[john330i]

Hi guys,

I need to get 4 new tyres for my 330i and plan to ditch the RFTs and go for a set of Vredestein Ultrac Sessanta's. I had a set on my last car (Alpina Roadster S) and thought that they provided excellent levels of grip.

However, I can't seem to find exactly the right size/speed rating for my wheels. I have the 17" 161 double spoke wheels on the car which are:

225/45 R17W
255/40 R17W

But I can only find the Vreds in:

225/45 R17 94Y XL
255/40 R17 98Y XL

Are these tyres still ok to fit as replacements? I know that the size and profiles are ok, and that the speed rating is slightly higher than the OE tyres, but I'm slightly confused by the 94/98 and XL. Any ideas?

Many thanks.

John

[willhollin]

Have you thought about winter tyres?

[the_rangdo]

I had exactly these

225/45 R17 94Y XL
255/40 R17 98Y XL

on my 320i last year. No problems at all, the XL just means at speed you can carry heavier load in the car (can't remember the facts/figures around that)

I will say though that in snow they were terrible, zero grip no matter how little I feathered the throttle. Took over an hour to move it from the parking spot to the tyre fitting bay (maybe 20 yards) to put the winters on. Fair enough it was deep snow though.

Wet and dry grip was great in 'normal' weather. I also found them quite noisy - swapped for Conti SP3 and was much happier.

[john330i]

Originally Posted by willhollin

Have you thought about winter tyres?

It's an interesting question, but i don't really have the space to have a set of winter and a set of summer tyres for the car. What are winter tyres like for all year use?

Current conditions here in Scotland (1-2 feet of snow in most places) would make winter tyres a more sensible option, but we don't tend to get snow for very long each year so I wonder whether it would be a sound investment.

[remmib]

Those will fit and the load index of 94 and 98 is okay.

[the_rangdo]

Originally Posted by john330i

Current conditions here in Scotland (1-2 feet of snow in most places) would make winter tyres a more sensible option, but we don't tend to get snow for very long each year so I wonder whether it would be a sound investment.

Can't answer on the all-year use, but winter tyres aren't just for snow. They work best in temps below 7C and offer better grip and braking in the damp, greasy conditions we generally get through winter.

I've got mine on Nov - Mar