M3 E92 + MDCT + Snow

[Towzer]

I am expecting to collect a new Monte Carlo on Tuesday and just wondered if there's a snow/ice setting on the transmission? Am curious that's all. My current 330D is spinning the rears at the faintest sign of snow.

Phil

[JMRS4]

M-DCT setting 1 in auto mode, Don't drive it if you can help it, mines new had it for two/three weeks, it's staying garaged till after this lot of bad weather they don't like freezing cold conditions.

[waremark]

Have not taken mine out in the snow this week, but I did drive my E46 M3 in the snow on a couple o occasions. I expected it to be awful, but it was not at all bad. Maybe the M diff helps. So far as the transmission is concerned, I would probably use it in S (sequential = manual) mode. S does allow you to start in 2nd, but you have to select 2nd manually each time you stop if you want to do that.

Incidentally, in Hertfordshire/Bedfordshire/Cambridge I have not see anyone stuck.

[pjv997]

Had a few embarrassing moments yesterday in a car park on a severe slope.

Snow hadn't been cleared very well and 400+bhp and PS2's don't mix very well. Twice had to get an external push.

I wasn't the only one having problems but when an R8 managed to park without problem, 4 wheel drive suddenly looked very appealing.

[krallicious]

Could always splash out on the winter wheel option. £2500 anyone?

[Zod]

I did for the M5. This is the fourth winter and so it's cost me about £600 a year so far.

[mat205125]

waremark said:

Have not taken mine out in the snow this week, but I did drive my E46 M3 in the snow on a couple o occasions. I expected it to be awful, but it was not at all bad. Maybe the M diff helps. So far as the transmission is concerned, I would probably use it in S (sequential = manual) mode. S does allow you to start in 2nd, but you have to select 2nd manually each time you stop if you want to do that.

Incidentally, in Hertfordshire/Bedfordshire/Cambridge I have not see anyone stuck.

The M diff is what makes the M cars actually pretty good in the snow compared to open diff rwd cars. "Normal" cars will just spin all the power through 1 wheel.

That said, unsuitably wide tyres for the conditions aren't the best idea. My E46 coped just fine through the snow this morning, and was actually very entertaining with the TC off as I coaxed some very low speed drifts up the hill out of my street.

My rear boots are getting a bit marginal, however, and won't be braving any deep snow in the car.

[Patrick123D]

pjv997 said:

Had a few embarrassing moments yesterday in a car park on a severe slope.

Snow hadn't been cleared very well and 400+bhp and PS2's don't mix very well. Twice had to get an external push.

I wasn't the only one having problems but when an R8 managed to park without problem, 4 wheel drive suddenly looked very appealing.

Happened to me in Jan 2004 in a 6 week old RX8. It was very embarrassing being pushed out of the verge by following drivers & I considered the car to be extremely dangerous in wet/icy conditions purely due to both the lack of torque of the rotary engine, but more importantl, the "fair weather" Bridgestone RE040's fitted. I immediately traded the Mazda for a new 4WD Golf R32 & didn't look back...

I discovered this morning that the BMW DSC system is crap. We had 4" of snow on our drive. After starting my wife's 123D for 15 minutes to defrost it it took us nearly 10 minutes bouncing the car backwards & forwards to move the car (On Bridgestone RE050's) to the road outside our house.

As a result of previous experiences with Bridgestone tyres & this mornings debacle I KNOW that Bridgestone tyres are only any good in warm/tropical climates. They should NEVER be fitted by manufacturers to cars sold in countries that experience snow/ice. The compounds are quite simply dangerous in anything other than dry roads - where they perform well.

I will never, ever purchase a Bridgestone tyre again. They are greasy, slippery & IMHO dangerous on snow & ice......

[tomvcarter]

I drove out to the alps in my E92 M3 last year, the car had Michelin Pilot Cups on and even with a very light dusting on the roads, i had virtually no control whatsoever!
Skidded straight across a round about at one point, and on a slight hill i slowly drifted across the road into oncoming traffic (luckily missing everything) and slowly slid into a wall, where i had to wait 2 hrs until the gritting lorry came past...
Only afterwards to read that the tyres are "not recommended for use in snow..."

[Towzer]

Thanks chaps. I could collect it this afternoon providing the weather is OK.

Phil

[Not Ideal]

Towzer said:

Thanks chaps. I could collect it this afternoon providing the weather is OK.

Phil

Good luck buddy - can we have some pics please when you're all settled..??

[joscal]

I wouldn't even bother unless you have to, M cars are crap in the snow/ice unless as Zod says you get winter tyres. Wheels and suspension would be rather costly should you thump a kerb.

I borrow my fathers Berlingo...skinny tyres and front wheel drive, only problem is you always see people you know in it..

[bennyboysvuk]

It totally depends on the surface as to how you get on. In my E46 at 20mph last night on slush, 3rd gear wheelspin occurred pretty easily. If you're confident in your car control over the grip limit then snow and ice are second nature. If not, then just drive to the conditions and you'll be fine.

There are times when it's too slippery to get up a 5 degree incline though, like in my office car park last year. A couple of inches of hard crunchy snow on top and ice beneath meant the car struggled to get any traction at all. My boss's S5 made light of it with it's 4WD...still a dull car by comparison though.

[AA121]

I'm stuck in our office car park at present in a CSL
The surface is slushy with compacted ice/slush underneath and the car is on nearly new PS2's.
What is the best setting to have the diff/traction control on???

[ZeroSum]

Bags of sand or something very heavy in the boot for a quick fix. I found myself stuck a few hundred yards from my house and having someone sit in the back made all the difference.

[Great Pretender]

joscal said:

I wouldn't even bother unless you have to, M cars are crap in the snow/ice unless as Zod says you get winter tyres. Wheels and suspension would be rather costly should you thump a kerb.

I borrow my fathers Berlingo...skinny tyres and front wheel drive, only problem is you always see people you know in it..

Honestly, some of you lot are such bloody pansies...

Snow was at least 8" deep at 05.30 this morning and the wee Zed got me across town to the airport just fine. Not once did I get stuck or skid or panic.

[physprof]

ZeroSum said:

Bags of sand or something very heavy in the boot for a quick fix. I found myself stuck a few hundred yards from my house and having someone sit in the back made all the difference.

Exactly the country man solution - have 4-5 x 25kg bags of gravel at the ready for winter (<£25 vs two and half grand BMW kit ....) and use it in the garden/drive in summer and then get the rear tyre pressure down a bit and anti slip/traction control off.

[mat205125]

Great Pretender said:

Snow was at least 8" deep at 05.30 this morning and the wee Zed got me across town to the airport just fine. Not once did I get stuck or skid or panic.

Is that what you tell the missus 8" is, is it?

Your bumper would be eating big gobfulls of snow if it were that deep .... That's if you could actually get any forward motion at all ..... I'll let you Google "eight inches" for yourself to get an idea of true scale

[rassi]

mat205125 said:

Great Pretender said:

Snow was at least 8" deep at 05.30 this morning and the wee Zed got me across town to the airport just fine. Not once did I get stuck or skid or panic.

Is that what you tell the missus 8" is, is it?

Your bumper would be eating big gobfulls of snow if it were that deep .... That's if you could actually get any forward motion at all ..... I'll let you Google "eight inches" for yourself to get an idea of true scale

Please note the login name...

[-Z-]

Great Pretender said:

joscal said:

I wouldn't even bother unless you have to, M cars are crap in the snow/ice unless as Zod says you get winter tyres. Wheels and suspension would be rather costly should you thump a kerb.

I borrow my fathers Berlingo...skinny tyres and front wheel drive, only problem is you always see people you know in it..

Honestly, some of you lot are such bloody pansies...

Snow was at least 8" deep at 05.30 this morning and the wee Zed got me across town to the airport just fine. Not once did I get stuck or skid or panic.

the problem down here in the South is that we have a nice layer of sheet ice covering some roads. This is because down here in the daytime it partially thaws out then re-freezes as a solid block.

Ari Vatenen himself could have tried to get my ///M off the drive yesterday and he too would have failed as I did.