[hyhero89]

Hi guys. I am currently driving 340i 2017.

It's been 3months since I bought this car. And I love it so far.


But, I moved to NJ near NYC and am kinda worried because there is going to be a hell of a lot of snow here. In my area, there are some hills.

I am thinking of getting DWS06 for my next tire, which is gonna happen pretty soon. And I know this tire has some good reputation when it comes to grip on slippery surface.


So my question is, am I going to need extra snow tires, let alone DWS06 ?

Looks like some people in NY drive RWD and just don't bother to change tires every winter.


Thanks guys in advance. Cheers.

[tex2670]

Where did you relocate from, and do you have prior experience driving in snow?

[hyhero89]

not really. Im from foreign country. It's usually been cleared right away if there was snow.

[upsidedownfunnel]

What kind of tires do you have on your car now? Do you have a garage? Are you able to switch out your own wheels on your car?

Winter tires are ideal for any car, IMO. However, if you have experience driving in snow and you have a good set of all seasons (with good winter ratings), then you can make do without them. If you're inexperienced in snow, it might be a good idea to get winter tires anyway.

If you have summer tires, you have to get snow tires. Don't get all-seasons, just get winter tires for the winter and use your summer tires in the summer. Also, if you can, just get a cheap set of 17"-18" wheels (not sure if your car can fit 17s or not) from the forums and mount your snow tires on them. Then you can swap in your winter tires whenever you need to.

If you don't have a garage, you'll have to find a tire shop that will store your tires for you and in that case you might not need to buy a set of winter wheels.

[vooonoo]

I also live in NJ but southern nj. I have some continentals that are DWS. Going to be honest they're a good tire until it hits 30 degrees. I was skidding all over the place last winter. I bought winter tires for this season. I suggest you do the same.

[rjd_F30]

While winter tires will always be better, you can make do with all seasons in the NY/NJ area. I run Pilot Sport 4S in the summer and the stock Pirelli P7 all seasons in the winter, and while they're a terrible dry weather tire, they've done alright for me in the snow. Just account for longer stopping distances, enter corners slowly, and you should make out alright. Albeit, I will be getting dedicated winter tires when the Pirellis wear out, but they're doing ok for me, so I'll run them down until it's time to change.

That said, if you want the extra security and peace of mind, get some good winter tires and change them out seasonally.

[NormanConquest]

Depends, for myself I had to get super sticky all season tire and the limit dif to avoid being stuck since I have some really poor maintaine cobblestone and dirt roads in my area. I never had a problem with asphalt or concrete roads with no dif or the crap run flats.

[BMWinAZ]

Why is this even a question?! If you live in an area with "real" seasons and "real" snow (unlike for example Arizona or Southern California) and you plan on driving your car on a regular basis, do yourself and other drivers a favor and get SNOW tires! I used to live in Switzerland many years ago and everybody put snow tires on their cars in October or November and then drove safely in all kinds of winter weather for the next four months. Also, this was when most cars had rear wheel drive and no fancy traction control. There are numerous current studies (for example by the German Automobile Club) and YouTube videos out there comparing road performance on snow and ice of dedicated winter tires and all-season tires: the snow tires consistently and massively outperform all-season tires. For example, Germany by law mandates snow tires in the wintertime. I live in Arizona (no winter and no snow in most places), a few years ago I took my x3 with brand new Michelin all-season tires and x-drive to the mountains after a snow fall and drove on a snow packed forest road: the all season tires sucked and the car got stuck! With that said, modern BMW do well in snow with the right tires, so get some dedicated snow tires and drive safely all winter long.

[BEAR-AvHistory]

Summer tires you will not get out of the driveway
All Season marginal but the car is driveable.
Snows a good plan for winter in Jersey

Problem with Jersey snow is when it snows tends to accumulate & off main roads stay on the ground. We had snow from mid December to as late as April 15 when I lived there. Not many falls a season but those we got were significant.

We used to be able to have studded snow tires but the legislature killed them saying they were killing the roads.

Commuted from the Jersey Shore to Wall St for years with RWD StingRay on snow tires & never got stuck. Consider them an insurance policy.

Here in NC all my cars are on summers, the 4X4 SUV's on aggressive all seasons & the 4X4 pickup, hunting vehicle, on aggressive snow rated off road tread tires. Pickup goes out at least once a year in snow.

[tex2670]

Originally Posted by hyhero89

not really. Im from foreign country. It's usually been cleared right away if there was snow.

If you don't have experience with winter driving, then definitely get winter tires.

[Billfitz]

Originally Posted by tex2670

If you don't have experience with winter driving, then definitely get winter tires.

+1. I've never bothered with winters, not when I lived in NYC, not when I lived in Queens and Westchester, not for the last 35 years in New Hampshire, where for 25 years I drove up a mountain road to get to work, no matter what the weather conditions. A/S have always been fine. But my wife can't drive without them, and that's in town only.

[Niart906]

RWD is awful in the snow without winter tires.

[MacklinUSOB]

Safety in snow is not only about your ability to simply get from A to B, it is about having excess control available when something unexpected happens... For instance, people losing control of their vehicle after making the decision not to mount snow tires, people getting stuck on a hill and forcing you to stop and then restart again on a grade, sudden ice conditions caused by mixed precipitation. This is not even close to an exhaustive list.

Bear puts it well. Not having any snow driving experience has me reccomending them emphatically.

Originally Posted by BEAR-AvHistory

Commuted from the Jersey Shore to Wall St for years with RWD StingRay on snow tires & never got stuck. Consider them an insurance policy.

[Zara]

I survived last winter with my 6MT RWD 335i with summer tires. Do I recommend doing that? Nooo lol.. I was barely to make it into my driveway after work when it snowed. But luckily I work like 5 minutes away from my place and usually when it snows, the snow gets plowed by the next day. So getting by was doable but driving was a pita mission.

I picked up the DWS06s for this year since I also heard that they were one of the best all seasons for the winter. So I'll see how this winter goes.

[vtown]

How much is your deductible? I like to think of it as paying that up front and not having to deal with the hassle of the accident.

[brettbmw]

Yes i would buy a good set of snows for the winter. Personally im a blizzak guy myself. But from all the studies ive read a front wheel drive car or rear wheel drive car are more stable in winter, with a good set of snows, than a xdrive with allseason rads.

[Billfitz]

Originally Posted by brettbmw

from all the studies ive read a front wheel drive car or rear wheel drive car are more stable in winter, with a good set of snows, than a xdrive with allseason rads.

That's not my experience. In deference to my wife my FWD Altima had snows. My xDrive has AS, and it beats how the Altima performed in snow in every respect, by a wide margin. That includes braking.

[metallicpea]

Originally Posted by Billfitz

That's not my experience. In deference to my wife my FWD Altima had snows. My xDrive has AS, and it beats how the Altima performed in snow in every respect, by a wide margin. That includes braking.

I respectfully disagree.

Perhaps that is a factor of the different vehicles. Wheelbase, weight, weight distribution, track, tire sizes. suspension all can have a significant impact.

I am not a big fan of FWD either with A/S or with snow tires, as you are asking your front tires to do a lot, but as long as you are smooth with your transitions from braking/steering and acceleration you are still better off with two tires with superior grip than 4 tires with moderate grip.

I have had all kinds of tires, mostly on 4WD and RWD, but a few FWD, but in winter the tires make all the difference.

The practical exception is if hills or very deep snow are a routine part of your drive. 4 points of contact and AWD will help you go, but not so much when it comes time to stop or change direction. We get deep snow here, but hills are nowhere to be seen, so not so much experience with that for me.

[Billfitz]

My experience is based on driving FWD with all snows and xDrive with AS. If you haven't driven xDrive with AS you have no basis for comparison. My first snowstorm with xDrive I drove effortlessly through 6 inches of unplowed snow. I actually could have plowed it if I had a plow on the car. That's not conjecture, I've done a lot of snow plowing. As for hills, even with snows the only way I could ever get up my long steep driveway was with a good head start from the neighbor's driveway across the street, and even then I'd end up spinning the tires before getting to the top. If I ever had to stop midway up I had to back all the way down and get a head start again. With xDrive I can go from a standing start in the middle of the driveway all the way to the top with no slipping, no sliding, no sweat.

[Sportstick]

Much of this discussion has been about getting the car moving...the least important aspect of winter driving when it comes to personal safety and preventing other damage from unintended impact. The most important capabilities are stopping and turning. For those, I believe all data demonstrates the superiority of winter tires, preferably studless category.

[metallicpea]

Originally Posted by Billfitz

My experience is based on driving FWD with all snows and xDrive with AS. If you haven't driven xDrive with AS you have no basis for comparison. My first snowstorm with xDrive I drove effortlessly through 6 inches of unplowed snow. I actually could have plowed it if I had a plow on the car. That's not conjecture, I've done a lot of snow plowing. As for hills, even with snows the only way I could ever get up my long steep driveway was with a good head start from the neighbor's driveway across the street, and even then I'd end up spinning the tires before getting to the top. If I ever had to stop midway up I had to back all the way down and get a head start again. With xDrive I can go from a standing start in the middle of the driveway all the way to the top with no slipping, no sliding, no sweat.

Your FWD car is not an F30. My point was you are comparing different cars. I have driven 4wd cars with top of the line all season and top of the line snows - no comparison. I have driven 2wd cars, FWD and RWD with many different tire set-ups. But, my recent BMWs have been 2 wheel drive.

Your comments all center around the ability to go, not steer or stop, which is what really keeps people out of danger.

To be fair, I believe the OP is talking RWD, so we probably agree with his limited winter experience should really consider snows, but to the comment about awd or x-drive specifically on A/S vs FWD on snows, that would be better suited to a comparison of a platform that allows an equal comparison, like a VW Golf or something. Anyone have some firsthand experience with this to share?

[c0nrad]

xdrive + all seasons has worked fine for me, but i can work from home if it really snows