[gthal]

I was on the hunt for winter wheels and tires for the M2 since I bought the car. My cars are all 4 season vehicles (except the C7 ) and a good set of winter tires and wheels are a must. I'm also picky about aesthetics and want to maintain a nice look over the winter months too.

I had a set of Avant Garde M510 on my M4 last winter. Nice wheel but HEAVY and I actually noticed it when driving the car. I also ran 255/35-19 Nokian Hakka R2 tires in a square set up. Loved the tires for real winter conditions. The offsets of the M510 didn't work on the M2 so I decided to keep the tires (with tons of tread) and find new wheels.

Decided on the VMR V710FF wheel. The are flow forged and relatively light. That was important to me. They are very close to the OEM forged wheels in weight at 22.6 lbs. They arrived a few weeks ago and I had the tires mounted. Decided to do a test fit today and take some pictures. This is a 19x9.5 ET33 wheel in a square set up... which I think is better for winter than a staggered set up because you can rotate wheels front to back as needed. Fitment is great. A little closer to the suspension than OEM but with sufficient clearance. Fender clearance is also great.

I'm very, very happy with the weight, finish and quality of these wheels When I was putting them on the car, they felt to be effectively the same weight as the OEM wheels I was removing. Also, you can't really tell from the pictures but they have very good concavity too!

Here are some pics... I also like them more than the summer wheels

Happy winter wheel/tire shopping to all... I can't believe it's only a few months away

[gmzanatta]

I may or may not be matching your winter get-up

[TMP]

That looks fantastic, love these! I have been talking to VMR about these as I want light weight too... but didn't get the feeling they would fit very well (I want staggered, same size as summer).

What tyres size did you go for on this square setup?

Oh and did you also look at the 810's?

[gthal]

Originally Posted by TMP

That looks fantastic, love these! I have been talking to VMR about these as I want light weight too... but didn't get the feeling they would fit very well (I want staggered, same size as summer).

What tyres size did you go for on this square setup?

Oh and did you also look at the 810's?

255/35-19 square tire. Fitment, IMO, is about perfect with the 19x9.5 ET33 wheel.

[BD_F22]

Originally Posted by TMP

That looks fantastic, love these! I have been talking to VMR about these as I want light weight too... but didn't get the feeling they would fit very well (I want staggered, same size as summer).

What tyres size did you go for on this square setup?

Oh and did you also look at the 810's?

The 810's are a great wheel as well, I had them on my m235 and they looked great with zero issues for over a year

[TMP]

Originally Posted by gthal

255/35-19 square tire. Fitment, IMO, is about perfect with the 19x9.5 ET33 wheel.

Yeah looks a good option, just reluctant about reducing rear tyre surface based on previous car experiance. When I put my M6 on the same staggered winter setup, it was awesome.

Does the front have a bit less turn in as well? But they do look soooo good

Originally Posted by BD_F87

The 810's are a great wheel as well, I had them on my m235 and they looked great with zero issues for over a year

Ooo, any pics? What is the difference, is it the amount of concave?

[gthal]

Originally Posted by TMP

Yeah looks a good option, just reluctant about reducing rear tyre surface based on previous car experiance. When I put my M6 on the same staggered winter setup, it was awesome.

Does the front have a bit less turn in as well? But they do look soooo good

In Canadian winters, wide rears hurt snow traction. They ride on top of the snow instead of digging in. Not sure what your climate/winter is like compared to ours but most people always run narrower rears here unless they don't take the car out in really bad weather... besides, with true winter tires, anything is a bit squishy and squirmy.

Turn-in is not as good but, again, it doesn't matter as much in winter and it isn't a good comparison.

[quikM2]

I am wondering about going a little narrower for better winter performance... I know the VMR rims are offered in 8.5 as well. too bad they are not offered in a 9 inch width. Do you think going to a 245/40 setup would work as well or better? I think a little more sidewall in winter is nice to have.

[TMP]

Originally Posted by gthal

In Canadian winters, wide rears hurt snow traction. They ride on top of the snow instead of digging in. Not sure what your climate/winter is like compared to ours but most people always run narrower rears here unless they don't take the car out in really bad weather... besides, with true winter tires, anything is a bit squishy and squirmy.

Turn-in is not as good but, again, it doesn't matter as much in winter and it isn't a good comparison.

Our winters in north of UK are no way as bad as what i have seen in Whistler (that may be the extreme Canada winter?). Its close to freezing, ice risk, between damp and very wet with a bit of snow...

What i do know is MPSS do not work well in when there is lots of water around or in temps less than 7c - so staggered winters (295 rears ) on the M6 gave far more progressive grip and made the car useable again

I went 225 square on the M135i, and I did miss the rear traction (down from 245), but saying that that will still better than the MPSS's!

[gthal]

Originally Posted by quikM2

I am wondering about going a little narrower for better winter performance... I know the VMR rims are offered in 8.5 as well. too bad they are not offered in a 9 inch width. Do you think going to a 245/40 setup would work as well or better? I think a little more sidewall in winter is nice to have.

It would be better in really poor weather. Not as good on cold, dry pavement.

[quikM2]

Originally Posted by gthal

It would be better in really poor weather. Not as good on cold, dry pavement.

I drive through winnipeg winters so cold and dry pavement is a unicorn

[gthal]

Originally Posted by quikM2

I drive through winnipeg winters so cold and drive pavement is a unicorn

The one (maybe the only) advantage you have in Winter-peg is flat roads... on the East Coast, I'm surrounded by 30 deg hills everywhere. The street to my house is a winding, very steep, kilometre long stretch. If I don't get a GOOD run (or if I get behind a Granny) then I don't get up it

[pit1]

gthal Did you consider running 18s? have you found the 19s to provide adequate winter stability?

Being in Canada I'd assume you see more severe winters than Philalelphia, but I was more concerned about road hazards, using the extra tire height for protection.

[Franzino]

I live in Belgium (Europe) and my M2 is my daily car... I don't like the look of 18" wheels on the M2 and I don't want to drive 4 months with that look. Winter is not that bad here in Belgium. I's cold, rainy, a little under freezing temp can happen and sometimes snow...

My first idea was that I wanted to use the OEM M2 wheels as my winter wheels, so I allready ordered a set of Michelin Alpin wintertyres in the OEM tyresizes (buying wintertyres in the summer is cheaper if you know where to buy). Then I learned that the OEM M2 wheels are so expensive and that the weight is rather good for a standard wheel. For example; a normal priced BBS CH-R or OZ Superleggera is a bit heavier then the OEM M2 wheels.

I now decided to keep the OEM M2 wheels & PSS tyres as my summer set up. The Michelin Alpin winter tyres (in the same syze) wil be fitted on a set BBS CH-R or OZ superlegerra wheel...still need to decide which one and the cheapest of the two will probably win (in wintertime I don't want to worry about wheel damage).

[gthal]

Originally Posted by pit1

gthal Did you consider running 18s? have you found the 19s to provide adequate winter stability?

Being in Canada I'd assume you see more severe winters than Philalelphia, but I was more concerned about road hazards, using the extra tire height for protection.

I've run 19's in winter for a number of years without any issue. No real difference in traction (which is based primarily on tread design, rubber compound and tire width) and I haven't had any issue with pothole damage (knock on wood).

I very much prefer the look of 19's so that's what I use. However, 18's do give more wheel protection and there are generally more options available in tires too. All about one's priorities.

[doug_999]

The problem with winter wheels is they are normally not too pretty to look at for 6 months of the year. You certainly don't have that problem.

I'm still going with the 18" square 640M setup from BMW and maybe I will paint them after the first year. Maybe

[Aronis]

those are very nice!

[voinea]

What do you guys think of a square set up with 4pcs 9,5x18 OZ CHALLENGE HLT ET33 ?

OZ say that this offset and size will go well with M2. Any of the persons who bought similar width 9,5J for wheels and ET33 does it look ok ?

gthal seem perfect example for me (even that he has 19" instead of 18") . I wonder what size of tires I need for 9,5x18".

[voinea]

no ideas ?

[gthal]

Originally Posted by voinea

no ideas ?

255/40-18 is my guess. I'm using 255/35-19 so the same in an 18 (with a 40 profile) would likely work best.

[tmracer22]

Has anyone found a good 18 inch wheel/tire combo they can recommend?
My car is about 3weeks away and I want o get this taken care of now.
Thank you for any feedback!!

[doug_999]

Originally Posted by tmracer22

Has anyone found a good 18 inch wheel/tire combo they can recommend?
My car is about 3weeks away and I want o get this taken care of now.
Thank you for any feedback!!

Just placed the order for the BMW 640M set.