinContact 7 and they were great but doesn’t appear to have a size for the X5. I’ve seen a lot of people like the Alpine 5 and the X-ICE Snow SUV. I tend to make a lot of trips up to the mountains to ski in the northeast and get a lot of snow plus freezing rain, sleet, all the wintry mix nonsense…that being said also want something that isn’t a loud tire but effective. Any recommendations?

[swainbmw]

Originally Posted by jpw172

Hi All - first BMW and have an X5, need a 20” winter tire recommendation. My Audi A4 I used Conti VikinContact 7 and they were great but doesn’t appear to have a size for the X5. I’ve seen a lot of people like the Alpine 5 and the X-ICE Snow SUV. I tend to make a lot of trips up to the mountains to ski in the northeast and get a lot of snow plus freezing rain, sleet, all the wintry mix nonsense…that being said also want something that isn’t a loud tire but effective. Any recommendations?

The best snow tires on the market is blizzak, hands-down

[jpw172]

Originally Posted by swainbmw

The best snow tires on the market is blizzak, hands-down

How are they on road noise?

[swainbmw]

Originally Posted by jpw172

How are they on road noise?

All snow tires are a little bit louder, but this is a very quiet tire for snow tire very minimal noise Some of the ones you mentioned are probably more performance oriented but these seem to cut through any type of snow, ice, water, etc. so you will have a little bit more trade-off.

[jpw172]

Originally Posted by swainbmw

All snow tires are a little bit louder, but this is a very quiet tire for snow tire very minimal noise

Thank. The VikingContact 7’s I had on my Audi were super quiet for a winter tire; so wanting something that doesn’t sound like a freight train. Ha.

[swainbmw]

Originally Posted by jpw172

Thank. The VikingContact 7’s I had on my Audi were super quiet for a winter tire; so wanting something that doesn’t sound like a freight train. Ha.

I’m someone that typically has two sets if it’s snowing keep the snow tires off if it’s not I put the other ones back on

[2stacks]

Had Pirelli Scorpion Winter on my SQ5. Would recommend.

[Photographer918]

I really liked the Alpin 5s on a 5300 road mile road trip to Santa Fe, Taos, the Grand Canyon, Arches/Canyonlands and back through Colorado and Kansas. We encountered slick, slushy roads in Santa Fe, on the way to Taos, blizzard like conditions leaving Denver, and heavy snowfall in Ohio - the car handled it as if we were on Summer tires in August on dry roads. I’m sold.

[rexus300]

I love the X-ice snow that I currently have on our 2022 Mercedes S and debating to use that for the X5 50e on separate set of 20 inch OEM rims for winter or get the Blizzaks DM-V2 which were on my previous 2015 X5. The Blizzaks lasted over 35,000 miles of highway driving ( 3 winters ) and were very smooth and quiet for winter tires. The X-ice snow has longer treadwear and are slightly quieter. Both are excellent in the snow and ice so you cannot go wrong with either.

[thewils]

Originally Posted by Photographer918

I really liked the Alpin 5s on a 5300 road mile road trip to Santa Fe, Taos, the Grand Canyon, Arches/Canyonlands and back through Colorado and Kansas. We encountered slick, slushy roads in Santa Fe, on the way to Taos, blizzard like conditions leaving Denver, and heavy snowfall in Ohio - the car handled it as if we were on Summer tires in August on dry roads. I’m sold.

I have the Michelin PA5s in a square setup and like them. In the Pacific Northwest we get wet slushy conditions rather than dry packed snow and plenty of rain which they cope with very well. They also run a bit quieter than the summer Hankooks on clear roads.

[jad03060]

I had a few iterations of older Michelin Alpines, and was pleased with them. I'm running Nokians now, but they don't make one suitable for the X5's 20" wheels, so it's out for you.

[Photographer918]

Originally Posted by thewils

I have the Michelin PA5s in a square setup and like them. In the Pacific Northwest we get wet slushy conditions rather than dry packed snow and plenty of rain which they cope with very well. They also run a bit quieter than the summer Hankooks on clear roads.

I’m running a square 20 inch set-up too, and this winter those tires will be on 740 rims, rather than the 738s they were on last winter. My experience matches yours, I was expecting them to be much noisier than they turned out to be. And they’re really sticky - so my driving style barely needs to change….

[jpw172]

What did everyone do run flat or non-RFT for winter tires?

[jad03060]

My Nokian winter tires are RFT, the same size, speed rating, and load range as the OEM ones. I picked up some take-off BMW rims for about 1/2 the price of new ones from the dealer.

[swainbmw]

Originally Posted by swainbmw

The best snow tires on the market is blizzak, hands-down

Yes by far .. The only problem is they Are not handling tires. Kinda of Spongy noise level don’t think there is much

[jad03060]

It depends on what your priorities are that could range from deep snow, ice, dry road handling in the cold, etc. IOW, there's no one BEST winter tire for every situation...it depends on what you want out of it and what your priorities are.

If you want maximum traction in deep snow or ice, the Blizzak is a good choice, but not if your priorities are high speed handling on dry roads in the cold. If you want ultimate ice traction, and they're allowed where you live, a studded winter tire will beat the Blizzak. Also keep in mind that way before the tread becomes below the maximum, the upper layer of their special rubber compound will have been worn off, and they're not much better than lots of other vehicles, if any.

Every tire is a compromise. Technology keeps improving, and they get better overall, but there is still lots of room for specialization.

Without knowing what you want out of a winter tire, there is no one best winter tire.

[Photographer918]

Originally Posted by jpw172

What did everyone do run flat or non-RFT for winter tires?

I'm doing run flats. For long road trips, I'll throw a full size spare in the trunk; but if driving locally it's just run flats on the car, no spare....

[CGG]

Below is a comprehensive comparison of the Bridgestone Blizzak vs Michelin PILOT ALPIN 5.

https://www.thetirelab.com/vs/bridge...pilot-alpin-5/

The Michelins came in ahead of the Blizzaks in virtually every category - particularly handling and breaking in dry conditions and ice and snow. The Blizzak's came ahead in wet handling.

I run the Michelins for our Canadian winters and they seem good to me.

[Sandfly]

Hi,

I have a 2024 BMW x5 50e and it came with Pirelli P-Zero run flats 275/40R21 107Y in the front and 315/35 R21 111Y in the back. These are summer tires. I prefer having Al Seasons. I am looking at buying Pirelli Scorpion Verde A/S - for the front and back. I live in Northern CA and plan to drive the SAV up to Tahoe in the winter. Otherwise, I doubt I will encounter snow. Does anyone have experience with these tires and snow?

[Yas850t]

I have a set of Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 on a separate winter wheels. They are a bit noisier than the OEM Bridgestone RFT, but I highly recommend the Nokian.

[mmm50i]

I'm currently using the Pirelli Scorpion Winters mounted on the 748M wheels. I got it as a package from BMW. These are RFTs, which I like, because I wouldn't want to be stranded in a snow storm.

I've used Blizzaks for the past 10 years, in Canadian winters. I've driven on many snowy trips up mountains in my area including Whistler, Big White, Mt. Baker (in WA, USA). I would say the Blizzaks perform better than the Scorpion Winters.

I haven't tried the Michelin winter tires but I've only read good things about them!

[Sandfly]

The options for 21 tires that are staggard are very limited. Is it possible to downsize to 20s? Will they require getting new wheels? I have never had to deal with tire issues, so if it seems like I don't know what I'm talking about - I don't.