[ehomedi]

Hello. We just had maybe 20" of snow in Chicago and I plowed my driveway and then the blizzard whipped maybe 8" back onto my driveway. I attempted to leave my driveway and it took me 3 hours to get the car out even with 3 adults there to help. There was no snow really around the car even or at the bumpers. The wheels just kinda spun or didn't move. I'm wondering if anything may be wrong with my car or if anyone else is having issues with their X3 in snow. Thanks!

[nyalpine90]

what wheels/tires do u have?

[mge92]

turn the traction control off and get winter tires

[kjoseph270]

+1 "All Seasons" well, really aren't. You really need winter tires for the extreme stuff. Traction control can get all sorts of confused in very slippery conditions.

[Gearhead999s]

Get snow tires!All seasons are a joke in cold snowy conditions.Our X3 is great in the snow especially at -16 with 20cm of white stuff.

[Mingstar88]

wow, really surprised...get proper tires. crazy snow here in Toronto and with snow tires equipped, there's so much traction and it was a piece of cake.

[kjoseph270]

Gearhead - awesome pic!!

[bagekko]

Would be shocked if stock all seasons on a 2015 cant handle that. Do any configs of X3s come with summer tires, what is described sounds like what I'd expect on summer tires.

With the snow tires on my X3 I can easily barrel through 18" from a standing start, I know cause I have done it...

[nyalpine90]

I bet he has stagger 19s that come with summer tires..( msport)

i have 19s all season i been able to drive over unplow snow..at least 8 to 12 inches

[kwcbimmer]

I am not against snow tires. but our X3 with original tires performed much better than our FWD equinox with 4 new blizzak. we had about 16' snow last night. I guess something must be wrong with ehomedi's car?

[Tjalle]

All season is a dirty word. It`s bad enough that we are forced in Sweden to use RFT:s on our BMW:s - all seasons would have been a show stopper.

[Gearhead999s]

Originally Posted by kwcbimmer

I am not against snow tires. but our X3 with original tires performed much better than our FWD equinox with 4 new blizzak. we had about 16' snow last night. I guess something must be wrong with ehomedi's car?

In low grip condition you usually need to disable the traction control to get the vehicle moving.

[joyceb401]

I'm also in Chicago. My X3 has been outstanding following last weekend's storm. We have 3-foot drifts in front of our garage and the X3 gets through it with no fuss...but I'm using a winter wheel (narrower) and tire (blizzaks..they're ok but way better than the all season rfts). Will get hakkas next year.

[kjoseph270]

The all-seasons on our Mazda CX-9 have handled the snow no problem...but the traction control didn't do very well with them at times if the snow was hard-packed and/or icy, so that could be the issue. Can't wait to get the chance to try it out with the X3!

[Want the thrill]

Just got 20" here in Michigan yesterday and they didn't plow our roads. The X3 had no problem going through it. I have non-run flats (Continental Extreme DWS).

[02420X3]

I upgraded my winter tires from Pirelli Sottozeros to a set of Hakka R2s. The only time that I have had any difficulty with the Hakkas has been where the snow is so deep that I'm plowing it.

[barcelona]

I agree, doesn't sound right. Perhaps, driving too slowly into the 8" build up then being stuck.
Car should handle with ease.

[Jordster]

Not sure if this applies here ...

But I've seen 3 grown men spend 20 minutes helping a woman in an SUV get out of her driveway. She kept spinning her wheels and they kept pushing.

In 20+ minutes, not one person thought to grab the shovel that was standing against a wall 15 feet away!

[pgviper]

Originally Posted by nyalpine90

I bet he has stagger 19s that come with summer tires..( msport)

i have 19s all season i been able to drive over unplow snow..at least 8 to 12 inches

Completely agree right here.

I have the 19" wheels that come with all season tires and I haven't had ANY problems in the snow or ice. I got stuck in an ice storm in vermont and had to scale up and down several hills near the ski slope we were at and I didn't have any problems. Snow.... HAHAHA, a joke. Never have I been worried about being stuck.

Then again, proper snow tires would make it that much better but I think clearance would be an issue first before getting to that point regarding snow. Ice, well proper winter tires will always be better in ice.


OP: what tires do you have on? If you EVER have traction issues, first thing to research are the tires you are using.

[nyalpine90]

when ordering my x3 i remember sales guy asking me if i want performance tires which i believe was stagger setup rear wheels are wider. I said i want all season, which most likely is square setup. I may be wrong.

The OP has new x3 so it can be that he needs new tires.

[kjoseph270]

Yeah, the 19s come in standard (all season) or staggered (performance). The 20s only come in performance (staggered) I believe.

[MattBianco]

Fairly descent article about snow driving linked in this tread: http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=821877

Note, that at least on the X5, you have to do the opposite of what the article linked in the thread says. The manual says to turn off DSC (dynamic stability control), which causes DTC (dynamic traction control) to be engaged. With DTC, you don't slip!