Anyone tried 205/65R17 winter tyres on an F25 X3?

[mekondelta]

Hi,

I've been looking at winter tyre packages for an F25 2014 X3 30d and noticed that one option was 205/65R17 as specified here for the European Domestic Market which I guess includes the UK?:-

https://www.wheel-size.com/size/bmw/x3/2014/#trim-...

Has anyone tried this configuration? They're much narrower than the 245 summer tyres fitted to my car. Was wondering whether anyone has tried them and what their experience was? Is it a suitable configuration in terms of grip and braking for English roads given variable British winters? I'm sceptical at the moment and would plump for the 18" 245s but the price difference is significant.

[ATM]

For true Winters you should be going as narrow as poss. The more narrow the better the grip on snow and less chance of aqua plaining.

I can't comment on the x3 as I've not had one. I recently changed from 255 to 225 on the front of my 550i and I can't really feel much difference. I also recently changed from 225 to 205 on my 911 and again can't really feel any difference.

So I think if they are bmw approved they should be fine. Remember a 245 winter tyre is going to feel different to a 245 summer.

You will lose out on some ultimate grip so emergency braking on a dry smooth road from 100 to stand still might require a few extra feet but that's the deal with winters.