[aalsayye]

Hey everyone,

I'm currently looking for winter tires for my F90 M5. I currently have the 19" 705M wheels on with performance tires and was told by the dealer that I don't need to get a new set of wheels, and that the right set of winter tires will fit.

I would appreciate it if you could let me know where I can order a new set (e.g., TR, Dealer, etc.) - this is my first M5. Open to any suggestions, including buying slightly used ones from folks in this community.

Much appreciated!

[ResIpsaLoquitur]

I do exactly what your dealer has suggested. I have black 20" 706M wheels. I lease the car, so I have never purchased a dedicated winter set. I do a tire swap on my one set of wheels seasonally. My dealer charges me $300 each time to remove, mount, balance, and store my off season tires, so going this route only costs me $1,800 for the three year lease. Much less than purchasing a dedicated set of wheels and tires.

As far as sourcing the tires, I don't see any winter tires available this close to the winter season left on tire rack. Your best bet if you want the least headache at this point (and what I do personally) is to have the dealership order them and do the swap for you. You can of course find tires on here somewhat frequently that will fit those wheels if you want to go cheaper, though.

[aalsayye]

Originally Posted by ResIpsaLoquitur

I do exactly what your dealer has suggested. I have black 20" 706M wheels. I lease the car, so I have never purchased a dedicated winter set. I do a tire swap on my one set of wheels seasonally. My dealer charges me $300 each time to remove, mount, balance, and store my off season tires, so going this route only costs me $1,800 for the three year lease. Much less than purchasing a dedicated set of wheels and tires.

As far as sourcing the tires, I don't see any winter tires available this close to the winter season left on tire rack. Your best bet if you want the least headache at this point (and what I do personally) is to have the dealership order them and do the swap for you. You can of course find tires on here somewhat frequently that will fit those wheels if you want to go cheaper, though.

Thanks for the response. Can you explain to me how you managed getting the winter set from the dealer?

I called the dealer today and they said they couldn't find winter tires that matched the specs on my wheels (front: 275/40/R19, rear: 285/40/R19) and that they could only find a full winter tire and wheel set for ~$4,300.

I went on tire rack, pirelli, etc. websites and didn't find a tire set that works with the 705M config. Am I doing something incorrectly? Or am I just late to the game?

[ResIpsaLoquitur]

Originally Posted by aalsayye

Thanks for the response. Can you explain to me how you managed getting the winter set from the dealer?

I called the dealer today and they said they couldn't find winter tires that matched the specs on my wheels (front: 275/40/R19, rear: 285/40/R19) and that they could only find a full winter tire and wheel set for ~$4,300.

I went on tire rack, pirelli, etc. websites and didn't find a tire set that works with the 705M config. Am I doing something incorrectly? Or am I just late to the game?

You're welcome! I have a good and pre-existing relationship with my very awesome SA. He has gotten them for me easily through the dealership by starting this process in late summer and holds on to them for me until about a little before Thanksgiving. The tires alone are attainable through dealers generally, but manufacturers tend to produce a certain number for the season, and that's it. No additional production runs until they're getting ready for the following season. I don't think you're doing anything incorrectly, I think you're just a bit late to the party. That's probably why you're not finding them through third parties and why the dealer is offering you the complete wheel and tire set that is significantly more. BMW tends to stock these kits closer to year round, and that's why availability is a little easier (albeit significantly more expensive).

My best advice to you at this point would be to call around to other dealers in your area; you may have to extend your geographic reach a bit to get this done at the end of October. Also, I didn't see where you're located, but if you've got high end customization shops in your area, reach out to them as well. They sometimes have access to stock that dealers don't, but even this is slim chance.

[aalsayye]

Originally Posted by ResIpsaLoquitur

You're welcome! I have a good and pre-existing relationship with my very awesome SA. He has gotten them for me easily through the dealership by starting this process in late summer and holds on to them for me until about a little before Thanksgiving. The tires alone are attainable through dealers generally, but manufacturers tend to produce a certain number for the season, and that's it. No additional production runs until they're getting ready for the following season. I don't think you're doing anything incorrectly, I think you're just a bit late to the party. That's probably why you're not finding them through third parties and why the dealer is offering you the complete wheel and tire set that is significantly more. BMW tends to stock these kits closer to year round, and that's why availability is a little easier (albeit significantly more expensive).

My best advice to you at this point would be to call around to other dealers in your area; you may have to extend your geographic reach a bit to get this done at the end of October. Also, I didn't see where you're located, but if you've got high end customization shops in your area, reach out to them as well. They sometimes have access to stock that dealers don't, but even this is slim chance.

Good advice, I'll do the calling early next week. I'm in Michigan, and only picked up the car last weekend

[ResIpsaLoquitur]

Originally Posted by aalsayye

Good advice, I'll do the calling early next week. I'm in Michigan, and only picked up the car last weekend

I figured this was a recent acquisition. Congratulations and good luck! Keep us posted.

[pbonsalb]

If you are going to keep the car and can do basic DIY, buying snow wheels is worth considering. Something like square 19x9.5 with 275/40 Vredsteins would work.

[aalsayye]

Originally Posted by ResIpsaLoquitur

I figured this was a recent acquisition. Congratulations and good luck! Keep us posted.

I found this set in Canada (wheelsco.ca), which includes 275/40/19 Michelin Xice snow tires. The question I have is if I currently run 275/40/19 fronts and 285/40/19 rears, would the 275/40/19s that are shown in this picture work all around? I am assuming yes, because I am getting the wheel/tire package.

[ResIpsaLoquitur]

Originally Posted by aalsayye

I found this set in Canada (wheelsco.ca), which includes 275/40/19 Michelin Xice snow tires. The question I have is if I currently run 275/40/19 fronts and 285/40/19 rears, would the 275/40/19s that are shown in this picture work all around? I am assuming yes, because I am getting the wheel/tire package.

This would be a "square" setup; i.e. same tire size and width at all four wheels. I am assuming these would work all the way around as there are other forum members running square setups with those measurements. I would confirm with the vendor by providing your VIN to them first, though.

[aalsayye]

Originally Posted by ResIpsaLoquitur

This would be a "square" setup; i.e. same tire size and width at all four wheels. I am assuming these would work all the way around as there are other forum members running square setups with those measurements. I would confirm with the vendor by providing your VIN to them first, though.

Awesome. Thank you so much for your help. Cheers.

[ResIpsaLoquitur]

Originally Posted by aalsayye

Awesome. Thank you so much for your help. Cheers.

You're welcome!

[ResIpsaLoquitur]

I thought about something after rereading your post on the other thread. I had mentioned in my earlier post on this thread about being a bit late in the season for the winter tires. I was referring to the exact OE "winter version" of your OE performance summer tires.

For example, I have:

Front: Michelin Pilot Sport 4S 275/35/ZR20 (102Y) Extra Load BMW Star Marked OE tire

Rear: Michelin Pilot Sport 4S 285/35/ZR20 (104Y) Extra Load BMW Star Marked OE tire

So my "equivalent" front winters would be the Michelin Pro Alpin A5 275/35/ZR20 (102Y) extra load BMW star marked and my rear winters would be Michelin Pro Alpin A5 285/35/ZR20 (104Y) extra load BMW star marked. These are definitely not available anywhere now for the 15 minutes I spent looking. Neither is the exact tire without the BMW star mark. But, if I start playing with the speed and load ratings, I can find winter versions (that are obviously not star marked), but probably sufficient for winter tires. For example, I can find the above referenced winter tire sizes with a "W" rating (168 mph rated vs. the 189 mph "Y" rated tire). Again, this is probably sufficient for most people as a winter tire for normal street use purposes during colder temperatures. How much to vary, if at all, is based on your comfort. I certainly wouldn't go any less than W if you decide to go this route though. I'm generally risk averse, so I don't generally like playing with these parameters personally unless I have no other choice (i.e. my exact tires aren't available, like the position you're in now), but many do. Also, you can play with load ratings. My OE is 104 load rated, so 2000 pounds/tire. Some people will drop down one load rating to 103 (1939 pounds/tire). If I do that, I can start to see more search results. If you have OE Pirellis, you can do the same with the winter "equivalents" (SottoZero) of the summer performance tire.

I know you're running 19s now, so your numbers are different obviously. I just used mine to illustrate the point because I'm more familiar with mine (this is my second M5 with 706Ms). You can do the same thing though with your numbers off the sidewall.

If you're using the major tire sites, and shopping by car (as opposed to tire size), you wont see these variations; those automated systems, even when you select your trim level and wheel option, will almost always show only the tires with exactly the speed and load ratings ratings of the OE tire selected (and size, of course). Here's a cogent and well organized resource that lists the codes corresponding to the markings below. You may be very tire savvy, and this may be too rudimentary for you if so, but I always like to reference this when looking at any tires for my cars that aren't manufacturer's OE tires. If you start searching by size and seeing what happens if you drop in the tire's other ratings, you'll probably start to see more options. I would absolutely never do this for summer performance tires — star marked OE all the way; I drive this car hard — but it may be an option for colder months.

EDIT — Also, try this: go to TireRack from this link: https://m.tirerack.com/content/tirer.../homepage.html, click shop tires, then click shop by tire size, pop in your width/ratio/diameter. See if you get more results that way for your size — I did for mine. However, they are only showing Vredestein, definitely no Michelin or Pirelli. But a lot of members here use them as their winter setup without issues.

[aalsayye]

Originally Posted by ResIpsaLoquitur

I thought about something after rereading your post on the other thread. I had mentioned in my earlier post on this thread about being a bit late in the season for the winter tires. I was referring to the exact OE "winter version" of your OE performance summer tires.

For example, I have:

Front: Michelin Pilot Sport 4S 275/35/ZR20 (102Y) Extra Load BMW Star Marked OE tire

Rear: Michelin Pilot Sport 4S 285/35/ZR20 (104Y) Extra Load BMW Star Marked OE tire

So my "equivalent" front winters would be the Michelin Pro Alpin A5 275/35/ZR20 (102Y) extra load BMW star marked and my rear winters would be Michelin Pro Alpin A5 285/35/ZR20 (104Y) extra load BMW star marked. These are definitely not available anywhere now for the 15 minutes I spent looking. Neither is the exact tire without the BMW star mark. But, if I start playing with the speed and load ratings, I can find winter versions (that are obviously not star marked), but probably sufficient for winter tires. For example, I can find the above referenced winter tire sizes with a "W" rating (168 mph rated vs. the 189 mph "Y" rated tire). Again; this is probably sufficient for most people as a winter tire for normal street use purposes during colder temperatures. How much to vary, if at all, is based on your comfort. I certainly wouldn't go any less than W if you decide to go this route though. I'm generally risk averse, so I don't generally like playing with these parameters personally unless I have no other choice (i.e. my exact tires aren't available, like the position you're in now), but many do. Also, you can play with load ratings. My OE is 104 load rated, so 2000 pounds/tire. Some people will drop down one load rating to 103 (1939 pounds/tire). If I do that, I can start to see more search results. If you have OE Pirellis, you can do the same with the winter "equivalents" (SottoZero) of the summer performance tire.

I know you're running 19s now, so your numbers are different obviously. I just used mine to illustrate the point because I'm more familiar with mine (this is my second M5 with 706Ms). You can do the same thing though with your numbers off the sidewall.

If you're using the major tire sites, and shopping by car (as opposed to tire size), you wont see these variations; those automated systems, even when you select your trim level and wheel option, will almost always show only the tires with exactly the speed and load ratings ratings of the OE tire selected (and size, of course). Here's a cogent and well organized resource that lists the codes corresponding to the markings below. You may be very tire savvy: and this may be too rudimentary for you if so, but I always like to reference this when looking at any tires for my cars that aren't manufacturer's OE tires. If you start searching by size and seeing what happens if you drop in the tire's other ratings, you'll probably start to see more options. I would absolutely never do this for summer performance tires — star marked OE all the way; I drive this car hard — but it may be an option for colder months.

EDIT — Also, try this: go to TireRack from this link: https://m.tirerack.com/content/tirer.../homepage.html, click shop tires, then click shop by tire size, pop in your width/ratio/diameter. See if you get more results that way for your size — I did for mine. However, they are only showing Vredestein, definitely no Michelin or Pirelli. But a lot of members here use them as their winter setup without issues.

This is very insightful, thank you! I'll be doing some more research today and will leverage your material for sure.

Definitely agree with your comment about how fast I'll be driving the M5 during winter months, not so much. I have a second vehicle (SUV) that I'll be heavily reliant on in the winter.

[pbonsalb]

If you are going to drive an SUV most of the time in the winter, consider the Michelin PS AS4. They aren’t as good as snows but do “OK” and actually are not too far off summer tires in the dry. Here is a video, but bear in mind that the Alpin 5 snows that fit the M5 won’t be as good in the snow as the X-Ice compared in the video.

[ResIpsaLoquitur]

Originally Posted by aalsayye

This is very insightful, thank you! I'll be doing some more research today and will leverage your material for sure.

Definitely agree with your comment about how fast I'll be driving the M5 during winter months, not so much. I have a second vehicle (SUV) that I'll be heavily reliant on in the winter.

You're welcome! I hope it's helpful. Keep us posted!

Especially with another more winter capable vehicle, I think you can definitely drop one level on the speed rating. I also have a very winter capable SUV, but my M5 is still very much my DD, even in moderate snow.

[ResIpsaLoquitur]

Originally Posted by pbonsalb

If you are going to drive an SUV most of the time in the winter, consider the Michelin PS AS4. They aren't as good as snows but do "OK" and actually are not too far off summer tires in the dry. Here is a video, but bear in mind that the Alpin 5 snows that fit the M5 won't be as good in the snow as the X-Ice compared in the video.

This is a great point. I didn't check OP's sizes, but the ASs are pretty widely available in my sizes, while the winters are definitely not.

[pbonsalb]

I am trying the PS AS4 this winter—have a set of 275/285 mounted. Currently still on summer PS4. Also have a set of snow wheels with 265 PA5 but am hoping I don’t decide I need them.

[Neptune7]

Do the BMW 19s lower the car's clearance or does the thicker sidewall of the Alpins vs the PS4S offset that?

[pbonsalb]

19s, 20s and 21s all have the same circumference and diameter when fitted with BMW’s specified tire sizes.

[ResIpsaLoquitur]

aalsayye, short version of a long story — I needed a new set of winter tires for my 706Ms unexpectedly. Been searching high and low for four days now; every BMW dealer in my state and more than a dozen independent tire shops in addition to the usuals — Tire Rack and the like. Absolutely nothing available. As I mentioned before, my sizes are obviously different then yours, but it's the same deal with all winter tires for our cars at this point. Ended up having to source my rear set from one location, and each of the fronts from two different places. My SA, SM, and the entire parts departments of my chain of dealers actually couldn't believe that I pulled it off at this point of the season. I can tell you that I absolutely found the last remaining individual Pirelli SottoZero Winter 3s (which I don't even actually care for) in the country by picking one up here, one up there. I've never encountered this level of difficulty in sourcing them. I think you should be looking at picking up a complete winter wheel and tire set at this point if you haven't.

[snowbimmer]

I had a 2019 Donington and a 2021 Brands Hatch. Both had the 20" OEM wheels. I bought the BMW winter tire and wheel set: 19" Orbit Grey 705M wheels with Michelin Alpin 5 tires. The fronts were still 9.5" wide, but the tires are 265 instead of 275. The rears are 285s on 10.5" wheels. Tire diameters are the same for both.

Donington


I then powder coated them gloss black and ran them on the 2021

Brands Hatch


Now they are looking for a new home because the won't fit on my M850.


I even bought one set of summer tires to run part time on the 19" 705 set because I liked the 5 spoke look.

[ResIpsaLoquitur]

Originally Posted by snowbimmer

I had a 2019 Donington and a 2021 Brands Hatch. Both had the 20" OEM wheels. I bought the BMW winter tire and wheel set: 19" Orbit Grey 705M wheels with Michelin Alpin 5 tires. The fronts were still 9.5" wide, but the tires are 265 instead of 275. The rears are 285s on 10.5" wheels. Tire diameters are the same for both.

Donington
Attachment 3030630

I then powder coated them gloss black and ran them on the 2021

Brands Hatch
Attachment 3030633

Now they are looking for a new home because the won't fit on my M850.
Attachment 3030631

I even bought one set of summer tires to run part time on the 19" 705 set because I liked the 5 spoke look.

Nice to see you on this side of the house again.

They look amazing powder coated black!