SAP_MAN

Hello all to in the 'snow belt' regions...

I recently purchased an '05 545 out here in sunny LA, but but may be looking at having to move to the Denver area. I've searched this forum and have seen a few posts pertaining to tires/wheels/etc, but they are a few years old and wondering if there is any updated informatoin out there. A couple of posts to reference:

http://forums.e60.net/index.php?showtopic=12913
http://forums.e60.net/index.php?showtopic=3318

I have a couple of questions for you winter (aka snow) E60 drivers out there:

1) How does the car handle in Colorado type snow?
2) Any recommendations on tire/wheel setups?

From what I've seen so far in this forum, is that www.tirerack.com is the best place to order tire/wheel setups (including balancing and shipped to your home), but if there are others to check into, that'd be good to know as well.

Thanks in advance for any input!

-J

mhs525

I have an 05 545i and we are just finishing a pretty snowy winter here in the NE US.

I have 17' wheels with Dunlop M3 run flats (don't want to be changing flat tires in zero degrees). I got caught in some good storms and was amazed that I didn't stuck. One storm came up very fast, roads couldn't be plowed and grid lock was everywhere. I was able to pass front wheel drive cars that were stuck, climb hills including from dead stops with no momentum.

For added traction I carry 60lbs of sand in the trunk.

I also recently upgraded my rear diff to a Quaife LSD. So instead of one wheel driving the car (until traction kicks in) both wheels now drive from take off.

KEY, KEY, KEY when the snow gets deep you have to turn OFF the traction control. Some times you need some wheel spin to get the snow tires to dig. With the traction control on it kills the power and brakes the wheels and can actually make you think you are stuck when you just need a get a smidge of momentum to get you going.

I was hesitant about having a rear drive car in New England but with today?s snow tires, a little extra weight in the trunk and I have no problems.

A snow tire equipped RWD car turns and stops better than an All Season tire FWD car. The only thing a RWD car won't do as well is climb hills but if you get stuck you probably shouldn't be out.

I have used tirerack for years, wouldn't go anywhere else...

SAP_MAN

mhs--


Great feedback! Thanks for the insight and information. I should know in a few weeks if I have to relocate to Denver, so this is great information. Also, glad to hear that tirerack.com is a good choice...

Thanks!

-J

525iEnjoy

get the run flat blizzacks

JPJ

I took winter tires off today! Plus painted my calipers so can't drive till tomorrow, but actually looking forward to driving to work.

I have had good luck with Dunlop Wintersport M3 (had a set for my 530 then bought another that came with different wheels I bought and I also had them on a 330i previously). The M3's do trade some snow/ice traction for better handling which is good for my urban/mainly freeway driving, but this may not be the best choice for you. Blizzak WS-50's would shift more toward traction and might be better for Colorado. Tirerack has a lot of info on what is available.

When there is a lot of snow I put 140 pounds of sand in the trunk! (70 pounds normally all winter). Hurts performance, but help traction enough to be worthwhile.

SAP_MAN

JPJ-

Great info... thanks... but something you said sparked my interest (...painted my calipers...). Can you tell me more about the process and/or how you went about doing this? Do you have any pix, if so, it'd be great to see some.

t
Thanks!

-J

JPJ

Painting the calipers was pretty easy and came out looking nice -- I'll have to see how well it holds up. My calipers weren't looking very nice with open spoke wheels so I needed to do something. Didn't want anything flashy so just went with silver, it really just made them look like they are new. I used a Dupli-color kit that I found on a discount rack for $2.60 because the box looked rough (original price was about $16).

Your 545 has bigger brakes, so would probably make even more of a difference. I can take pictures if you want, but there are other posts where people have done this as well (not sure I remember seeing silver though).