[ZimmerZimmer]

Hi Guys as the heading states will i struggle?

Ive had my 320D M sport e90 for under six months and have 18" MV3 on with bridgestone run flats all round.

Any advice? will i spinn out? i will obviously not be drving like a T*wat in winter, just normal Miss Daisy to be honest.

Will i still struggle guys and dirls?

Some one said i'll end up writing it off if i dont change them??

Cant be that bad can they?

[Kerr]

Most cars on the road will be on summer tyres and your BMW will drive on cold, damp icy conditions the same as other cars with summer tyres.

When there is standing snow you are more than likely to get stuck as you can't get traction.

[kaishang]

If there is no snow/ice on the road or if it has snowed but the road has been gritted, then no problem.

If there is snow on the road, then you will not be going anywhere. But very few cars have winter tyres and it is only for short periods the last two winters where there has been snow and ice on the road that there have been widespread problems.

Winter tyres are an insurance against not being able to drive if there is snow and ice, they are not a necessity in normal winters.

[Falmouthboy]

To answer your question, if it snows or there is sheet ice you will struggle on summer tyres, particularly if there are a lot of hills where you live. Traction will be harder to find than for those in front wheel drive cars and you will be one of the first to get stuck. Stopping is no different whatever you drive on the wrong tyres.

Plenty on here about the 'benefits' of winter tyres, and if you want to enjoy those (essentially when the temp is below 7 degrees i.e most of the time Nov - March) then they are worth the outlay.

Your call - if you can't afford to leave the car at home or you don't want to be caught out they are a good ides, but not 'essential'.

[SO8]

They will be totally fine unless it snows .

[SO8]

They will be totally fine unless it snows .

[ZimmerZimmer]

Thanks for all the advice peeps, the resolution ive come to is basically dont drive if there's snow on the road and Low Minus Conditions.

I would always consider thinking twice about the journey i was going to make if it was snowing anyway.

My RFTS are getting close to around 2.5MM, i think ill make them last me this winter and in March-April time invest in another set of new All weather tyres.

Heard that these Vredsteins are good tyres? not the cheapest but not the most expensive either, Ive been quoted £500.00 for 4 tyres for my 18" MV3 with wider rears, 255's rear 225 front

Good price/Bad price? aanyone get me them cheaper? LOL

[kaishang]

All season (not all weather) tyres aren't that great either. They are a compromise on everything.

And isnt that a non RFT tyre? What will you do if you get a flat?

[Mr Singh]

Snow Socks?

[ZimmerZimmer]

Yeah they are NON RFTS, Im actually considering removing the plastic compart fmo my E90 and just putting a space saver in the with a Small Jack.

RFTS are overpriced for a Train Track ride, and quite noisy too.

A cousin of mine has an e90 330D with 19" rims with no run flats (and no Spare either) and the handling is way different to my 320D M-sport

P.S the guy at my local Tyre shop said theyre "all season tyres" that means all weather doesnt it? lol or am i being a un-educated chav?

Anybody have any ideas on the price ive been quoted?

[ALF_E90]

What model Vredestein is the tyre shop offering? If is it genuinely an all-season then presumably a Quattrac 3. All-seasons vary but this is one that is unusually good in snow. It is not likely to be a good all year round tyre on a heavy car (it would work - but feel a bit numb in the summer, not the sort of thing most BMW drivers want) but would be a pretty good winter tyre. We have some on my wife's Golf and they feel fine even in current warm conditions on a light, unpowerful car like that. If you are going to run two sets you might as well get full-on winters, though.

Whenever it snows it is usually BMW's, Mercs, and older RWD vans that litter the roads - RWD does not help! That said, I found mine better than expected last year before I fitted the winters - my A4 (FWD, with even wider tyres) was not much better. If using summer tyres on snow you want to be in something light and FWD, or 4WD. Even then, when I had a 4WD car it was much scarier in the snow on summer tyres than my BMW with winter tyres.

[HighlandPete]

Originally Posted by ZimmerZimmer

My RFTS are getting close to around 2.5MM, i think ill make them last me this winter and in March-April time invest in another set of new All weather tyres.

To be absolutely frank, you are in the worst possible position for entering a winter, whether we get snow and ice, or not.

Less than 3mm on a summer tyre, when we have more wet roads and surface water, and RFTs at that, all factors stacked against you.

Even for milder winters, it's a good idea to get decent tread on your car for the winter months.

HighlandPete

[Bee Pee]

ZimmerZimmer,

Agree with HighlandPete 100%.

What little snow we got last year in tropical SW London, I had v few problems with my 335i touring shod with PS3 c/w healthy tread depth; lowering tyre pressures to min recommendation, DTC turned off ; some ballast rearmost in the boot and caution wrt to speed and braking distances.

If the snow does fall, go out early to yr local car park and explore how yr car acts. Have fun drifting but make sure you don't let mesh grilles get clogged in snow as tends to cook the motor if radiator etc gets starved of airflow !!!!

Pave

[ECSTuning]

A good set of all season tires (not summers with low tread) will get you around in a light snow with little issues.

Originally Posted by Mr Singh

Snow Socks?

These are great for slippery situations, I will have a set of Textile Snow Chains (snow socks) in my trunk this year at the first sign of snow.

ECS Tuning

[Rob GTI]

Don't forget with winter tyres you are extending the life of your summer tyres by not using them. Therefore if you plan to keep the car for a few years the extra cost only equates to the cost of swapping the tyres across.

[kaishang]

Originally Posted by Rob GTI

Don't forget with winter tyres you are extending the life of your summer tyres by not using them. Therefore if you plan to keep the car for a few years the extra cost only equates to the cost of swapping the tyres across.

Two sets of tyres will always cost more; you need to either buy another set of rims - and pay the depreciation and opportunity cost on them or pay to have tyres taken on and off a single set of rims. If you don't have space, then you need to pay to store the unused tyres.

And it is also likely that at some time you will dispose of the car and have to go ti the effort of selling a partly used set of tyres on the secondhand market.

[Cocktails]

Originally Posted by ZimmerZimmer

Hi Guys as the heading states will i struggle?

Ive had my 320D M sport e90 for under six months and have 18" MV3 on with bridgestone run flats all round.

Any advice? will i spinn out? i will obviously not be drving like a T*wat in winter, just normal Miss Daisy to be honest.

Will i still struggle guys and dirls?

Some one said i'll end up writing it off if i dont change them??

Cant be that bad can they?

If it snows you will not write it off as you will not be able to move full stop. Winters are a must if you need to use your car at all when snow is on the ground. It is however my 2nd year with my 335d and I have only just got winters. I was a little sceptical last year that they would be neccesary but as I run my own business I settled on a £45 pair of snow socks thinking that I would not need them...... Day 1 of snow, got off my flat drive....JUST...and then couldn't go anywhere after that. Fitted the snow socks in around 15 mins and drove off no probs. I cannot speak highly enough of these things but they do start to perish fairly quickly if you don't take them off as soon as the roads are ok. My one whinge was that I had to use a stanley knife to remove them and my knuckles will never be the same again!!

In summary, if you are not convinced, get some snow socks. £45 is nothing even if you have to cut them off in the end. But I will not be messing around with that again!!

Winters mean that your summers will last twice as long so they are no extra money in the long run.... Just that 1000 quid up front in the 1st place!!

Cocktails

[lovemybmw]

I only have a mere 320d however if you've seen my other thread you'll have seen that last year in the snow was the worst driving experience ive ever had, total lack of prep and ensuring the I had the right set up. As mentioned already if you need to use your car the winter tyres are a must, if you can leave the car at home when the conditions are bad then snow socks should be ok.

However whilst the risk of a write off is slim, the risk is there simply because you have no control over which roads are treated and you could find that when you set off conditions are fine and then get caught in changing weather conditions in which case the winters are what's required.

[lovemybmw]

I only have a mere 320d however if you've seen my other thread you'll have seen that last year in the snow was the worst driving experience ive ever had, total lack of prep and ensuring the I had the right set up. As mentioned already if you need to use your car the winter tyres are a must, if you can leave the car at home when the conditions are bad then snow socks should be ok.

However whilst the risk of a write off is slim, the risk is there simply because you have no control over which roads are treated and you could find that when you set off conditions are fine and then get caught in changing weather conditions in which case the winters are what's required.

[Rob GTI]

This may answer your question

[lovemybmw]

Excellent link and we shall see whether I get the extra traction with my winters. However it does clearly show the small risk of write off on summers, replace cones with a car and that's why winters are required to ensure go round the corner rather than into any parked cars.

However the cynic in me does say what would happen on the summers if that was repeated 100 times? Would the car be so far out of control or would the driver pick up experience and then be able to handle the corner better? Which would reflect the real world where better driving technique and experience will defo help in the snow.

[spirocheter]

It is not really a question of driving skills, physics plays a much greater role. Good vid RobGTI, I've seen it before. I would not drive with less than 3mm even in the summer, because in the wet, braking distsnces will be dramatically increased, the difference between having an accident or not. With winter tyres, it's not only the ability to get moving, but more importantly in controlling the vehicle and being able to stop. Yes it does cost, but then BMWs aren't exactly cheap anyway.