Hi There....

I am getting a 2009 Clubman S after a couple of month search.

It has 17 sport tires on it and really nice wheels.

What I would like is a set of wheels and tires for the winter. Preferrablle painted wheels so I don't need to worry about winter effect as much.

I don't want to spend a lot on winter wheels.

Recommendations on wheel brands/models and tires (run flats are not necessary).

Thanks.

Jeff

 

There are quite a lot of options. I've been very happy with Tire Rack for several purchases of winter sets for vehicles in the past. If you check their site periodically you can probably find something nice on sale between now and winter. I ended up with Kosei K1-TS wheels (light grey painted) with Dunlop Wintersport M3 tires. I have a JCW so I needed 17 inch wheels to clear the brakes. You should be able to go with 16 inch on an S. 195/55/16 would probably be the tire size to go with. Depending on your location and how bad the winter is you can go with a performance winter tire to keep some good dry handling, something like a Blizzak LM60 or Dunlop Wintersport 3D; or something like the Blizzak WS60 will give up some dry handling for a little better grip in snow/ice. In total, you're probably looking at about $800 for wheels & tires, plus $200 for TPMS if you don't want to have the tire pressure warning light on all winter.

 

Tirerack is great , been using them for over 25 years. I have a set of General Alitmax Arctic 205 55 16 on Sport F7s. I have had no issues. Last winter was pretty bad around here, and i was out in every storm. You may want to go to a narrower size, 195 55 16. I just like the look of a wider tire.
Talk with Alex at Tirerack, he wont steer you wrong

 

Ok, maybe this is a dumb question, but I'd like to add onto Jeff's question:

Do you need 2 or 4 tires since the car is fwd?

 

Always match all 4 tires to be of the same type (winter/summer/all-season). You don't want different levels of grip from front to back, it would be very dangerous and could easily cause a spin. Yes, the front wheels do provide the forward grip, but you will also need to stop and turn and with less grip at the back, you could easily be put into a spin.

Some people replace 2 tires at a time, if the front/bacsk is worn and the others have good tread left. Even in those case you want to replace with the same or similar tires, and this can be avoided by rotating tires/swapping back to front periodically to ensure even wear. I personally always maintain the same tires on all 4 for best handling and safety.