Got my 2011 335 xdrive msport last month thinking awd I'm good for winter..
I so don't want to dd it over the winter months now and thrash it with salt and cinders guys ..
How many of u dd your bmw in the winter ?
I DD my 2011 328xi. 19s with dws contis. The thing is a snowmobile. Just wash it more often and dont worry about it too much. 4 brutal NJ winters and it still looks new after a good cleaning and wax. My 98m3 on the other hand, has never seen snow since new.
I drive my E46 330ci through the winter. Stock optional winter steelies with snow tires, and I rinse it down after every storm.
If you don't want to drive the car in the winter, you're making some sacrifices by having the Xdrive car. I see 3 options:
1) Use the car for what it was designed to do. Drive it. Just be religious with washing it to minimize corrosion.
2) Buy a winter beater and put it away before the first storm.
3) Sell it, buy a RWD 335 and a winter beater.
-Nick
Drive mine year round too. Georgia winters are pretty mild, but there have been a few cases where I had fun counting the number of SUVs I passed stuck in the ditches while driving my 328 convertible in to work with a few inches of snow on the roads.
Matt Cramer
1997 BMW 328i convertible, 1972 Chevy C10 pickup, 1966 Dodge Dart slant six
BMW - where "Why doesn't everybody build cars the way they do?" meets "Why can't they build a car the same way everyone else does it?"
I can't imagine not driving my car in the winter, but I also make sure to have real winter tires ready to roll when needed. Mine is only RWD, yet it's great in the snow (with proper tires!), and I just make it a point to clean the underside whenever I wash it. Not much more effort to ensure that I drive something I enjoy all season.
I have a separate car for snow. I've read that properly prepared the z4 does just fine on plowed roads or snow not too deep. However, my beater is high/low 4wd and if I hit or get hit, I don't mind.
Not so much a signature as a cry for help.
Hold on, saw this in a cartoon once...think I can pull it off.
Up here in Alberta in Canada the winters are harsh but I DD my 335 rwd without issues. If you have good winter tires and wash your car often it's fine. I get told left and right that apparently the world is ending with my RWD Bimmer in the winter but lose count of how many 4x4 pickups I see in the ditch as soon as snow day 1 comes.
I always wash right after a storm and otherwise 1-2 times a week even outside the winter. It becomes a habit to take care of your car.
Just don't get too carried away trying to have fun in the snow.
I have the same issue as you- expensive insurance so having a second car insured is basically having another car payment. Aside from that though my theory is I spend money on my car to enjoy it. Especially if you have an x-drive.
Last edited by shiftmygears; 10-01-2015 at 10:55 PM.
Not so much a signature as a cry for help.
Hold on, saw this in a cartoon once...think I can pull it off.
What is "winter"? -Arizona Resident
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Last edited by shiftmygears; 10-03-2015 at 02:16 PM.
I daily drive my minty 2002 M5 in the winter in the snow belt off of Lake Erie. It is a lot of fun. Decent snow tires are required. Never been stuck outside of my own driveway. People who think they need AWD because of the snow are usually quite mistaken, or are cheap and don't want to buy good snow tires. AWD helps get you moving easily, but it doesn't help you stop or turn.
Also, my parents have daily driven an e38 for the last 14 winters. That car has only ever been stuck in the mud in our front yard.
Salt can undoubtedly do some damage, if you are worried, get it properly undercoated and have fun! Life is too short to not enjoy what you own.
Last edited by pizzaman09; 10-03-2015 at 05:32 PM.
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1990 Jeep Comanche Eliminator
1962 Austin Healey Sprite
Having done back-to-back tests with data, I can attest to the stopping part. I showed nearly a 27-foot difference in stopping distance between good all-season vs. high-performance snow tires (distance would've been even better with studless tires, no doubt). If you think about an emergency stop or a busy intersection, 27 feet is a huge distance. If you're going to drive in real snow, and not just a dusting, genuine snow tires are well worth the investment.
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