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01-26-2013, 04:39 PM | #1 |
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xDrive and first snow
We got a bit of snow last night here in NY. I decided to take my 528xi for a spin and finally compare the xDrive against Quattro. What a big disappointment that was! Driving on local unplowed streets at 30/40 mph the car felt tail happy almost all the time. Driving on a highway felt very wobbly, the car did not feel planted on the road at all. Instead of going straight it felt like the car was trying to find its path on the road and was not able to. It was slightly swerving to the left and right all the time requiring manual corrections from me.
Not sure if we get more snow this winter to test it out a bit more, but so far this xDrive is a one big joke compared to Quattro. My previous Audis felt like they were on rails when I drove in snow (on all season tires). My 528xi definitely does not make me feel safe and confident while driving in snow. Yes, I do have proper RFT pressure and no alignment issues.
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01-26-2013, 05:48 PM | #4 |
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I live in New York too. Brooklyn and Madhattan to be exact.
Remember 2 winters ago? I put a nice set of winter tires on my little 135 and was trucking around town like a boss. I remember driving out to Morris County, NJ in a middle-of-the-night blizzard and plowing past all sorts of 4 wheel drive vehicles. Most likely those vehicles came equipped with the same shitty Goodyears we get as stock. . . . Last edited by mryakanisachoad; 01-26-2013 at 08:55 PM.. |
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01-26-2013, 08:45 PM | #5 |
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My suggestion would be to throw on a set of Blizzacks and try again.
I think you'll have a different experience.
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01-26-2013, 11:59 PM | #7 | |
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I was in my S4 and the car handled great. Not sure what tires I had back then, but they definitely were stock, all-season tires. You guys might be right it could be the tires. Still disappointing though especially that I lease cars and change them every 2-3 year I definitely do not plan on getting a set of winter tires for this car. 24 months from now this ride will be just a distant memory…
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01-27-2013, 03:58 AM | #8 | |
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01-27-2013, 03:59 AM | #9 | |
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It's like BMW does it on purpose just to mess with us. "Lets make the best car in the business and then ruin it with xxx tires!". |
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01-27-2013, 07:44 AM | #10 |
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Why are we blaming the tires? BMW is to blame. They chose which tires to put on the car. To ask somebody to buy a new car and then immediately replace them with new ones is absurd. It may make sense with a lease however since you have to turn in the car with good tires. Get new ones and then put back the crappy oem ones before turning it in
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01-27-2013, 08:38 AM | #11 |
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I agree! The GY LS2's are terrible! I switched to Toyo Proxes 4 Plus after my experience with them on my Audi's and I'm really pleased with their dry performance and in light to moderate snow.
All the major auto manufacturers utilize inexpensive OE tires on their cars. I know BMW wanted to save space and weight by using a RunFlat, but I'll drop $630 and bag a spare in the trunk for peace of mind!
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01-27-2013, 10:16 AM | #13 |
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I have on blizzaks on my 535xi and my experience couldn't be anymore opposite compared to yours. My car is lowered on ACS springs and has the 19" M351's too.
Car felt like a tank and the traction control barely went off. Obviously if you are hooning around with the throttle the car will lose traction. Alan
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01-27-2013, 10:39 AM | #14 | |
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01-27-2013, 11:03 AM | #15 | |
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01-27-2013, 12:37 PM | #16 | |
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Yes, I can change the tires and blow all that money on borrowed car, but that’s not the point here. I drive off the lot and I expect a vanilla xDrive setup to handle just like it is advertised; the same or better than vanilla Quattro. BMW fails miserably here. How about a disclaimer – “Yes, our ultimate driving machine will handle in snow like Audi or better, but here’s what you need to buy before you compare against a vanilla Quattro…..”. Overall I do like the car and recognize its refinement.
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01-27-2013, 01:44 PM | #17 | ||
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01-27-2013, 03:16 PM | #18 | |
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01-27-2013, 09:15 PM | #20 | |
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528xi or 520d are not performance cars by any means, S4 on the other hand, very much so.
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01-27-2013, 09:50 PM | #22 |
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