[Hazza]

I live in Germany and the winters here can be quite rough, I recently got an f22 m240i 2018, and I’m struggling to find any winter tires at all that match the sizing 245/35/R18 and was wondering if anyone had recommendations on what size and brand winter tires are best?

[freakystyly]

I went with 225 section rear tires on a separate set of 8" wide wheels. The reduction in width isn't noticeable in normal winter driving and is supposed to actually help driving in snow.

As for brand, I haven't tried many different ones but I like the Bridgestone Blizzak WS-80. They might be too "winter" tire for my area but I chose them over "performance" winters since this is my daily driver.

If your car is AWD you will need to match radius of all 4 tires within a few %.

[John in VA]

Ask the locals! You'll have access to tire brands/models we don't have in the USA.

You want a narrower tire to go through snow, but you have to change the sidewall/aspect ratio accordingly. 225/40-18 is the closest to what you're currently running. Wheel widths require tires of certain widths, so check that it will work.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/tirecalc...5r18-225-40r18

[qlaval]

Bought and very pleased with my Continental Winter Contact tires.
That's the winter set recommended by the dealerships in Canada.

[msej449]

I’m on the South Coast of the UK but drive my M235i Convertible to the Swiss Alps once or twice each winter. I have Pirelli Winter Sottozero S3 on a separate set of 7.5Jx17 wheels with a tyre spec’ of 225/45 R17 94V XL RFT

I’d you want to just swap tyres then, yes, you’re going to find it difficult to get the rear size on a standard setup where the rears are wider than the fronts (known as ‘staggered’ here). However, it should be possible, but you may not have much choice of brand.

A local, specialist tyre dealer (as opposed to the national chains) should be able to find something.

The problem with many low-profile wheels and tyres is that you can’t put conventional snow chains on them. You will read this in your Owners’ Manual. So if you need chains (such as for ski holidays) then you will need something that fits on the outside of the wheel, like Spike Spiders or Thule K-Summit. I have Spike Spiders but have found that even in deep snow, with the Pirelli Sottozero S3, I’ve not needed to fit them.

The Pirelli Winter Sottozero S3 tyre is biased towards wet and snow, while other brands of winter tyre give up some of their snow performance for better handling in warmer conditions. If I wanted a winter tyre just for the South of England, then I would probably have chosen another brand that handles better in the warmer conditions of early autumn and late spring. Prior to the S3s on the M235i, I had Pirelli Winter Sottozero Serie-II on my 3 Series Touring and these worked well.

Finally, check out the traction settings for snow conditions. I found the manual very confusing (although perhaps it is clearer in the original German). Basically, when on snow you press the car-with-wriggly-lines button by the shift stick and ‘TRACTION’ will appear on the instrument display. When you get back on to tarmac, you press it again and the ‘TRACTION’ disappears. You can do this while the car is moving.