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[shodanusmc]

Was forced to drive my wife's 135 today in the snow and ice. Naturally it is never driven if it is below 40 or snowing. Well, lets just say not a fun ride. Fortunately I only has 3 miles to drive, and the TC did a decent job, as it was pretty much always on from a stop, but once I made it to my driveway, with a slight incline, I went no where. After several attempts of backing up and going forward only to come to a complete stop, I disabled the TC, and was able to spin into the garage. Definetely Snow tires if it is to be driven in winter conditions. It will not rest in the garage until the sun is out and the raods are dry.

[shawshank772]

You are either brave or dumb! And seeing the USMC in then screen name Im going with dumb!! Just kidding I was a SSgt. in the Marines.

[TONYH215]

yep, I could barely move my 135i out of my parking space to try to clear out the snow. I drove the Audi. The 135i is staying clean though!

[BroDoze]

Yes, I have had the privelage of having to try to drive my car home from work in the snow. I plan to never ever do that again on the RFTs.

[shodanusmc]

Originally Posted by shawshank772

You are either brave or dumb! And seeing the USMC in then screen name Im going with dumb!! Just kidding I was a SSgt. in the Marines.

Staff, I had little choice. She somehow got a few deep scratches on the rear quarter panel, and I had it in the shop. They did a perfect job, but one of us had to drive it home. She refused. That left me. I learned to drive years ago with RWD, and never had a real problem, but this was by far the worst. It is all the tires, as the TC did it's job, but that driveway incline killed it. My MB is RWD, and is decent. But nothing beats AWD.

Semper Fi

[m_thompson]

Originally Posted by shodanusmc

once I made it to my driveway, with a slight incline, I went no where. After several attempts of backing up and going forward only to come to a complete stop

Sounds like my 325iS with Michelin Pilots. It was a challenge in the winter.

[RPM90]

Originally Posted by shodanusmc

Staff, I had little choice. She somehow got a few deep scratches on the rear quarter panel, and I had it in the shop. They did a perfect job, but one of us had to drive it home. She refused. That left me. I learned to drive years ago with RWD, and never had a real problem, but this was by far the worst. It is all the tires, as the TC did it's job, but that driveway incline killed it. My MB is RWD, and is decent. But nothing beats AWD.

Semper Fi

Tires, so true so true.

I removed the RFT's and put on a set of Conti DWS all seasons over a month ago. I wanted a better overall ride, especially on those bumps, and i wanted to be able to drive my 135i in the winter.
The all seasons have delivered. I did the same on my E46 325i and it worked just fine for the 3 winters I drove it.
My '06 A4 with all seasons was a straight up blast to drive in the snow, I actually looked forward to driving it when it snowed.
But, my 135i with all seasons does just fine, and with traction control moves through just fine and doesn't feel unsafe.

As you know, we got some snow these past couple of days. Being out here in NW Indiana, I drove on some roads that were not perfectly clear of snow and the DWS did just fine. Of course there was slippage moving away from a stop, but even FWD and AWD will do that. ABS SUCKS in the snow!
So, I tend to modulate my braking and brake early so as not to activate ABS.

In general:
RWD with good all season tires is very safe and confident on snowy days.
Just like in any car, take it slow and cautious, anticipate and execute actions much sooner than when on dry roads, and very importantly stay relaxed.
Being tense when driving on snow, ice, or any slippery conditions can cause unwanted motions as you might jerk the wheel or stab the brakes too hard, or hit the accelerator too much.

[ptack]

All season tires on a rwd BMW will only sort-of work in the snow when they are new. Once the tread wears about halfway down you're asking for trouble. If you live someplace where you know you'll get snow and still have to drive the 1, you need snow tires.

[KingOfJericho]

Nothing replaces a dedicated winter tire.

[smithtravel]

Blizzaks on, let it snow. Did Euro delivery last Christmas and rented winter tires while there. Traveled through Bavaria, to Salzburg, and over the Alps in real winter conditions. That convinced me that a dedicated set of winter tires and wheels was worth the investment. Put mine on just before Thanksgiving this year and have had no trouble so far. Dry road performance seems as good as the OEMs and the East Coast blizzard didn't slow me down by much. Side benfefit: the Blizzak 25s RFT make a much smoother ride than the OEM all season RFTs. For those that wonder -- Tire Rack, $1300, 4 wheels and tires. The only negative was neither my local guy or Tire Rack could get the new Blizzak 60s in the size I wanted -- 205/50R17.

[bubb2521]

Originally Posted by shawshank772

You are either brave or dumb! And seeing the USMC in then screen name Im going with dumb!! Just kidding I was a SSgt. in the Marines.

WHOA WHOA There SSGT! HA HA HA HA.... But yeah, not the smartest thing in the world lol

Semper Fi Marines! and Merry Christmas!

[moveswiftly]

blizzaks were amazing in the snow, in my area if the roads aren't plowed good luck getting around in summers. All seasons work but after using dedicated snow tires I'll never go back. My last car was all wheel drive, but after making the switch to RWD with snow tires I think i can live without it. The only problem with the 1er is the height, the only times i've gotten close to getting stuck was when the snow was touching the under body because its so low. Other than that on the highways i was cruising past Front wheel drive cars and SUVS with no problem!

[peppebmw]

Originally Posted by chesterfan1230

blizzaks were amazing in the snow, in my area if the roads aren't plowed good luck getting around in summers. All seasons work but after using dedicated snow tires I'll never go back. My last car was all wheel drive, but after making the switch to RWD with snow tires I think i can live without it. The only problem with the 1er is the height, the only times i've gotten close to getting stuck was when the snow was touching the under body because its so low. Other than that on the highways i was cruising past Front wheel drive cars and SUVS with no problem!

After 3 AWD cars (and crashing my '04 VW AWD R32 cuz I was a dumbass trying to get home in a snow storm with summer tires on) I too feel okay living with RWD and winter tires.

[spellbmw]

Originally Posted by smithtravel

Blizzaks on, let it snow. Did Euro delivery last Christmas and rented winter tires while there. Traveled through Bavaria, to Salzburg, and over the Alps in real winter conditions. That convinced me that a dedicated set of winter tires and wheels was worth the investment.

I did Euro delivery in October this year and the temps dropped below freezing, so I rented winter tires from Ed Winters in Ismading. They performed great even on an icy day when I drove from Salzburg over to Berchtesgaden; also were great in heavy rain below 45F. Here in Portland, OR we rarely get snow and if we do, it's usually a brief thing...so the old faithful '96 Passat with all-seasons will do road duty those days. though next year I might just bite the bullet and get a set of winter tires and wheels so I can head into the snow!

[Michael A]

Guilty as charged .... I had no choice but to drive on my pretty worn out run flats (18k miles on original tires) this past week. Any type of incline or accumulation of snow and the car would not move unless I had momentum. Truthfully it was no worse than some of my prior rwd vehicles with dedicated summer tires.

[Feyd]

we've had a bit of snow here in Chicago so far.... I did drive to northern Michigan last weekend where they had gotten quite a bit. I must say my Blizzak LM60s are crazy good in the snow and do take a bit of the fun out of winter driving. If you push it of course you'll break it loose, but it was actually kind of difficult to get it to slide when I was messing around in a parking lot.

[BlackjackMulligan]

I one time saw a video of a Range Rover Sport with summer 20s on it trying to get up a mildly inclined driveway- no way. Goes to show you how much difference a tire makes, even on an AWD beast made for those conditions.

[SpeedballTrix]

Actually, I drove my135i with the summer runflats in several inches of falling snow 15 miles home from work in heavy traffic succesfully.
Yes, it was nerve-racking as all hell.
But, assuming you know what you're doing behind the wheel and on the pedal it's possible if you have to.

I have since had a set of Pirelli Sottozero 240 winter RFTs installed =P
Im eagerly anticipating another snow fall

[Michael A]

Looks like I will be driving home in a few hours in a few inches of snow with my nearly worn out runflats ... this is not going to be fun

[peppebmw]

Originally Posted by Michael A

Looks like I will be driving home in a few hours in a few inches of snow with my nearly worn out runflats ... this is not going to be fun

Don't do it! I once crashed my brand new '04 VW R32 trying to get home from the gym in a snow storm. I could not stop and BAM!! $13K later! Ouch! Sad part is I knew better but figured how bad can they be. Seek alternative method. I vowed if it ever happened again that I would leave the car wherever I was.

[Lester]

Originally Posted by Michael A

Looks like I will be driving home in a few hours in a few inches of snow with my nearly worn out runflats ... this is not going to be fun

What kind of flowers do you like?

[Michael A]

I made it home fine ... truthfully it is not horrible. Any type of slight incline is a problem without a little momentum. You just have to really plan a few hundred feet ahead and be smart with the cars limitations.
I think a decent set of all season tires will be more than adequate.