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[tristantumble]

This is the first winter with my 1er, and even tough having winter tires (dunlop ds 2) have been great for city driving, whenever I park with some snow gatherd up, i still spin my wheel and come close to getting stuck.

Is this a rear wheel drive thing? I see front wheel drives pulling in and out of the same spots with ease. Or are the tires crap? Any winter tips would be appreciated.

Thanks,
TT

[Dackelone]

Originally Posted by tristantumble

Is this a rear wheel drive thing?

Thanks,
TT

I think its your tire choice. Dunlap M3's are better I think. Yes, it is also RWD vs FWD.

You could try adjusting your tire pressure. Normally I run about 2.3 bar all around in my winter tires. But two weeks ago when we had alot of deep snow on the ground... I noticed I would spin the rear tires more often. I went down to 2.0 bar and I could feel better traction in the deep stuff.

You could also put a bag or two of sand in the trunk for more traction back there.


Dackel

[Guildenstern]

It could also just be he's a lead foot.

[Dackelone]

Originally Posted by Guildenstern

It could also just be he's a lead foot.

[tristantumble]

Originally Posted by Guildenstern

It could also just be he's a lead foot.

In reverse? Not so much, but I should add the car is manual transmission.

[ErvGotti]

I cant see how you're getting stuck with snow tires. I have continental DWS all seasons on and more hp and my car did fine in 6-8 inches of snow and didn't come close to getting stuck in my work parking lot that was not plowed. I also have a manual. I think you might have a lead foot as Guildenstern suggested.

[MikeinAlexandria]

What is your traction control set for? BMW recommends turning off DSC. You might try turning it off completely as well. Also, sometimes, it helps to start in second gear, and be gentle with the clutch.

[1SerieStud]

Too much torque

[Lester]

Try using second gear, and a very light foot on the throttle, anything to stop the wheel from spinning. Use a rocking motion by getting the car just starting to go, then ease off as it rocks back, give it a little more, let it rock back and forth, like that a few times and you will clear a path out of the build up.

[JimD]

We rarely get snow in SC but when we do, the general approach is to wait for it to melt. Last Monday we had several inches so the roads were a little slick. I took my SUV which has all season tires, is rear wheel drive, and is also a manual. I noticed that unless I was very gentle on the throttle and clutch engagement, I would spin a little and engage the stability control.

It sounds like you are having a similar experience. You are not stuck, but you spind a bit. It seems like our choices are to be very gentle on the throttle/clutch or let the traction/stability control do it's job.

I agree with the air pressure and extra weight suggestions, I've done that in the past. A bag of sand has the other benefit of working if you hit a real bad icy spot - but it makes a mess unless you put it in a different container than the bag it came in.

Jim

[KingOfJericho]

I have the Dunlop Wintersport 3D with more hp and get around without issue. Sure, they break loose if you're too liberal with the gas but any decent driver should be able to modulate the throttle effectively enough to mitigate this.

[IS+1]

Try Blizzak WS-60s... I've used Blizzaks for the past 7 winters on RWD cars, and have not gotten stuck yet on public streets. Using 2nd gear, and disabling traction control helps too. And we get a lot more snow up here than you guys down in TO

[KingOfJericho]

We all have snow tires and get around fine... this is a driver input issue.

[shemeld_135]

I have Dunlop Wintersport 3D and I have noooo issues getting around in the snow

[fwmcb]

One thing that I find helps in snowy driving is hitting dtc, but the best thing to avoid spinning or going sideways is to ease up on the gas!

[TJ bmw135i]

no issue in Michigan so far with Blizzak LM-60. I also added 120lbs of sand bags behind the front seats and keep the tank full. Mine is a daily driver and we have had many days of 3"+ of snow. Turn of DTC, feather clutch and keep rpms below 2k as much as possible.

[135ARG]

Originally Posted by 1SerieStud

Too much torque

+1

[scott135i]

Could be:

Excess torque
Choice of Tires
Lack of LSD

[135ARG]

this came to mind...

[Kcyrusm]

Technically, you are turning ON DTC (dynamic traction control) when you hit the button, not off.

[KingOfJericho]

DTC is activated when the car is turned on. Any button pushing after that point would be to deactivate the system.

[Kcyrusm]

False.

"Dynamic Traction Control (DTC) is a sub-function of the Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) system that can be turned on and off. DTC has two major uses: to regulate traction and to enable sports-style driving while providing active stability control."

"If the front wheels are stuck in snow and cannot spin properly, this leads to slip on the rear wheels (when they spin faster than the front wheels, generally a sign that performance has been exceeded) and DSC acts to change engine output: the power needed for forward movement is reduced. Switching to DTC has a positive effect on this situation, as traction is improved without a loss of power."

When you hit the DTC button, you are turning ON dtc, which is dynamic traction control, which allows sports-style driving (more wheel spin, while still keeping stability control active).