[Floridagator]

Here's what I know about the 18" package winter tires:

If you go to the Michelin.fr (France) website and look up the F80 M3, you will see the recommended tire is the Michelin Pilot Alpin 4 in 255/40R18. Unfortunately I've learned through Michelin customer service that this tire won't be brought to the US market. You can still get the Pilot Alpin 2 in this size from Tire Rack, but that's a Porsche construction with a lower load rating than the OE BMW tire (95 instead of 99).

If you go to the ETK or RealOEM database, in the wheels section you'll find the officially-recommended tire from BMW is the Continental WinterContact TS 830 P in 255/40R18 99V. Through my contacts at Conti, BMW and Tire Rack (their major distributor) I've learned that this tire isn't available yet but should be by late fall. Given that this is likely the tire that BMW did their winter testing (and ABS/ESC calibration) with, I'll probably get this one if I can.

Looking at Tire Rack, there are six winter tire options in the 255/40R18 size. If neither of the two tires mentioned above become available, probably the best off-the-shelf alternative would be the Bridgestone Blizzak LM-60 or LM-32. I'd probably go with the H-rated LM-60 rather than the V-rated LM-32, since 130mph is plenty fast for public roads (especially in winter!) and I'd trade the higher speed rating for a slightly better winter compound. I had the LM-60 on my Z4 M Coupe and the car was unstoppable in the snow.

Hope this helps.