**135i in the winter!?**

[Tjai135i]

Hello I am new here. I know that the 135i is rwd and I'm thinking about the 135i as a daily driver. I reside in CT. There is snow and I am just wondering how would the 135i handle in snow in the new england area? maybe with some snow tires?
Bridgestone Blizzaks maybe?

I've seen a video of a 135i around in the snow

advice and stories would be greatly appreciated. THanks

[UdubBadger]

yeah lots of us deal with the same thing. Winter tires are a must in snow states, some southern states can get away with all seasons if needed. The DTC (traction) on these cars are very good so as long as you have the tires for it, you'll be good about 97% of the days. Maybe 1-2 days you might not be able to make it out but thats extreme and days NOBODY would be making it out in.

[BrokenVert]

This will be my third winter with the 135. Snow tires a must as the factory summer tires lose all grip in anything below 40 F and the tire recommendations are a tossup between Blizzacks and Dunlop Winter Sport 3Ds (I use the Dunlops).

I always turn the traction control off in the snow. The traction control will kill the engine power and not let you drive. The manual recommends the car to be in DCT mode, but im a cocky bastard so I take the control off completely.

I also live in Syracuse through the winter so ive seen some snow. But I do prefer to be in my Explorer in the snow just because of the ground clearance. You will turn this car into a plow very easily.

[Tjai135i]

ohhh thanks! should i stay with the same wheel sizes? or go smaller?

[jkp1187]

Blizzaks on 17" wheels got me home safely in the middle of the blizzard that hit Pittsburgh this past February. There were quite a few cars that were in the ditch that night and the next day.

[BrokenVert]

I ran Pirellis on my stock 18"s for the last two years. They worked really well for me. But Ive bent the crap out them and ive decided to drop down to 17s considering how crap our roads are so ill have to get back to you on the 18"s vs 17"s thing.

But either one works. The section width is more important in the snow. a 225 suare setup is good for snow a 205 square setup is better in snow.

[UdubBadger]

optimally you run 17s and drop down a few sizes with a squared setup (same width front and back) and add a little more sidewall than normal on your winters.

however, a lot of people will not follow these guidelines and still be fine. I am running 18's for winter on blizzacks. However, we get great plowing and salting around here so I usually never have to drive in more than an inch of anything. When I do, I'll just go a little slower and drive more cautiously.

You just have to ask yourself how conservative you want to be and how much snowfall are you going to prepare for. You could run a 205/65/17 set up and be totally prepared for a freak blizzard or a 235/255 staggered set up with 18's and take your chances or anything in between. It's whatever is comfortable to you and gives you enough piece of mind to drive confidently all year long. That being said, I think a common compromise is staying on 18's but getting same size front an back tires at 225/45/18. The slimmer tire and bit more sidewall will help a lot but you can use your OEM rims and it doesn't look horrible with smaller wheels.

[Maine1]

I've been through 2 winters with no problem. As others have said, you need dedicated winter tires. I went with 205 17's all around to get the best snow traction. You will need to hit the DTC button when going up hills in slushy snow so it doesn't cut the engine power on you. Winter driving is not all bad. It's fun to goose the back end around corners - just make sure no one is coming the other way first.

[BenTrovato]

You'll be good with the Blizzaks... Something else to consider is taking a winter driving course. You'll be surprised how much your skills will improve after only a 1 or 2 day course.

Think of it like this, there are things your car can do in the snow on winter tires that it can't do with all seasons and similarly, there are things you'll be able to do after some driver training that you can't do right now

[rsjean]

Lots of good advice here.

I moved to Rochester NY from Atlanta (and Los Angeles prior to that) and brought along my E46 with snow tires which I traded off after 2 years in the snow for the 1er. I'm happy to say that the 135i has performed better that the 3 series in the ROC snows.

I have no reservations taking off in the mornings for work on all but the worst days - and as was already stated - most sensible folks stay in on those days.

But I can't forget to mention that I was born and raised in Chicago so came to ROC with a history of snow and ice as a youth driver.

[Tom K.]

17" wheels with 205/50 winter tires is your best bet.

But be aware that Blizzaks (like other winter tires) come in two basic varieties - studless snow tires and wnter performance tires.

The studless snow tires will give maximum traction on snow and ice but may feel squirmy on dry pavement. The winter performance tires will have a higher speed rating and sacrifice some snow/ice traction for better dry pavement handling.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/review...pe&autoModClar=

Tom

[Tjai135i]

wow I didnt even know there were different types of blizzaks. omg now I have another decision to make. I live in CT and I'm not sure if I should go with studded or studless. how much do you really sacrifice in the winter performance tires?

I always thought the winter performance was best

[BrokenVert]

That's what I've always run and I've been fine in the snow. I ran pirelli 240 sottozeros which are a performance winter. And this year I'm getting Dunlop wontersport D3s which are also winter performance

[bimmer74]

It all depends on a your particular situation. If roads where you drive are plowed well and you can stay put in the worst snow storms, 225/45R17 performance winters (such as Dunlop Wintersport 3D) would work great for you. If you have to make it to work in all weather conditions (like me unfortunately), going 205/50R17 with snow/ice tires (such as Bridgestone Blizzak WS-60 or WS-70 or Michelin X-ice) will get you going in pretty bad weather.

[UdubBadger]

BTW if you guys are lowered, 225 does not fit very well in front.

[Rawhide]

Haven't had my 135 in the winter yet, but went through 2 Kansas City winters (and this past one was a beast) with a 128.

I just had on all seasons (225/45 17 square) and got through fine. I stayed home a few days due to the weather, but then so did everyone else. I only got stuck once in a friend's driveway - but he never shoveled and kept driving over the snow with his 4x4 until there was 5-6 inches of solid icepack in his driveway.

[moveswiftly]

hah thats my video...
I love my car in the winter...especially when the tail slips out and i have to correct it

[RPM90]

Originally Posted by UdubBadger

yeah lots of us deal with the same thing. Winter tires are a must in snow states, some southern states can get away with all seasons if needed. The DTC (traction) on these cars are very good so as long as you have the tires for it, you'll be good about 97% of the days. Maybe 1-2 days you might not be able to make it out but thats extreme and days NOBODY would be making it out in.

Hello neighbor.

I use ultra hi-po all seasons, Conti DWS, and have no problem getting around in winter.

But, if I lived in an area with more snow and/or hilly terrain, I would go with dedicated snow tires.

Maybe the next 1 series will have X drive?
I'm still not sure I like X drive though. My experience is that I didn't like it as much as Audi's quattro.
But, an AWD 135i sure sounds intriguing.

[Tjai135i]

haha yeah 135xi Wonder if they would even think about putting that into production!

THanks for the videos chester! You gotta love ppl like you who put up videos of how well a car handles in different conditions.
Gives ppl like me whose looking for a car like the 135i, an idea how the car is like on a daily basis on the street.
Also those vids make it easier for you to imagine yourself in that POV.
Good camera mounting too=]

[Tom K.]

Originally Posted by RPM90

I use ultra hi-po all seasons, Conti DWS, and have no problem getting around in winter.

Mounted the DWS tires on my 128i this Spring. How much snow before they become a problem - 3", 5"?

So far, after about 6k miles, it's a very comfortable tire with only a slight degradation in handling from the OEM NCT5s. And at $600 out the door, a real bargain!

Tom

[Sylon]

This past winter was one of the worst winters on record here in Germany, I had an AWD car at the time and I was having more issues than usually (most of the time it was a lot of fun though, lol).


This will be my first winter with the 135i, and I am a little worried. Not so much about driving in the snow (I do live close enough to work to just walk if its really bad), but more about the money portion of it. The way I am seeing it online, its going to be around $1000 for a winter setup regardless how I do it

[Tjai135i]

yeah the setups include the wheels and tires right? Is it a good idea to just get winter tires on the stock 18in wheels?