Winter Wheels Mounted, MB Weapon with Blizzack LM-25

dawankler

Did you get them for the stock wheels? Did you get out in the snow any yesterday or this morning, and if so what was your experience like?

I'm in need of some new tires and was thinking about picking up a set of the DWS to get me around NoVA and MD through the next several months. Did you tirerack them or did you go with a local dealer?

m4a1mustang

Im getting some Dunlop Wintersport M3s mounted on some 18x9 winter wheels right now so I'll let you guys know how they go. Plenty of lightly snow covered roads around to test them on.

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toxik

I noticed the Blizzaks are better for snow driving, the wintersports I have mounted now are better for dry pavement/cold weather driving. Still good traction in snow as well.

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m4a1mustang

Yeah, that's what I heard from all the reviews. I figured since mostly I'd be driving on dry cold pavement the wintersports would be a better choice. If it ever snows enough to require a full blown sstudless ice/snow tire I'll probably just stay home. The wintersports should get me through the snow that the car is capable of clearing... probably 4-5 inches max. Most of the time the snow will just be packed down.

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chuckd05

I went out in a half inch of snow the other morning and was amazed at how the car did. It was able to accelerate at a decent pace without spinning. I was amazed. Slamming on the breaks did cause the abs to come out but braking was def improved over what it would of been with summer tires.

The handling on cold pavement is about 85% of Summer tires. The car still seems sure footed around bends and does not seem dangerous at all when pushing it a little.

Def a worthwhile investment. But I have a 97 legacy gt for when Its real bad tho.

My car is covered in salt right now tho and thats the worst part. If I get a car wash ill be asking for swirl marks. I hate it...



Also steve I put Dunlop sport m3 on the girls 325xi and the car didn't loose a bit of handling characteristics. I was def impressed with them in that regard. That same morning it snowed she said she didn't think her car was as good as her 99 a4 was with a/s tires but I find that hard to believe. Id have to try it and see.

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09 370Z 6M PW - FBO Best 1/4 mile = 12.926 @ 109 SOLD -- 08 BMW 135i - FBO 12.1@120mph SOLD -- white 09 e92 335 Coupe Mtech - 11.9 @ 119 :-)

m4a1mustang

Just run through a brushless wash to spray it all away.

I went out today in 2-3 inches of snow in some areas and was amazed at how well my Wintersports did. Like you said, it's definitely a worthwhile investment.

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TreeSemdyZee

Told ya so!

Mine's covered I salt and ice.

m4a1mustang

That's interesting. Maybe she thought she wasn't going to have any wheel spin at all? I stopped mine on a pretty steep hill with about 2" of snow to see how well it would grip. You have to let the traction control work a bit to get the car on it's way but you don't sit there and spin. The tires bite and up the hill you go.

I definitely do feel a handling penalty. The extra sidewall squirm is very evident and there is less overall grip compared to my summers (when they are warmed up). But it's not bad to where I don't feel like I can enjoy the car when the weather is clear.

It could just be a case of setting her expectations too high? I know some people think once they get snow tires the car is going to handle on snow like it does in the dry, but we all know that's not the case.

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chuckd05

I think that's the case. I have been talking to her about how well I thought the car would do in the snow. Shes awd too so I think she was expecting to drive like it's sunny lol no idea... When we get a good 4-6 inches I will get a good feel for how they preform.

What size do you have on the stang ? Her 255/40/18s and 225/45/18s have almost no sidewall flex. The e90 just feels great to me. It's a perfect complement to my Z when I take it out. Smooth quite and comfortable ... I'm assuming a higher profile tire would create much more sideall flex but I can push her car just as hard as I did before they were installed. BUT she had 16s on before these. When I got her the 18" 5 spoke 335 coupe wheels, we put the Winter tires right on. From her 225/55/16 conti run flats the ride and handling improved substantially with the winter sports.

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09 370Z 6M PW - FBO Best 1/4 mile = 12.926 @ 109 SOLD -- 08 BMW 135i - FBO 12.1@120mph SOLD -- white 09 e92 335 Coupe Mtech - 11.9 @ 119 :-)

m4a1mustang

I am running 245/45/18.

Stock setup is 255/40/19 Pirelli PZero so I am going from a really stiff sidewall on a 19" wheel to a softer one on an 18" wheel. I can definitely feel the squirm when I do some quick swerves to kind of get a feel for the car. Otherwise it feels fairly good, but in the transitions you can really tell the difference from a summer tire.

I'd say in your case going from the 16" to 18" is really what made the difference in handling. 55 on a 16" rim to a 40/45 on a 18" rim is gonna be a pretty big difference in feel!

Anyways, I'm really happy... I can drive up to the mountains whether it's dry or snowy now.

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m4a1mustang

These guys in their 4x4 SUVs were all looking at me like, "wtf are you doing out here... and why are you able to drive faster than we are?" hahaha

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TreeSemdyZee

I love your license plate.

chuckd05

haha nice pic steve... Wheels look good too... Thats sort of how my Z feels now too, when you make sharp cuts you feel it, but the only time I do that is when Im trying to feel that, so as long as we drive like normal human beings the pros heavely out weigh the cons...

while we are at it, heres the the Beemer... Love this car btw.. a lot of hate towards bmw on this forum. Minus the speed and handling my Z has I feel this BMW is superior in all other regards... 06 325xi Loaded with Bluetooth, iDrive, Navi, Cold Weather, we got it out the door from bmw for under $21,000 CPO until 100,000. Picked it up last winter with 44k miles on it... Its a joy to drive... The stock 16s were horrid though, these 18s with the winter wheels transformed the car, we also picked up some HID's with angel eyes not too long ago.. The halogens were awful, after those two mods this car is near perfect for a everyday cruiser.

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09 370Z 6M PW - FBO Best 1/4 mile = 12.926 @ 109 SOLD -- 08 BMW 135i - FBO 12.1@120mph SOLD -- white 09 e92 335 Coupe Mtech - 11.9 @ 119 :-)

m4a1mustang

I agree, Chuck, I really have to try to feel the difference in dry performance. Driving around like a normal person the car feels fine. It actually feels smoother because I downsized from a 19" rim with a 40 series tire to an 18" with a 45 series.

That BMW looks sharp. I've always been a fan. They build good stuff.

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CrownR426

hey would these clear the sportspackage rims?

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