Winter tire rim shopping

[Diomedes]

I'm itching to get these changed since the summer tires that came when i got my 2006 m3 are not great. New to buying tires and rims, though, so I need help.

What price should I be looking for for alloys? I saw some that I liked on fastwheels.ca, but dropping a thousand for rims alone seems a bit much for me. I'd prefer finding something I'd like, if possible, but not give up on other upgrades for years if possible. The stock arrangement & appearance on the tires is just not doing it for me anymore.

Also, it was recommended that i go down to 15 or 16 inch tires for the winter ones. To me it makes sense to keep the same size tires all year round to be able to use the same rims, no? Especially since an alternate set of rims are not cheap.

I mean, these are pretty nice, but 260 per wheel is a little more than I can handle at the moment:
http://www.fastwheels.ca/component/...acturer_id,0/option,com_virtuemart/Itemid,62/

 

[cclngthr]

What size rims are the stock ones? On the Hatch, the rim diameter is 17 inches and that can be lowered to 16 without having clearance issues with the brakes.

What I do is use my stock rims in the winter and my aftermarket rims in the summer.

 

[Diomedes]

Yea, they're 17 inches on the hatch. How come you do not use the same aftermarket rims all year round? Do they not fit both tires?

 

[cclngthr]

Yea, they're 17 inches on the hatch. How come you do not use the same aftermarket rims all year round? Do they not fit both tires?

My aftermarket rims are 18's, which do very poorly in weather below 45 degrees because of the type of tire that is used. The 17's have tires with a much softer rubber compound that is a winter tread friendly so traction is better. In ice/snow/winter conditions, you want to use the narrowest tire possible since that gives you the most traction in winter weather. I use the stock rims in the winter because I don't want my aftermarket rims to be loaded with ice/snow and the chemicals that DOT puts on the roads.

 

[A-sher]

Its just nice to have a set of wheels for winter and summer, because its a pain to get them remounted and balanced every season and costs money. I run 16 inch steel wheels in the winter, cheaper more comfortable tires as well because of the size. Winter also has takes numerous tolls on wheels from the salt, pebbles, and so on.

You could use the stock ones with your summers and get some cheap wheels for winter, or you could mount snow tires on your stock wheels and get a nice aftermarket set for the summer.