Sponsored by The Tire Rack

[Fraxum]

Hello out there. Finally got my E90 by taking over an existing lease. I got a good deal doing that way. It’s an E90 6MT with sport, winter, HD, and Bluetooth. Real $0 down! It did cost me a few hundred in fees though.

Anyway I thought I would share my winter tire project. I went with a Tire Rack package. Gary was very helpful and patiently explained things to me and looked over my selection. I wanted to get a 17” setup to save a few bucks but by the time I got the car they were fresh out of 17” packages so I had to settle for an 18” setup. I also had to go with 235s since 225s were scarce as well. Next year get those tires early!

I picked a cheap set of knock-off wheels, got TPS, but went with good tires, Michelin Pilot Alpin PA2s. Since I live in South Jersey we do not get much snow but plenty of slush and ice. I have been stuck many times with summer tires in the past. Never again!

I got the tires 2 days after I placed my order with the cheapest shipping option! They came out of the Tire Rack warehouse in Delaware. But the required centering rings took longer and ran into the New Year holiday. I kicked the TransAm out for the night and switched these tires over myself in my garage. (It was freezing!). For those of you brave enough to try this you need to put something inside the plastic jack boxes. I used a hydraulic floor jack and a 1.5x2.5 inch piece of plywood. What was BMW thinking with this idea? I also sprayed the inside of the wheels with silicone wax to make it easier to clean later. Here are the pics:







After going through this I realized BMW does not supply wheel locks on their cars! (Another doh!) On a $40,000 car? Now I also find out no alarm either? There seems to be so much gingerbread on this car as a sport machine (I don’t mind though) and yet no alarm. The last new car I bought (a 1998 Z28 Camaro) had both for $25K.

So my next move was to order a set of McGard wheels locks from the Tire Rack. They will fit both sets of wheels but one lug set is black and one set is silver. My locks will not always match! Oh well.

My last move on tires is to get a spare tire setup from LeatherZ. Expensive but perhaps the best and easiest spare tire solution.

These tires are great! Now I am wondering if I will ever put the summers tire back on. Maybe for a track day. These winter Michelins feel a little looser in the twisties but still sporty. They are a little louder than the run flats but are smoother riding. Does anyone know how long they will last? I know my lust for a tune kill them faster once I go there.

Now lets get some slush and snow so I can really test these tires. Oh, and I also want to whine about no positraction. This a bummer at this price point too. But yea, this is still the best car in the world. At least in 2008.

[Xeloj]

Love the tires. Good choice!

[BK]

Looks good! The other thing you may want to do when swapping the tires yourself is to put some antiseize compound on the hubs. It makes them much easier to remove when you swap back in the spring.

Too late for it now, but consider doing this when you put your summer tires back on.

And don't go too crazy in the snow and slush. Winter tires work very well, but they won't turn your RWD car into an AWD.

[gos]

Just think, first storm and your sweet shiny new ride will look like this:

[ACZakka325i]

Man,that read car is bright!

[Fraxum]

Update: Got the McGard wheel locks in less than 24 hours after my order. You go Tire Rack!

But After driving up the NJ Turnpike to drop my daughter off at the Newark Airport (she is off to live in the Galapagos for a while [scary]) there is a vibration that shows up between 70-80 MPH. I hope Gary can help me figure out what to do. I also hope I do not have the ship the tires back to the Tire Rack. Maybe I can just drive to the warehouse for a rebalance. I wonder how I can figure out which one it is or will they rebalance them all. I did seat all the wheels with the rings and the tires off the ground.

[Fraxum]

I have finally reached a conclusion with my problem (mostly). After contacting TireRack they said it was too much hassle and cost to send the tire back so I can get them rebalanced locally. But stay away from the dealer which will be more expensive. They recommended a local gas station but when I went over there I was not impressed by his tire setup.

So I went to a local tire store I use sometimes. But he refused the work. He said BMWs are very sensitive to balancing and I would not be satisfied with the balance he could perform. He recommended a shop not too far away that could do a “Road Balance”. But he added this was expensive.

So I figured TireRack wouldn’t go for that so I went to a local Firestone shop who did a “Life Time” balance for $60. Well needless to say this did not go well. The vibes were a bit better but they were still there.

I called TireRack’s customer service again and this time they recommended the “Road Balance” and they would cover that too. So I went to Werbany Tire Town in Blackwood NJ. The manager was very helpful and directly watched over my second re-balance.

While waiting this same manager was helpful to everyone who came in and was going over the lowest cost solutions to this poor guy with an old dead pickup. This seemed to be a good place. Anyone else been there?

After they were finished they informed me I had two center caps with broken clips. I noticed one came from TireRack that way. Firestone must have broken the other. Two of the retainer rings would no longer stay in. Oh well the caps seem to stay on OK. It would be nice to find BMW 75mm center caps to fit these wheels.

OK so this balance is better. The vibes are mostly gone. On a really smooth road if I carefully turn the wheel off center as I reach the end of free play I still think I detect a little wiggle. And if I go fast (not over 112 with these R Rated tires!) I sometimes detect a little wiggle. But I guess I can live with it. (Or is that little wiggle really me? Ever see “He Was a Quiet man”?)

TireRack came through and paid for both balances. And these Michelin Pilot Alpin PA2 N1’s are great. Other than the speed rating they feel almost as good as the summer tires with a slightly better ride.

Of course they are not run-flats. So I got this:

This is a complete spare tire/spacer/jack/cover setup from LeatherZ. I did not want to let my wife drive around without a spare. (She loves the 335i by the way; I have to wrestle the keys away from her. That can be fun but that’s a different forum) I also got a hold of the BMW trunk net recommended by LeatherZ.

Trunk space is compromised a bit but this setup is better than a full sized spare. Since I leased the car I will sell this stuff after I turn it in. Phew. This was a bit of work but now the 335 is great in the white stuff. If only it had LSD……