My first real post, and looking for some help/advice on how to get my car ('09 535d M Auto Sport) moving again.

When the first dump of snow occured on 21st Dec I was on my way back from a location that should have taken 15 min. That afternoon it had taken me nearly 3 hours to get home, driving a car that had no traction and little ability to steer. There were numerous BMW's littered along the journey and on a couple of occasions I thought mine was going to have to join the pile. I now have two damaged (cosmetic but not nice) nearside alloys as a result.

Since then, I've tried on a couple of occasions to get my car the 100yds down our street to join the main stream traffic where the roads seem ok, except that I can't even get it to drive 10yds. It just slips and slides all over the place. There are two scenarios I'm now considering, 1) if I'm out and it starts to snow again, how can I ensure I get home (high priority), 2) is there any way of making this car driveable during these conditions should I wish to go out (low priority). Incicently, I'm located in Fleet in Hampshire so it's not like its scotland or anything.

The tyres on the back are 275/30 R19's. I've looked at conventional snow chains, but understand that because of the clearance and width this is not a possibility. I've researched snow socks and that seems like a cheap and simple solution, but I wonder if they can make a difference for a car so imparied by the weather. Then, I've looked at the Thule K-Summit K33 Snow Chains which look ideal, and something similiar are the Weissenfels Clack n' Go Quattro's.. If I do get a pair, have I only solved half the problem, ie, will have no steering capability and therefore need a solution for the front as well?

So, is there anyone experiencing a similar behaviour with their 5 series? Have you cured it? How? Have you got snow chains/socks, winter tyres, etc..

Roll on the spring !

 

The new technology chains are definitely the way to go. Snow is normally not a tremendous issue for you all in the UK. Dedicated snow tires seem like an unnecessary expense. The chains are simple to use.
I recently rented a Ford Focus from Hertz to drive in Florence,Italy. There was a freak snow storm and the chains were packed in a small plastic box.
The directions were simple. Many people were using them.
Steering issues are moot if you get proper traction.

 

If your car is equipped with proper winter weather tires it would be a very capable driver in (most) snowy weather. However, some conditions are treacherous even for commercial vehicles equipped for winter. Ice - Ice is unforgiving! It doesn't matter how many wheels are powered on a car. Rubber on ice = NO GO & NO STOP & NO STEER!

And, extreme low profile tires are NOT intended for snow driving - especially if they are marked "SUMMER ULTRA HIGH PERF" ... because in addition to the tread design, the tread rubber compound hardens when temperatures fall below 40 degrees F. Even on dry pavement summer tires are DANGEROUS and should NOT be driven in cold temperature conditions!

As for chains or wheel socks - there is insufficient clearance for most chain set-ups. I've heard about wheel socks but also read that they get chewed up quickly if driven even short distances on dry pavement.

Sorry for your misfortune but consider yourself lucky that a couple scraped wheels are all that resulted. It could have been much worse.

 

You need a set of Nokian tires!

 

If laws permit, put on some studdable winter tires on 17-inch wheels. Use cheaper winter rims during the winter instead of the expensive factory alloys.

There is no solution for ice except for studs. Winter tires work on all other occasions except for plowing through snowfalls taller than the vehicle ground clearance.

 

Turning DSC off can help get you going a bit, but make sure to turn it back on once you are moving. Sometimes that bit of wheel-spinning you'd get with the DSC off is enough to get you going. It's certainly something to keep in mind. Like people have said, you've got your car configured ideally for summer (lots of rubber, and wide, and with the compound that excels in warmer weather). You'd be equally unhappy if in the summertime if you had the ideal winter setup (narrower tyres with lots of tread grooves and a cold compound).

 

Just consider this: BMWs are designed by Germans and used in Germany where it snows quite a bit, so they can't be all that bad on snow. The message is that your BMW (or any other car) just won't be drivable on snow if you keep the summer tire set-up. As a minimum, you should have all-weather radials and optimally you should have dedicated snow tires. I am not a big fan of studs or chains. I live in snow country where if we get 8 inches we just consider it a dusting and 12 in. and up will start to get our attention.

What we have in our favor is the fact that we're used to dealing with snow and many of us can navigate quite well in snow with RWDs with all-seasons. It's a matter of going slower, anticipating stops, barely braking and using your Steptronic to brake the engine. My E60 happens to be AWD, so it feels practically on rails in snow, but my E46 is a RWD that has never realized it's a RWD. May of my friends thought it was an AWD in snow and it gets complimented a lot.

G/L

 

Quite a LOT actually down here where they're made. We've had about 8" so far today and it isn't done yet

Don't forget, it's the law to have winter tyres on here in Germany. I read something recently about winter tyre sales in Europe. In Britain winter tyres make up about 2% of sales. In Germany it's exactly 50%.

 

Sorry to hear about your car...


http://s469.photobucket.com/albums/rr53/An...ent=SnowFun.flv

 

I had the worst driving experience last year in the snow and the 5er - this year, I've not taken the car out when we've had snow. Have a look at this thread .....

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.a...mt=Snow%20Socks

I might just get some of those and keep them in the back of the car - sounds like they could help quite a bit