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[remmib]

AWD wouldn't help you stop, but proper snow tires will.

[AWD Addict]

Originally Posted by remmib

AWD wouldn't help you stop, but proper snow tires will.

In all drive formats, not just AWD - that's a no-brainer. Thats why i spent the dough on nokian rubber.

But my car does a lot more than stop in the snow. I need it to accellerate onto a highway, brake well on a curved exit ramp, handle lane changes, climb hills, manage a slip on some ice via throttle and steering control, etc etc etc.

For people in winter climates, it's clear that there's a whole lot more reason to have AWD than just stopping.

[jspangabit]

Originally Posted by AWD Addict

I'm running Nokian HakkaRSi's Love em.

Nokian just improved the RSi 10% and now have the Hakkapeliitta R. If it's better than the RSi, lookout. I agree, it is important to be able to stop and go in winter conditions.

[ncarmistead]

I think the pro-AWD side is probably right here given that you are in Buffalo. I've lived in the Boston burbs all my life but for my college years in the NY snow belt, never had a crash, or even a real problem driving in the worst conditions. That said, I always have had snows and at least FWD (now AWD). But I like the security of having AWD now, and am planning on adding snows by late November. Could you get by with RWD and snows? Sure. Is the 335i a lot more fun to drive for the enthusiast? Sure. But a lot of years of empirical evidence driving, and watching other drivers suggests that AWD is a better choice in a place where you get a ton of snow. AWD Addict is absolutely right, around here the most common wrecks, spinouts and snow drift beachings are from RWD BMWs, Mercedes, Lexus, etc. Perhaps they are all running all-seasons and they would be fine with snows. The question you need to ask is whether or not the peace of mind of having the added stability and traction of AWD+snows is worth the $3-4k more you have to pay. If it is, get the AWD, if not get the RWD. But it is kinda nuts to focus primarily on how a daily driver will perform in good weather if you live in an area where winters regularly bring severe weather.

[roamer]

Harrington-

I am having the same debate myself, and unlike many of the posters, I actually live in Buffalo, in the snowbelt area, in the hills and am STILL leaning toward the 335i (albeit with adding a LSD) over the xi.

Here is how I did the math. Contrary to general statements of the ignorant, Buffalo is not mired in snow for 6 months out of the year. Last winter I counted 6-10 snow events where my evo's AWD really provided a significant benefit. And even those events were relatively shortlived (as you know, other than City sidestreets, the roads get cleaned up pretty quickly). So, for 350 days out of the year, which would you rather drive?

AWD helps pull you through deep snow and better balances the car on slippery roads. The 335i (with the sports package) handles much better than the 335xi (my subjective opinion), so I feel like I will get more enjoyment from the 335i (and, I don't have room or $ for a toy). I also partially disagree with the statement that AWD is "hands down" better on hills. It helps without question, but with a RWD car, you are actually shifting MORE weight rearward as you climb hills which HELPS traction.

I also strongly disagree that AWD with all seasons is superior to RWD with snows. I once drove from Colden to Springville, down Route 240 (ski country in WNY) in 1' of snow on an unplowed road with an Isuzu Impulse (the light, low RWD version) with snows and got through fine. I would have never made it with all-seasons alone. I also did a similar drive in similar conditions with a Ford Ranger 2wd and snows and left a buddy of mine with a Pathfinder on all-season road tires for dead.

If you like to drive at the limits of adhesion in bad weather, then get the xi. If you cannot be bothered with snow tires or a winter beater, get the xi. If you have a toy, get the xi. However, if you want to pretend you have a sportscar, but still need some versitility and comfort, get the i (and add a LSD if you live in the southtowns).

[hubble bubble]

335i or xi will both be much better in winter with dedicated snow tires. Like 25-33% shorter stopping distance.

I live in Calgary. While we rarely get very deep snow, we have a very long winter. I put my snow tires on in October and don't take them off until late April or early May. I drive my 335i to the rocky mountains skiing almost every weekend from Dec - April and I pass lots of 4wd vehicles in the ditches.

I drove the 335i and 335xi back to back and chose the i. The xi with sport pacage gets the sport wheels and tires, but doesn't get the sport suspension that the 335i gets. I found the 335xi tended to push in slow (50-60) corners. Just a trade-off....better handling in the dry or better handling in the snow? I'm more likely to push the pace in the summer.

[Tortfeasor 335xi]

OP, you are in Buffalo, the choice should be obvious. You get snow a lot more often than most of the rest of us and will have to deal with inclement weather a lot more often. Remember that AWD is simply a system that allows power to be put down at all 4 corners instead of merely the rear ones. So what it allows you to do is take advantage of extra traction to accelerate. So anytime you come to a stop in a low friction environment (i.e. winter icey) having the extra 2 wheels to help move the car forward is a vast improvement. But even when the weather is nice and you really romp on the gas, having 2 more wheels accelerating your car will help.

When it comes to braking, where you are not applying engine power, AWD is of no use. All 4 wheels brake and are adjusted via anti-lock brakes and stability control regardless of drive train configuration.

Things are more complicated when it comes to handling. In general RWD is better able to allow you to steer with the throttle, while AWD allows you to power out of the turns better. What does that mean? Well when you are driving only the rear wheels you can use the throttle to slide the rear end out and affect the steering and slip angles. The addition of thrust in a particular vector from the rear combines with the lateral acceleration during a turn to change the car's overall vector of movement. Thus you can balance the car with the throttle. On an AWD car, that applies power with all 4 wheels this affect is somewhat muted, even in AWD systems like BMW that favor the rear. The end result is that adding power mid turn at 4 corners does not have the same balancing effect. However, because of the additional traction you can get on the gas earlier without disrupting the car's balance mid corner and still hit the next strait going as fast or faster than the RWD car. This is one of the reasons Audi quatro was banned in a number of racing series when it first came out. Where weight is held constant (by mandated minimum weights in racing series) they found that the increased forward traction of quatro was an unfair advantage for the Audis. So at best, when weight is not held constant, the handling issue is a wash between the two.

So now, OP, review your intended use for this car. Are you going to be balancing this car mid corner on a race track making full use of RWD and a lower weight more often, or are you going to be slogging through the rain and snow on the daily grind and occasionally hitting an autocross or track day? If the former, maybe RWD is for you. If the latter, get AWD.

This coming from a former mustang owner (rwd), a former STI owner (AWD) and current 335xi owner who has driven both 911's (rwd) and 911 turbos (awd) (owned by relative earning more money than me, those lucky bastards). I have lived in MA, NJ, and driven through CO in the winter. I know the value of AWD, and all of my cars had dedicated winter and summer wheels and tires.

[davig]

+1. My experience exactly in Calgary this past winter. The x is a girl's car