[midwest 340xi 6sp]

Is how I would describe the X3 28i on snow/ice...We just had 14" of heavy wet snow in the Midwest USA and now it's very icy with 5 degree temperatures outside..

So how did the X3 with All Season Pirelli Cinturato's do? It did ok...

Starting? Good to very good, Cornering? MEH - Braking? ok..

My comparison is my previous X6's and X5d with dedicated snow tires...They were beasts in the snow.

Want to go from good enough to great in winter?

Then ditch the All Seasons and get a dedicated winter tire..That said, I'll keep the All Seasons for now on this leased vehicle. My next AWD will have sexy wheels, summer rubber and then a dedicated winter fitment..

Guess I'm just old school

[DDS2015]

Totally agree with you an all points. Vehicles are only as good as the tires that they drive on. My gf's mini was fine in this weather too even with the 18" of snow with a dedicated set of winters.

[midwest 340xi 6sp]

Originally Posted by DDS2015

Totally agree with you an all points. Vehicles are only as good as the tires that they drive on. My gf's mini was fine in this weather too even with the 18" of snow with a dedicated set of winters.

I'm in MN too...Hell of a storm eh!

[Markap]

Yep vehicles are only as good as the tires. My '71 Ford Pinto with chains on the rear could go anywhere regardless of snow and ice. Stopped well too 😀😀

[Bmwlvr60]

Interesting. Waiting for call from dealership as to when our new X3 will be available for pick up. All seasons are coming with it- they don't know which ones though. Should I wish for the Pirellis or Goodyears? This will be my wife's vehicle primarily and she's a nervous snow driver. We had all season Michelins on both a Land Cruiser and MDX and both vehicles were great in snow. Never even considered buying snow tires.

[colson79]

I've lived in Wisconsin for the last 12 years and until I started reading this forum I never even considered winter tires. I have always just run All seasons. I went through last winter on the Goodyear all seasons and I thought the X3 handled pretty good, but that was compared to my previous FWD vehicle with all seasons. After doing a bunch of research I decided to get a set of winter tires for this winter. We got 6 inches of snow a couple of days ago and I was surprised how much better the winter tires performed, especially when braking and cornering. I was in traffic on some hard packed snow and I could see the rear of the car in front of me sliding back in forth when braking. I was having no issues at all. After 12 years of all seasons I am now a firm believer in winter tires.

[DonC]

I started going with two sets of tires on our then new 07 TL-S. The dealer had two sets of OEM type S wheel sets and I bought one for about $200.00 including the sensors and the centers. I bought a set of PA2s and change them out Fall and Spring as the weather changes. I am doing the same with our X3 - may change tires to non RF and to Blizacks for winter.

[xDrive35i]

The Goodyear Eagle LS2s are TERRIBLE on snow and ice. And in the warm and dry, initial turn-in is sluggish and terminal understeer comes in way too early (yes, that limit can arrive on the street). Quiet though. The Pirellis are fine, but not fantastic. For the summer, get Continental ContiSportContact SSR-3s. For winter, get Bridgestone Blizzaks.

[DDS2015]

Originally Posted by Midwest X6

I'm in MN too...Hell of a storm eh!

You're telling me! This is my first real winter in MN and I have to say that I'm pretty disappointed with the snow clearing efforts. Sure the freeways are clear, but nothing else is clear and the entire city is like driving through a mine field!

[midwest 340xi 6sp]

Originally Posted by DDS2015

You're telling me! This is my first real winter in MN and I have to say that I'm pretty disappointed with the snow clearing efforts. Sure the freeways are clear, but nothing else is clear and the entire city is like driving through a mine field!

This is an unusually poor performance by MNDOT....They're usually much, much better...The warmer weather and then quick freeze created the awful washboarding and ice

[nyalpine90]

im sure if u had winter tires on X3, the outcome of this thread would be different. You cant really compare x3 with all season tires vs X5,X6 with winter tires.

[midwest 340xi 6sp]

You are 100% correct. But I do think a lot of drivers are under the mis-conception that All Season Tires are as good as Winter Tires in Snow, Ice or Cold conditions.

All Seasons are probably ok in more temperate climates with little snow and temps in the 30's range.

For those in snowy, colder climates, if you want to go from good to great in winter on the X3, ditch the all seasons

[ErnestHouse]

This BMW film compares the two:

[midwest 340xi 6sp]

Hmmm...Not sure how to react to that video...

Anyone driving in those conditions with summer rubber is bound to suffer the consequences of Darwinism

TireRack used to have some nice visuals comparing start, cornering, stop between All Season and Winter tires...I think that is more enlightening myself

[Rodion]

Originally Posted by Midwest X6

Want to go from good enough to great in winter?

Then ditch the All Seasons and get a dedicated winter tire..

Couldn't agree more.

Usually you don't have same shoes for winter and summer, so think tyres as car's shoes.

[slyfox]

+1