[ibo]

First winter with my car after moving here to Boston and I need something to replace my summers ASAP!! Just got back from vacation and I'm wondering if I should get a set of winters in addition to my summers that came with the car or just get all-seasons on my current 18" wheels for the entire year.

For those of you with NE winter experience, could you kindly advise on what is ideal for a balance of safe driving/not breaking the bank? I'm leaning towards all-seasons, but if the general opinion is that it is truly unsafe, I'll go with the 2 sets. As for my driving habits, I tend not to drive to work because public transportation is fairly convenient, but I do drive every weekend and occasionally during weekdays.

I live in the Boston area, and I tend to avoid driving during snow storms since I have the option of taking pub trans to work.

Much thanks!

[Derek Zoolander]

Do you have xDrive?

[MassBimmer]

Originally Posted by Derek Zoolander

Do you have xDrive?

+1, if you don't have xDrive, dedicated winter tires are a must. Otherwise, you can easily get by with all seasons year round.

[ibo]

Nice, I do have XDrive! I guess now its easier on my wallet...which is a huge plus .

Much thanks!

Oh, and Massbimmer, how are the Conti's? They're the ones that I've had my eyes on for the meantime.

[Rustler]

Definitely true that with rear wheel drive winter tires are a must. I would, however, highly recommend winter tires regardless of the driven wheels. Your AWD won't help you slow down or avoid an obstacle. There are some really nice "performance" oriented snow tires out there that aren't a total nightmare on dry pavement. I always ran a dedicated set of snows on my awd subaru. A couple other advantages: saves a good set of rims from salt corrosion, enables you to run a higher profile tire when the roads are all pot-holed in the winter, enables you to run a narrower tire in the winter (which regardless of tread design will help cut through snow/slush/wintery crap). Finally, I think it's worth the effort and expense to have the right tire on at the right time of the year. A good high preformance summer tire is a thing of beauty on a dry road (probably the most effective modification for the price anyone can make on their car), and a good winter tire is confidence inspiring when things get sloppy. If price and convenience are more important all-seasons will certainly get where you where need to go.

[ska///235i]

all seasons will be fine

[TL]

all seasons would be fine if you don't really drive too much during the winters with an Xi but a dedicated winter setup is much safer (that's what i have).

[dj128]

Had the same debate. I have a friend with a RWD 5 series and all season wasn't enough even here in Boston where the snow isn't that bad. He swears by his winter setup. I have AWD and went with a winter setup; my commute to work is about 30 miles each way and I couldn't risk not being able to get to work. No regrets here.

Granted, if you're going to avoid driving in active snowfall and just drive when most of it has been plowed, then all seasons will probably be enough. But for active snowfall, winters are a must.

[Kev]

If you don't have to go to work in blizzard condition then all-seasons + xDrive is fine in limited snow condition. However, if you don't have a beater for the blizzard or you have to drive to work regardless of weather condition, winter tires are a must for you. Remember, xDrive helps you start (gain traction), but it doesn't help you stop. Your winter tires help you stop.

[ibo]

It seems that for my driving requirements, all-seasons would do fine. However, I just read a post in the tire/wheel section about a guy with his tires blown and wutnot (details spared), and there have been people saying that without RFT's, a spare is a must.

For all you NE'ers out there running non-RFT's, do you guys make do without a spare or is that simply unwise?

[marcel b]

Originally Posted by Rustler

Definitely true that with rear wheel drive winter tires are a must. I would, however, highly recommend winter tires regardless of the driven wheels. Your AWD won't help you slow down or avoid an obstacle. There are some really nice "performance" oriented snow tires out there that aren't a total nightmare on dry pavement. I always ran a dedicated set of snows on my awd subaru. A couple other advantages: saves a good set of rims from salt corrosion, enables you to run a higher profile tire when the roads are all pot-holed in the winter, enables you to run a narrower tire in the winter (which regardless of tread design will help cut through snow/slush/wintery crap). Finally, I think it's worth the effort and expense to have the right tire on at the right time of the year. A good high preformance summer tire is a thing of beauty on a dry road (probably the most effective modification for the price anyone can make on their car), and a good winter tire is confidence inspiring when things get sloppy. If price and convenience are more important all-seasons will certainly get where you where need to go.

+1

wintertires are a one time investment, and will save you money after. Buy yourself a used set of 16 or 17 inch bmw rims. These you can sell at any moment for about the same money as you bought them. If you are lucky you will find a set with still some good tires on. In general, as winterwheels are smaller (smaller rim, narrower tire) you will pay less for a set of winter tires, then for a good set of summer tires. With an all season you have the worse of both worlds IMO. Not really good in summer, not really good in winter.