535i and Snow - Page 3

The X Men · 01-01-2013, 05:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Boulder Bill

If you post on this thread enough, you may just convince yourself you are right about AWD. And about the Patriots.

Oh I know that AWD is better in the snow than RWD, thats why RWD BMW do not sell well here. RWD is in such low demand here, that the dealers dont even bother to stock them.

faz · 01-02-2013, 05:18 PM

I just came back from a trip to Tahoe in my 535i, and the car did kind of well in light snow despite its RWD and all season tires, but it was definitely not confidence inspiring in any shape or form.

Having had an X5 before and having lived in Ontario, Canada for many years prior to moving to sunny California, I would say that an all wheel drive car is better suited for general driving conditions in snowy weather, at least for me that has been the case.

Now a question that should fit well in this thread: for my upcoming weekend trips to Tahoe and occasional snow driving, what are my options? buying a second set of wheels and mounting aggressive snow tires on them? or Perhaps changing the current tires (OEM) to a more snow-friendly all season run-flat tires, if so, which one?

mdrobc13 · 01-02-2013, 10:34 PM

Depending on how often your trips are renting a dedicated 4x4 may be the better option to protect your 535i on such trips and from other drivers. If you get reward point or some sort of payback it may be the better part of valor. Otherwise a dedicated set of snows can make all the difference man. I had a set on my e92 M3 and did well in light precip I encountered in the greater NE in 2008-2009!

pMart36 · 01-02-2013, 10:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by faz

I just came back from a trip to Tahoe in my 535i, and the car did kind of well in light snow despite its RWD and all season tires, but it was definitely not confidence inspiring in any shape or form.

Having had an X5 before and having lived in Ontario, Canada for many years prior to moving to sunny California, I would say that an all wheel drive car is better suited for general driving conditions in snowy weather, at least for me that has been the case.

Now a question that should fit well in this thread: for my upcoming weekend trips to Tahoe and occasional snow driving, what are my options? buying a second set of wheels and mounting aggressive snow tires on them? or Perhaps changing the current tires (OEM) to a more snow-friendly all season run-flat tires, if so, which one?

I live in SF and go to Tahoe every weekend in the winter. I went with the 535xi since I wanted a car with better MPG (came from an escalade). So far the 535xi w/19" M+S tires (OEM) have been fine. That being said, it has not fully been tested but others have said it performs well. I also think a lot depends on the driver and how cautious you are. Driving my set up in the snow as if I still had the escalade with snow tires would be a bad choice.

JNoSol · 01-03-2013, 10:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by faz

Now a question that should fit well in this thread: for my upcoming weekend trips to Tahoe and occasional snow driving, what are my options? buying a second set of wheels and mounting aggressive snow tires on them? or Perhaps changing the current tires (OEM) to a more snow-friendly all season run-flat tires, if so, which one?

I just ordered a set Contis ExtremeContact DWS non-RFTs for my 535i. I have the same tires on my X5 Sport, the performance exceded my expectation on my X5. It's quieter, better on rain, and better on snow compared to the OEM RFTs. I gave up a bit of side wall stiffness since it's not RFTs, but it's worth the switch.

I will report back in a few weeks once I get them installed on my 535i and running them on snow/ice.

Lee · 01-03-2013, 12:06 PM

Ordered 19 inch non-RFT Bridgestone Blizzak LM-60s which I was going to put on my 351s. Found out that it wasn't a good idea to swap out my RFTs so I ordered Avant Guards for my winter setup, plus the BMW mini spare and jack. What an idiot!

Anyhow, no real complaints although I agree with JNoSol about the lack of side wall stiffness. I've driven in all conditions over the last month. At 100mph+ I do get a little nervous as it seems to get a bit squirrelly. I'm not sure if it's just the tires or the tires coupled with the DSC -- I also have x drive.

Any thoughts from the experts would be appreciated.

The X Men · 01-03-2013, 02:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lee

I ordered Avant Guards for my winter setup, plus the BMW mini spare and jack. At 100mph+ I do get a little nervous as it seems to get a bit squirrelly. I'm not sure if it's just the tires or the tires coupled with the DSC -- I also have x drive.

Any thoughts from the experts would be appreciated.

I bet has more to do with the rubber compound of the snow tires than the softer sidewalls. Nice rims by the way

chsu74 · 01-04-2013, 03:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The X Men

Those orders are only valid for stopping distance. If you are talking about accelaration in the snow, climbing a hill in the snow or getting unstuck when your rear wheel has no traction, then AWD w/all season tires > RWD w/snow tires. Another advantage of AWD is that if you can always add snow tires if one need more stopping power but if you want more traction in thw RWD with snow, you cannot add AWD.

The reason AWD feels more superior up the hill in a front engined BMW is because the weight of the engine gives traction to those wheels.

Porsche 911 RWDs have no problems going up hill in snow tires and do just as well as Porsche 911 AWD.

The X Men · 01-04-2013, 04:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chsu74

The reason AWD feels more superior up the hill in a front engined BMW is because the weight of the engine gives traction to those wheels.

Porsche 911 RWDs have no problems going up hill in snow tires and do just as well as Porsche 911 AWD.

If your logic is correct, then a FWD car can go up a snowy hill as well as a AWD, which is not the case.

bulldog x6 · 01-04-2013, 07:42 PM

get a dedicated set of snows if you are RWD. I have an xdrive x6 and still have a dedicated set of snows. No issues driving in ANY climate condition and I can still have fun in inclimate weather - much better than feeling insecure driving if the weather gets bad isnt it?

bulldog x6 · 01-04-2013, 07:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The X Men

If your logic is correct, then a FWD car can go up a snowy hill as well as a AWD, which is not the case.

x2

there is a noticeable difference in wet/slippery conditions between AWD and RWD at equal speeds. Up a wet/snowy hill, AWD wins every time regardless of engine position.

LiveLarger · 01-05-2013, 04:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The X Men

Snow tire's only advantage is shorter stop distance, a good set of all season will come very close in stopping power.

No, they won't. Not even close.

Needsdecaf · 01-05-2013, 05:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JNoSol

I just ordered a set Contis ExtremeContact DWS non-RFTs for my 535i. I have the same tires on my X5 Sport, the performance exceded my expectation on my X5. It's quieter, better on rain, and better on snow compared to the OEM RFTs. I gave up a bit of side wall stiffness since it's not RFTs, but it's worth the switch.

I will report back in a few weeks once I get them installed on my 535i and running them on snow/ice.

Bad move.

I had these tires on my 535. While they were very good in inclement weather, I found them to be much too soft and mushy for the car. It did not make for a good match and I was glad to be rid of them.

JNoSol · 01-05-2013, 08:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Needsdecaf

Bad move.

I had these tires on my 535. While they were very good in inclement weather, I found them to be much too soft and mushy for the car. It did not make for a good match and I was glad to be rid of them.

Anything is better than my bald set of OEM tires. Besides, I really hate RFTs. I will let you know what I think of them, especially around corner and snow traction.

LiveLarger · 01-06-2013, 07:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JNoSol

Anything is better than my bald set of OEM tires. Besides, I really hate RFTs. I will let you know what I think of them, especially around corner and snow traction.

OEM here was Continental ContisportContact 3... I'd be hard pressed to find anything better. The Michelin PSS may have better durability, but for pure grip it's going to be hard to find anything better without looking at semi-slicks. OEM from BMW can be just awesome. It's more likely your distributor that sucks and add crappy wheels.

The X Men · 01-07-2013, 09:24 AM

I agree, Continental ContisportContact 3 is a pretty good owm tires, they are decent in the snow and provide a pretty soft ride, much better than the oem good year eagle LS.

chsu74 · 01-07-2013, 10:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The X Men

If your logic is correct, then a FWD car can go up a snowy hill as well as a AWD, which is not the case.

You are incorrect. Some of the front weight on a car is transferred to the rear on an incline. A FWD drive car will not have all the weight in the front axle when traveling up a hill whereas a rear engined car will not only have all of the rear weight, it also will carry a part of the front car weight. Have you wondered why front brakes are responsible for 80 to 85% of the car's braking ability? Same principle.

LiveLarger · 01-07-2013, 11:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The X Men

I agree, Continental ContisportContact 3 is a pretty good owm tires, they are decent in the snow and provide a pretty soft ride, much better than the oem good year eagle LS.

They are high performance summer tires, so I never tried them in snow, but would expect them to be horrible?

But yeah, in the summer, I find them to be great!

The X Men · 01-07-2013, 11:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LiveLarger

They are high performance summer tires, so I never tried them in snow, but would expect them to be horrible?

But yeah, in the summer, I find them to be great!

Sorry, I was thinking of the Conti ProContact SSR.

The X Men · 01-13-2013, 10:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Boulder Bill

Enjoy your car in the snow and the new year. And prepare to watch the Patriots go down in flames at Mile High.

As usual, the Bronco choked in a big game. Sorry Bill, better luck next year

pharding · 01-13-2013, 12:28 PM

The F10 works well in the snow with winter tires.

JNoSol · 01-28-2013, 03:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Needsdecaf

Bad move.

I had these tires on my 535. While they were very good in inclement weather, I found them to be much too soft and mushy for the car. It did not make for a good match and I was glad to be rid of them.

update. I got the DWS tires on for over 1k miles now. I asked BMW to fill them up to the higher recommended psi (for high speed driving) with nitro.

The DWS is much quieter, feels more comfortable on wet condition, and it feels lighter compared to the stock RFTs. The side walls are not as stiff, but close enough with higher psi. Once the KW are installed, it will balance out the slightly softer tires.

So far, we haven't receive any net new snow so we'll see how they do on snow.

01-02-2013, 10:34 PM	#47
mdrobc13 Major Drives: '12 BMW 550i Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: On a base somewhere near or afar! Posts: 1,397 iTrader: (5) Garage List 2012 BMW 550i [5.00]	Depending on how often your trips are renting a dedicated 4x4 may be the better option to protect your 535i on such trips and from other drivers. If you get reward point or some sort of payback it may be the better part of valor. Otherwise a dedicated set of snows can make all the difference man. I had a set on my e92 M3 and did well in light precip I encountered in the greater NE in 2008-2009! __________________ '12 F10 550i (DGM-II - Dinan Stage 4/Intercoolers & Shockware, H&R Springs, Eisenmann Race Exhaust, Hamman CF rear difuser, Giovanni "Lindo" Graphite 20") '10 e71 X6 35iDrive SAV (Space Gray) - Gone '06 e85 Z4 M Roadster (Black Metallic) -Gone '08 e92 M3 coupe (Sparkling Graphite) -Gone

01-03-2013, 12:06 PM	#50
Lee Second Lieutenant Drives: '12 550ix m sport, '01 Z3 3.0 Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Germany Posts: 223 iTrader: (0)	Ordered 19 inch non-RFT Bridgestone Blizzak LM-60s which I was going to put on my 351s. Found out that it wasn't a good idea to swap out my RFTs so I ordered Avant Guards for my winter setup, plus the BMW mini spare and jack. What an idiot! Anyhow, no real complaints although I agree with JNoSol about the lack of side wall stiffness. I've driven in all conditions over the last month. At 100mph+ I do get a little nervous as it seems to get a bit squirrelly. I'm not sure if it's just the tires or the tires coupled with the DSC -- I also have x drive. Any thoughts from the experts would be appreciated. Attached Images

01-13-2013, 12:28 PM	#65
pharding Captain Drives: 11 550i Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Chicago Posts: 845 iTrader: (0)	The F10 works well in the snow with winter tires. __________________ 14 535d Euro Del 14 X3 11 550i Euro Del Retired: 08 550i Euro Del; 06 330i Euro Del; 04 545i Euro Del; 01 530i Euro Del

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01-02-2013, 05:18 PM	#46
faz Second Lieutenant Drives: 07 328i sedan, 11 535i 6MT Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Sunnyvale, ca Posts: 236 iTrader: (0)	I just came back from a trip to Tahoe in my 535i, and the car did kind of well in light snow despite its RWD and all season tires, but it was definitely not confidence inspiring in any shape or form. Having had an X5 before and having lived in Ontario, Canada for many years prior to moving to sunny California, I would say that an all wheel drive car is better suited for general driving conditions in snowy weather, at least for me that has been the case. Now a question that should fit well in this thread: for my upcoming weekend trips to Tahoe and occasional snow driving, what are my options? buying a second set of wheels and mounting aggressive snow tires on them? or Perhaps changing the current tires (OEM) to a more snow-friendly all season run-flat tires, if so, which one?

01-04-2013, 07:42 PM	#54
bulldog x6 Major General Drives: x6 panzer Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: probably work Posts: 5,021 iTrader: (28)	get a dedicated set of snows if you are RWD. I have an xdrive x6 and still have a dedicated set of snows. No issues driving in ANY climate condition and I can still have fun in inclimate weather - much better than feeling insecure driving if the weather gets bad isnt it?

01-07-2013, 09:24 AM	#60
The X Men Major Drives: 2012 535xi 2013 X3 35i Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: MA Posts: 1,263 iTrader: (0)	I agree, Continental ContisportContact 3 is a pretty good owm tires, they are decent in the snow and provide a pretty soft ride, much better than the oem good year eagle LS.