Currently driving a BMW 1-Series 118d with 18″ run-flat tyres.

I don’t know what the Winter is going to hold, but I do know I’ll be travelling around the Lake District in late December and then January so am wondering whether to change tyres to Winter tyres?

This is the first time I’ve had a rear-wheel drive car (although previous front wheel-drive cars have all been pretty rubbish!).

Any advice?

Buy a complete set of wheels so you can swap over easily. Runflats are not meant to be removed from the rim too often.

I run 19s in summer, 18s in winter on a 3 series, I got my wheels and tyres from a guy in Poland via eBay (BMW alloys, Pirelli Sottozero tyres). I figure that I won’t be wearing out the summer tyres when the winters are on, so the cost isn’t too much relatively speaking.

I sold my 118d M sport earlier this year and have set of 17″ winter runflats on BMW alloys for sale. North East based. Tread depth all good, some light curbing on one alloy. But they are a winter set after all.

Makes one hell of a difference. I plan to get some for my 320d.

Any pics of your BMW wheels & tyres unsponsored?

Unsponsored you may want to check as I thought the wheels on the 1 and 3 were interchangeable.

I have a set of continental winter tyres with about 7 mm depth on 16 alloy rims that are in need of going from the shed. Cheshire based. Non run flats though.

Just buy the Mr Winter Wheels package.

E87 118d and F31 320d. F31 uses a M14 bolt and the centre bore is different.

Pics just taken – https://www.flickr.com/photos/unsponsoreduk/albums/72157630779424958/with/7824925562/

Living in the lakes have never used winter tyres. Get a 4×4 if you are that worried

Sorry unsponsored. Old style ones were interchangeable it would seem.

Dicky mail sent.

Just buy some snow socks. It doesn’t snow that much in the Lakes… Unless you live at the top of one of the passes ?

Go onto tyreleader and buy a set of wheels and tyres from them.

Winter tyres, not snow tyres, see.

You’re going to get:

The Driving Gods

The Sceptics (including geographers and meteorologists and possible converts who reverted due to no benefit, that’s the bit only you can weigh up based on usage and expectations)

The Converts

Was a sceptic, now a convert… these made a huge difference last winter, actually looking forward to fitting them again.
Great in the cold, (wet and dry) and grease. Stunning in the snow. Will post some more thoughts soon. Summers had only 3000 miles or so on them in this pic.

My mates company…

http://www.winterwheelsonline.com

Doesn’t matter whether there’s any snow or not, proper winter tyres work so much better than normal all conditions tyres as soon as the ambient temperature is below about 10 degrees (so several months of the year in the UK normally), and they give you a huge amount more control. Despite what the driving gods might tell you, even a rwd car with decent winter tyres fitted will far outperform a 4wd car with summer tyres on in winter conditions.

Was supposed to fit mine this weekend, will do it this week.

ABS was kept kicking in far too easily the other day when I was up on the lanes to check the sheep. Plenty of standing water, mud and leaves on the road and the temps have finally dropped so now they can go on.

We won’t run a car in winter without them now.

Had great fun romping through snow last year in my wife’s golf with winter tyres (the highlight being driving past a stuck BMW X5).

I’ve got a BMW 1er and with the stock tyres it was terrible last winter. I think it was more to do with the tyres (Michelin Pilot Sports) than RWD though – it was sketchy through corners and braking etc. I got stranded more than once in icy conditions / light snow so this year I’ve bought winters. Already (in early November and temps > 10*C) they are far more sure-footed than the summer tyres.

Colour me converted.

Having said that, I’m sure you can get all year tyres that are much better at coping with winter than my Pilot Sports so YMMV.

We have to use winter tyres here although unless you’re crossing the border or involved in an accident/speeding the police are unlikely to check. Currently they’re a bit of a liability as it’s not really cold enough to help and they have less grip than the summer tyres but I expect we’ll get ice or snow in the next month then i’ll be glad I got them.

…whilst here in London (and now facing an HMRC underpayment) I’m still on the fence, noting the cold front coming at the end of the week though.

@mboy your mate is expensive , £100 more for my car than several other places

I had one of the very first 120d. In even small amounts of snow it was stupidly tail happy. Completely transformed by fitting winter tyres (mid range – not top end). I now have a second set of wheels and fit them to my car every winter. It’s meant I’ve managed to get home a couple of times that would have resulted in a night in the car without them. It doesn’t stop you getting boxed in by cars without them in snowy conditions but it gives you a much better chance. Buy them if you can afford to.

I don’t know what the Winter is going to hold, but I do know I’ll be travelling around the Lake District in late December and then January so am wondering whether to change tyres to Winter tyres?

Yes, without a doubt. Your vehicle, plus the area you are talking about, plus the the likely conditions all combine to make winter tyres (with a set of dedicated winter wheels) an indispensable idea.

The other thing you should certainly do, is to buy a couple of sandbox sand bags and keep them in the boot of your car with a view to weighting the rear wheels.*

*Advice based on having been raised and trained to drive in Canada in a rear-wheel drive car.

3 series owner, rather than 1, but this to a T…

I had one of the very first 120d. In even small amounts of snow it was stupidly tail happy. Completely transformed by fitting winter tyres (mid range – not top end). I now have a second set of wheels and fit them to my car every winter. It’s meant I’ve managed to get home a couple of times that would have resulted in a night in the car without them. It doesn’t stop you getting boxed in by cars without them in snowy conditions but it gives you a much better chance. Buy them if you can afford to.

I live in the Peaks rather than the Lakes. Maybe 6 days a year I need snow tyres, but winter tyres make a hell of difference once the temp drops below about 7°C. Far more supple ride, far more forgiving, much grippier when I’ve just started a journey and the tyres are still cold.

Couple of bags of sand in the boot is a useful addition when it’s actually snowy too.

Never needed to put stuff in the boot when using snow socks

Normal tyres may give slightly less grip in an avg winter, but my 3 series doesn’t slide around any easier unless you especially make it do so

Besides barely been below 7 deg yet this year 🙁

Besides barely been below 7 deg yet this year

I’m guessing that’s why you used this figure, but as a reminder to winter tyre sceptics, +7 degrees is the temperature at which winter tyres begin to perform at a superior level to their summer counterparts.

In other words, it doesn’t need to be freezing (and worse) to see benefits.

I recently fitted a set of Michelin Cross Climate tyres which is a Summer tyre that is rated for Winter use as well. Weather has been really mild since 😕

I bought them because I live in the South East and would probably not buy full on winter tyres.

So far they are quieter than the Continental Sport Contact 3 and don’t appear to tramline as much.

With an RWD car, would I need snow sock for the front as well?

Nope unless you intend to drive around at normal road speeds, and I’ve never seen anyone in snow do that.

I’ve had winter tyres on a 325i for the past two winters and personally I found them treacherous above about 5 degrees especially in the wet.. Tyres in question were hankook something or other with decent reviews fitted to the original 17″ alloys. When I drove it in the snow they were fantastic mind but just too much of a compromise otherwise. My brother had very similar experiences in a C350 diesel on some michelins.

Currently got a 1-series (hence the interest in the thread) and TBH given my circumstances I’m probably not going to bother this year and just leave it on the drive if it snows. Plus I can’t afford a set and I sold the old set when I got shot of the 3..

If I did decide to get some I’d probably go the route of getting a spare set of wheels and tyres as they take up the same space in the garage and save the summer alloys from abuse (getting tyres on/off and winter conditions). Does anyone know how to check whether smaller wheels would fit over the discs? The M-sport discs seem to almost fill the current 18’s front and rear and I’d be worried about fouling on 17’s..

Winters tyres make a huge difference
My last 3 Hondas have been transformed on them

I drive up and down to Glenshee most weeks and I wouldn’t be without them
Even normal driving in colder / wet weather wheel spin is reduced and grip is well up

I’ve tried cheaper tyres khumo I zen and Yokohama w drives and now on Michelin
Latitude alpine which have been the best ones yet

Happy enough to put them on nov – April

I know quite a few folk who run the new style all season tyres and they’re not bad in winter , certainly much better than a normal summer tyre but nowhere near as good as a decent winter snowflake marked tyre

I know quite a few folk who run the new style all season tyres and they’re not bad in winter , certainly much better than a normal summer tyre but nowhere near as good as a decent winter snowflake marked tyre

Depends on the tyres. The Auto Express All Season Tyres test found that the best all seasons – Nokian, Goodyear, and Michelin performed as well on snow as a Continental TS850 Winter tyre included for comparison.

I’ve just fitted Goodyear Cross Climate Generation 2s to my car. Quieter than the crappy summer Bridgestones they replaced. Much better braking in wet. They feel a bit less harsh over bumps as well.

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/accessories-tyres/92873/all-season-tyre-test-2015-results-by-category

Michelin Cross Climate tyres if you can get the size.

I’ve had the fronts fitted in summer and in 11C they were really grippy.

Getting some rears next month, don’t have the space for more storage/car parts/hoarding problem.

I’m assuming all you people buyi g all season tyres have run the Summers down and aren’t just throwing them away for the sale of it?

I’m assuming all you people buyi g all season tyres have run the Summers down and aren’t just throwing them away for the sale of it?

Correct. Fronts at 2mm. So I was needing to buy at least 2 tyres. Rears slightly more tread but all 4 replaced to keep handling and grip the same at both ends of the car. When the fronts wear out I’ll move the rears to the front and put a new pair of all seasons on the back.

ive spent the last 3 days with hours to spare on trains research this.

The basic conclusion is that its not worth it if you live down south, or if you can WFH, or if you have another more capable car, or access to public transport. As I have all of that i may as well save my £618 for the kitchen decor. 😕

it’s only the cost of new wheels on which you are down, you’re putting wear (at a reduced rate given it’s the right tyre for the conditions) on another set of tyres but not the summers…

I’m finding I’m well up on just running one set of tyres year round.

http://www.tyres-pneus-online.co.uk/

16″ steel rims for my Volvo are £44, when bought as part of a complete wheel

Alloys start at £47 😯

It doesn’t say they are TUV rated though.

In other news, I just called my insurance company – its seems winters on Steels are perfectly acceptable and I don’t need to inform them but Winters on Alloys are considered a modification.

So gash look vs cheaper outlay I ‘spose.

Not a gash look at all. Just one you haven’t been accustomed to for a while.

Steels were your only option not that long ago in automotive history, and if you think back, some of them looked pretty good, actually.

The Jeep Cherokee my parents had when I was growing up had white steel wheels with a black cap over the hub which, couple with the aggressive winter tread, looked really good.

Just think of your BMW as having a different look for winter.

I will have some genuine BMW F20 steels (16s) coming available in the next few weeks.
Bought last winter from Stratstone Derby BMW and used for about 3000 miles.
Let me know if you’re interested.

Which tyres are on them alanf?