Driving your BMW safely in wintry conditions
#11
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I have a set of Bridgestone Blizzak WS-50's. I think this tread is the most aggresive for snow. I have them with the Borbet CA's 16 inch wheels.
#12
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Location: New York und Wien
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When there is snow, the Blizzak's are probably the best. Sure, they might not be the best when the roads are dry and it's cold out, but I got these tires to keep my family safe when it does snow out. I'm not looking to tear through the streets in winter with snow tires, regardless of brand.
Winter tires are on the car to keep everyone safe in winter period, not just when it snows.
Snow and ice tires are really intended for a much greater percentage of snow and ice driving, which is why winter performance tires are becoming much more popular.
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My Ride: 2007 BMW 550, Sport, Navi, PS, CWP, Sirius
I am not sure you needed to go to such an extreme. Any winter sports would do just fine in NJ winters. They are more expensive but they are relatively decent on dry roads. WS-50 are too soft for any semi-agressive driving.
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My Ride: 2007 530i. Purchased 6/28/07. Titanium Silver Metallic, Black Dakota Leather, Dark Poplar Trim, Steptronic, Premium Package, Cold Weather Package, Bluetooth, Adaptive Control Xenons. 10/30/07 Added OEM 124s with 245/40/18 & 275/35/18 Michelin Pilot Sport A/S tires. Installed red Cal Covers� from BavAuto. 11/21/07 Added OEM all-weather floor mats (for winter, carpet in summer) and coat rack. 6/26/08 installed M5-style rear spoiler. 6/30/08 put on red reflectors. 8/22/08 Euro turn signal stickers applied. 3/20/09 Installed Shadowline Trim. 3/27/09 Added Matte Black Kidney Grilles from Trinity. 4/03/09 Installed Bimmian Shadow Matte Black 530i Badges. 4/04/09 Installed LED license plate lights from Trinity. 5/01/09 Installed Brabus Interior LED Kit and White Angel Eyes. 5/02/09 Put in Brabus 6K Fogs. 5/14/09 Removed charcoal filter. 5/15/09 Installed light smoke LED side marker lamps from Trinity. 5/21/09 Sprint Booster. 6/12/09 Painted exhaust tips flat black. 6/13/09 Pulled red Cal Covers and painted calipers low gloss black. 6/27/09 RPI Ram Air Scoop from Trinity. 8/15/09 Installed Brabus's silver invisibulbs front and rear. 9/24/09 Installed R-Dash license plate LEDs from Brabaus (John).
When there is snow, the Blizzak's are probably the best. Sure, they might not be the best when the roads are dry and it's cold out, but I got these tires to keep my family safe when it does snow out. I'm not looking to tear through the streets in winter with snow tires, regardless of brand.
Member poleposition had the Pirelli's on his last X5. He went with the Blizzaks on the new X5 and probably won't be going back to the Pirelli's anytime soon. They're that much better.
Member poleposition had the Pirelli's on his last X5. He went with the Blizzaks on the new X5 and probably won't be going back to the Pirelli's anytime soon. They're that much better.
#17
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My Ride: BMW 535D Invididual, Hartge, M-Sport
Anzafin: Great point =)
I assume you also drive on studded tyres? I have Good Year UltraGrip 500 225/50/17, and where my girlfriend cant get upp for the hills with her new Dunlop non-studded tyres I can go easily with my uses studded tyres.
But what is winter and sport tyre? Its either one, either its good in the snow or either good in the cold dry days.
This is how a real winter tyre should look like.
But overall I have to say that BMW performs very poorly in the snow if you compare it to a Volvo or Saab
This is how my wintertyres look.
I assume you also drive on studded tyres? I have Good Year UltraGrip 500 225/50/17, and where my girlfriend cant get upp for the hills with her new Dunlop non-studded tyres I can go easily with my uses studded tyres.
But what is winter and sport tyre? Its either one, either its good in the snow or either good in the cold dry days.
This is how a real winter tyre should look like.
But overall I have to say that BMW performs very poorly in the snow if you compare it to a Volvo or Saab
This is how my wintertyres look.
#18
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My Ride: Bmw 530d 2004
Anzafin: Great point =)
I assume you also drive on studded tyres? I have Good Year UltraGrip 500 225/50/17, and where my girlfriend cant get upp for the hills with her new Dunlop non-studded tyres I can go easily with my uses studded tyres.
But what is winter and sport tyre? Its either one, either its good in the snow or either good in the cold dry days.
This is how a real winter tyre should look like.
But overall I have to say that BMW performs very poorly in the snow if you compare it to a Volvo or Saab
I assume you also drive on studded tyres? I have Good Year UltraGrip 500 225/50/17, and where my girlfriend cant get upp for the hills with her new Dunlop non-studded tyres I can go easily with my uses studded tyres.
But what is winter and sport tyre? Its either one, either its good in the snow or either good in the cold dry days.
This is how a real winter tyre should look like.
But overall I have to say that BMW performs very poorly in the snow if you compare it to a Volvo or Saab
I have not much to say about driving at winter time. Just that it feels very confusing reading people sometimes blaming the BMW being poor in the snow and someone wouldn't even drive the car in snowy conditions. Proper winter tyres make a different, but it's not all about that.
It is completely another world, lots of things must be taken into consideration different way than in summer time. I feel the summer and winter as two completely different seasons for my car, and my driving behaviour depends on that.
I understand very well that the winter in many places is not that kind of winter how I see it, and people may get confused in their countries when getting all that snow that has been coming this winter. The seasons radically differ here from each other and the fall and the spring are the signs for me to get prepared onto oncoming change of time of year and therefore the drastic changes in driving conditions.
So, my only tip for driving at winter time (in snowy conditions), whatever the car is or tyres are, is that people should take things into consideration completely different than before (summer time).
And of course Volvo and Saab perform so differently in snow compared to BMW; it's FWD vs. RWD thing.
- Antti -
#20
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(ie. cold tires on a F1 car---no grip.)
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