[RhoXS]

This is the second winter I have had my 2011 28i X3 with the Goodyear factory run flats in an area of New York famous for lake effect snow.

With respect to driving through and on snow it does great. It does a very good job getting going and giving the feeling of good control on greasy roads. Of course you cant be stupid and it will indeed slide sideways very easily, for example, if you take a corner too fast on a snow covered street. Be reasonable and the car will easily get you where you need to go.

Stopping is another matter and it does not stop worth a crap on a greasy street. By greasy, for example, I mean a street that has snow on it, even a street that has been recently plowed but still has a thin compacted layer of snow. It is essential to plan well ahead because you will easily slide right through a stop sign or up another cars tail pipe if you don't gently start braking well in advance. I attribute this to the not so great Goodyear tires and I assume braking performance would be much better if I had snow tires on the car.

Hard ice on the streets is even still another matter and I don't think anything but the old studded snow tires would help with that either going or stopping. Black ice is just to be avoided.

In summary, the car handles great in snow and, in fact, handles so good it gives a false perception of normal control. This false perception will cause you a big problem because the car is just not going stop anywhere near as well as it goes.

[PX3]

Cheers guys, I just hope we get some snow soon so I can try her out.
I'm interested to see how it compares to an old Ford Kuga I had a few years a go as that drove really well on snow with standard tyres, albeit on 18" wheels (not as wide) and non runflats.

If we do get some of the white stuff, then I will definitely provide my feedback here.

[Roundown]

Originally Posted by Midwest X6

I am a big winter tire fan...That said, am hoping the Pirelli all seasons will be good enough with Xdrive and my in-town driving I do

A/S really abandon you in cornering/breaking situations.

I find it amusing when folks describe their ability to pass others at speed on unplowed surfaces but don't pay reference to their perceived ability/inability to come to a controlled stop.

[Crash Test]

Went 2 winters with the stock Goodyear LS tires here in Toronto. Handling in the snow was generally mediocre. The car would drift around corners very easily but as long as you go slow it was ok. However braking in slippery conditions was horrible, and last winter I rear-ending a car when I couldn't stop in time even though I was going only about 20 km/h.

A few days ago I installed Michelin Alpin PA4 winter tires and the difference is HUGE. Although the tires were expensive I think they will be much much safer in snow, ice and cold and will significantly decrease the likelihood of a more serious crash in the future.

[mge92]

The A/S is really not that bad for places like DC where most things shut down because they forecast an inch or two of snow. Even though most roads are salted and clear, the tires definitely drift when turning and brake horribly but only when the tires are cold, when you warm them up a bit they work much better but ofcourse not as great as a dedicated set of winter tires like ^ Michelin Alpin PA4.

[Mingstar88]

i went 3 seasons with the stock Goodyear LS tires, had some close calls tbh. this year im running blizzak lm25 245/45/19 on the oem msport rims

[philtrick123]

You'll probably need to check what the OEM tyres are.
My X3 30d came with 17" Dunlop Sport Maxx tyres- ok for very light snow, but nothing more. I have a winter set for driving to ski resorts.
I'm not sure in the UK if any of the standard tyres are All Season.

FYI- I previous had a Hyundai Santa Fe- that had All Seasons as standard. It handled the UK snow very well. I also used snow socks to give the extra bit of traction when helping to tow a stranded RWD 3 series motorist who also had a trailer.

Quite good video-

[The X Men]

All season tires are not all the same, from experience, I find that the GY eagle LS2 is among the worst all season tire in the snow. Michelin all terrain are very good in the snow as well as Bridgestone Revo.

[kevink1]

My X3 with all season tires worked well on the ice/snow early in the week. Was able to accelerate cleanly (1" snow, ice in residential areas). Stopping, about like any other car with antilock brakes. All wheel drive doesn't help for stopping

[335xs2dinan]

actually thought snow driving was a struggle with the Pirelli All seasons once they got down to 6-7/32" and went with a dedicated snow set. prior to that the snow performance was merely acceptable. traction and stopping are now dramatically improved since I went with Michelin Latitude Alpin

[barcelona]

Originally Posted by Petex3

I know this is an old thread and that there are other threads out there relating to driving in the snow, but I thought I would try and get some feedback from people who have driven in the snow in their X3 M Sport with standard OEM tyres.

I don't wish to start another debate on winter tyres , as I am purely interested in how well the M Sport version holds up on small amounts of snow (UK style) and careful driving (not driving like Lewis Hamilton).
I will certainly be interested in how well it copes in reverse as I am a little sceptical judging by how much it can rev by just going up a slight incline! But I am really keen to know how well the M Sport rear tyres cope, being how wide they are (I am referring to the 19" wheels by the way).

How about a partial answer as I cannot match you. Non-MSport 35i oem 18" a/s in reverse on slight incline of ice no issue however, driving down icy incline was slippery. Down on 8inch snow was no issue. If you want pic's let me know.

[ericthedriver]

True story: I live in update new york where it snows a lot. Had stock all season Goodyear for the first year. No problem and I thought alright I'll go another winter with it.

Come the 2nd winter (spring 2013), which was way more harsh and snowed like hell. One early morning I was driving to the airport in a hurry, passing many cars climbing up on a hill on a unplowed road. No problem. I was paying 120% attention and the car felt quite confident. HOWEVER, when driving down the hill on a seemingly clean road the car lost control and started spinning. I managed to steer it away from the coming traffic but it eventually hit the side road and a speed sign at about 40mph.

Right before the collision I thought sh*t this is gonna hurt, but surprisingly from inside the car it only felt like a big bump, however, immediately after the collision I could tell something is terribly wrong (besides the obvious cosmetic damage). The police had to tell me that my rear axle was broken. Filled out the report. Missed my flight. What a morning!

Lesson learned. I bought Blizzak snow tires for the last winter. Also learned to use high gears on downhills (switch to manual on the 8-speed auto), which really helps reducing speed. Things were better. But honestly speaking, I didn't feel a dramatic difference in the snow. The GY all season was all good until that moment when it lost traction. And that's what makes this whole thing scary. One moment you are completely in control and the next moment could be a disaster. There was no warning. No slippery situations before that morning on that downhill to prompt me to change to the snow tires. Today, the snow tires might have reduced the chances of disaster but honestly I cannot tell when that happened.

Those of you who are claiming that you can FEEL a huge difference on snow tires vs all-season, tbh I don't know what you are talking about. Were you slipping all over the places before and then stopped slipping after you changed your tires? I just know I'll for sure to have snow tires on during winter. I know that'll save my life but I don't feel that much safer when I'm driving in the snow, because again, when I had the all seasons it wasn't slippery, until the moment it lost control.

Sorry for the long post y'all. Just my 2c. Please share your winter driving experience. And please, praising how great x3 is in the snow doesn't really help us. In a way, it's a little dangerous to suggest Bimmers are better in the snow. I love my X3 but I don't believe SUVs are safer than cars in slippery situations. But that's for another topic.

[plymjack]

@ericthedriver

Glad your OK.... re "feeling the difference" - as your story says it would be hard without switching tyres as snow is different every day, even on the same road. It introduces a whole load of variables. All I can say is that driving in the past in such conditions I only felt 80% in control but with snow tyres it feels a lot better. I drove 200 miles in light snow, slushy roads, -5degC on the autobahn and felt 99% in control the whole time.
But Im sure you are correct that you can still lose it whatever tyres you have.

[bradleyland]

Originally Posted by ericthedriver

Those of you who are claiming that you can FEEL a huge difference on snow tires vs all-season, tbh I don't know what you are talking about. Were you slipping all over the places before and then stopped slipping after you changed your tires? I just know I'll for sure to have snow tires on during winter. I know that'll save my life but I don't feel that much safer when I'm driving in the snow, because again, when I had the all seasons it wasn't slippery, until the moment it lost control.

I know it's hard to take a Florida guy's word on snow driving, but my company is based out of Cleveland, and I go up every winter (headed there in December). I mostly drive friends' cars when I'm up there, and there is a marked difference between snow tires and all-seasons. The difference is most notable when braking. I can tell when a car has all-seasons, because ABS engages so frequently when stopping the car. Cleveland is especially bad for ice because they get prolonged cold spells where the night time temps drop in to the teens. Not to mention the roads are garbage, so there are huge patches of ice. I absolutely hate driving any car without snow tires when I'm up there. It's a terrifying experience.

[barcelona]

@Ericthedriver, thanks for sharing again. I had to look again at your Epic NY-LA round trip, really nice pics with panny/Leica camera. Personal evaluation of tires is subjective. How can one go wrong with winters, only extra cost is likely extra wheels, two sets of rubbers , is like two pair of shoes what is the downside. Maybe the winters perform without incident when under the same circumstances an a/s would have reacted differently, sometimes no news is good news.. Winters like a/s tires have some that are better than others, but I read most like Blizzak. I just put on Nokian Hakka's R2, most find them great for snow & ice but weaker in performance and wet braking. But I want the ice/ snow advantage.

http://x3.xbimmers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=932829

[ericthedriver]

Originally Posted by bradleyland

I can tell when a car has all-seasons, because ABS engages so frequently when stopping the car.

Yes this makes sense. I do feel that, albeit more on the volvo than on the x3. Don't know why. Thanks.

[ericthedriver]

Originally Posted by barcelona

@Ericthedriver, thanks for sharing again. I had to look again at your Epic NY-LA round trip, really nice pics with panny/Leica camera. Personal evaluation of tires is subjective. How can one go wrong with winters, only extra cost is likely extra wheels, two sets of rubbers , is like two pair of shoes what is the downside. Maybe the winters perform without incident when under the same circumstances an a/s would have reacted differently, sometimes no news is good news.. Winters like a/s tires have some that are better than others, but I read most like Blizzak. I just put on Nokian Hakka's R2, most find them great for snow & ice but weaker in performance and wet braking. But I want the ice/ snow advantage.

Thanks. After that incident I put on Blizzak in the winter regardless of how it feels. Last Dec I took a road trip to Miami with the Blizzak on. Really struggled about the decision before the trip, knowing that driving winter tires in summer would be bad for the tire. BUT boy was I glad I made that decision - on the way back from Miami upstate new york had crazy snow, the kind that you don't see the road at all.

[Rodion]

No problems here, as you can see: http://x3.xbimmers.com/forums/showpo...99&postcount=7

But it seems you have had more snow there on the other side of the Atlantic

[5against8]

VERY good. I have the Eagle LS2 all-seasons (245/45/19). Have to take it easy at stoplights in the snow with all the low-end torque (with the 35i that is), but I've only gotten it stuck once (in a parking lot after skiing and another foot had fallen) and was able to get it out w/ out shoveling

[BigJake]

Stock Eagle LS...meh.

Forester with worn, all season Yokohama's was more confident in the snow. Hence, I'm looking for different tires.

[Amber]

Originally Posted by rmeir

with the stock tires i was drifting. I was told thats the way the all wheel drives acts, however my wifes highlander doesnt drift with awd. have to see this year how it is, maybe it was me not being used to the car

Get non RF Blizzak tires and you will be OK.

[drodnyc]

the stock eagle LS2 all-season tires on the X3 are ok for very light snow, and pretty descent for spirited driving on dry roads. In NYC/Westchester County recently we got a few inches.. nothing major like in Buffalo, but enough to warrant all-seasons or snow tires. On the highway you can definitely feel the difference from the Conti DWS I had on the 2012 X5. I actually did not have enough confidence in LS2s to go faster than 60mph on the straightaways (45-50 in the turns)

felt funny watching CRVs and other smaller, less performance oriented, suvs blast past me. (and I'm a very aggressive driver who averages 80mph most of the time on any given day..) I love driving and am always in sport mode.

on the DWS tires I had no problems going much faster in similar conditions. I am now looking to swap out stock for 20in wheels w/DWS tires. Just haven't figured out the perfect combo as it relates to tire size, width, etc.

not crazy about the recommended 245/40/20 front, 275/35/20 rear. on the tire configurator, it doesn't make much of a difference in locks from the stock 19 setup. I may have to lower it or go with larger/wider tires to fill the wheel well a bit more. Has anyone gone bigger than recommended for their 20s?