03-01-2021, 12:17 PM | #1 |
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Winter Tires 340i GT
Featured on BIMMERPOST.com February of 2019 I purchased a used 340i GT xDrive w/ 12k miles from Arizona. I live in Michigan, so I didn't drive it until around April when the salt was gone from the roads. For the past 2 winters I've continued to use my Jeep grand cherokee during winter for the 4wd and the "who cares if it gets salty" mentality. Well, insurance for 2 cars in Michigan is $$$$$ so I'll be selling the Jeep. The GT came with Arizona tires (aka no traction) and they need to be replaced anyway after 8k miles. So, my question for the forum is: 1. If you've driven your GT through a winter, have you stuck with "all season" tires, or 2. Do you have dedicated winter tires to swap when the snow falls? Pic attached of the GT. What an under-rated BMW model! |
03-01-2021, 12:30 PM | #2 |
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Depends where in Michigan and how much/often you get snow. Also depends on what you want traction wise for the summer as well. I'm in Southern Ontario downwind of Lake Huron where we get frequent lake effect snow on top of system snow, and have a dedicated winter set.
Plus from April to Nov I'd rather have ultra high perf summer tires. All season or 4 season tires aren't going to handle as well in the summer. |
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03-01-2021, 01:26 PM | #3 |
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I bought my 2016 GT 2 years ago and it had nearly new all season runflats installed. I had used winters on my 2006 TL here in New England, but decided that since the GT had AWD I would try it as is. The first winter was so mild that I took the car out around town during the only snow just to see how it would do. It was fine and seemed to do even a bit better than my wife's 2015 MDX. This year has been snowier and while I try to avoid it I have been out in it without issue. The car pulls through snow nicely and about as well as the Subaru Outback we used to have.
I personally will not bother getting snow tires for the GT, but I can mostly avoid driving in the snow as I can work from home when I want. If I HAD to drive in the snow for some reason then yes I would consider snow tires for extra traction. My car is meant to be a comfortable commuter with a bit of sportiness so decent All Seasons are good enough for me. |
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03-01-2021, 01:30 PM | #4 |
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I'm on all seasons, six winters now, have never felt the need for snows. With xDrive AS work considerably better than snows did with previous FWD cars I had.
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03-01-2021, 04:45 PM | #5 |
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The new "all weather" tires seem to be getting good reviews. Consideration if you're buying new tires.
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03-02-2021, 08:20 AM | #6 |
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If you have a job or family matter that has you drive no matter what the weather condition, then get a dedicated winter set.
If you are fortunate and can wait the real bad weather out, AS are fine. Now on the other hand the same goes for Summer. If you have to have the ultimate performance tire for drives during good weather, then AS won't cut it. See no one can tell you what to get until YOU decide. |
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03-03-2021, 10:03 AM | #7 |
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I live in an extreme winter environment, so "all-season" tires are not a good option. I love the traction for the Blizzak WS90.
Last edited by bbarggren; 03-03-2021 at 10:18 AM.. Reason: Additional detail |
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03-03-2021, 05:14 PM | #8 |
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Do you have any winter pics? That looks like September or May. (ex-Colorado resident)
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03-08-2021, 10:25 PM | #9 | |
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My wife's S60R, Prius, traverse, and now pathfinder all had snow tires and wheels. A few hundred bucks to provide a more stable winter platform for myself and those I love is the least I can do. There is no question whether or not they offer more safety in winter. They also extend the life of summer/all seasons and pretty OE wheels. For the GT, last fall I put slightly taller blizzaks on for winter, and last summer it spent its first year on summer performance tires. Best of both worlds. Now, tonight my 6 yr old helped me swap on the summers so we will for sure have a few more snowstorms! That's ok, I'm not commuting these days and the pathfinder will still have winters on for a while. (Yep, dirt road yesterday for the GT) |
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03-18-2021, 09:17 AM | #11 |
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Has anyone paired a winter performance tire to their GT? I will be retiring the OEM runflats and doing a dedicated winter setup as I have a summer set. Snow where I live can be hit or miss but there is no avoiding the weeks long days of sub 30f weather. I've had studless ice/snow tire and winter performance tires and the later just handle and feel much better when the ground isnt covered in snow/ice/slush. They give up some grip on the real messy days but they still perform better than any all season i have had.
Vredestein makes a winter performance one thats a couple hundred less than the usual winter brands that has my eye. |
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03-18-2021, 10:08 AM | #12 |
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When these kinds of threads occur, they often take the same narrow path of only considering the least important aspect of winter travel....getting moving. Some of the more competent all season tires (DWS06 for example) will likely get the car to move in many winter conditions. After living in Michigan for 37 years before we decamped for a warmer climate, there is no doubt whatsoever that for the more important actions of steering/braking, winter tires are critical. Watch the local news for the misled or underinformed who thought somehow AWD would keep their SUV out of the ditch along I-75, I-96 or similar when they needed to stop more quickly than expected or steer around an unexpected event in their path. Watch the reports about the pile-ups on the Lodge. As you move north and west in the state, possible weather conditions only become more severe. From my experience, the need for such tires is not even a question to protect life, limb, and sheetmetal (in that order)....the only issue is which ones to choose. As noted above, Blizzak WS90 are an excellent choice. Michelin XIce xi3 are as well.
BTW, OP, did you have a relative named Mike running an automotive Tier I supply company of the same name?
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03-18-2021, 08:02 PM | #14 |
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But, it is the tires that can keep you out of the ditch. There is a concept in law of the “reasonable man standard”. A reasonable person, although unfortunately uninformed or misled about tires and AWD, may have expectations of being able to drive their unknowingly ill-equipped vehicle in a reasonable manner and have a good outcome if they need to respond to an unexpected event in winter. It can be questionable to always blame the driver unless, having the knowledge about winter vs lesser tires in winter conditions, affirmatively decides to make the riskier choice. The sad reality is how many in the general population do not have this knowledge or have been misled or misunderstood the value of AWD.
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03-19-2021, 08:36 AM | #15 |
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Well winter is over, and now my Contiprocontact SSR's are due for replacement.
Changing topic, but any recommendations about switching out of the SSRs into anything else? They're expensive and firm. Any suggestions appreciated! I'm on the 18 factory wheels btw. |
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03-19-2021, 09:11 AM | #16 | |
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Quote:
https://www.tirerack.com/tires/surve...e=GTAS#runflat If you are interested in improving tire performance, similar data is here for the UHPAS category: https://www.tirerack.com/tires/surve...jsp?type=UHPAS
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06-24-2021, 01:36 PM | #19 |
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I've still got the all seasons that came on it when I bought it used, if you have xDrive you'll be fine. Just note that the 60/40 rear bias is noticeable with TCS off.
It goes in the snow, the extra inch plus clearance over regular 3 series basically makes this an understated "grown up" WRX killer. |
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06-24-2021, 08:50 PM | #20 | |
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Quote:
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11-04-2021, 11:02 PM | #21 |
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I'm considering getting a new set of rims, preferably steel, to put my winter tires on. Which I haven't gotten yet either. Kind of want to figure out what size rims I need (are front and back different?) and then get tires. So I hope someone has some information or recommendation for steel rims and size for a 328 base model with the 17" style 395. Thanks in advance!
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