They are rear wheel drive if you fit winter tyres then they handle better than most 4x4 in Germany where I live my BMW has winter tyres fitted (compulsory)and it goes anywhere on the road and we have much more snow than the UK.If any car is fitted with low profile go faster tyres then it will slide in snow.
+1
Many BMWs in the UK are fitted with bling wheels and tyres.
Which maximise resistance to snow in winter... So no go.
|
|
|
|
Its fair to say that while front wheels drive cars are easier to drive in the snow there is nothing wrong with a correctly driven rear wheel drive car. In my younger days they are all I had and never had a problem in winters far more severe than we get today. Anglia's, Escorts, Viva's, Avengers, even a Spitfire, never got stuck even in dire conditions. But back then tyres were narrower and cars far less powerful making them easier to drive in poor conditions.
We have winter tyres on our 1 series BMW and its far better than it is on summer tyres. We have about 8" here on the street and I will going out in it later.
Having said all that if the Mrs front wheel drive car on winter tyres was on the drive I would use that without a moments hesitation.
|
and cars far less powerful making them easier to drive in poor conditions.
Why does this idea that a 300hp car is somehow more difficult to drive in snow than a 100hp car persist?
For the 99.9% of the time that you are not using full power, the amount of available horsepower is irrelevant. The weight distribution on the driven axles, the size of tyre, the tread pattern and compound are all that matter when it comes to available grip. Driver (in)competence determines how well that grip is utilised.
FWD cars have the advantage in that generally about 60% of the weight is on the drive axle, whereas in a RWD car you'll be lucky to get 50%.
|
|
|
|
|
Thanks for your reply Collos25,
Very interesting. Do you keep a set of winter tyres (complete wheels presumably) in the garage? Do people swop them themselves, or do garages generally do it?
Also, would you be prepared to put a total cost on the these winter additions?
kind regards,
boydell.
|
Thanks for your reply Collos25,
Very interesting. Do you keep a set of winter tyres (complete wheels presumably) in the garage? Do people swop them themselves, or do garages generally do it?
Also, would you be prepared to put a total cost on the these winter additions?
kind regards,
boydell.
Well I have a spare set of wheels form e-bay for our winter tyres, cost £120 but bought them in August when no one wants them. Sold my last set for £177 in November when they are in demand.
Winter tyres are far cheaper than summer tyres thus over several years there is a cost saving and when you sell the car simply re-sell on e-bay if they don't fit thenew one (in November).
The initial cost for wheels and tyres was about £450, summer tyres are £640 a set.
Change them myself, takes 1/2 an hour.
|
|
|
|
Yes we keep a separate set in the garage or if you have no room nearly all tyre handlers will keep them for you at a very nominal fee and change them at the appropriate time.Good winter tyres are just as expensive as good summer tyres experience has shown me that cheap winter tyres are false economy.
Edited by Collos25 on 21/01/2013 at 12:14
|
Good winter tyres are just as expensive as good summer tyres experience has shown me that cheap winter tyres are false economy.
Our winter tyres were not cheap and nasty ones, they have the 3 peak mountain and snowflake symbol and have received very good reviews on websites in Europe and Canada. They were about £85 each. To replace the OEM Goodyears on the car is £160 each but they are run flats.
There are lots of cheap and nasty Chinese ditchfinders on the market but I always but well known brands. As you say cheap can be false economy.
|
|
2Our winter tyres were not cheap and nasty ones, they have the 3 peak mountain and snowflake symbol and have received very good reviews on websites in Europe and Canada."
Could not be classed as winter tyres without this symbol.
|
Could not be classed as winter tyres without this symbol.
There are large number of "winter tyres" sold that don't have this symbol on. Its only mandatory in certain countries but is a good indication of their competence since they have passed certain tests.
BUT BEWARE there are cheapo Chinese tyres out there with the symbol on but its reversed and meaningless. It fools many buyers though.
|
|
|
|
|
Won't let me edit my post above, says there is an issue and its being investigated.
Just checked the Camskill site, most expensive winter tyres in my size are Michelin and Vredestein, £114, cheapest are Hankook at £62. Would not call Hankook cheap and nasty tyres, had them before, and the on line test results are very good. Considering that they have the 3 peak mountain and snowflake symbol if I were buying today they would be at the top of my list.
The only BMW approved summer run flats they have in my size are Continental which at £120 a tyre are way cheaper than I was quoted for the BMW approved Goodyears.
|
|
My doctor told me that during the 1980s the doctors on-call in Buxton ran Fiat Panda four wheel drive cars with skinny tyres and they rarely got stuck.
|
|
Fiat Panda 4x4 very rarely get stuck anywhere one of the best all terrain vehicles ever built.
|
Well they don't 'handle' bad as that's the wrong term. However they are definately worse in winter/snow conditions if not fitted with winter tyres.
Everyone on here seems to be a 'super' driver and perfect, as no one admits that their BMW is a dog in these conditions. Not everyone is 'unable' and a useless driver that cannot get a BMW to move !
The car park where I work is littered with BMWs that cannot move and some of the drivers have had Artic/desert/off road training inc such diverse things as heavy vehicle skid pan training !
As someone said above its is simply rear wheel drive and a lack of sufficient weight over the driven wheels which is the main problem of traction.
Anyway BMW have finally relented and are selling Xdrive saloon cars now, so that should sort it out and we should shortly have the best winter BMW drivers in the world on soon who could drive through a 10ft drift and never get stuck ;)
|
|
My BMW and my sons are perfect in snow there are millions of BMWs here in Germany that are perfect as well.BMW have produced 4x4 cars as long as I can remember I had a 2002 318i rental that was 4x4.4x4 BMWs are not new but the name X drive is.People in the UK do not want to spoil the looks of their car by fitting winter tyres .
|
|
|
|
If the TV clips are representative then there's a big question mark over the ability of BMW drivers in winter conditions - not the car.
But generally drivers in the UK are poor in winter conditions so it just depends which cars make the best TV.
|
|
|
Everyone on here seems to be a 'super' driver and perfect, as no one admits that their BMW is a dog in these conditions. Not everyone is 'unable' and a useless driver that cannot get a BMW to move ! The car park where I work is littered with BMWs that cannot move and some of the drivers have had Artic/desert/off road training inc such diverse things as heavy vehicle skid pan training !
Well as expected my 118D on cold weather tyres drove out of our street with gradients and a 90 degree bend with no wheel spin and only a couple of flashes of the traction light. And I am not a driving god, just an ordinary bloke who does not plant the throttle like some numties on the street do.
But we only have about 8" of snow thus its not much of a test.
It is very strange how on the continent where winter tyres are mandatory in certain areas that you don't hear about Mercs and BMW's littering the road sides. Expect its because they perform perfectly OK in winter conditions.
Don't blame the car, its more than often the idiot behind the wheel. Just because drivers have had training does not mean they listened or do what they were showed.
|
It is very strange how on the continent where winter tyres are mandatory in certain areas that you don't hear about Mercs and BMW's littering the road sides
In fairness, winter temperatures are colder in continental europe. It is much easier to drive in snow when the temperature is -10C than -2C. This is because the snow doesn't melt when you drive over it. It is the film of water on the melted snow that causes the almost zero grip problem.
|
It is very strange how on the continent where winter tyres are mandatory in certain areas that you don't hear about Mercs and BMW's littering the road sides
In fairness, winter temperatures are colder in continental europe. It is much easier to drive in snow when the temperature is -10C than -2C. This is because the snow doesn't melt when you drive over it. It is the film of water on the melted snow that causes the almost zero grip problem.
Now I understand, BMW's and Mercs are designed to work only on German snow. English snow is not of the correct type.
Did you work for British Rail, wrong type of snow, wrong type of leaves.
|
|
I have just spent a week in Austria at New Year and most of the cars were German reg BMWs - no problems at all. They just drive down from Bayern for a bit of skiing! Winter tyres all round. It hovered between -3°C and 0°C.
|
|
Please look at driving condidions in mainland europe, today in Dresden area its snowing really heavily its -2 grad yesterday it was -8 no snow, temps vary from 4 to -20 across the country.The same conditions as the UK at the moment ,but the German people are more used to driving in snow plus you have winter tyres but that does not stop some horrific accidents most are at temps below -12 on roads that are poorly treated for ice .Unlike the autobahns which have a permenant presence of snow and ice treatment vehicles.
Edited by Collos25 on 21/01/2013 at 17:19
|
It is very strange how on the continent where winter tyres are mandatory in certain areas that you don't hear about Mercs and BMW's littering the road sides. Expect its because they perform perfectly OK in winter conditions.
Nope, I live in Austria and I can confirm that Mercs & BMWs seem to cope as well as any other car here, they certainly don't litter the roadsides - the only cars I've seen that have come off the road are FWD VWs. The use of winter tyres is mandatory, and most Mercs & BMWs run skinnier tyres in the winter to aid grip, as I do on my (FWD) Saab 9-5 Aero automatic. As has been said, despite the 265hp/420Nm available to me, I drive with discretion and have no issues.
|
Thunderbird, those 'idiots' that you class as "not listening to what they have been showed" I think you will find that since they are being shot at and suffer IED's regularly most definately 'DO' listen oo their training, muppet.
Ok we get the story you 'driving gods' in Germany on your winter tyre BMW's that could drive to Stalingrad !
However, WE (most on here) are not in Germany and the presumption that everyone that cannot drive a BMW in these conditions on summer tyres just 'plants' the pedal to the carpet is laughable.
The one or two here that feels the need to basically say their rear wheel drive car is 'fantastic' are not really being truthful, in the UK in these conditions a FWD car is easier without doubt.
|
Thunderbird, those 'idiots' that you class as "not listening to what they have been showed" I think you will find that since they are being shot at and suffer IED's regularly most definately 'DO' listen oo their training, muppet.
Ok we get the story you 'driving gods' in Germany on your winter tyre BMW's that could drive to Stalingrad !
However, WE (most on here) are not in Germany and the presumption that everyone that cannot drive a BMW in these conditions on summer tyres just 'plants' the pedal to the carpet is laughable.
The one or two here that feels the need to basically say their rear wheel drive car is 'fantastic' are not really being truthful, in the UK in these conditions a FWD car is easier without doubt.
First thing, thanks for calling me a "muppet", if thats the best you can do you have lost the argument.
Second thing, I am not in Germany, I am in the UK.
Third thing, I never said my BMW was better than a FWD car in the snow, I have only said that on cold weather tyres I do not have any problems in the snow.
But I would say to anyone that should both mine and the wifes cars be available (FWD but with the exact same cold weather tyres as my BMW) and the roads be snowed up I would take her car.
|
|
|
|
|
Good winter tyres are just as expensive as good summer tyres experience has shown me that cheap winter tyres are false economy.
Well I've spent a week driving the other half's Citroen with "cheap and nasty" Nankang N607 all season tyres and I certainly don't feel short changed. I've driven through deep snow, icy roads with stranded cars spinning their wheels uselessly and on the deserted snowy third lane of the M1 at 55mph whilst the vast majority of other motorists crawled along nose to tail on the inside lane at 30mph, up and down steep icey hills - not a single problem in over 1,000 miles so far. Winter tyres are a waste of time in the UK. Put on some all season tyres (even "cheap and nasty" ones) and forget about all this wheel-changing nonsense. These tyres have been on the car for over a year now, ride quality is vastly better than the old Michelin Primacys, I would recommend them to anybody and before someone starts slagging off budget tyres, all budget tyres are vastly better than the premium tyres of 20 years ago - we didn't all die in a ball of flames back then - just don't drive like a ****.
|
|
|
|
|
|
