[P1Fanatic]

Living in the South of England we don’t get much snow but when we do it generally causes carnage on the roads. Other than running winter tyres what other tips do people having for getting around in the X3 when snow is down on the roads and tyres start to slip?

I ask this after last summer getting my X3 stranded in mud and had to put flattened cardboard under the wheels and get pushed out. I tried turning off traction control and seemed to make no difference – power was going to one axle only (as could see wheels spinning). Low profile & wide run flat tyres (I have the staggered 245/40/19’s and 275/45/19’s) do not help but for the 1 or 2 days it snows here every 5 years or so I can’t justify a spare set of wheels & tyres. Running the OEM Pirelli P Zeros.

Any tips people can share would be appreciated. Are snow tyre socks any use?

Thanks
Simon

[nyalpine90]

tread depth is big factor on traction on snow or mud or any condition.
too much gas sometimes sinks car in.
maybe u need all terrain tire but they might be noisy on pavement

[pokerface]

Sorry, did you say P Zero summer tyres? There is no way those tires would be useful when it's near freezing nor on snow and ice. Stay off the roads when it's anything but dry, otherwise I would compromise with all season tyres instead.

[nyalpine90]

Originally Posted by pokerface

Sorry, did you say P Zero summer tyres? There is no way those tires would be useful when it's near freezing nor on snow and ice. Stay off the roads when it's anything but dry, otherwise I would compromise with all season tyres instead.

You are right, OP has performance/summer tires since its a stagger setup.

[plymjack]

We Brits are not good with snow generally ... no much need to be .... we have Winter tyres and on the few days we have had snow have had no issues and lots of fun driving when no one else is around - so I would guess it is as the others have already highlighted your tyre configuration is not going to help you much in snow.

[atrueb]

You really shouldn't use summer tires under 7°c, because the rubber compound hardens up an you lose traction. In some countries you even have insurance issues if you have an accident when running summer tires in the winter. Furthermore summertire tread is pretty much useless in snow.
Eventhough snowy days are very limited, there are no real reasons NOT to buy a set of winter tires. I have a set of staggered 19" tires for the winter (without wheels) and it really is worth it: Great performance in winter, no getting stuck in snow (which would be completely embaressing with a 4wd and SUV), and worry-free driving.
In terms of costs.... If you have summer and winter tires, you only have the tirechanging costs, which are neglectable. Furthermore , the inititial investment for the winter tire purchase is offset, through the reduced mileage on your summer tires. E.g. I change my winter tires and summer tires every three years because of mileage/wear. If I were to run 1 set of tires 360 days per year, I would need a new set of tires every 1.5 years.

[PX3]

The only time I've ever had an issue with snow is when I owned an 3 Series Coupe (E46) and struggled to get up a bend on a hill, otherwise as Essex (UK) is pretty flat ground, I've not had an issue.
I understand what some of you are saying, but for the kind of snow we get here in the South of the UK, I wouldn't expect to have to change tyres from Summer ones. I've driven many cars in the snow, all summer tyres and apart from the one instance mentioned above, I've never had an issue.

I owned a Ford Kuga (4WD) and that only had summer tyres and handled the snow exceptionally. My last BMW 3 Series Saloon had run flat summer tyres and that too was fine in the snow, so it's not all down to the tyre type that are you using, it's also how you drive.

Obviously if you are driving around with a couple of MM of tyre tread, then yes, I would expect you to suffer, but I wouldn't say don't drive in snow just because you have summer tyres on!

[gullyg]

The irony being here in the UK insurance companies can be awkward about winter tyres - some charge extra for them.

The problem here is that you can easily see a grip REDUCTION in the uk over the winter with winter tyres as often it's below 7c in the morning/evening but over it during the day. On the other hand as others have said 4x4 doesn't help you stop!

I used to run a Skoda Octavia vRS on winters and am currently running my X3 on them and I have noticed a significant drop in grip on cornering with winters about about 8-10c (Octavia was same wheel different tyres, x3 are 18" square setup rather than 19" staggered).

If you're in the Newcastle area I'd recommend the OP speak to Lloyds BMW as they did me a fantastic deal on nearly new alloys and winter tyres for £995 fitted including active pressure sensors rather than £2200 new. I drove down from Edinburgh in the morning and they fitted there and then (luckily my work has offices all over the uk so worked out of Newcastle and then drove home).

Only had a little snow so far but I just drove the car a bit more carefully and the car didn't even seem to notice it.

I've got somewhere to store my extra wheels but I spoke to my local dealer and they quoted £200/year for storing and swapping wheels through the BMW wheel hotel program which considering its BMW didn't seem too bad.

[P1Fanatic]

I am down South near Reading but forecasts of snow later this week got me thinking and wanting to prepare just in case. It’s fairly flat but its only when you get snow that you realise roads are actually steeper than you thought. About 5 years ago we had heavy snowfall whilst I was at work and my Honda Type R at the time struggled to get up a hill on my route home and I had to get a push. Different car but I was surprised how easily my X3 got stuck in mud last year (admittedly I was parked in a field for a clay shoot and the heavens opened for the entire afternoon).

I changed the front tyres about 2 months ago and the rears have plenty of tread on them. Winter tyres just aren’t practical for the reasons mentioned above. I guess what I was asking was with the setup I have, if I do end up with traction issues / getting bogged down what can I do to help myself. Usual suggestions include:

1) Turn off traction control – as I mentioned this didn’t help when stuck in mud
2) Try pulling off in a lower gear for smoother power/torque – not sure if this helps so much with an auto gearbox. Using manual mode I can select 2nd and pull away. If I change into 3rd when stationary it drops back to 2nd
3) Try lowering tyre pressure for more grip – would seem pointless with runflats as they remain rigid with no air in them
4) Use some kind of snow sock – this assumes you can move the car enough to roll the tyres back over the socks

Gullyg – the dealer I bought my X3 from (Rybrook in Warwick) emailed me saying £36 to store summer tyres & wheels until you next need them. Of course that’s only if you buy your winter tyres & wheels from them.

[gullyg]

I know the company I work for issues snow socks for the vans and swears by them.

I looked and couldn't find any for the 19" staggered setup though.

£36 - a bargain, unfortunately I'm a bit too far away

[pokerface]

Traction control off and constant throttle to allow the xdrive to shuttle power to the axle that has grip. You can turn the steering wheel left/right to try to scavenge traction if needed.

Good luck!

Unfortunately in low grip situation I feel my lowered A4 Quattro with torsen is better at this than my taller X3 with the same type of tires.

Also note even different models of summer performance tire will have different behavior in snow.