Here's what I did for my '97 M3 (more) (archive)

I live in Eagan, a suburb of Minneapolis/St. Paul, and we certainly get our fair share of snow. I did a lot of research into my winter tire purchase. The good news is whatever winter tire you choose, they'll perform better than an all season in snow and probably deliver similar performance in dry if you choose wisely. Here's what I found.

Basically, I wanted an H or V rated winter performance tire. In other words, I wanted something that could handle snow but gave up as little performance as possible. I decided to stick with 17" wheels rather than downsize to 16" which are better for snow, worse for performance. Trouble is most 16" wheels don't fit over
the M3's large brake calipers.

Second, I decided to buy a second set of wheels for a few reasons. The biggest reason is that every time you dismount and remount a tire, it weakens it. Many places will do it for you once and then don't want to be responsible for what happens after (so I'm told). The last thing I want is to worry about weak tires at triple digit speeds. Plus, they tend to lose air after a couple remounts. Another reason for new wheels is that I've got 7.5" x 17 front, 8.5" x 17 rear. I wanted 7.5" x 17 all around.

Thus, my search turned to tires. My manual recomends 225/45 HR 17 all the way around. My summer tires are 235/40 ZR 17 front, 245/40 ZR 17 rear. Look in your manual and they probably recomend a winter tire size.

Here then are my top 4 picks.

Pirelli 210 Asymetrico - Won top three placement in a Porche winter performance tire shootout (good all around). Sold out at tirerack.com in my size.

Michelin Pilot Alpin - Won top three placement in a Porche winter performance tire shootout (best deep snow). Sold out at tirerack.com in my size.

Pirelli Winter 240 Snowsport - Sold out at tirerack.com in my size.

Dunlop Winter Sport M2 - Won top three placement in a Porche winter performance tire shootout (best for wet/cold pavement). This is what I bought along with a
set of ATP type 5 wheels (M-contour). I bought them from Aaron at the Tirerack.com (800-428-8355, ext. 395). I sought him out because he posts often on this
board and drives an M3. With shipping the package was just north of $1400. Mine should arrive tommorrow which is good because flurries are in the forcast.

Lastly, it seems everyone says Blizzacks are awesome in snow but like marshmellows the rest of the time. Plus, some say that when tread wears down a bit, they
become no better than a good all season tire. For those reasons, I stayed away. Plus, most of the time the roads are dry or just wet even in the winter.

Good luck with your decision. I hoped some of this helped you.
MNM34D

Follow Ups:

great post, and thanks for the support too! :) Aaron@Tirerack.com 07:32 10/06/2000 (0)

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