Winter wheel setup

[ally]

My car came with staggered 18” style 662 wheels, which I now use as winter wheels. 
When I bought winter tyres for them, I was persuaded to go with 245/45/18 all round, despite the summer setup being 275/40/18 on the rear. 
I just don’t like like the look of the 245/45/18 tyres on the wider 9j rear wheels, so I’m now thinking of obtaining a couple of 8j wheels to go on the rear and make it a “square” setup. 
This will be a lot more cost effective for me, than finding 2 x 275/40/18 winter RFT tyres which are around £440 each, if I want to keep the same tyres, BMW star marked etc  

I don’t have M Sport brakes so I believe the 8j should fit without issue, unless there is different offset for rears on a square setup? 
 

Is anyone happily using a square setup on their wheels, summer or winter? 
Are the offsets the same all round?

TIA
 

 

[BobA]

I use a 18” x 245s square setup for winters and I think they’re just fine - no issues with fit of course as it’s a standard setup. Not much different to the summer 19” staggered for noise and comfort but I feel that narrower rears are better for grip in heavy rain and slush. A very personal choice though of course. As it’s still so mild I’ve not fitted my winters yet this year though it’ll likely be soon as it was quite frosty here yesterday and still only around 5 degrees at lunchtime - quite a sudden drop.

Edited November 17, 2022 by BobA

[Matthew]

Mine (G32) has 20" staggered for summer and the genuine BMW 19" square set up for Winter. To add to @BobA' s statement, you will be fine with acquiring 8j wheels for the rear and use the square set up. If you look at Realoem, BMW don't specify an 18" staggered winter tyre set up for your car, so they are expecting 4 of the same tyres. Wider tyres offer no benefit at all in the snow! 

Edited November 17, 2022 by Matthew

[ally]

Thanks folks. 

I agree, narrower tyres are always better in the snow, mud and slush, but as we don’t see that much snow nowadays, and we tend to see more cold wet weather, my dilemma was there. 
I think the 245s are still wide enough to offer good enough grip in the wet, I’m not the type to race round bends etc. 
I’ve found a couple of 8j wheels for sale so I will go with those and save myself a fortune on the tyres. 
If these ever wear down during my ownership, I will probably look at an all season / cross climate next time. 
 

[Mr H]

7 hours ago, BobA said:

I use a 18” x 245s square setup for winters and I think they’re just fine - no issues with fit of course as it’s a standard setup. Not much different to the summer 19” staggered for noise and comfort but I feel that narrower rears are better for grip in heavy rain and slush.

+1

[Matthew]

1 hour ago, ally said:

I think the 245s are still wide enough to offer good enough grip in the wet, I’m not the type to race round bends etc. 

Yep, 245/45r19's all round on my G32 work just as well in the cold wet as the 275/35r20 rears for summer. In the snow, the 19" winter tyres are fantastic!