[TWiTCHY]

Planning on selling the A4 this summer and going with the F30...but RWD or AWD?

How have you non-xDrive owners gotten by in our wintery weather? Does xDrive make that much of a difference in our weather here? Can't decide...

I'd like to hear your experiences driving your RWD 3'ers in the snow/slush. Is it doable? Did you wish you had AWD?

[andybui82]

honestly if you dont go up to the pass then just get rwd. and it snows a total of like 3 days a year. Sure its nice to have but boy does the suspension ride high.

[asdflkijd]

i only regret not having an xi because I can't take my car to the mountain pass... Other than that, RWDFTMFW

[asdflkijd]

btw, unless you plan on getting winter tires you can forget about driving it in the snow. All performance summer tires are pretty useless in snow/slush. I've heard of people getting through snowy winters with blizzaks and sandbags in their trunks though. I've never really had to drive in the snow, if it snows to much I just call out from work.

[jonnylin1]

drifts/donuts in the winter rain ftw

[E91 Hoarder]

RWD + snow tires is good enough for me. Went multiple times up in the mountains this season - never had a problem. If I had to choose again, I'd take RWD since its way more fun.

[atown88]

Originally Posted by iSerge

RWD + snow tires is good enough for me. Went multiple times up in the mountains this season - never had a problem. If I had to choose again, I'd take RWD since its way more fun.

When I would commute from Ellensburg to Seattle every week, the car handled pretty well, when it had snow on the ground. RWD with stock RFT. Now, I have all seasons and when it snowed, I stayed inside for the most part. As long as you turn off DSC and DTC you'll do OK. Still makes me nervous though.

[TWiTCHY]

Originally Posted by atown88

As long as you turn off DSC and DTC you'll do OK. Still makes me nervous though.

That's odd, it seems counter-intuitive to turn those aids off. Why do you do that?

BTW my concern with going with RWD is getting stuck on the hills and steep residential roads around Bellevue. Had an '06 325i a few years ago and got stuck on Somerset in the snow...same car had trouble a few years later getting up my driveway. The A4 did great in the snow, just not when it came to stopping...slid over my dad's bushes coming into the driveway, LOL.

[plarkin]

Originally Posted by TWiTCHY

That's odd, it seems counter-intuitive to turn those aids off. Why do you do that?

BTW my concern with going with RWD is getting stuck on the hills and steep residential roads around Bellevue. Had an '06 325i a few years ago and got stuck on Somerset in the snow...same car had trouble a few years later getting up my driveway. The A4 did great in the snow, just not when it came to stopping...slid over my dad's bushes coming into the driveway, LOL.

DTC comes down like a hammer when you're going up icy hills. You'll end up just sitting in one place. Disabling DTC will let those wheels spin and push you up the hill.

Personally; I prefer having my Xi in New England. Especially since I live out in the woods and plows are a rarity.

[atown88]

Originally Posted by TWiTCHY

That's odd, it seems counter-intuitive to turn those aids off. Why do you do that?

BTW my concern with going with RWD is getting stuck on the hills and steep residential roads around Bellevue. Had an '06 325i a few years ago and got stuck on Somerset in the snow...same car had trouble a few years later getting up my driveway. The A4 did great in the snow, just not when it came to stopping...slid over my dad's bushes coming into the driveway, LOL.

What plarkin said. When I drove through downtown and got stuck on some minor incline, it was because DTC and DSC kept cutting the power. When I turned them all off, I was able to let the wheels spin and find myself some traction. It's good in like, the rain but in the snow/ice, the only way to drive is with it off so long as you know how to control your car.

[m34SPD]

Here you don't have to worry so much about the snow, but the ice that freezes under the snow. And when it does snow, all it depends is the tire. If you have an AWD car with the wrong tires, it's not going to help any at all. It all comes down to the tires.

My friend has snow tires on his AWD car's, and even he says without the proper tires he wouldn't be able to drive. So if you have snow tires on a RWD car, with enough weight in the back, you'll be fine in the snow/ice.

[palmer]

Originally Posted by jattditutti

My friend has snow tires on his AWD car's, and even he says without the proper tires he wouldn't be able to drive. So if you have snow tires on a RWD car, with enough weight in the back, you'll be fine in the snow/ice.

Being from MN and owning two BMW's, I agree with this guy.

Hell, I drove a Miata on coilovers with snow tires on it through a winter.

[rennis]

I wouldn't buy an x-drive BMW. The RWD is just too good.

Park it when it snows. Drive spare Quattro-equipped car. Profit.

[Bunkei]

If you get the F30 xdrive .. get the M-Performance version so you get the sport suspension.

[TWiTCHY]

Thanks for all the tips! I think saving $2,400 would be a good idea...I would be more concerned with stopping than going in the snow/ice, so it seems like snow tires are a better investment than AWD.

Originally Posted by Bunkei

If you get the F30 xdrive .. get the M-Performance version so you get the sport suspension.

Are you referring to the M-Sport package? If so, I don't think sport suspension is an option on the xDrives. Historically, hasn't BMW needed to increase the clearance for xDrives/xi?

[wdlfbio]

I have a xi and M. Xi has stick RFTs in the winter and did perfectly. The M has blizzaks in the winter and did very well. But, there were da that the M stayed home and the xi took its place.

AWD an 4WD do not do anything for stopping. That's all about your tires. But they help with steering and going.

Here's a question. With your 335i, how much are you going to spend on winter wheels and tires and do you have a place to store your other set for the season? You're not saving $2,400. But, even after buying winters, you will still be ahead of the game.

[TWiTCHY]

My dealer will store and install wheels for us - free of charge? Don't know yet, but they have offered to do that for their customers who choose to use 20" wheels during the summer and 18" wheels for the winter (X5).

Did your xi have all-season RFTs or summer?

[m34SPD]

Well I doubt a dealer with keep your wheels in storage for free. At Audi people would ask us, but we have to charge since it takes up space. A couple of days was fine for the customer to come pick them up.

[TWiTCHY]

So, on a totally irrelevant note...335i w/o M-Sport or 328i w/ M-Sport?

Tough decision

[Hoppyjr]

I wouldn't want to drive any 3-series in the snow unless I had too. Too nice a car IMO. Take the $2400 (and the worry) and pick up a used POS Civic, Corolla, or up it a bit and get a used Subaru - those would be ideal "snow cars" and you'd not worry about the BMW getting damaged.

[Bunkei]

Originally Posted by TWiTCHY

Thanks for all the tips! I think saving $2,400 would be a good idea...I would be more concerned with stopping than going in the snow/ice, so it seems like snow tires are a better investment than AWD.



Are you referring to the M-Sport package? If so, I don't think sport suspension is an option on the xDrives. Historically, hasn't BMW needed to increase the clearance for xDrives/xi?

There's the Dynamic Handling Package, that includes the Adaptive M Suspension and the Variable Sport Steering (available for both RWD and xdrive models). The height will most likely be the same as a 3-series without the sport suspension for the x-drive version. If the DHP is anything like the one in the new 5 series, it will allow you to choose from 4 settings (comfort to Sport+) which affects the suspension, steering, throttle, and transmission. I've seen mostly positive reviews of this, so it will be interesting to see how it compares to the 335i w/sport suspension when it becomes available later this year.

Some more good news .. you can also get the 19" rims w/Summer tires on x-drive as well...

According to the Press Release from BMW, we should also expect he 335iM (M-Performance, which is new line they're introducing, not to be confused with the M-sport, which is just a package) before too long. The purpose of the M-line is to give some of what makes the M cars so special in terms of performance in more practical models. The x-drive models were specifically mentioned as being a big part of the new line.

So you could wait a few months and see if the new DHP package is a good choice for the x-drive models in terms of sport or wait til the 335xiM comes out in probably 8 months to a year.