Originally Posted by Riggodeaux

Readers up north surely know this, but I had my first experience with the E53 on ice/snow with this week's Atlanta snowmaggedon. Atlanta traffic is terrible, generally, and the locals are absolutely clueless as to proper driving technique. Naturally, it was a disaster Tuesday when the white stuff arrived and everyone [who had gone to work or school] left at the same time - only to meet the normal semi traffic on the interstates around the city, now sliding and jack-knifing. I avoided that Tuesday, but got up early yesterday to rescue my stepson stuck overnight with many others on the west side of Atlanta's loop highway [I-285, south of exit 5]. I avoided the highways/connectors and had no problems, really. As for the E53:

If you follow the standard ice driving protocols [slow, keep your distance, stay off the brakes, keep the rpms low], with good condition all-season tires [fresh Conti DWS, 5k+ miles of wear], the E53 is an excellent ride. I slipped exactly once - when I had to brake because the dufus well in front of me stopped [going uphill, no less ...] short of an intersection. The e53 recovered well when I dropped down a gear and applied a gentle touch to the accelerator. Sweet! The DWS aren't snow tires, by any measure, but were great in this rare meteorologic event in the Southeast. Thank you, BMW and Continental!