So after being totally unable to leave my house last winter with my summer performance tires on my car, I've put some money aside for winter tires and rims. Tirerack has them all in stock for this year.

After a little research it looks like I'm going to go with the Dunlop Winter Sport M3. It got great reviews and ratings on tirerack. It's also pretty cheap at 109 per tire. Gonna pair these with 16inch rims, i think the Mille Miglia Spider II, which are on special for 89 bucks each. Anyone have opinions on either the rims or the tires? recomendations?

Also what do people thing of the Road Hazard option, i've never dented a wheel or destroyed my lower profile tires on my 17s, so with a wider sidewall and small rims, i think the chance is even less, I don't think I'm gonna get it. Opinions?

I figure I'll buy it now before the prices go up when people start to thing about it. Has there been any group buys in the past? Thanks for opinions!

i'm looking to get all season so i dont have to mess with on and off...

i dont get why people want seperate winter rims, etc... whats the diff?

will my 18's not be as good in the winter?

i'm looking to get all season so i dont have to mess with on and off...

i dont get why people want seperate winter rims, etc... whats the diff?

will my 18's not be as good in the winter?

Well i think normally its recommended that you get a smaller size rim and a narrower tire. The thicker the tire, the worse it is in the snow (too wide will have a sled like effect.) Also, keep in mind 18s don't like big potholes, and there are usually more in the winter. I know my father bought 17's for his 540 in the winter. If you have aftermarket rims, salt and sand arent too nice to the rim either. Thats my understanding of the rationale behind new tires and rims.

I think of all-season as a compromise of performance in both the summer and winter. It does everything ok, nothing great, it is much more economical though.

sounds good to me, 16" tires will be cheaper to buy anyway. It helps to have a wheel design thats easy to clean :) You're right about the compromises too. I was surprised how much dry grip my blizzak LM-22's had, its not a big loss for daily driving if you ignore the tread squirm.

Anyone have any first hand experience w the Dunlops?

Anyone have any first hand experience w the Dunlops?
Want to know this too, since TireRack recommended them (M3's) over the Blizzaks.

I have Dunlop SP Winter M2s (the generation before the m3) and would recommend them over anything except maybe the newer m3s!!!

I run wide as hell 255/40/17s and in the dry, they drive close to conti extreme contacts...

In the snow, they will make an all season tire look like a joke compared to these in the ice and snow.

I've had the Dunlop Sport M3's for 2 seasons now. I use 215/55/16 and it's H rated. Yeah, I would recommend these tires. More so for their dry road handling and grip than it's actual 'snow' performance. I've had Michelin Alpin's as well prior to the Dunlops and they were fantastic in actual snow - 3-5" of the white stuff. However, the Michelin's dry road performance is nowhere close to the Dunlop's!! The way I was looking at it, 95% of the winter driving I did - up here in Toronto, Canada was on plowed roads. If you drive more in actual snow....then you may want a true 'snow' tire. Not a 'performance snow' which the Dunlop M3's are. Hope this helps.