xDrive pretty good - RFT's diabolical

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OK so I know all about winter tyres having spent the last 6 winters on them but hear me out.....

I switched to a 335d just over a year ago and had my first real taste of proper snow last weekend

The car is leased and so I havent bothered with winters this time as I figured the xdrive would get me to the nearest gritted road at which point Id be fine - which was only partially correct

The car is on Bridgestone run flats and I just didnt realise how awful they would be
It gets going well enough without much effort however traction for steering and braking is just awful, even worse than I remember from the good old days before I discovered winter tyres

The AWD system must be bloody sensational to get me up gradients, even starting from a standstill, but Im just completely shocked at the lack of ability and confidence it has when doing anything else even on slush as well as hard packed or fresh snow.

All weather ability is essential for me and I shall now be taking a closer look at the economics of leasing and having another set of winters. The car would be a lot more useful if it came with all season run flats - or are all run flat tyres utterly useless?

Cheers - be careful out there

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REALIST123 said:

I’ve been through three winters with 2WD on Pirelli winter RFTs without issue, including two ski trips with lots of snow.

Your problem is the lack of a decent winter tyre. It’s well documented that 4WD without the correct tyre is of little benefit in braking or cornering on snow and ice. I’m surprised you thought it might be.

My surprise was how poorly my current Bridgestones performed compared to my memory of an E46 330d on conventional rubber
That car was a lot more able than my current one and I wondered if RFTs played a part

Cheers

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Wills2 said:

tjlees said:

AWD only gives traction and not grip!

This, I think the OP has just realised that getting going doesn't mean you'll be able to stop and steer.

I'm amazed people don't understand these simple concepts.

You didnt read the whole thread did you?

Ive just ben out again in heavy snow and once again the car can climb surprising gradients but is utterly useless on the brakes

I ran a RWD 330 for several winters pre runflats and it was nowhere near as bad as this hence my question about how much the RFT's are responsible for its lack of ability

Cheers