Snow driving

Just curious about those of you that have driven in winter with these. Heading into my first winter owning this 328i, and a little curious what to expect, being that I live in Michigan and we see a lot of snow. The car came with all seasons on it.

My wife is telling me I never should have bought it because it is rear wheel drive. I'm cautiously optimistic.

Your winter weather traction will vary greatly depending on your tires. I have 2 sets of wheels and tires. One set has wide summer performance tires. The other set has narrower blizzaks.

What is the condition of the tires you going to be using in the winter?

Take it from someone who also deals with winter. There is no such thing as tires good for 4 seasons. Either get good winter tires, or don't expect to go anywhere.

Crap. Not what I wanted to hear. Will weight in the back help?

Well, Michigan is pretty good about plowing snow, so most people do tend to use all-season tires there. I always did when I lived there, and I never had any problems with my cars (none of which were an E36, however). But RWD cars are not hopeless in the snow by any means. They can get by just fine with proper tires, so even with all the plowing that happens there, I would certainly recommend getting yourself a set of dedicated winter tires. It will certainly make life much easier & safer for you. Try looking for a good used set on Craigslist.

I had fairly new all seasons last winter and I managed just fine. However, it helped that indiana had a mild winter with no big snow storms. Snow tires are probably a requirement for Ed (jonesin) because he's in the great white north playing shinny.

Does your car have the winter package with asc? It's mostly helpful in snow.

Finding a winter set up isn't hard or expensive if you keep an eye out on Craigslist.

More info: http://www.tirerack.com/winter/tech/...jsp?techid=120

Grain of salt note: they're a tire vendor who wants you to sell more tires.

Yes, I have the winter package with ASC. Does added weight in the back help to improve traction?

Ive had 3 bmw's one of the best cars ever in the winter the 50/50 weight distribution is awesome don't horse on the gas going into corners and youll be fine ive rune blizzaks they were alright i run a narrower firestone winterforce full studded and i swear to god the things a tank through snow ( i live in the boonies of ski country in WNY) so if i say you can make it with these cars you can haha

TIP- for really bad snow conditions push the m button on the little switch next to your gear shifter. this starts you off at a lower gear so you dont spin in deeper snow and icy conditions.
GET FIRESTONE WINTERFORCES FULL STUDDED! or just check out craigslist you can always always alwayssss pick up a set of rims with winters already on them you will need winters trust me dont try going with out man 500 dollars in tires or a totaled car.

I have been through two Michigan winters with my 328i both were on all seasons and i was just fine. I have even been in about 5 inches of snow with it and there's no problem unless you stop lol but I have never gotten stuck. This winter I am not going to drive it thought just bought a $1500 beater!

Originally Posted by 3B2M8WI

I have been through two Michigan winters with my 328i both were on all seasons and i was just fine. I have even been in about 5 inches of snow with it and there's no problem unless you stop lol but I have never gotten stuck. This winter I am not going to drive it thought just bought a $1500 beater!

....
A Swedish army knife does many things none of which it does well.
All seasons are notttt winter tires ever. Ive got Goodyear eagle gtv's (ultra performance all seasons) would never trust them in the winter even though they have tread like a monster truck BUT they lack the aggressive tread that you can only get with winter tires.

OP, even if you go on craigslist and find a set of $300-400 winter tires you'll be a lot better off than brand new all seasons. Yeah, you can get by with all seasons, but every aspect of your winter driving will be compromised. I've driven 5 different BMWs through winter, and the best one yet was a $900 e30 318is, why? Because I dropped $250 on a set of winter tires with about 50% tread. No more fishtailing at stop signs trying to get moving, no more avoiding hills, and you only really get sideways when you want, rather than when your tires lose grip.

Originally Posted by beamer claus

GET FIRESTONE WINTERFORCES FULL STUDDED!

Studded tires are not legal in Michigan. Or at least they weren't when I lived there until 6 years ago.

your correct sir forgot about that i rem. that it was up to change never went through however so just find some blizzaks /winterforces

My current tires are 215/55r16 93h Aurora H107's... I know nothing about them. Thanks for all the input everyone!

I have searched Craigslist for some cheap winters, but see nothing so far.

my winters are 195s my summers are 225's you want narrower less area to hydroplane on slush and lose traction on snow

In case of snow, drive in reverse: Instant front wheel drive!

The taxi's in Southlake Tahoe have studded tires, and it is awesome.

I'm mostly concerned with getting up small hills and through any unplowed roads. They keep our roads fairly clear, but my neighborhood always seems to be the last one to be plowed in the entire city!

I have some pretty good experience driving in snow. Not an expert, but I can get around.

Don't turn up a hill onto un-plowed roads. I had a nice little slow speed spinout doing that one. Onlookers chuckled, but I managed to turn it into a u-turn and act like I did it on purpose...

Studded tires can solve world hunger. Not really but they are awesome in the winter.

Sent from my Desire HD using Bimmer App

What Ed (jonesin) and Ryan... said.
I live in Rochester, NY and I would recommend a set of even used snow tires instead of new all seasons.
I have ASC and limited slip and I have no problems in the snow.

Originally Posted by Eight Thirty

Studded tires can solve world hunger. Not really but they are awesome in the winter.

Originally Posted by ZeGerman

Studded tires are not legal in Michigan.

Originally Posted by OrionsGate

What Ed (jonesin) and Ryan... said.
I live in Rochester, NY and I would recommend a set of even used snow tires instead of new all seasons.
I have ASC and limited slip and I have no problems in the snow.

Any problems with asc? I didn't quite like it this past winter. It seems like a poor first iteration of traction control. Probably gonna delete it soon.

Originally Posted by ZeGerman

Studded tires are good for drivers and bad for pavement. Dolla bills to me!

Originally Posted by EnserioJose

Any problems with asc? I didn't quite like it this past winter. It seems like a poor first iteration of traction control. Probably gonna delete it soon.

No issues. I agree that it is an early version.
What I do is take the car to a parking lot or on my neighborhood side streets and try to loose traction. Once I "relearn" this for the winter, I am good for the season.

The issue I find every year with ASC, is that when i attempt to leave from an intersection, where other cars have sat before me time and again, they tend to melt the snow and it turns to ice. What this means is that the ASC detects a wheel is spinning. Then it tries to assist you by cutting power so your wheels don't spin.

End result? It happens invariably whenever I am trying to make a left turn either with the advance green, or after an amber. Result? I'm stuck in the intersection, now a danger to any vehicle behind me, or any now oncoming traffic.

Solution?

Turn off the @#$!ing ASC so that when I press the skinny pedal even with tire spin, I move out of the way in the manner I intend to.