Winter tyres

[Dominic H]

A little early I realise.But we're off to the Alps on Boxing day, and we're going to drive down. My car is lousy on snow & ice, mainly due to the 255's on the back. I don't really fancy having to try and put snow chains on in the snow.
A set of winter tyres would be ideal. As I'll probably only need these once a year, I'd look to rent if possible. Is there anywhere I can hire a set?

Thanks,

Dom

[phelix]

E46 3 series by the look of it?

Consider buying a set of 17" wheels on ebay (you've got a few months to find a bargain - perhaps £100-120 for a decent set) and then buy 4 snow tyres and run them December through March when the roads are generally cold and wet and occasionally slimey with salt. Winter tyres work better in those conditions, you'll save your summer wheels from the salt, if we get another snow fall that sticks around like January's you'll be able to get past the stuck 4x4s with ease and over a few years the real world cost will not be much more than the cost of the extra wheels.

[Zod]

Standard winter kit for E46 3 Series sportier models in Germany is 225/45/17 from memory.

[5678]

Toying with this for my 650. But worried it might be cheaper to buy another car?

[Dominic H]

Thanks for all your help. A mate swears that snow chains aren't too bad to put on, even on these low-profiles (yep E46 sport Touring). I'll give these a try, as I don't have somewhere to keep a spare set of wheels.

What's the worst that could happen?

[Bumble SV]

Grab some Autosocks whatever you decide - great value and great reviews.

See http://www.roofbox.co.uk/car-snow-socks