Snow tires
02-13-2008, 03:34 AM
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Hello all,
Finally had a chance to test out my snow tires last night. The winter has been mild here on Long Island, NY and almost seemed the investment wasn't worth it. Anyway, this is my third RWD 5 series (2 e60's) and have never used snows. Just kept the car in my driveway and used my wife's SUV. With the 550 sport's 19 inch wheels and one brief experience with early season snow/ice I figured it was a good idea. Last night I drove home in a mess of accumulated snow, ice, and freezing rain. Not once did I feel anything close to loss of control of the car, acceleration, turning, and braking all smooth and stress free. Playing in an empty parking lot even showed the tires to grip well with minimal spin out. The tires put on the car are 18 inch Dunlop Graspics from Tirerack (not even the top 5 according to their survey) and they performed great. So, in conclusion, for those concerned or undecided about their RWD......get the snows.
Best to all,
sol
Finally had a chance to test out my snow tires last night. The winter has been mild here on Long Island, NY and almost seemed the investment wasn't worth it. Anyway, this is my third RWD 5 series (2 e60's) and have never used snows. Just kept the car in my driveway and used my wife's SUV. With the 550 sport's 19 inch wheels and one brief experience with early season snow/ice I figured it was a good idea. Last night I drove home in a mess of accumulated snow, ice, and freezing rain. Not once did I feel anything close to loss of control of the car, acceleration, turning, and braking all smooth and stress free. Playing in an empty parking lot even showed the tires to grip well with minimal spin out. The tires put on the car are 18 inch Dunlop Graspics from Tirerack (not even the top 5 according to their survey) and they performed great. So, in conclusion, for those concerned or undecided about their RWD......get the snows.
Best to all,
sol
02-13-2008, 04:15 AM
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Agree 100%, I stayed away from the BMW for many years because of the RWD and the fear of bad weather. I drove A4 and A6 both with Quattro and E430 4Matic with all seasons. When I got my first BMW I put the snows on it and I was just amazed at how more confident the car was driving through snow and ice compared to my prior cars. If you have second thoughts about snow and ice handling then get the snow tires and you will not look back.
02-13-2008, 05:24 AM
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My Ride: 2011 M3 Convertible, Alpine White/black, 6 speed
2011 535xi Tasmin Green, Venetian Beige
Total agreement. I have Dunlop Winter M3 mounted on style 135 rims and the car is flawless in snow. It's really incredible.
02-13-2008, 07:44 AM
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...not to spoil the party here, but when you lose the e60/e61 in snow/ice on snow tires, you will be losing the car big time, so my 2 cents would be never to push too hard in such conditions even with snow tires...
02-13-2008, 07:50 AM
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Originally Posted by rsyed' post='530890' date='Feb 13 2008, 11:44 AM
...not to spoil the party here, but when you lose the e60/e61 in snow/ice on snow tires, you will be losing the car big time, so my 2 cents would be never to push too hard in such conditions even with snow tires...
Confidence can be a great driving companion !
Over-confidence is a driving disaster waiting to happen.
02-13-2008, 08:01 AM
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My Ride: 2008 550i, Sport Package, Cold Weather Package, Nav, Jet Black, natural brown interior, automatic, Logic 7, ipod, lane departure warning.
550 was sloppy on the LIE, but handled better than I expected considering the 19" wheels. Couldn't agree more about the snow tires, and they'll be on my christmas list next year...
02-13-2008, 08:33 AM
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Originally Posted by rsyed' post='530890' date='Feb 13 2008, 08:44 AM
...not to spoil the party here, but when you lose the e60/e61 in snow/ice on snow tires, you will be losing the car big time, so my 2 cents would be never to push too hard in such conditions even with snow tires...
02-13-2008, 11:15 AM
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+1 for the snows. I think they should be mandatory. I have been rear ended a couple of times (not in my BWM thankfully) by people unable to stop in slippery conditions with crappy tires. If someone hits me with crappy tires and my kids are in the car they can expect to be promptly punched in the face as they exit their vehicle. 