re: snow tires for 98 M3

["Mark Kittock" <red951@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Ron,
Here are my snow tire experiences:

'86 CRXSi (w/ Jackson Racing suspension) - Pirelli Winter 190P 185/60-14,
great in snow, good performance on the non-snowy days (even in Minnesota). 
A little less responsive than the 195/55-14 D40M2s I ran in the summer, but
considering the big blocky tread blocks and siping I was completely
satisfied.

'97 Contour SE (stock, surprisingly) - last fall I decided to try Blizzaks,
185/70-14, great in snow and ice, but as you experienced, lousy for the dry
days (which is most of the time) - I almost felt they were dangerous the
few times I tried quick maneuvers.  A severe drop in responsiveness, and
the summer setup is only Firestone FTX 205/60-15 - not exactly a ultimate
performance tire, but fine with the stock suspension setup.

'96 328i (sport pkg) - just bought this this summer, and based on my
experiences will get Pirelli Winter 210 Ice (205/55-16) put on the sport
wheels (maybe a set of 17's next spring?).  I don't want to lose the
responsiveness and feel the Pirelli's are the best bet.  I also have an
aquaintance who had them on his Porsche 968 last winter and spoke very
highly of them.

Hope this all helps!

Mark Kittock
North Star BMWCCA

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