XSeries-forum

Just wanting to check a set of winter wheels (and tyres) are ok for my car.

I have a 2004 (July I think) E53 3.0d Sport (currently fitted with 19 inch 9x19 and 10x19 wheels).

The wheels I am planning on buying are Style 99 fitted with Dunlop WInter tyres. I understand the wheels to be 8J x 18 with 255 55 R18 tyres all round. On Real OEM there is only one size listed for this wheel (and wheel/tyre combination) with an offset of ET40.

Also on Real OEM the only models these are listed as an option for are the E53 4.6is and 4.8is though my understanding is that they have been fitted to a 4.4i 54 plate to date. There is a note to say for winter tyres only.

Part numbers seem to be 36.11.0.140.458 and 36.11.6.757.355 for the wheels and wheel/tyre set.

I am 99% certain these will fit ok/are appropriate but would appreciate someone in the know mind confirming. I could call BMW but am guessing unless I get the right person on the phone they may just look on the system so not necessarily give me the right answer.

Thanks

Dan

Just a quick update. The BMW system only lists them under 4.6is and 4.8is but the dealer has said they can't see why they wouldn't fit. Unless anyone advises me otherwise I shall be going ahead. If for some reason they don't fit they'll probably appear in the for sale section!

They will fit fine - as you say, they are recommended by BMW for the V8s as the 17" wheels will not clear the brakes. 17"s are actually the recommended size for the diesel and 3.0i petrol versions as smaller is better for winter wheels, but the 18"s will fit no problem. I use them on my 4.8, but they will suit the 3.0D as well.

Great, thanks for the confirmation. I was about to buy some 17s but was being messed about when a came accross these. Whilst I realise smaller is better, they're still smaller than the 19s (and narrower at the rear) but presumably that only really applies when there is snow or heavy rain and, as well as preferring the look of the 18s, I was a little concerned about the big difference in width when driving in relatively normal mild conditions over the winter months.

Looking on Real OEM, there are other 18 inch wheel options listed for the 3.0d as winter wheels with the same tyres as these (Dunlop 255 55 R18) but with the more common 8.5J wheel styles.

Next question. When it comes to fitting them, do I need one of those jack pads or should I just get it done at a local garage to save hassle?

The ride on the 18"s is surprisingly comfortable and extremely stable compared to the 19" and 20" staggered "sleds" which can tramline or be a bit wayward! I actually only got around to changing my !8" winters about a month ago back to the 20" OEMs (I know I know). I don't mind the 18" "look" myself although they do lack street cred especially on a 4.8. My previous X on 17"s was also fine, although the ellipsoid pattern is a bit dated - fact is, the performance of the X is so dramatically transformed in winter (basically conditions under 7degrees C ) it becomes a total pleasure to drive in ice and snow and streed cred takes a back seat, its dark and miserable anyway, most of the winter so wheels are not so prominent!!! I don't use Jack Pads - my local tyre shop changes them for me for £5 a corner, really cheap, and does a good job - rebalances as well. The offset differences within the OEM options is honestly not an issue. I certainly will not be getting rid of the 18"s as long as I own any E53 X5!!! Make winter motoring a pleasure and most importantly, help keep you and your family safe.

I just picked them up and all is good. They are almost brand new. The wheels are completely unmarked being less than a year old and the tyres have 8mm tread all round. I also have a copy of the original BMW receipt. Whilst I wouldn't say they were cheap, the price was fair. I now find myself looking forward to some nasty weather for a change! I was in two minds but when I bought the car in Jan 2010 it was my original intention to buy some winter wheels. Having almost been stranded last year and also having been driven in the slush in the outside lane of the autobahn at quite a speed (which made me a little nervous!) on winter tyres and experienced how well they grip second hand I thought it was a good idea. It's just when it's summer (ish) and it comes to dipping your hand in your pocket it's a bit harder!

There's a garage literally around the corner from me that fits tyres and a BMW specialist next door to them so I'll probably get them done too. I do like the syle of these wheels too and as I'm only going from 19 to 18 I don't think they'll look any worse really, especially as they're like new.

Dan,
A bit late to help you but I have 99s on my 4.8iS and love them. I have Vred Wintrac.I was lucky enough to find two on ebay here and bought another two from a dealer in Germany. I like the chunky styling and find they are very comfortable. Winter tyres are fantastic. I had two skiing holidays last year in the X5 and have two booked for the coming season - had all conditions in the Alps and there/back and never had a problem even on packed snow and ice. Drove back to London on the Saturday before Christmas when everyone else was stuck with the airports shut.

[quote=""Dan1502""]
Next question. When it comes to fitting them, do I need one of those jack pads or should I just get it done at a local garage to save hassle?[/quote]

[quote=""Dan1502""]There's a garage literally around the corner from me that fits tyres and a BMW specialist next door to them so I'll probably get them done too. [/quote]

Dan1502,

Glad tyres and wheels sourced.........In answer to your last question re fitting. Assuming the wheels come with suitable tyres then fitting is easy. If you can change a spare tyre you can change these. Obviously if tyres not attached to the rims then they will need proper fitting. Jack pad a nice luxury and are typically used to reduce damage if you use a trolley jack. The jack supplied with youtr car has different shape to it and should tghus locate into sill jacking pints without any issue(s).

The tyres are Dunlop Grandtrek WT M2. The only reason I tend not to state prices is that sometimes people use the price you paid to bargain come resale time though I don't really see that as relevant. I paid £900. They were bought from BMW less than a year ago for £1,410 which I'm guessing was probably at a reasonable discount. I did look at buying from Germany but given that most have 5-6mm of tread I don't think I would really have saved much, especially given how mint these are. I noticed a set of 17s were advertised on here for £900 and sold quickly though I don't know what they went for.

I can fit myself and have a 2 ton trolley jack. I suppose I would save £40 per year so maybe I shouldn't be lazy!

I was trying to do a deal on some 17s apparently with 3,000 miles on the wheels and tyres (Michelin Pilot Alpin) when these came up. If anyone is interested I could pass on your details to the seller. You'd have to negotiate the price yourself but I would tell you where I got up to with discussions.

Thanks for the help.

Rather than start a new thread, can I indulge in a mini thread-jack?

I've just picked up a second set of alloys for our new car to fit winter tyres on. However, I know absolutely nothing about winter tyres, the only ones I've heard of are Vred Wintracs (mainly because I use Sessanta's on my C70). Any others I should consider?

To explain a bit more, we've just inherited a holiday apartment in Garmisch-Partenkirchen on the Hausberg mountain, in order to reach it during winter you actually have to drive across a ski run (I kid you not, from the farmhouse you actually go DOWN the mountain to catch the cable car!) and then up a very steep driveway with a right-angle turn halfway up.

If you perform an forum search you will find dozens of posts containing lots of information. I hope this isn't taken the wrong way.........like you & others I find the subject interesting, it's just that there is already a lot of repeated & existing content, often covering the same points.....by all means develop it if you wish.

I am yet to read a single post from one contributor/member with winter tyres that has posted bad comments re any specific dedicated winter tyre. You are unlikely to find many comparisons between brands as few if any will be on anything other than 1st type of winter tyres on same car & rims. Most testimonials are highly likely be based on night & day comparisons between their dedicated & non dedicated winter tyres.

Quick checks of mytyres, camskill, blackcircles, event tyres & ebay will give info as to what's out there. Once you have an idea re brands & types tyrereviews.co.uk will give more info. It may be useful to do google search on specific tyres including the term forums & snow so as to see discussions on a variety of boards.

Wish I could share my own experience(s) but other issues & X5 have swallowed £2k in last month.......thus winter tyres are again demoted on my spend list.

Hammy,
I bought Vredestein Wintracs for my 18 inch 99 style a couple of years ago on the basis that they were a good price and seemed to get good reviews. I put them on for the winter from December through to April. They work fine on normal roads which includes some high speed (averaging around 100 mph on the autobahn south of Ulm) and around London. The ride is actually better than the normal OEM 20s.
However I was astonished how capable they were on packed snow and ice in the Alps. We drove to Obergurgl which is one of the highest resorts in Austria last December. The road had been cleared with typical Austrian efficiency until about 10 miles short where there was a blue circular sign with snow chains in the middle and a line of German registered cars all putting chains on. Beyond was an uncleared road with packed snow up to the resort. My wife said "are you sure we don't need chains?" and I thought "oh s**t". Needn't have worried. The X5 went straight up the road no problem. We passed 3 or 4 cars which had shed chains and overtook the same number driving at 5 mph. To cap it all, the car went straight down an ice covered 45 degree ramp to the hotel car park and straight back up it at the end of the week and down the hill. No problems at all to the point where I really started enjoying the driving.
I can only speak for the Vreds but expect all reputable winter (as opposed to all-season) tyres have similar performance. I'm told Avons, Nokian and Pirellis are good.
I'm a complete convert and I simply wouldn't waste money on chains but put it towards a good set of winter rubber.
Hope this helps.

Do the M & S tyres perform really well in the snow or are these classed as "All Season" tyres? I hear conflicting reports to be honest but trust the members on here!

I think M & S tyres are somewhere between bog standard summer rubber and dedicated winter tyres with performance to match. There is quite a bit of potentially confusing terminology - "winter", "snow" etc.
My Vred Wintracs are dedicated winter tyres and are offer better grip below around 7 degrees, substantially so at lower temperatures due to a softer compound. Above this I am told they are marginally less effective than summer rubber. I'm also told that they wear faster although yet to see any evidence of this. Personal view but if I could only have one set of tyres I would go with the winter ones as the massive grip/safety at lower temperatures more than compensates for the slightly inferior performance above 7 degrees.

Absolutely agree with gobiman - run the same setup and actually quite happy to have these on all year round, much better drive than the 20"s although the "look" may not be as "cool". I changed the winters over very late this year and really cannot see the excess wear that is said to happen at temps over 7 degrees C. Its safe to use the winters all year round if you bear in mind the possible excess wear and supposed loss in performance (I don't treat every road like a maniacs racetrack so have not noticed a performance loss, if anything there is less tendency to "tramline" and road holding is better on the winters than on the 20s).

Hope we can have a Sticky on Winter Tyres as I mentioned in another thread - AW8 / pvr, please help!