studavis

Having spent my entire adult life driving in seasonal snow, I have come to regard my winter driving skills as "adequate + 50%" So, imagine my absolute astonishment when last week we received around 4 inches in the afternoon, and I drove the 550i home from work playing with the traction control. With the stock run flat things still on the car, I am amazed at how well this system works, and marvel at the engineering necessary to keep the car on the straight and narrow in really slick conditions. Cycling through different modes was an interesting exercise, because the system is so fast, and takes so little time to kick in. I was burning lazy circles in a parking lot, activating and deactivating the system to see if any quirky things pop up while the car is in motion. The rear end just sort of eases back in place when you activate the system. Launches are even more illuminating, as the car just creeps forward until sufficient traction has been achieved. The only down side is that you still have to consider the conditions when you want to stop. With the system off, emergency "Crazy Ivans" are fun, and when you try this with the traction control on, it tends to negate most of the fun.

I have almost never driven this car when the weather is bad, and I am happy to find that if the diesel won't start, the 550 will get me to where I need to go. Wish I had ordered the ski bag now.

Even after a year this car continues to amaze me in so many ways.

ExGMan

Those darn laws of physics!

westcoast550

Cool !