2016-2017 Winter wheels and tires group buy thread

[trey100]

Originally Posted by The Father

I've had the Xice and whatever Pirelli's studless snow was. Again, I'm talking ice and snow only, not all around performance. The Xice and Pirelli were no better than the all season that came on the car (RSX). Now, its been quite a while, so things could have changed. But Tire Racks review shows they aren't in the same league on ice/snow.

I used both the Xice and the Pirelli for one winter season....and I'm trying to remember what I did with them, and can't. Which means they were likely tossed in the trash...or used for smokey burnouts....Its been the WS ever since. The WS lasts 5-6 seasons. Shit, I've got a set in my garage right now...they outlasted the car!

I had my RSX for 13 winters. I used the OEM Michelins the first winter. Xice the 2nd, Pirelli the 3rd, and then 2 sets of Blizzaks. The first set of Blizzaks lasted 6 seasons. The 2nd set went thru 4, and I had planned to squeeze a 5th.

The cost amortized over 5 or 6 years is nothing. Why everybody doesn't do it is beyond me.

I will say that since I last purchased snow tires my commute has gone from around an hour to about 6 minutes. So if X is the only option....I'm probably on board. Worst case scenario: I hate them and use the $500 I saved on the group buy to get the Haka's I really wanted!

XICE 3? Or earlier versions? That could make a difference. The new xice3 ranks high.

[MCamachoF80]

6 more people to go!

[///M3_F80]

Originally Posted by MCamachoF80

6 more people to go!

Sorry, I have to back out. Went for a different set elsewhere.

[FirstF80InSpace]

Originally Posted by ///M3_F80

Sorry, I have to back out. Went for a different set elsewhere.

Which set did you end up going with?

[///M4ster Yoda]

I signed up at the Group Buy site. Im just gonna need to pick your guys brains about which sizing and fitment to go with

[///M3_F80]

Originally Posted by FrozenCommunist

Which set did you end up going with?

I went with a set of 19" gloss black M3 F80 reps. +35 offset, square set up 255-35-19 Michelin Alpin PA4's.

[visi107]

Originally Posted by Master Yoda

I signed up at the Group Buy site. Im just gonna need to pick your guys brains about which sizing and fitment to go with

This was my reasoning for my set up. I live in Michigan. I have the 437 stock wheels. For the winter I wanted an 18 inch setup to have more sidewall given the higher chance of damaging wheels and tires (slippery conditions, more potholes/cracks in the roads, plus harder to see those pot holes given that roads can be covered in snow and less daylight hours).

Then I decided on a square setup to be able to rotate the tires.

Now the options are either a 255/40/18 or a 245/45/18. The first option is almost identical in diameter/circumference to the fronts and the latter is almost identical in diameter/circumference to the rears.
I decided on the 245/45/18 square option as it has a little bit more sidewall and just a little narrower tire, both of which should help in the snow.

[///M4ster Yoda]

Originally Posted by visi107

This was my reasoning for my set up. I live in Michigan. I have the 437 stock wheels. For the winter I wanted an 18 inch setup to have more sidewall given the higher chance of damaging wheels and tires (slippery conditions, more potholes/cracks in the roads, plus harder to see those pot holes given that roads can be covered in snow and less daylight hours).

Then I decided on a square setup to be able to rotate the tires.

Now the options are either a 255/40/18 or a 245/45/18. The first option is almost identical in diameter/circumference to the fronts and the latter is almost identical in diameter/circumference to the rears.
I decided on the 245/45/18 square option as it has a little bit more sidewall and just a little narrower tire, both of which should help in the snow.

Thank you. I'm gonna go with your setup.

[The Father]

Originally Posted by trey100

XICE 3? Or earlier versions? That could make a difference. The new xice3 ranks high.

Yep, it woulda been an old model. We'll see, I'm broke, so pretty sure I'm going with it.

Btw, just cuz it ranks 2nd doesn't mean it ranks hi. The gap between it and the Blizz on ice/snow is gargantuan.

Peeps gotta stop looking at the overall rating and look at the rating for what they need it for. If u don't get lots of snow, you'll prob hate the Blizz.

[trey100]

Originally Posted by The Father

Yep, it woulda been an old model. We'll see, I'm broke, so pretty sure I'm going with it.

Btw, just cuz it ranks 2nd doesn't mean it ranks hi. The gap between it and the Blizz on ice/snow is gargantuan.

Peeps gotta stop looking at the overall rating and look at the rating for what they need it for. If u don't get lots of snow, you'll prob hate the Blizz.

Lately for the nasty stuff, the Xice3 and the Nokian R2 are numbers 1 and 2 rated. Blizzak seems to have gone down a notch with the newest generation compared to the Nokians and Xice. If you are basing your opinion on older generation tires you may want to re-look at what is out there.

[Dareal]

I'm trying to figure out what setup to go with. I'm in the northeast (NYC suburbs) so the amount of snow is considerable but not insane. My M3 will be my daily driver on a 10 mile backroad / highway commute. Snow plows are usually good but the occasional snow during commuting hours does happen. I have some flexibility but generally need to be in the office for my job.

So the question is - studless or performance? Any suggestions?

[The Father]

Originally Posted by trey100

Lately for the nasty stuff, the Xice3 and the Nokian R2 are numbers 1 and 2 rated. Blizzak seems to have gone down a notch with the newest generation compared to the Nokians and Xice. If you are basing your opinion on older generation tires you may want to re-look at what is out there.

Yeah, I'm open due to upgraded tech. But it was exactly that R&T comparo that made me want the Noki's.

But thanks to the linkster!!! Tho that comparo led me to the Noki, I did not recall the X being 2nd!

So I guess 2nd place is the winner!

BTW, we are at 32!

[The Father]

Originally Posted by Dareal

So the question is - studless or performance? Any suggestions?

If you are questioning it, I'd go with studless snow. They don't wear out in a season like when they first came out. So you'll get years of service.

Personally, I don't get the performance snow category. Its just as oxymoronish as "all season". All seasons suck in all seasons. Perfomance snows suck in the snow and can't perform on pavement.

If I were in a place with occasional light snow, I'd probably source an all season with a lower speed rating/softer compound.

This might help:

With studless you'll be out accelerating SUVs in snow, but they are super squishy. So if you are on a plowed street 90%, not only will it be a lot less fun, but if you run the tire hard it WILL wear quickly.

With Performance snows, realize the "performance" is in relation to a studless' non-performance. They are by no means what so ever a performance tire. But if streets are usually clear, and you only have an occasional white knuckle drive in the snow, this might work better. They are harder/stiffer and will take more punishment on pavement.

[MCamachoF80]

Originally Posted by Dareal

I'm trying to figure out what setup to go with. I'm in the northeast (NYC suburbs) so the amount of snow is considerable but not insane. My M3 will be my daily driver on a 10 mile backroad / highway commute. Snow plows are usually good but the occasional snow during commuting hours does happen. I have some flexibility but generally need to be in the office for my job.

So the question is - studless or performance? Any suggestions?

Hey I'm in the same area as you. I'm in North NJ I am going with studless ice and snow(X-ICE). I agree with The Father. Might as well get the tire that will do the best job when you are in trouble and we have those occasional bad snow storms.

[MCamachoF80]

Originally Posted by Eddy@ApexRaceParts

We figured this would be brought up. So let me explain the numbers.

The discount is much bigger. Total value is $450~ off.

Shipping is free which is worth $150. Mounting and balancing is free. OEM Huff TPMS sensors are discounted. Other hardware is discounted.

We couldn't set the site up to charge full price for everything and then apply the discount. That would have been perfect for this deal. Thanks for the feedback, we'll let the site know the current format creates some confusion, and makes a great deal look mediocre.

EDIT:

On Monday we'll sent notice to everyone from the survey. Anyone who listed "I don't know" for wheel or tire sizes will be contacted by a product expert so that we can provided a tailored fitment recommendation.

Eddy we reached the goal of 30. If this continues to go strong can you make the discount bigger ? Like 300 off at 45?

[The Father]

$2,200*35=$77,000

[WaMi]

Originally Posted by visi107

UPDATE 9/09
Group buy pricing is now announced and in the feeler phase. Please go to the following link, say you are interested, and build your preferred package. There is no commitment to buy just because you say you are interested. Everything is not 100.00% set in stone....

Now that you have several M2ers on the group buy and you've reached your goal of 30, could we renegotiate the discount? Maybe if we get 50 interested, then we can bring the discount to $400 instead of just the $200? Think about it, that's a huge order.

[visi107]

Originally Posted by WaMi

Now that you have several M2ers on the group buy and you've reached your goal of 30, could we renegotiate the discount? Maybe if we get 50 interested, then we can bring the discount to $400 instead of just the $200? Think about it, that's a huge order.

I think that would be awesome. The contact who I talked to to set up the group but is Eddy@ApexRaceParts. He has posted throughout the thread here.

I will talk to him. Feel free to contact him as well if you want.

[F1fan]

Originally Posted by visi107

I think that would be awesome. The contact who I talked to to set up the group but is Eddy@ApexRaceParts. He has posted throughout the thread here.

I will talk to him. Feel free to contact him as well if you want.

Thanks, Visi. It seems to me that since we are blowing past our thresholds that additional discounts would be warranted. Especially if 40-50 forum members are running around on new Apex wheels. Great advertising for them...

[Dareal]

Originally Posted by MCamachoF80

Hey I'm in the same area as you. I'm in North NJ I am going with studless ice and snow(X-ICE). I agree with The Father. Might as well get the tire that will do the best job when you are in trouble and we have those occasional bad snow storms.

So the X-ICE will be best for the few days where there is bad snow. What about the other days? I got a nice, curvy backroad that allows for spirited driving. Will I regret the purchase every dry day? Will I destroy the tires completely?

I had a set of Dunlop SP Winter Sport 3D on a 335xi before and those were fine for dry weather driving in the winter. Not great through. Didn't have any major snow that winter so no experience there.

[Eddy@ApexWheels]

Originally Posted by MCamachoF80

Eddy we reached the goal of 30. If this continues to go strong can you make the discount bigger ? Like 300 off at 45?

Originally Posted by WaMi

Now that you have several M2ers on the group buy and you've reached your goal of 30, could we renegotiate the discount? Maybe if we get 50 interested, then we can bring the discount to $400 instead of just the $200? Think about it, that's a huge order.

Originally Posted by F1fan

Thanks, Visi. It seems to me that since we are blowing past our thresholds that additional discounts would be warranted. Especially if 40-50 forum members are running around on new Apex wheels. Great advertising for them...

30+ have shown interest but zero have technically committed payment because this is just the feeler phase. Not everyone ends up buying and that conversion ratio is usually around 50-60%. You can see that conversion rate on other deals. It can take 60 "interested" just to get to 30 real participants.

When building out this deal we considered following the standard format with multiple tiers. If we did that, we'd have set the current max discount at a much higher threshold (80 sets to be specific). Lower demand like where we are currently as of this post would have earned a lesser discount. Because we really wanted to test out offering tires as part of a deal for the first time, we agreed to keep the deal simple and significantly lower the threshold to ensure its success. The discount on this deal is much deeper than any deal we've done ever when you factor everything in.

Our standards ARC-8/EC-7 deals require 80 sets to get the same discount. Deals like that have ended up with 154 and 167 sets/participants.

In comparison to those volumes, this is a very small deal.

In summary we made sure this deal is priced really well for the size it will inevitably reach.

[F1fan]

Originally Posted by Eddy@ApexRaceParts

30+ have shown interest but zero have technically committed payment because this is just the feeler phase. Not everyone ends up buying and that conversion ratio is usually around 50-60%. You can see that conversion rate on other deals. It can take 60 "interested" just to get to 30 real participants.

When building out this deal we considered following the standard format with multiple tiers. If we did that, we'd have set the current max discount at a much higher threshold (80 sets to be specific). Lower demand like where we are currently as of this post would have earned a lesser discount. Because we really wanted to test out offering tires as part of a deal for the first time, we agreed to keep the deal simple and significantly lower the threshold to ensure its success. The discount on this deal is much deeper than any deal we've done ever when you factor everything in.

Our standards ARC-8/EC-7 deals require 80 sets to get the same discount. Deals like that have ended up with 154 and 167 sets/participants.

In comparison to those volumes, this is a very small deal.

In summary we made sure this deal is priced really well for the size it will reach inevitably reach.

Sounds fair to me. Thanks for your support, Eddy!