WInter tires necessary ?
 

I recently bought an 08 certified E60 xi and it came with Continental ContiTouringContact CV95. I read some bad reviews for the tire on tirerack especially when it comes to snow/ice driving. I live in Boston and I was wondering if I do need a dedicated winter set or if I should be fine with these tires.

Thanks

e60xi

No time like the present
 

I guess you're gonna find out with today's snowstorm, eh?

I'd wait and see how they perform first, rather than go out and get new tires. I suspect that they will be okay as long as there is adequate tread left. Ride out the season with them, use them this summer, and then in the fall, buy yourself a set of dedicated snows and rims.

Of course, if they suck, don't hesitate to make the aforementioned purchase now. But I have found that new all-seasons with the xi do very well in the snow. :twoup:

Tirerack's recommendation to not expect good performance in snow with all-season tires should be heeded.

Its not really about the tread design, but more about the compound and all season tire compounds are not designed to work in below about 7 C temperatures. the compound gets too hard to ensure good adherence on ice or hard packed snow. tread has an influence in snow and slush, but that doesn't matter much if the temperature is too low.

My advice is get good ice/snow tires. Nokian or Bridgestone are those that I wear for my BMW and Subaru.

Salut, Bob P.

thanks for the feedback guys.

The difference between all-seasons on my buddies 328xi, and snows on my 530xi, is laughable. As in his car is all over the road, and mine feels like it's got track tires on a warm summer's day by comparison (slight hyperbole, but the difference is massive).

When in doubt, buy cold weather tires. I've never heard anyone regret the decision.

yeah all-seasons are crap in all seasons. They arn't good in the winter or in the summer. It is impossible to design a tire that works in the winter and in the summer.

I was a passenger in my bosses A8 quattro and it was crap on snow. My 525d 2wd drove better on the snow with snow tires then his 4wd with all-seasons.

i purchased my first bmw in winter and was pissed off how it performs in winter , once i put winter tires , car feels completely safe , predictable and has good traction even being RWD , i was driving out from snow w/o any problems
I have set of 17 with winter tires if they will fit your car , i cant use them since i upgraded brakes to m5 :(

Why are people always shocked that RWD works in the winter? These aren't 1960s big 3 cars with tractor rubber on them...

FWD understeers like crap in the winter with crapseasons on them. that doesn't make it "good", does it?

I think from what you're reading here, you can tell that winter tires perform best in winter conditions and summer tires are preferred for summer.

Most of us when we first purchase our Bimmer don't want to spend any more money, at least initially (I know, I know. Soon that modding bug sets in). Optimally, if your car comes with all-seasons, the best thing would be to swap them out for a dedicated summer set and get a new set of rims for a winter set (or vice-versa). All-seasons are a compromise all around. But I stand by my statement that when push comes to shove, all-seasons on an xi car will perform adequately in most winter situations for those of us who don't want to make the outlay outlined above.

In fact a good experienced driver can make a non xi car with all-seasons perform adequately in most winter situations. I did so in the Montreal and Toronto regions for over 20 yrs with my '88 325is.

In Quebec the point is moot, since it is the law to have winter tires between 15 Dec to 15 March.

Salut, Bob P.