[steve02492]

We had our first major snowstorm in the Boston area yesterday. The afternoon commute was a nightmare due to the traffic, since everyone left work at the same time. The good news is that the 335i with Blizzaks handled very well. Admittedly there were only a few inches of snow to deal with at the time, but it was surprising how many people were having problems, even with front wheel drive, and yet I had little trouble. Just goes to show you that front wheel drive with bad tires isn't as good as rear wheel drive with good quality snows. I'm pleased.

[Cookiemonster]

I did several winters with my s2000 and Blizzacks....they are a great tire.....just be careful on dry roads under heavy braking you get a lot of tire squirm. Those tires are amazing in the snow and ice.

[Taittinger]

Well to hear it told by some here, your story would be impossible without x-drive.

[daixloxbmw]

i left work in canton at 2pm (right in the middle of the storm) and got home in boston at just about 7pm. i drive a '01 330i with zsp with the stock sportcontis (bald... barely 20% tread left).

on the way home, i saw so many cars pulled over the side of the road. many of them were FWD and even 4WD/AWD SUVs!!!

i would say about 40% of my ride home was done driving sideways... open diff = 1WD. scary drive but as long as i kept my car rolling at about 5mph, i managed to fishtail my car home. the difficult part was getting the car going once i came to a complete stop. often times i just swung the tail sideways trying to move from a dead stop.

i have had this 330i since '01 and i have never gotten snow tires. i always had summer only z-rated tires even in through nor'easters... so i have gotten kinda used to it. this is unlikely to change when i pick up my 335i.

[TahoeOG]

yesterday it snowed and rained here in NJ... It was pretty nasty but i was really looking to put my blizzaks to the test. So i came out of work and began my drive.

There was about 1.5 -2 inches in some parts, but it was mixed with rain. The blizzaks blow up my expectations. They gripped extremely well. Overall from a scale 1-10 i give them a perfect combo with any rear wheel drive bmw. Before i got home i went to put gas in my car and i decided to go to the farther gas station. The back roads were even worst, but my car handled great. It's the combination of blizzaks and DSC. Some times (rarely) i would see the DSC kick in and help, and it felt like my car never lost control.

Over all, i would DEF recommend these tires to anyone and buy them for a family member. For snow, sleet, and cold weather it's great! Very little slippage and i was pushing the a bit when there was no cars around. Also breaking was great. (i still kept my distance anyway).

[e90fanatic]

what matters is how you drive, and tires. I had a FWD S60 T5 (w/ LM-22) and I was able to climb steep hills which is covered with snow and ice. AWD is not a magnet and FWD. They're just marginally better than RWD...and FWD is MUCH easier to steer and drive in heavy snow unlike RWD that'll fishtail naturally

[Rewted]

I've been running on stock all-season stock, no problems. But then again, I'm also use to winter driving. What exactly is winter driving you ask? Well, here's an over night dump of snow.

[steve02492]

Originally Posted by Taittinger

Well to hear it told by some here, your story would be impossible without x-drive.

I agree with you- that's been the implication on the board. But I don't think that people realize how good the non-xi is with good snows. It's not like an AWD car, but it's a lot better than people think for most winter driving needs. I think that x-drive does not make up for inexperience in snow driving, especially if the tires aren't up to the task. I briefly thought about x-drive but decided against it because: 1) We usually don't get that kind of snow in Boston, and if we do, I will wait for the roads to be plowed (and the plows are quite good around here); 2) I don't live on a hill; 3) If it's bad enough to justify an AWD car, I just hold tight; 4) I just don't like the looks of a 335 that rides too high, and I don't have the time or inclination to lower an xi to look like an i; 5) I like the nimbleness of a rear wheel drive car in the summertime; 6) I didn't want to pay even more for the car; and 7) I didn't want the lower gas mileage of the xi, especially for something that might come in handy only once per year for me. If I lived in an area of the country that routinely gets pounded by lots of snow, and especially if I lived on a hill, I would have more strongly considered the xi.

[noro]

My i handles quite well with Dunlop 3Ds, great tire. I even was able to get going on a snow incline. The DTC by the way is very clever, nothing like my E46 car.

[steve02492]

Originally Posted by noro

My i handles quite well with Dunlop 3Ds, great tire. I even was able to get going on a snow incline. The DTC by the way is very clever, nothing like my E46 car.

Absolutely agree about DTC! I had DTC activated the entire time. There was no way the car would have handled so well in DSC mode, especially on an incline.

[montreal_bimmer]

Originally Posted by tyrewt

I've been running on stock all-season stock, no problems. But then again, I'm also use to winter driving. What exactly is winter driving you ask? Well, here's an over night dump of snow.

you ride in winter with no winter tires.... and you shovel snow without snow boots.... looks like Puma's to me....

[Gig103]

I like the picture, how you cleaned off the Roundel

[335xi]

Originally Posted by Taittinger

Well to hear it told by some here, your story would be impossible without x-drive.

I don't think I have ever gotten that impression from the i vs xi threads.

The main conclusion of those threads is that you can get around in the snow no problem with an i and snow tires, but an xi will make it that much easier.

No one has ever said, there is no way you can drive an i in the snow.

My previous ride was a 540 wagon, that rode on Dunlop wintersport M3 in the winter. I never got stuck, and never really came close. Despite parking in an alley behind my house that is never cleared and basically is reduced to two ruts for driving that are full of ice the whole winter.

But that being said the xi is a huge step ahead of the 540 in winter driving, it is much more comfortable and gives you much more confidence. The xi is driving on a set of Hankook winterbear w300 snows, that are in the 18" staggered setup that comes with the sport package in Canada.

For me a big advantage of the xi is that I can run an aggressive set of winter tires and still have good traction and control. If I was running in an i, I would likely be forced to run 225 at the widest.

And before anyone repeats it I know the xi won't improve stopping or cornering grip in winter condition. But what it does do in winter conditions is maximize the cornering grip. I find that the xi corners with more confidence on snow and ice because of the ability to apply traction at any wheel while you are accelerating or even when cornering at a steady state.

[jpsimon]

good eye

Originally Posted by montreal_bimmer

you ride in winter with no winter tires.... and you shovel snow without snow boots.... looks like Puma's to me....

[mrvuml]

Originally Posted by Cookiemonster

I did several winters with my s2000 and Blizzacks....they are a great tire.....just be careful on dry roads under heavy braking you get a lot of tire squirm. Those tires are amazing in the snow and ice.

What is "tire squirm"?

[ElRedOne]

Originally Posted by mrvuml

What is "tire squirm"?

It's that scary sensation that's just the opposite of the precision handling feel of a BMW. Had Blizzak WS-50's (straight winter) on my G35 RWD - NOT good. GSD-3's (performance winter) were much better.

[bimmin]

I live in an area that gets a lot of snow, and I live in a state that is very rural, most of the population lives in towns with less than 2500 people. It takes quite a while for the plows to come through. This is my first year with with an AWD car. I have always driven RWD through the winter, as lots of others do. But I am used to this weather. I grew up in the NE. Every year we gets storms that dump a couple feet of snow at a time. Some people just dont know how to drive. Even around here, you have the flatlanders that are driving 10MPH when its not that bad, and then you have the morons that fly by you on the unplowed side of the highway. So far the largest noticeable difference between the RWD and AWD is the the AWD can get to a start easier.

[chris_1001]

I just swaped the runflats for the Dunlop 3D's two weeks ago on my 335i. I drove home on Rt. 495 and some back roads and was doing just fine with the DSC on. I even made it up my driveway (decent incline) with no issues.

I was even passing people in SUV's. Bet they were shocked.

Glad I saved the cash over the xi version.

Last March I drove the car home on the runflats (sport Susp.) in a mild storm. Wow did they suck!!!!!! I had to stratigicaly drive around my town so as to avoid any inclines.

So, yeah, toss on some snows and you'll be impressed with the standard i...

[Rewted]

Originally Posted by montreal_bimmer

you ride in winter with no winter tires.... and you shovel snow without snow boots.... looks like Puma's to me....

Actually... I was wearing Sorels, barefoot was my second choice.

[3352G0]

I'm running 19 inch conti winter contacts and they are holding up quite well so far, but the car still feels "iffy" compared to my previous 8 yrs owning audi's with quattro and all seasons. Wish I got the XI but it was not available when I ordered my car.

[blueaudi18]

Nothing a little rice wouldn't fix. Wonder how much a little weight in th trunk helps on an I.

[Lassaxi]

Originally Posted by steve02492

We had our first major snowstorm in the Boston area yesterday. The afternoon commute was a nightmare due to the traffic, since everyone left work at the same time. The good news is that the 335i with Blizzaks handled very well. Admittedly there were only a few inches of snow to deal with at the time, but it was surprising how many people were having problems, even with front wheel drive, and yet I had little trouble. Just goes to show you that front wheel drive with bad tires isn't as good as rear wheel drive with good quality snows. I'm pleased.

I take it, therefore, that you were not the black 335i that I was behind last night that needed a push up the Masspike Exit 16 off ramp?

And what time did you leave work yesterday? I can assure you that anytime after 3 pm there was more than a few inches of snow to deal with.