bigfddi

Do you have Snow tires? All season tires are not the way to get through winter.

C's Bimmer

I came from a 2003 E39 530i Sport and now have my 07 530xi. Do I miss the sport suspension and how much lower the car sat on my E39? Absolutely! Is the difference that much more noticeable compared when it comes to cornering and handling? Yes, but it's negligible. Here's the thing...I took my E39 out in the snow when I moved back to NY and never put on snow tires. I almost died one day as my car fishtailed into oncoming traffic. Fortunately, I narrowly missed a car and was fine. I never ended up putting snow tires on the E39(RWD) and just kept it in the garage when it snowed. Therefore, I can't speak from experience when it comes to driving on ice and snow with a RWD car with winter tires.

As for my new car with snow tires, the car is an absolute beast in the snow. I swear the thing handles better than my RFT's handled during summer. And there is no doubt that this car handles better than my SUV. Sounds crazy, but the car just picks up on every fault on the snow and ice and corrects it so the car keeps moving in the direction you want it to. And you can be extremely aggressive too!

It really depends where you live, how much snowfall you get each year and what your driving habits are. I think for my next car, I'm going back to the RWD (550), only because NYC has very few storms each year and a good set of snow tires should do the job. I also like the fact that the standard RWD car has many more options when it comes to aftermarket wheels. The xi model does not due to the insanely high offsets.

bmw093

I need to get new snows. Whick Blizzaks did you get and how many miles (generally) do you get out of them? I have heard lots of good things about the Blizzaks and don't know if I want to get a new set of Dunlop M3s or try the Blizzaks. Thx

bigfddi

I have had LM 22's in the past on my 01/02 Audi S4 and they are good, I love my new WS-50, they aren't as performance oriented as the LM 22's but they are much better on pure snow.

bmw093

Thanks. Is the performance on the 50s much worse than the 22s?

C's Bimmer

According to TireRack, the LM-25's are their newer version of the 22's. Now, I never had snow tires on my car before (except for my SUV), so I can't speak from experience, but all I know is that these tires are SICK based on my driving around the neighborhood last night! They cost a little more than all the other winter tires out there, but are worth every penny. I can't wait to go home tonight and drive around more. If you live in an area where snow and ice is constant, these are the tires for you. If you live in a city where winter is a couple of snow dumps a year, you can probably go with any snow tire.

Oh, and the LM-22's don't come in a 245/40/18. Only the LM-25's do. They used to make the LM-22's in this size, but the 25's are their newer version.

geobmw

I too have WS-50.

bmw093

Do any of you guys have an opinion on whether it's better for the car/rims to mount snows on a second set of rims and swap the rims than swapping tires on the same rims twice a year. I worry that my rims or allignment or something mechanical will be messed with when swapping tires, and that maybe I should just buy a second set of rims and mount my snows to those. Any thoughts?

uglybear

I think if you really need winter/summer pair as opposed to all-seasons, it is better to have separate rims. There is going to be too damage to tires and rims if you re-mount them twice a year.

Besides, it is usually recommended to have smaller rims for winter tires to allow for possible snow chains installation.

jet190rs

doesn't really matter whether you get xi or not, or sport pack or not. its all about the tires.
'nuff said.