[tomdlgns]

i own a 328xi and have never had an AWD car during winter months.

ive driven trucks with AWD and 4x4s but none of them were BMWs.

so for those of you that live in chicago and also other areas where it snows and other types of crappy weather...how does a bone stock 328xi handle? i know i cant drive the car as if the roads were dry, but my last car was an is300 with stick and RWD, the drives to and from work were not entertaining at all...

i know some people think that since you have 4x4 or AWD that you can drive the car as fast as you want and do other stupid things, however, i am not one of those people. im just curious as to how this car handles.

thanks

Tom

[SGxi]

I was slipping and sliding on the road in my E90 this past winter in Toronto. This coming year, I'm getting snow tires mounted.

[darkcloud]

I didn't fare too bad with the standard all-seasons on my 325i and I'm here in Cleveland. The only place that I had some trouble was exiting my apartment buildings garage. It was a decent up hill with not much of a way to get a running start. On bad days it would take 2-3 attempts till Id get high enough to stop, turn of traction and spin the tires to launch me out. Other then that I got around fine and never felt that I wasn't in control.

[Nyulak]

It is important that you get snow tires, regardless of how many drive wheels you have. I may not be the brightest bulb on the string, because I can't stand slowing down for rain, snow, sleet, etc., but I do know a proper set of snow shoes are much better to a snowy environment than all-season tires. I had Pirelli P-Zero Neros on my Acura TL and they worked fairly well in the snow, but using real snows on my coupe made things much easier despite all of the extra torque. Also, it is important to learn pedal modulation. Be it the the throttle and/or the brake, judicious use of the pedals will go a long way.

When using your brakes the AWD will behave in much the same way as a RWD or FWD vehicle with their brakes applied. The tires are the direct connection with the road. I personally have a set of rims and wheels for the winter months that I happened to have taken off today and replaced with my summer wheels. I find them an excellent investment.

I, too, live near Cleveland and I encountered problems only one time this past winter and I know of numerous occasions of winter traveling blues with my old TL, despite it being FWD. I credit the tires for this.

[tomdlgns]

hmmm, this is not what i wanted to hear.

all the cars i drove with AWD had all season tires and i did fine in the snow. i was hoping this car would be similar to those other cars, if not better.

[Nyulak]

I don't think it will be a bad experience in the least. It's just that snow tires help a lot with vehicles of all drive types. Most vehicles I see on the sides of the roads are SUVs that people thought were invincible in all weather types. I would imagine that AWD with a good set of all-season tires will do well, but it will still do better with snows.

[darkcloud]

Originally Posted by tomdlgns

hmmm, this is not what i wanted to hear.

all the cars i drove with AWD had all season tires and i did fine in the snow. i was hoping this car would be similar to those other cars, if not better.

Like Nyulak said, I wouldn't think the drive will be worse than other AWD cars. It's not a true AWD system like Subaru's or the EVO's but it's still no slouch.

Once next winter rolls around drive on your current tires. Only you will know if you need something more winter worthy then the provided all-seasons. Personally if you don't mind driving in the snow and aren't one of those people who freak out when it starts snowing you should be perfectly fine. Or if you absolutley need the most amount of traction possible then tirerack always has great winter rim/tire packages towards the fall.

Or like Nyulak and I do, have a dedicated set of summer rims/tires and a set for winter as well. Unlike Nyulak I decided not to get winter tires and stuck with the stock all-seasons. We live in the same climate and I didn't have any issues to write home about this past winter and we had some hard snows. Maybe once the all-seasons need replaced I'll buy dedicated winter tires, maybe.

[Nyulak]

The last big snow we had had me get stuck on the bridge that is right before the I-90, I490, I-176 split, heading eastbound. I was cool until traffic came to a stop. When I tried to take off again my car started to rotate on me while it scrabbled for traction. How in the world can I get stuck in snow during April?

Hooray for Ohio!

[uhaulball]

put it this way, i NEVER got stuck in snow, but i would slide if i took corners faster than i should. in the same conditions, my friend couldnt get his car out of the parking lot in his rx8, but i pulled out the spot like any other weather situation.

[darkcloud]

Originally Posted by Nyulak

The last big snow we had had me get stuck on the bridge that is right before the I-90, I490, I-176 split, heading eastbound. I was cool until traffic came to a stop. When I tried to take off again my car started to rotate on me while it scrabbled for traction. How in the world can I get stuck in snow during April?

Hooray for Ohio!

WOW! I have never NEVER been stuck during any ohio winter in my driving life. I always looked at winter as a time to do some extreme driving when no ones around

I was in Euclid this winter and was on a street that had a decent elbow type curve and had a Caddy CTS as my loaner after I was rearended by RTA:mad: , well I drifted the entire bend . The guy shoveling is sidewalk was mesmerized I even got a from him . Good times.

[SGxi]

You won't get stuck like everyone else, but snow tires will help a LOT.