Re: [bmw] 2004 M3 Tires/wheels

[Carguymb@xxxxxxx]

John,

The car as equipped is very capable of handling driving in the rain.   Don't
worry about it, just use common sense.   Limits are lower in the wet, and you
need to be smooth, but there's usually a lot more grip out there than you
think.   Plus, you have brand new full tread high performance tires, and it
doesn't get much better than that for driving in the wet.   The E46 is an
amazingly
competent car in just about all on-road conditions, except.....SNOW!

That is, in snow (or ice, etc.) without snow tires.   BavAuto's prices are
typically not the most aggressive out there (cough).   Check places like the
Tirerack (www.tirerack.com) and Discount Tire (www.discounttire.com) for
professional advice on fitments and likely more competitive prices.   Based on
personal experience, Tirerack offers a fair balance between competitive prices
and
quality of service.

HTH,

Martin Bullen
'95 M3
'97 Z3 2.8


In a message dated 1/27/04 4:58:27 PM, owner-bmw-digest@domain.elided writes:


> Date: Mon, 26 Jan 2004 15:16:18 -0500
> From: "John Yurkon" <yurkon@domain.elided>
> Subject: [bmw] 2004 M3 Tires/wheels
>
> I just aquired a new M3.  It has mixed width M double spoke alloy wheels
> with 225/45R-18 (front) and 255/40R-18 (rear) performance tires.
>
> Given their not unexpected complete lack of traction on snow, I wonder how
> they do on wet roads?  Or, should I just not drive in the rain?  I'm mostly
> concerned about hydroplaning.
>
> Also, should I decide to commit the unforgivable sin of driving in the
> Winter I'm wondering about snow tires.  The only ones I found were with
> BavAuto.  They're on factory wheels and are 225/45-17 both front and back.
> Will this work?  The owner's manual seems to suggest that the wheel offset
> is different between the front and back but they don't give any technical
> data.  They actually say "different recesses" which might only refer to the
> wheel well.
>
> I don't really plan on driving it on snowy or slushy roads, but I don't
want
> to get caught in snow with the performance tires.  I had to drive it
through
> some snow to get it from the dealership.
>
>     John
>





Martin Bullen
'95 M3
'97 Z3 2.8
--
to be removed from bmw, see /bin/digest-subs.cgi
or email "unsubscribe bmw" to majordomo@domain.elided