I currentley own a 2002 E46 330 ci and I need winter tires and have no idea what type to put on. Does anybody know from experience what brand and/or size to put on? By size I am refering to 16" or 17".
I just run some Kumho All Seasons and had no problems. I live on Cape Cod, and commute toward Boston so I saw lots of snow and ice. My only limitation was ground clearance. I have lots of winter driving experience, so factor that in.
Check the door jamb of your car (driver's side). There is probably a label with tire pressure information. Listed should be winter tire size(s). They'll say M&S or something similar. Probably will list a 17 inch size, and two 16 inch sizes. In general, narrower is better for driving through snow. What type of winter tire you get depends on what type of winter driving you'll experience. If you get a lot of snow, there are tires designed for that use. If you just get occassional light to moderate snow and worry more about ice, there are appropriate tires. And if you'll drive mostly on dry pavement, you may want to trade off some winter performance so that your car doesn't handle like a Buick. Check the TireRack site and also tire manufacturer sites. For example, the Michelin site has a good comparison describing the differences between three of their winter tires (Pilot Alpin, Primacy Alpin, and X-Ice). I have the X-Ice on my E36/5, and just ordered the Pilot Alpin for my E46/3.
What did the car come with, 16's? My 2004 325i did and I'm going to put on 4 snows on the original rims for winter. not performance snows, just regular good quality/grip snows. that's what i've gathered from bav-auto in new hampshire, they're up in snow country. I'm in CT and have been told that good set of snows is all you need (you don't necessarily need the "xi" to survive), but it depends on your usage.
