X5 in the snow: what's the consensus?

[shadrack]

mines been excellent on 22s only problem i had is the rear tyres were brand new with a chunky tread pattern where the fronts arnt new 5mm and have a very flat road pattern so a little tendancy to under steer, but over all excellent and i wouldnt bother with winter wheels for whats at best 1 week a year

[MJim]

It all depends on the conditions being driven in.  I'm sure that for most of the British winters it's possible to get by with regular tyres / wheels.  But for severe ice / compacted snow, regular wheels will be downright dangerous - it's why you won't be allowed to travel up the mountains in the Alps and risk being turned back / told to fit chains.  The rubber in winter tyres is also designed to be optimal at colder temperatures (<7C) so stopping distances / cornering will be better than regular wheels in such (even dry) conditions.

I agree that fitting Winters is a lot of hassle and can be expensive (although I bought mine half price 2nd hand, pretty much mint), and tbh I'm not sure if I would have bothered if just for the UK.  However for me the added flexibility being able to drive safely to visit family in Switzerland in the winter and take all the clobber (young kids) plus the added safety in the UK in winter swung it for me.

I believe the clip below has already been posted elsewhere on this forum, but it shows the dangers (in extremis) of losing control on severely icy roads:

[WARNING: shows a brutal crash from which it seems inconceivable there were any survivors].

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVcNtGmGZ_A

[CondorX5]

Amazing how often this topic seems to repeat itself on car forums and motoring subforums all over the net......basically ending up with 2 groups of people - those who think they and their car on its 20" or bigger summer rubber bands are a stonkingly fantastic driver combination and only fools and lesser mortals need the sneered at winters that they seem to despise,  because their driving on the summer tyres is PERFECT

.........and the group that, having driven extensively with them in dreadful weather including snow, slush, ice, freezing rain etc,  would not go without them in these conditions.

I for one cannot see a good reason to mess about with my safety or that of road users near me.  Winter tyres definitely improve the safety and grip on freezing roads compared with the summer tyres which in some instances simply become sleds.

My Vredestein Wintrac Extremes have been brilliant over the past few years, still have 4-5mm tread, and are not just used "for one week or so a year" which is generally the old cliche that gets trotted out. I change mine over in November and they stay on till March / April, usually Easter weekend. Saves the expensive and far less comfortable ridiculous 20" summer rubber, too.

[Xbimmer]

Have to say got my X5 last week in perfect timing for the snow and was pleasantly surprised on my 20"s as had read some worrying things

[Raj]

[quote="xl5"]
)  sentences like 'i love you' and 'you look nice' dont work with my FD, she knows some things up...
[/quote]

True, I used the argument that the cost of my winter setup was cheaper than the cost of my 2 21" tyres so the reduced wear on my 21's was a sensible route to take. Sensible really....lol

[Raj]

[quote="CondorX5"]
Saves the expensive and far less comfortable ridiculous 20" summer rubber, too.
[/quote]

Huge deciding factor for me on 21's I can tell you.

[shadrack]

i cant remember where it was i read something saying most winter tyres are a con in the uk as our temps dont reach the effected levels, i think personally its all in the tread pattern not the tyre!

where i am 2 years age we had snow for 6 weeks and i had 22s on the whole time, ive never been stuck yet, i fact normally at the first sign of snow i go out in the e30 or whatever 2 wheel drive car i have just for a play!

[jaynana]

so what about the tyre wear factor on your lovely 22s?

btw i'm still on summers.. lol

[ianmaney]

I never change from 'normal' tyres, the same ones stay on all year round, when they wear out, they get changed for the same, and in 5 years of ownership and winters, I've never got stuck once!

[philip600]

Hi all,

There's a difference between ' never got stuck once' & being able to brake &/or steer yourself out of trouble when things all go wrong. Winter tyres are not just about getting you going, they are more about being able to stop & steer when the roads are cold / wet / icy / snow covered.
We may think our Summer tyres are great in Winter but maybe it's because we've never had cause to test then to the limit ( hopefully none of us will )
I don't think there is any doubt that once the temperature drops below 5 / 6 degrees then Winter tyres perform better.
Having said all that I have run my X5 on staggered 20's & Toyo Proxes S/T all year round for the last 3 years mainly due to the cost of buying a second set of wheels & tyres.
I do run Winter tyres on my van though.
Phil.

[ianmaney]

[quote="ianmaney"]
I never change from 'normal' tyres, the same ones stay on all year round, when they wear out, they get changed for the same, and in 5 years of ownership and winters, I've never got stuck once!


[/quote]

................ and I've never had a crash either, so my steering and breaking must be ok ! lol

[Benstan]

I've had winters on my Peugeot for 2 winters and keep them on all year round - apathy rather than a conscious decision to do so.  Not noticed a dip in handling in the Summer but I have noticed a difference in the Winter.

I've not run the X5 on Summers in the cold months, so I can't offer a comparison.  Glad of the security though.

What swung it for me is on a particularly cold morning a couple of years ago, I had to use the wipers on the car.  The rubber was frozen solid and made an horrendous noise as it scraped across the glass.  A bit of blade then 'chipped' off. I figured that the tyre rubber would probably be even worse. 

You've probably seen this clip http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxGl7HBEzjI&nbsp; but it demonstrates the advantage of winters on an "X" pretty effectively.  Of course, UK conditions aren't always like this. 

[X5LeMans]

It's all relative, Compared to my RIP E39, the X5 on 20's (315 wide) handles the snow considerably better.  But I never did think that the Pilot Sports 2's on the E39 were any good in snow. Uniroyals in the 1990's handled snow far better than most of todays modern summer compound tyres. The E39 couldn't even get up and down my drive, with about a 5 degree incline.. Totally useless.

However, having spend a month in Norway in the winter, I can certainly appreciate how much better winter tyres actually are, and certainly feel they are worthwhile more or less November through to March.

I think my X looks great on the wide summer tyres, and the OEM 20" rims look good to my eyes, plus as a sled dog enthusiast I'm hoping to go up to Scotland next year for the annual sledding events. So my project this year will be to get some spare wheels, and winter tyres.

Without trying to hijack this very meaningful thread, Anyone know what Rim/Tyre combination will look best with the factory E53 "wide arch" kit, while still allowing a good balance of winter performance. Willing to consider Staggered, or standard wheels/tyres. I'm assuming that the standard 17's on 235's would look totally lost with the wide arches (Although the 17's would mean 5 "full sized" wheels, as I have the 17inch "full sized spare"). Not looking for a Run Flat option

I trust as this is X5 in the snow this is a valid question for this thread 

If it's true there is more snow coming in February.... Well just you all take it carefully, Summer or Winter tyres fitted . Hope to see some of you at the Midlands Meet.

[X5Sport]

Winters still fitted and will take it carefully.

R

[Shez1878]

Special mention for my X in the snow. Excellent again.

Well done BMW!