Did winter tyres make a big difference to bmw?

tberry6686

Put winter tyres on my XJR this year. Huge difference to summer tyres. No wheelspinning on Ice etc. Car just feels planted and secure. Will be using winter tyres every year now.

Oh and i'm in north east of Scotland so it can get a bit icy and snowy here even when most of the country is clear

sunshinetours

In answer to the original question - yes they make an enormous difference to BMW's on standard tyres. they aren't just for snow either or when you are struggling in severe weather. they also imporve cold wet weather braking quite substantially and make the car feel more planted throughout all winter weathers

Stonk

Weird_Nev wrote: »

Well, it is....
and if your brother had been prepared with salt, grit, a shovel and winter tyres then he would have been fine. There's no guarantee a FWD car would have got off of that drive!

Like I said, it was an argument in favour of winter tyres. Salt, grit and shovel might have got him off the drive, but he'd have been stuck again every time he came to any slight incline on his travels.

The front wheel drive car owned by his wife got off the driveway without any problem. He successfully used his wife's car during the period he could not use the BMW.

It was 2 to 3 weeks, not just a couple of days.

sunshinetours

Stonk wrote: »

Like I said, it was an argument in favour of winter tyres. Salt, grit and shovel might have got him off the drive, but he'd have been stuck again every time he came to any slight incline on his travels.

The front wheel drive car owned by his wife got off the driveway without any problem. He successfully used his wife's car during the period he could not use the BMW.

It was 2 to 3 weeks, not just a couple of days.

It isn't just about RWD or FWD although this does have an effect on traction from standstill espeically on an incline. its the size (profile and width) and state of the wheels and tyres as well as most importantly the persons ability to drive that car. most of us don't have the necessary skill to competently drive a powerful rear wheel drive car on unsuitable tyres for snow, in those sort of conditions........therefore I bought winter tyres which gives that car more ability and reduces the impact of the drivers inability

Stonk

sunshinetours wrote: »

It isn't just about RWD or FWD although this does have an effect on traction from standstill espeically on an incline. its the size (profile and width) and state of the wheels and tyres as well as most importantly the persons ability to drive that car. most of us don't have the necessary skill to competently drive a powerful rear wheel drive car on unsuitable tyres for snow, in those sort of conditions........therefore I bought winter tyres which gives that car more ability and reduces the impact of the drivers inability

Yes, of course there are a lot of factors. He is not an idiot and the fact is that his well-maintained BMW couldn't manage the simple feat of getting off the drive on its normal tyres (let alone cope on icy roads), whereas the FWD car sitting next to it was perfectly capable. I don't doubt for a moment that winter tyres would have helped the BMW enormously.

thescouselander

I wouldn't worry about the RWD - I used to own a BMW and yes, it was rubbish in the snow. I now own a FWD Audi and it's even worse in the snow than the BMW was. As said above, its all about having the right tyres for the job. If you have the wrong tyres on any car you're not going to be going anywhere whether FWD or RWD.

Stonk

Well said. And normal tyres with a good amount of tread will cope far better in snow than normal tyres that are nearing the limit. Seen it in practice over and over again. Ever see a road full of abandoned cars and yet some cars are getting up it without any problem? Go and feel the tread depth on the abandoned ones.

thescouselander

Stonk wrote: »

Well said. And normal tyres with a good amount of tread will cope far better in snow than normal tyres that are nearing the limit. Seen it in practice over and over again. Ever see a road full of abandoned cars and yet some cars are getting up it without any problem? Go and feel the tread depth on the abandoned ones.

I also think its a lot to do with tread pattern. The OH's car has Uniroyal rain sport tyres with an almost tractor like pattern to them - they perform very well in the snow.

On the other hand the cars I have owned recently have been fitted with tyres that have more modern tread patterns that include things like solid bands of rubber on the centre sections - these don't seem to grip in the snow at all despite having plenty of tread depth.

TiTheRev

thescouselander wrote: »

I also think its a lot to do with tread pattern. The OH's car has Uniroyal rain sport tyres with an almost tractor like pattern to them - they perform very well in the snow.

On the other hand the cars I have owned recently have been fitted with tyres that have more modern tread patterns that include things like solid bands of rubber on the centre sections - these don't seem to grip in the snow at all despite having plenty of tread depth.

...hence the difference between winter/summer and all-weather tyres

All weather tyres are a myth IMO. Summer for summer, and winter for sub 7 degree temps and snow etc. No one tyre can do all effectively all year round.

sunshinetours

TiTheRev wrote: »

...hence the difference between winter/summer and all-weather tyres

All weather tyres are a myth IMO. Summer for summer, and winter for sub 7 degree temps and snow etc. No one tyre can do all effectively all year round.

All season tyres can be a good compromise though and can do most things effectively all year round. Its just picking one that suits your requirements and depending on where you do most of your driving

If you can afford an extra set of wheels then of course two sets of different tyres will be overall more effective