coops

I am becoming worried about winter driving with a higher-performance rear-wheel drive car. Folks at other sights give the obvious answer of getting winter tires and flip them in the winter season. I would like to avoid the hassle.

I would like your feedback. Have you driven the 330iAWD in winter conditions with all-season tires?

Or, have you driven the 530 and/or 540 with all-season tires that are rated well in snow, such as Michelin Pilot Sport A/S, Pirelli PZero Nero M+S, or Continental ContiExtreme Contact tires?

I will not be getting snow tires along with performance tires and swap and store. I am hoping to hear good reports on either of the above options. If the AWD gets good reports, I can wait for the E60 with AWD in 2005.

Looking forward to all your feedback.

das

I have driven an E34 535i (no ASC) and E39 528i (with ASC) through several winters with Pirelli P7000 Supersport 235/40ZR18 tires without too much trouble. The tires are rated as "all season", but don't get very high marks for winter performance - still, they're not bad. ASC actually makes a huge difference. I even have a set of winter tires, but still didn't bother putting them on. For comparison, I drove a friend's E39 M5 with Bridgestone Blizzaks (don't know the exact size, but they were 17" wheels), and it did make a noticeable difference, but frankly, not enough to matter to me. Others may disagree. If you only have occasional snowfalls that cover the roads, you can make it on all seasons. If you live in in area where you are constantly dealing with an inch or more of snow on the roadways and unplowed roads, it can get a little hairy. AWD is definitely tempting, but I don't know if I want to wait that long...

ZeZe

I live in Vermont and have used four mounted snow tires on both my 325i (E36) and 540i (E39) with very good results. Here in Vermont, all-season tires are a joke unless you have 4-wheel drive.

For safety's sake and good winter performance, consider four mounted snow tires. Yes, it's a hassle, but well worth it.

mooseman

Has anyone just put two snow tires on the rear wheels with all-seasons on the front? How does that configuration work in the snow?

ZeZe

You know...when I was a kid...many, many years ago we never put snows on the front. The only vehicles with snows all the way around were those with four-wheel drive. We got around just fine with two snows on the rear.

Perhaps having four snows does help some, perhaps a lot. I've got to think there is some validity, but then again it may just be a good selling job by the tire companies.

There must be some studies somewhere. Perhaps tirerack.com would be a good place to check.

FastBuck

I Have an E39 530i. I live in Scotland where the snow tends to be rather wet. The day I took delivery of my 530 there was a couple of inches of snow. Remarkably, it took me over an hour to get it off of my driveway. I found that the ACS only cut the revs down and made almost impossible to move. The car just sank down and created 4 "pots" at each wheel. Unfortunately with the wheels I have I can't use snow chains. I'm looking around for some wheels for snow tyres this year before the weather turns.

You need to seriously consider snow tyres.

Guest

Till last week I drove a M5 (E39). Now I am waiting for delivery of a 530d (E60). Each winter I change to (smaller) snow tyres. In The Netherlands there isn't much snow but a lot of rain. Besides, I go skiing abroad a few weeks each year.
In serious snow (low speeds!) you should switch off ACS. Going uphill you don't want the power cut off just because a wheel
is spinning a little bit. You would lose that last bit of traction you needed.
Even with snow tyres I once got stuck and needed to put on snow chaines. (Boy, did I hate those large wheels! ;-)
In the end, it depends on the kind of roads you drive and whether you are willing to avoid driving when the weather forecast predicts a
significant amount of snow.
One last thought: snow tyres are not very expensive. When you use them, your ordinary tyres won't wear.

Regards
--
Hans Oey
hans@snow.nl

trichman

I HAVE JUST TURNED IN MY SECOND E 39 AND AM WAITING DELIVERY OF NEW 530I. I HAVE USED SNOW TIRES IN THE REAR FOR BOTH CARS. FELT A DIFFERENCE IN THE SNOW. I LIVE IN NEW YORK WHERE WE DO GET SOME SNOW. ALSO I HAVE NEVER HAD TO REPLACE TIRES AT THE END OF MY LEASE.