[Andycam]

Originally Posted by FBMWWINS

I do not live in a mountain area plus winters are not what they used to be. Cars "saw" the first salt a couple of weeks ago around here and way less salt is being spread compared to some years back when we saw the snow in October as good as every year. Actually the "salty" period is way shorter than it used to be. And this matters.
But other than that, is there such thing? I have seen aftermarket wheels as well as BMW wheels, supposedely "designed specifically for winter use and salt exposure" deteriorate or get really ugly from salt and corrosion. I have seen it on an F30 of a friend who follows every comma and dot BMW mentions, and guess what? His wheels got the "aluminium cancer" despite being what BMW defines as "winter complete set" and mine didn't (19" original non-winter set). Do you really think there is a difference in "winter resistance" between the 727 wheels and the 733 ones? Or between the 728 and the 730ies? It's just that 19" will give you better traction control, possibly use less fuel and be all together the better winter choice. I have yet to see or read anywhere that BMW have wheels that are more resistant to salt or any other agents. I am not interested in aftermarket/3rd Party wheels for winter. I opt for original ones and want to keep same size as summer. On all my previous BMWs I never had any issues with the bigger size and with the staggered setup. Based on my experience, and on where I live, I have no reasons for changing this.

You are very right in questioning if it really matters. On my F32 I had BMW original 18" "for winter use" and I had BMW replace two of them after two years since they were in really bad condition. A rim repair shop that I visited after an intimate encounter with a curb immediately said "these won't be good in the winter time" when they saw how they were painted and polished.

Opted for black 786M 19" as winter shoes for my 850, will be interesting to see how they cope.

Also interesting that for 19" BMW recommends Pirelli Sottozero 3 RFTs for this car, 245/40 all around, speed class H on 786 rims but speed class V on 727 rims

[FBMWWINS]

Originally Posted by Andycam

You are very right in questioning if it really matters. On my F32 I had BMW original 18" "for winter use" and I had BMW replace two of them after two years since they were in really bad condition. A rim repair shop that I visited after an intimate encounter with a curb immediately said "these won't be good in the winter time" when they saw how they were painted and polished.

Opted for black 786M 19" as winter shoes for my 850, will be interesting to see how they cope.

Also interesting that for 19" BMW recommends Pirelli Sottozero 3 RFTs for this car, 245/40 all around, speed class H on 786 rims but speed class V on 727 rims

After 1-2 years of use after purchasing the car, IF the rims got some damage I get them redone completely and in my experience after powder coating them, they stand all sorts of agents (including brake dust) usually much better and prove to be more resistant than the factory powder coat. In fact all wheels paint shops I have visited in my (BMW) life confirmed the factory finish is quite cheap.... I think this is so, as your case proves, for winter wheelsets as well.