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Winter Driving with RWD
Hi, newbie here. Just placed an order for my first BMW and I'm totally pumped!!! I got the E90 330i, Saphire, Nat.Leather w/Pop wd trim, Prem.Pack, NAV w/Sirius. As I live in CT and, we can have some harsh winter weather, I have a few friends who strongly recommended I wait for the xi in Sept. After checking out a few sites, I felt comfortable getting the RWD but, I'd love to know what seasoned owners experiences have been. Can I get by with the all season tires or, will I definitely need snows? Thanks for any info and I'm sooooo looking forward to my "upgrade"..  ..currently driving a '97 VW Golf.. | | Reply » Winter Driving with RWD |
I live in upstate NY where the snow seems to never end. Having 30 years of driving under my belt, you better believe that I am waiting for the 330xi to come out. RWD and snow don't mix (even w/ snow tires), and yes I HAD to drive with them back in the sixties and seventies. I hated every mile. Then. when FWD cars kinda took over the market they were a God send for snow driving.
Anyway, I refuse to drive a car up here that isnot AWD and that makes my options pretty slim. 330xi or bust.
| | Reply » Winter Driving with RWD |
Quote: RWD and snow don't mix (even w/ snow tires), and yes I HAD to drive with them back in the sixties and seventies. I hated every mile. Then. when FWD cars kinda took over the market they were a God send for snow driving.
Anyway, I refuse to drive a car up here that isnot AWD and that makes my options pretty slim. 330xi or bust. | There are a lot of people on this board who swear by RWD + snow tires. Personally, I went with the 330xi, but I have only heard good things on this board about RWD bimmers with dedicated snows....
tacomantt, yes you should buy a winter wheel/tire setup.
| | Reply » Winter Driving with RWD |
Quote: | There are a lot of people on this board who swear by RWD + snow tires. Personally, I went with the 330xi, but I have only heard good things on this board about RWD bimmers with dedicated snows... | I wrote something about it in another post. I liked my 528iT with Blizzak WS-50s better in the snow than my 330xi with Semperit snows. The 528 was a much more predictable car in the bad stuff - the only problem was a little less ground clearance vis the 330. My 0.02.
| | Reply » Winter Driving with RWD |
Quote: | RWD and snow don't mix (even w/ snow tires) | Hogwash.
| | Reply » Winter Driving with RWD |
It's not as bad as you think.... Winter was my fear when I got my 97 318 (no TCS) especially since I live in Toronto Canada and my all seasons are fairly worn... But I've never crashed my car in any weather.... I've had some "fun" driving, but I never felt it was prohibitive... If you know how to control the car in an oversteer and you dont have a leadfoot, it should be ok... Finess is the key... as longs as all acceleration, turning etc are done really gradually, your car will remain in control. Also, tripple your braking distance.. Since the E90s will some with an army of computer controled stability systems, you should have less problems then me..  Having snow tires definately helps.. but I never crashed my car into anything on my worn all seasons on snow/ice.
I find that the real catch for RWD cars is actually not in the snow... Its in the wet roads and gravel that'll really get you if you're not comfortable controling oversteer... You see, you're already aware that RWD cars are dangerous in the snow... So, when you see snow or ice on the road, you will be carful and be prapared for any slippage... If you're taking a corner in the rain at speeds you really shoudnt be at and your rear tires let go, your car will try to swap ends really quickly... My TCSless 318 did this on many occations (sometimes deliberately.... ) and at times, I get a lot more out of shape then I ever did in the snow... But, again, since the E90 practically has a super computer monitering every move, it should be ok...
I personally would stay away from AWD if I'm getting a BMW.. There is nothing like steering feed back from a RWD BMW undiluted by torque steer. For me, getting AWD defeats the purpose of getting a BMW. But, that's just MHO....
J
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Winter Driving with RWD