[pbonsalb]

I would not worry about the star mark if the tires have adequate load rating for your use. If it was summer tires and a leased car you wanted to return, then I would get star marked to avoid a lease penalty.

[Holset]

Originally Posted by irablumberg

I have mentioned this elsewhere, but I'm happy to repeat here that Pirelli makes a high performance snow tire, the PZero Winter. It is one of the few that is made specifically in stock sizes for the M5 and is sold by BMW dealers for the M5.

I have a set of these on my 706 wheels, which are my dedicated winter wheels. I got very little opportunity to drive in snow this winter but on cold and wet days, these tires worked very well. They also appear to have a good reputation. In general, at least on dry but cold roads, these tires were comfortable, reasonably quiet, and handled surprisingly.

I have the Pzero Winter too stock dimensions on the stock rims and they work fine.

[Maverik259]

Originally Posted by ResIpsaLoquitur

Good to know, thank you for preventing me from embarking on a fool's errand. I know all winter tires decrease performance to some extent, but the Pirelli (Sottozero winters, not the Pirellis mentioned above — I know, a completely different tire) were EXTREMELY noticeable. Just didn't want that to happen again if there was anything I could do to prevent it.

Awesome that you don't feel a difference; I'm going to search for that video.

I appreciate it!

He says you should fit them because he takes them on a track and can feel a difference. You won't notice this on the road with city driving lol.

[ResIpsaLoquitur]

Originally Posted by pbonsalb

I would not worry about the star mark if the tires have adequate load rating for your use. If it was summer tires and a leased car you wanted to return, then I would get star marked to avoid a lease penalty.

Thanks for the advice! The reason I was looking for BMWs tires is that I am not mod-heavy on the car like many others here, so I want the "best" tires for my car to perform at its peak without me having to do to much to it. I figured the best way to do that was to go with whatever the manufacturer intends the car to have. My (now 2) F90s both had star marked tires, but it was not something I had ever cared about before this car.

[ResIpsaLoquitur]

Originally Posted by Holset

I have the Pzero Winter too stock dimensions on the stock rims and they work fine.

Thanks for the advice! That was my problem with the PZeros. They were just "fine" as a winter tire — they worked pretty well for purposes of snow/ice duty, but the performance left a lot to be desired. I feel like the last few winters I didn't get enough snow days to justify a huge decrease in performance for 4 to 5 months.

[ResIpsaLoquitur]

Originally Posted by Maverik259

He says you should fit them because he takes them on a track and can feel a difference. You won't notice this on the road with city driving lol.

Thanks for sharing this! I do a little HPDE here and there, just for fun, but I'm certainly not frequently tracking this car. I want good street performance and safety in the snow. Hoping to find something that can do both of those better than the P Zeros I had on my pre-LCI.

[Holset]

Originally Posted by ResIpsaLoquitur

Thanks for the advice! That was my problem with the PZeros. They were just "fine" as a winter tire — they worked pretty well for purposes of snow/ice duty, but the performance left a lot to be desired. I feel like the last few winters I didn't get enough snow days to justify a huge decrease in performance for 4 to 5 months.

The Winter Pzeros are an performance real winter tire but if you don't have much snow/cold there may be better options a performance all season maybe?

[ResIpsaLoquitur]

Originally Posted by Holset

The Winter Pzeros are an performance real winter tire but if you don't have much snow/cold there may be better options a performance all season maybe?

This is a great point. But I know AS SOON as I go with an all season tire, we're going to have an extreme winter. The winter weather in my region is extremely erratic. And on the days where it is very snowy and cold, an all season tire may not be up to the task.

You've definitely pointed me to a direction I never thought of before, though. Definitely going to do some research on this. Thank you very much!

[Boiler Up!]

Originally Posted by ResIpsaLoquitur

This is a great point. But I know AS SOON as I go with an all season tire, we're going to have an extreme winter. The winter weather in my region is extremely erratic. And on the days where it is very snowy and cold, an all season tire may not be up to the task.

You've definitely pointed me to a direction I never thought of before, though. Definitely going to do some research on this. Thank you very much!

I found myself in a similar situation to yours when making a choice of winter tires. I'm located in northwest Indiana where winters can be extremely variable. 60* on Christmas, 3' of lake effect snow in March, -20* during a polar vortex; all well within the realm of possibility.

What I ultimately recognized was that I get the most pleasure out of driving the car during the vast majority of the time that excludes these extreme, near-outlier events. I made the decision to go with Michelin Pilot Sport All-Season 4. I knew that I would be sacrificing snow and ice performance to have much better performance in the cold and dry. During extreme events I choose to drive my F-350 w/ Goodyear Duratracs. The biggest anxiety driver for me in the M5 during these extreme events is always having to be vigilant for which overconfident, underexperienced driver is going to crash into me in their large SUV riding on very marginally performing all-season touring tires. Thus my choice to drive a truck to which I have much less emotional attachment, will fair far better in the event of a collision, and I find to be vastly more fun to drive in these situations.

Not long after putting on my winter setup I took my oldest son on a road trip to see my parents in AZ. We drove from nwi to Tuscon in mid-November. We saw conditions ranging from slightly below freezing with snow flurries to 80*+ and the PSAS4 did a great job. I felt as confident in the light snow of IL and snowy mountain passes of CO as I did pushing .9g+ around the curves of Salt River Canyon in AZ.

Ultimately the debate and decision between winter and all-season tires comes down to which characteristics do you value most and which are you willing to sacrifice. Everyone's use case is a bit different, thankfully there are great options out there to suit each of us.

[ResIpsaLoquitur]

Originally Posted by Boiler Up!

I found myself in a similar situation to yours when making a choice of winter tires. I'm located in northwest Indiana where winters can be extremely variable. 60* on Christmas, 3' of lake effect snow in March, -20* during a polar vortex; all well within the realm of possibility.

What I ultimately recognized was that I get the most pleasure out of driving the car during the vast majority of the time that excludes these extreme, near-outlier events. I made the decision to go with Michelin Pilot Sport All-Season 4. I knew that I would be sacrificing snow and ice performance to have much better performance in the cold and dry. During extreme events I choose to drive my F-350 w/ Goodyear Duratracs. The biggest anxiety driver for me in the M5 during these extreme events is always having to be vigilant for which overconfident, underexperienced driver is going to crash into me in their large SUV riding on very marginally performing all-season touring tires. Thus my choice to drive a truck to which I have much less emotional attachment, will fair far better in the event of a collision, and I find to be vastly more fun to drive in these situations.

Not long after putting on my winter setup I took my oldest son on a road trip to see my parents in AZ. We drove from nwi to Tuscon in mid-November. We saw conditions ranging from slightly below freezing with snow flurries to 80*+ and the PSAS4 did a great job. I felt as confident in the light snow of IL and snowy mountain passes of CO as I did pushing .9g+ around the curves of Salt River Canyon in AZ.

Ultimately the debate and decision between winter and all-season tires comes down to which characteristics do you value most and which are you willing to sacrifice. Everyone's use case is a bit different, thankfully there are great options out there to suit each of us.

First off, thank you very much for taking the time to provide such detailed information. The weather pattern you describe is the exact same boat I am in. Further, your experience hits the nail on the head. I always fear for that driver around me, who more often than not thinks they can do whatever they because they're "in an SUV."

While I do have another vehicle also more suited to the outlier days, the M5 is my DD, and by extension, my mobile office. On some bad days, I need to be driving it, regardless of the precarious situation outdoors. That's why I use to be so rigid about going with a true winter tire, even at the sacrifice of performance for a good chunk of the year.

The Michelin Pilot All Season 4 seems to be the the most comparable to my OEM setup if one were to choose all seasons. Im thrilled to hear the experience you had with them.

As you mentioned, everyone's use case is indeed slightly different, and my goal with this post was to figure out exactly what owners like yourself are doing to balance safety and performance. I've done some initial research based on the incredibly helpful information you've provided and am strongly considering going with the set up you mention as my winter set. It's obviously nearly impossible to know what winter will bring each year and I'm cautious about investing in tires which could be potentially incorrect for however the season turns out.

Once again, I truly appreciate you sharing your experience. I'll post on here once I've decided which route to go.

P.S. Your car is beautiful. Enjoy it (through all different weather and conditions, safely and in comfort, while enjoying the drive, it seems).

[NCRob]

Originally Posted by ResIpsaLoquitur

Thank you so much for your input. That is very helpful as it seemed to me the Alpin's are the closest tire so far. When I was doing changeovers on my pre-LCI (also with 706Ms), I was having my summers taken off the 706Ms, and putting my winters on them and repeating the process for each season. I don't like any wheels as much I like the 706M, so I like to use them all year long, and purchasing a dedicated set of 706Ms to keep winter tires on didn't make sense. Do you know yet what wheel you'll put your summers on?

I really appreciate it!

Hi there,
Regarding using the same wheels, were you warned about damage to the tires and seals with frequent changes? I ask, because I would ultimately like to do do the same exact thing, but I’ve seen different sources advise against it and I wonder if it really is an issue at all just doing it twice a year?? If not, that certainly seems the most economical choice!

[ResIpsaLoquitur]

Originally Posted by NCRob

Hi there,
Regarding using the same wheels, were you warned about damage to the tires and seals with frequent changes? I ask, because I would ultimately like to do do the same exact thing, but I’ve seen different sources advise against it and I wonder if it really is an issue at all just doing it twice a year?? If not, that certainly seems the most economical choice!

I wasn't warned, but I did ask. I was assured that everything would be fine. I did the seasonal changeovers onto the 706Ms the car came with each season for 2 1/2 years, no issues whatsoever. Each time I pay the mounting and balancing, and the dealerships storage fee. However, last year on my last change over, I asked for the fee to be waived, and it was. So it costs me $600 all in for the changeover each time. In my view, that's pretty economical. It was cheaper than purchasing another set of 706Ms and winter tires to always remain on them.