[chhappy7]

Hey guys!

I will be moving to NH from CA around August.
When I visited NH for interviews in Feb, there was a lot of snow.
To someone who pretty much grew up in CA for the past 16 years (after coming to the US from Korea), I'm unfamiliar with driving in snow.

Is RWD with snow tires still a viable choice or do I need to go trade in for a FWD or AWD?

Thanks guys.

[Logicoeur]

You'll be fine with some good dedicated snows. Nokian Hakkapeliitta is cream of the crop, and also Michelin XIce.

Note: anything less than dedicated SNOW tires will not be good idea.

Just throw that bird in Comfort mode and prosper

[chhappy7]

Originally Posted by Logicoeur

You'll be fine with some good dedicated snows. Nokian Hakkapeliitta is cream of the crop, and also Michelin XIce.

Note: anything less than dedicated SNOW tires will not be good idea.

Just throw that bird in Comfort mode and prosper

Thanks a lot!

Would you recommend getting a dedicated snow wheel set or just get tires and swap out the wheels everytime?

Thanks again!

[Logicoeur]

Originally Posted by chhappy7

Thanks a lot!

Would you recommend getting a dedicated snow wheel set or just get tires and swap out the wheels everytime?

Thanks again!

That's all up to you. Having the tires installed during winter is more important.

[cfm56d7b]

I suggest to get a dedicated winter wheels / tires set. The wear and tear on the preferred set of rims will be eliminated.

What wheels does your car have: 18", 19"?

18" wheels can better tolerate winter potholes with a taller sidewall. But 19" wheels are fine as well.

Incidentally, when I moved from East Coast to SoCal my dedicated winter wheels / tires set became a fixture in the garage. Still selling it. :-)

[chhappy7]

Originally Posted by cfm56d7b

I suggest to get a dedicated winter wheels / tires set. The wear and tear on the preferred set of rims will be eliminated.

What wheels does your car have: 18", 19"?

18" wheels can better tolerate winter potholes with a taller sidewall. But 19" wheels are fine as well.

Incidentally, when I moved from East Coast to SoCal my dedicated winter wheels / tires set became a fixture in the garage. Still selling it. :-)

Mine is 18" haha.

Wow it seems you've been trying to sell that set for a while now, but considering your location, I suppose that's perfectly understandable XD

[cfm56d7b]

Yup. No one in Orange County wants to buy almost new snow tires. By the way, if you will be shopping for a new set of wheels for winter driving, BMW 400M Style 18" wheels are very popular. These wheels accommodate accommodate M Sport / Performance brakes as well.

Good luck with the move.

Earlier winter tire suggestions are excellent. I also suggest to add Pirelli Sottozero to the decision list.

[akf30]

Originally Posted by chhappy7

Hey guys!

I will be moving to NH from CA around August.
When I visited NH for interviews in Feb, there was a lot of snow.
To someone who pretty much grew up in CA for the past 16 years (after coming to the US from Korea), I'm unfamiliar with driving in snow.

Is RWD with snow tires still a viable choice or do I need to go trade in for a FWD or AWD?

Thanks guys.

Stay on the west coast, New England is shit... unless you have mastered the technique of dodging potholes, you'll just destroy your car and spend loads of money on new tires/rims or rim repairs.

[BMW in NE]

Part out current car, trade in for an xDrive! I mean, you will be fine with RWD and snows, but having an xDrive car with snows is about 10000x more fun.

[Diirek]

Originally Posted by BMW in NE

Part out current car, trade in for an xDrive! I mean, you will be fine with RWD and snows, but having an xDrive car with snows is about 10000x more fun.

I second that! Once you go AWD in this climate you'll never go back.

[chhappy7]

Haha.
If I part out my current car, I'm so going to want to switch to a different brand just because I want to try and then the mod bugs will bite me again and I'll end up spending tons of money XD
As someone who's about to take about 1/3 pay cut to go back to grad school, even with significant enough savings, I'd like to prevent myself from spending more money if possible. I mean, it sounds like RWD will be fine with good snow tires, which I will most definitely be getting (since I will not be able to lug my stuff + set of wheels/tires in my F30).
Worst comes to worst, I'll change the car if I just can't deal, but I have grown quite attached to my Yanny.

Oh by the way, how many months would you guys say the snow season lasts?
It seems it could start in October but couldn't find when it usually ends.

And should I just put winter tires on at the first sign of snow and wait until they fully melt?

[Simmadown115]

Originally Posted by chhappy7

Haha.
If I part out my current car, I'm so going to want to switch to a different brand just because I want to try and then the mod bugs will bite me again and I'll end up spending tons of money XD
As someone who's about to take about 1/3 pay cut to go back to grad school, even with significant enough savings, I'd like to prevent myself from spending more money if possible. I mean, it sounds like RWD will be fine with good snow tires, which I will most definitely be getting (since I will not be able to lug my stuff + set of wheels/tires in my F30).
Worst comes to worst, I'll change the car if I just can't deal, but I have grown quite attached to my Yanny.

Oh by the way, how many months would you guys say the snow season lasts?
It seems it could start in October but couldn't find when it usually ends.

And should I just put winter tires on at the first sign of snow and wait until they fully melt?

You'll want snows from Halloween to Easter. ~6mo. Snow isn't as much of a concern as is freezing rain. Rule of thumb is anything below 45 you want snows on for better traction. "All Season" is not New England "All Season", when it comes to your life on the line, dedicated snow wheels and tires are the best way to go.

[cfm56d7b]

In cold weather, checking tire pressure more often is always a good idea.

Earlier comment about freezing rain and proper snow tires could not be better phrased. So true.

[BMW in NE]

Originally Posted by Simmadown115

You'll want snows from Halloween to Easter. ~6mo. Snow isn't as much of a concern as is freezing rain. Rule of thumb is anything below 45 you want snows on for better traction. "All Season" is not New England "All Season", when it comes to your life on the line, dedicated snow wheels and tires are the best way to go.

Yup.. this is spot on. I usually throw my snow tires on right before the first storm of the year (which is usually in Nov), and i'll keep an eye out and once the weather gets consistently above 45 (Mid-April) I'll throw the summers back on.

I couldn't agree more about the dedicated snows though. I picked up a set of OEM 397s and found a set of gently used snow tires on c/l last spring. I think I have $700 in this whole setup (including buying new TPMS sensors).

[chhappy7]

Thanks for all the info guys!

So now that I know for sure I'm getting new wheels for summer and putting my current 397s to winter wheel duty, I gotta decide on interior stuff.

Do you guys use floor liners or mats?
I'm assuming liners for winter and just swap out to regular carpet during non-snowy season?

[ProperBimmer]

Hey man, being that I moved to NE myself s few years back and at the time had an e90 M3 and an e92 335 (rwd) I tried one winter on Blizzaks that I swapped onto both cars and anything over 3" of snow was a problem. Sold both the M3 and my 335, for into a f30 335 xdrive and had that for 2 years years now along with an 17 X1. To be honest BMW xdrive isn't impressive in the snow, had much much better experiences with my Cadillac trucks in the past.

I'm in CT with actually less snow, but realistically...,..you cannot daily a rwd BMW year round in NH. Even with winters, white knuckle driving just isn't worth it. Having an alternate beater car is the solution or sell it.

[Simmadown115]

Originally Posted by ProperBimmer

Hey man, being that I moved to NE myself s few years back and at the time had an e90 M3 and an e92 335 (rwd) I tried one winter on Blizzaks that I swapped onto both cars and anything over 3" of snow was a problem. Sold both the M3 and my 335, for into a f30 335 xdrive and had that for 2 years years now along with an 17 X1. To be honest BMW xdrive isn't impressive in the snow, had much much better experiences with my Cadillac trucks in the past.

I'm in CT with actually less snow, but realistically...,..you cannot daily a rwd BMW year round in NH. Even with winters, white knuckle driving just isn't worth it. Having an alternate beater car is the solution or sell it.

I keep my old IS250 around for the really deep snows, shady areas to park, and tight parking lots and IF I need to go really deep snow I have my $1000 truck for that. I trash both of those too if I need to with no worries. Less than 3" of snow is still a good call on not turning it into a plow, but rarely do I see roads with that much fresh snow on it. My wife uses her F30 100% of the time and I have to park in tight parking lots a lot and drive some unplowed back roads so I can use my F80 80% of time

[Fliplegend]

It's my 4th year in NE and I agree with many, get a dedicated set for snow. I lucked out on CL with a set of 17's with Michelin X-ice and they have been amazing. My car came with 18's so it's even faster with the smaller wheels. I also picked up a set of OEM rubber mats from CL for a steal. If you can find a set of Weathertechs they are better because they truly cover the whole floor.

[chhappy7]

Originally Posted by Simmadown115

I keep my old IS250 around for the really deep snows, shady areas to park, and tight parking lots and IF I need to go really deep snow I have my $1000 truck for that. I trash both of those too if I need to with no worries. Less than 3" of snow is still a good call on not turning it into a plow, but rarely do I see roads with that much fresh snow on it. My wife uses her F30 100% of the time and I have to park in tight parking lots a lot and drive some unplowed back roads so I can use my F80 80% of time

I'm assuming your wife with F30 puts on snows for winters? Is hers RWD?
I've been doing a lot of research and it seems that RWD+quality snow wheels is fine.
But also, I'll be moving to Hanover/Lebanon area and that area seemed pretty well plowed when I visited in February.

[Simmadown115]

Originally Posted by chhappy7

I'm assuming your wife with F30 puts on snows for winters? Is hers RWD?
I've been doing a lot of research and it seems that RWD+quality snow wheels is fine.
But also, I'll be moving to Hanover/Lebanon area and that area seemed pretty well plowed when I visited in February.

Ironically the local dealerships argued with her that her staggered 403m's came with all seasons and it took her 1" of snow to realize how full of Crap they were. We put her on a dedicated set of snows (Dunlop 4Ds on square 400m) and it was night and day. (yes I know performance summers can't compare to any winters in snow). Her prior E90 328i had all seasons but she know her dedicated snows perform much better in cold, freezing rain, and snow. Being a tad bit louder for being winter tires is the only negative side.


My sister in law's F30 without M Brakes uses MSW 17's on RFT hakka's and she can't stop talking about how good it is in the snow.

They are both X-Drive so take it as you want, but Driving my F80 with Nitto's is very manageable in snow, just need to have common sense in braking. The joy you'll get is that when you want to have fun with RWD, just put it in sport plus and blip the gas and you'll enjoy some fun slow corners all winter long.

[Logicoeur]

Originally Posted by BMW in NE

Part out current car, trade in for an xDrive! I mean, you will be fine with RWD and snows, but having an xDrive car with snows is about 10000x more fun.

Not at all sure you are using the word "fun" correctly, here. Xdrive is fine in the snow, I can whip the tail out if I try, and I am on all seasons. With winters it would stick and never be close to as fun as a rwd, until we get xDelete.

[F3rst0rder]

I totally agree with snow tire purchase. I live in Southern NH and as “mild” as this winter was you’ll definitely want them for one of our average winters. I’d constantly get stuck in a 2wd Ranger in my driveway. Probably would’ve been improved with some good snows. I had Nokians on my former FWD Corolla and they were awesome.