jschwan

I'm considering the sport package on a new 528i with the 18s. I live in Chicago and we get about 6-12 snow days a year. Does anyone have this configuration and do you need snow tires to stay on the road? I have a 525i without the sport now and I am fine on the road, so I'm not overly concerned about not having XI, but I am wondering if I should consider snow tires as part of this investment.

Also, if snow tires are a good idea, let me know if you have some thoughts on which are a good value. I'm not OVERLY concerned about performance (hence the 528i).

pennetta

I am not sure if the sport package on the 528 is similar to the 535/550 but the problem is that you get tires that get hard when its below freezing. Other than that the tread design is not for gripping snow, its really the rubber compound that kills you. I put on Ultra Performance All Season tires and it makes a big difference.

pharding

You can get by without them, however the car is more squirrelly and slightly harder to control in winter. My suggestion, if one has the funds available, is to get winter tires and wheels.

tachyon

Chicago? Snow tires? Yes.

As pharding suggests, get a winter tire & wheel set. The Dunlop Winter Sport M3s I use are a good bet - $197 per tire on your size (245/40 - 18"). And you can get a decent winter wheel for about $125-$150 each. Check out TireRack.com.

Rudy

+1

I wouldn't even attempt to drive my car in snow without snow tires -- the high performance tires that come with the sport package perform very poorly when it's cold...

ObD

Yep. The Sport Package has Summer Performance tires which will be terrible in snow.

tuco

+1 Absolutely correct. Snow tires needed.

RaveD

I'm in New York and I'll be replacing my stock runflats with Bridgestone all-season tires this winter, and leaving them on the car (expecting them to last until lease end). I do not want to bother with getting a spare set of wheels and changing to winter tires every year; in reality I will probably only drive the car in the snow a few times.

My neighbor has a 2005 545i and apparently doesn't change the tires in winter, because when it snows he can't even get it up the driveway (which is less than a 20 degree incline).

Other than the traction, people report that the car rides much smoother and quieter without the runflats.

Rudy

Just to keep things clear here, it's not the fact that the tires may (or may not be) runflats that makes them bad in the winter. It's about the performance capabilities of the tire. The higher performance, the worse they are in the cold, etc. In other words, even sport package cars that came with non-runflats (like my car) will be terrible in the winter.

Changing your high performance runflats to all season tires will certainly yield a much smoother and quieter ride but you'll also sacrifice some performance and handling in the warmer months...

iversonm

No way. Summer tires in winter conditions are unsafe to both you and others on the road.

A set of snows will cost you about $200/year over three years, or less if you consider the wear you're avoiding on your summer tires.