XSeries-forum

Then it sounds like you know the area. By the airfield not so bad it's just the roads around it that are awful. Goodness how snow sock just on the front will be of benefit


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[quote=""Turks""][quote=""CondorX5""]There's a world of difference when the 20s are swopped out for 18" winter tyres[/quote]

Do you have any pics of your 4.8is with the 18's on? Are they the same width front and back?


Turks.[/quote]

I'll get some this week, Turks.....they certainly don't look as good as the 20s, but aesthetics mean nothing under the snow and ice I got a set of good style 58s(18") with good summer tyres off ebay in August and sold the 18" summer Michelins on them for just under £200, then had the Vredies fitted. Tyremen charged around £95 per tyre then, apparently its a lot higher now.....
BMW recommend in their winter tyre booklet from this year style 99, but approx £100 for the set of 57s once I sold the tyres on them, as opposed to about £2000 for new 99s from BMW was no contest and the 57s fit very nicely over the big calipers........
18" X5 alloys are a bit thin on the ground on ebay at the best of times, there's always loads of 19"s and quite a few 17"s pop up (esp the delightful style 56 "daisy" design), but 18"s can be hard to find. Total outlay once I'd sold the tyres that were on the rims, was £500 which I thought was a bargain, as it saves the expensive 315 rears for a few months at a time.....

The winter set up is not staggered - recommended set up is 255/55R18 all round - but I guess spacers would be an option. My thought is why bother? A staggered 18" set up isn't going to look any more aesthetically pleasing than the non-staggered look - good looks and street cred will resume come April 2011!!!!!

Agree entirely on the aesthetics of 18 inch wheels but can't argue with the grip!
I was lucky and found a couple of 99 style on ebay but then couldn't find another pair for weeks.
I finally tracked down a further couple at a dealer in Munich through ebay.de who shipped them over. All in cost me about £400 for the four which I didn't think was too bad given their scarcity ( and the price quoted by the dealer).
Searching for "BMW x5 winterrader" on the German site can sometimes throw up good deals and most of the professional sellers speak English and will ship over.
I've been delighted with the 99 style/ Vredestein Wintrac combo.

[quote=""gobiman""]PVR, I would be inclined to agree with you but I have the manual on my desk and page 149 states-

Snow chains may only be fitted in pairs and on the rear wheels in conjunction with the following tyre sizes:
4.8iS 255/55 R18
All other models 235/65 R17

I'm guessing but the majority of power goes to rear wheels hence it gives the best traction? Your risk with them on fronts only (uphill at least) is that rears spin and take all the power (with no diff locks). Going downhill, the risk is that the back end slides round. Most of the serious kit I've seen in ski resorts has chains on every axle. For standard wheels, there is, I suspect, limited clearance.
In short, X5 on standard rims does not lend itself to chains!

IT Barbie, sorry to hear about your day. My Father was in the RAF at Kenley and I went to junior school there in the late 70s - remember it being an old-style airfield right on top of a big flat-top hill with steep sides.[/quote]

Hi,
The X Drive cars ( facelift ) are quite clever in that they use the brakes to slow wheel(s) that have lost grip & allow power to the other wheels so it should not allow a situation where the front or rear axle would loose traction & allow the other axle to spin to a point where the car would be unstable. This is the next best thing to diff locks.
I'm not saying the X5 is a match for a Discovery or Landrover but with a decent set of tyres I have found mine to be more then capable in the snow I have driven in ( 12" in places in the North East now ! ) I have been really impressed with mine even on 20" rims running Toyo Proxes tyres ( just replaced the fronts )
I actually go out looking for snow
You need to take it steady with steering & braking but traction has never been a problem for me.
Hill desent control is fantastic so use that for slippery downhill roads, it can be used upto about 20mph & you can use the cruise control +/- buttons to regulate your speed as well as the accelarator pedal.
Ice on the other hand is another matter
I looked into buying snow chains but it's very rare I have driven for any distance on packed snow, they would be great to get you off the estate roads or minor untreated routes but as soon as you get to treated roads you need to take them back off
Take care out there.
Phil.

[quote=""ITBarbie""]Then it sounds like you know the area. By the airfield not so bad it's just the roads around it that are awful. Goodness how snow sock just on the front will be of benefit
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Oh Penny, sorry to hear how awful it is in your area. I was just about to set off for a series of meetings this AM when the MD sent messages to all saying that travel was inadvisable due to the weather and cancelling the meetings so I stayed in my "home office" role today and will see what it looks like outside tomorrow, it may be home office again........ I'm sure that if you get winter tyres sometime, you'll find little far fewer problems in the snow and ice and slush, they really really work. When summer comes around, grab a set of style 56 gorgeous (not!) "daisy" style 17" rims for about £50 on ebay and get tyres one or two at a time from tyremen - the 17"s were only £75 each in summer when I bought mine for my first X - and you have the bonus of saving the expensive summer rubber. Then you're all set for the next winter from hell - and the tyres are good in cold (under 7 deg C) weather, not just snow.
Yesterday, the conditions in Lincolnshire were deteriorating fast and I had a 70 mile trip home in horrid icy stuff, and the X felt every bit the solid, luxury 4x4 the way the tyres gripped the road. I'm sure the 20" wide 315mm skates on the summer set would have been awful. Snow socks will help on the front if you're not moving at high speed, especially in the deep slushy stuff. They'll rip up on tar though. Chains not a good idea unless the snow is quite deep and compacted. Keep safe.

Put the daisy wheels on at weekend with the winter tyres on and just in time. Seem to have loads of grip at the moment which is great but have to keep reminding myself that other people don't have the same kind of grip. Enjoy the snow and remember there are still idiots out there!