2004 525i "impossible to drive" in snow?

[Kemosabe77]

Greetings!

I'm a newbie here; both to the group and BMWs. I've bought an '04 525i (84K miles!) from my brother in Denver. He says the car (and its 184 horsepower) can not be driven in snow. He claims he can barely get up the very minor incline of his driveway. Now, I will say, he is not a "car guy." In fact I had to tell him when I paid him last week that the car has traction control.

I'm picking up the car in a few weeks and driving it home to the Philly area. Has anyone else experienced any more difficulty driving their BMW in snow than with any other car?

Thanks!

cai

[I3MW]

Sounds like the summer tires are bald. Can't imagine a 5 series being that hard to drive in the snow. I would recommend snow tires. I've heard people mention putting sandbags or other weights in the trunk but I've never found that necessary.

[Kemosabe77]

Thanks for the response. He claims he had new snow tires and 200lbs of weight in the trunk. It just doesn't make any sense to me...
Beautiful car, by the way.

[circuit.heart]

Giving maximum benefit of the doubt to a family member, the car's traction control might be preventing engine power from reaching the tires.

My dad drove us to Tahoe through a blizzard in a 525i on all-seasons (no LSD). Chains were used to climb up the mountain grade but that was the extent of it, my parents aren't car people by any means. Definitely not supposed to be challenging.

[Kemosabe77]

Thanks. I have to think that the fact he didn’t even know the car has traction control is a fair indication that, as much as I love my twin brother, he might not really know what he’s talking about. I’ll post pics when I get her home.