Discussion
Hello my name is Chris and I live in England. I want to buy an E90 or E91 but I have big doubts with 2 aspects. Rear traction in UK where is a lot of water involved. And I'm just an average driver with some push for speed sometimes The second thing will be the unavailability of winter tyres in uk only all-season's. I was thinking to buy an xdrive but wherever I look (autotrader,motors, ebay) it seems are available only new models after 2012 The car will be for me and my wife I will not buy it new and will be diesel. I will always that BMW's are comfortable and I want one. The xdrive think was for security reasons and to be fair I'm going often for snowboard in France and in Switzerland so I was thinking to go with the car and to actually get there Thanks in advance.
I drove a 335i, the fastest of the series on 19s all year round no problems.
Needing to drive in worse winter conditions the next year I swapped for 17s all round and winter tyres, no problems. At 17s winters were plentiful. 225/45/17 same front and rear.
300£ for used style 158. BMW wheels.
However, from the tyre people I've used I've heard excellent reviews of Michelins All season tyres so that's a viable option if available in your required size.
Needing to drive in worse winter conditions the next year I swapped for 17s all round and winter tyres, no problems. At 17s winters were plentiful. 225/45/17 same front and rear.
300£ for used style 158. BMW wheels.
However, from the tyre people I've used I've heard excellent reviews of Michelins All season tyres so that's a viable option if available in your required size.
Smuler said:
I drove a 335i, the fastest of the series on 19s all year round no problems.
Needing to drive in worse winter conditions the next year I swapped for 17s all round and winter tyres, no problems. At 17s winters were plentiful. 225/45/17 same front and rear.
300£ for used style 158. BMW wheels.
Very similar situation here.........E92 335i on 19"s ( Eagle F1s ) most of the time and 17" BMW 158s with 225/45 ( Dunlop Winter Sport 3D ) for the colder months. Never had any traction issues.Needing to drive in worse winter conditions the next year I swapped for 17s all round and winter tyres, no problems. At 17s winters were plentiful. 225/45/17 same front and rear.
300£ for used style 158. BMW wheels.
Simon-jig80 said:
I wouldn't buy a BMW if I were you. Just had to change my timing chain on a E91 N43 with 38K and full sevice history. Coupled with terrible customer service I'd avoid them from now on.
That could apply any manufacturer though! Every model in the UK has common faults that are all over the Internet. Just buy a well maintained car that has a warranty and its someone else's problem if it goes wrong. Crackie said:
Very similar situation here.........E92 335i on 19"s ( Eagle F1s ) most of the time and 17" BMW 158s with 225/45 ( Dunlop Winter Sport 3D ) for the colder months. Never had any traction issues.
My E92 M3 on 19's has been fine all year round and I'm on summer tyres (Conti Sport Contact 6), no problems if you keep your right foot in check marting said:
Crackie said:
Very similar situation here.........E92 335i on 19"s ( Eagle F1s ) most of the time and 17" BMW 158s with 225/45 ( Dunlop Winter Sport 3D ) for the colder months. Never had any traction issues.
My E92 M3 on 19's has been fine all year round and I'm on summer tyres (Conti Sport Contact 6), no problems if you keep your right foot in check Its not all about traction though, sometimes keeping your right foot in check isn't an option. Sometimes you have brake hard for an emergency; winters are in a different league then.
Edited by Crackie on Thursday 15th December 23:33
Crackie said:
marting said:
Crackie said:
Very similar situation here.........E92 335i on 19"s ( Eagle F1s ) most of the time and 17" BMW 158s with 225/45 ( Dunlop Winter Sport 3D ) for the colder months. Never had any traction issues.
My E92 M3 on 19's has been fine all year round and I'm on summer tyres (Conti Sport Contact 6), no problems if you keep your right foot in check Its not all about traction though, sometimes keeping your right foot in check isn't an option. Sometimes you have brake hard for an emergency; winters are in a different league then.
Edited by Crackie on Thursday 15th December 23:33
A 335i with a re-map will never be an M3, however much anyone may wish it to be....
I think the point was that doesn't matter how much power the car makes if it is when braking that you lock up on ice and crash? Which actually isn't related to the driven wheels.
I don't plan on using winter tyres. But I do plan on driving to the conditions of the road.
By the way, a mapped 335i is not an M3, but does produce far more torque. A standard 335i and an M3 actually produce the same 295lbft, but at different points in the rev range. I'm not sure willy waving has occurred?
I don't plan on using winter tyres. But I do plan on driving to the conditions of the road.
By the way, a mapped 335i is not an M3, but does produce far more torque. A standard 335i and an M3 actually produce the same 295lbft, but at different points in the rev range. I'm not sure willy waving has occurred?
Crackie said:
I agree the right foot is the best traction control, however my old 335i had an Evolve map on it. By 1750 rpm it was already making more torque than an E92 M3 makes anywhere in its power band. Imagine what your E92 would be like in slippery conditions with your foot mashed to the floor between 4000 & 7000 rpm. The 335i had the same shove at only 1600rpm; keeping your right foot in check wasn't enough sometimes. Winter tyres were a huge help to me on that car.
Its not all about traction though, sometimes keeping your right foot in check isn't an option. Sometimes you have brake hard for an emergency; winters are in a different league then.
I still stand by my point that for the majority of people in the UK buying winters is a waste of money (even if they drive a mapped 335 that could spank an M3 at idle ). If you need winters for emergency braking then you're driving wrong, maintain larger gaps and plan ahead more in icy or snowy weather. Winters aren't some magic bullet, especially for the UK that barely gets any snow.Its not all about traction though, sometimes keeping your right foot in check isn't an option. Sometimes you have brake hard for an emergency; winters are in a different league then.
Edited by Crackie on Thursday 15th December 23:33
Mr Tidy said:
Crackie said:
marting said:
Crackie said:
Very similar situation here.........E92 335i on 19"s ( Eagle F1s ) most of the time and 17" BMW 158s with 225/45 ( Dunlop Winter Sport 3D ) for the colder months. Never had any traction issues.
My E92 M3 on 19's has been fine all year round and I'm on summer tyres (Conti Sport Contact 6), no problems if you keep your right foot in check Its not all about traction though, sometimes keeping your right foot in check isn't an option. Sometimes you have brake hard for an emergency; winters are in a different league then.
Edited by Crackie on Thursday 15th December 23:33
A 335i with a re-map will never be an M3, however much anyone may wish it to be....
Edited by Crackie on Saturday 17th December 10:00
Depends where in England you are, in the South there will be a few days every few years where a BMW on summer tyres will not even get off the drive, near the Scottish borders having a set of wheels with winter tyres might be an idea.
If you want to drive any car on the continent to go snow boarding it will probably need winter tyres, AWD drive with summer tyres will not remove that need. Buy the car you want and get a set of wheels/tyres so you can take it snow boarding.
I hear the Michelin Crossclimates are a reasonable compromise for the UK, they can handle some snow and will still work if you get a few warm weeks in December unlike a proper winter tyre.
If you want to drive any car on the continent to go snow boarding it will probably need winter tyres, AWD drive with summer tyres will not remove that need. Buy the car you want and get a set of wheels/tyres so you can take it snow boarding.
I hear the Michelin Crossclimates are a reasonable compromise for the UK, they can handle some snow and will still work if you get a few warm weeks in December unlike a proper winter tyre.
marting said:
I still stand by my point that for the majority of people in the UK buying winters is a waste of money (even if they drive a mapped 335 that could spank an M3 at idle ). If you need winters for emergency braking then you're driving wrong, maintain larger gaps and plan ahead more in icy or snowy weather. Winters aren't some magic bullet, especially for the UK that barely gets any snow.
You're entitled to your opinion about winter tyres in the UK, I never used them on my old 944 turbo or either of my M3s; they were OK all year round on Continental Contisports. The OP, Momentsuk, is considering taking his new car to France or Switzerland on skiing trips though isn't he. I did use them on my 335i though; it was far more secure with them on and retrospectively I know that the Porsche and M3s would have been better too. Drivers who have used winter tyres are, in my experience, converts and users for life. Those who have never used them are often sceptics. Ignorance is bliss. You posted that the E92 M3 was capable all year round on summer tyres; I didn't dispute what you said and I certainly didn't say a 335i would spank an M3. What I did was post accurate information about the 335s power delivery relative to the M3s. As for me driving wrong, as you so eloquently put it, you are making assumptions about things you know nothing about. My view is that winter are better, significantly better than summer tyres in cold, wet, icy, snowy conditions. The evidence of their superiority is compelling / overwhelming in low temperatures and the wet not just snow an ice. Even Mr Tidy thinks they're worthwhile.
If you believe that careful use of the right foot affords you the car control needed during winter then, fine by me. For the extra £250 a year it costs I'd rather have then the best tyres available on my car rather than a poor compromise.
Edited by Crackie on Saturday 17th December 10:39
Mike335i said:
I think the point was that doesn't matter how much power the car makes if it is when braking that you lock up on ice and crash? Which actually isn't related to the driven wheels.
By the way, a mapped 335i is not an M3, but does produce far more torque. A standard 335i and an M3 actually produce the same 295lbft, but at different points in the rev range. I'm not sure willy waving has occurred?
Thank you Mike, you understood my post, no willy waving was intended. By the way, a mapped 335i is not an M3, but does produce far more torque. A standard 335i and an M3 actually produce the same 295lbft, but at different points in the rev range. I'm not sure willy waving has occurred?
My apologies to Momentsuk, sorry for getting involved off topic.
Edited by Crackie on Sunday 18th December 11:08
Crackie said:
You're entitled to your opinion about winter tyres, I never used them on my old 944 turbo or either of my M3s; they were OK all year round on Continental Contisports. I did use them on my 335i though; it was far more secure with them on and retrospectively I know that the Porsche and M3s would have been better too. Drivers who have used winter tyres are, in my experience, converts and users for life. Those who have never used them are often sceptics. Ignorance is bliss. You posted that the E92 M3 was capable all year round on summer tyres; I didn't dispute what you said and I certainly didn't say a 335i would spank an M3. What I did was post accurate information about the 335s power delivery relative to the M3s.
As for me driving wrong, as you so eloquently put it, you are making assumptions about things you know nothing about. My view is that winter are better, significantly better than summer tyres in cold, wet, icy, snowy conditions. The evidence of their superiority is compelling / overwhelming in low temperatures and the wet not just snow an ice. Even Mr Tidy uses them........
If you believe that careful use of the right foot is a match for winter tyres then that's your prerogative........no matter how deluded.
You still seem to be missing the point of my post and trying to take offence where none was meant.As for me driving wrong, as you so eloquently put it, you are making assumptions about things you know nothing about. My view is that winter are better, significantly better than summer tyres in cold, wet, icy, snowy conditions. The evidence of their superiority is compelling / overwhelming in low temperatures and the wet not just snow an ice. Even Mr Tidy uses them........
If you believe that careful use of the right foot is a match for winter tyres then that's your prerogative........no matter how deluded.
Edited by Crackie on Saturday 17th December 10:06
I have driven on winter tyres but in a country that gets a lot of snow (Iceland), they were great but in the UK I've never seen similar conditions. I don't live in rural Scotland, nor do most of the country. I would also hazard a guess that most people don't have anywhere near the torque of an N54 on tap. I doubt the majority of the country would want to spend £1k+ on a set of tyres for the handful of occasions they may find them useful on their 5 mile commute.
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