Old AWD system vs. xDrive in the snow...need opinions please!

[Stewthebassman]

We are starting to shop for a replacement for our '02 X5. The road out of our place is about 25 kms, and is exposed and collects a lot of ice and cross winds in the winter. My wife had a bad winter last year with the X5, even with Winter Scorpios.

Strangely, the DSC rarely intervenes on this vehicle, even when I think it should. I can't even MAKE it intervene like I could on my E46 RWD...and yet I know it still works or there would be lights flashing everywhere, and I turned it off to get it unstuck from the mud (twice).

Our plan is to find an '04 that has come off lease (they're starting to now), and have xDrive as her winter companion. Last winter in my E90xi was amazing, that system is brilliant.

Has anyone driven the old system AND the new in horrible weather and is xDrive on the BMW SAV as awesome as I know it can be on my car????

[Chip]

Well I have the 05 X5 4.4i and I have driven it in several feet of snow, it was up to the top of the wheel (not tire) and it drove great( no snow tires). I was going down a hill and the tires slipped and te system detected the slip and autmatically stopped the car without locking the wheels

[DINANM3]

X drive is lightyears ahead of the old awd system on your 02 X5 in slippery conditions. Big difference.

[Stewthebassman]

Indeed, the '02 came as a surprise to me how little the DSC intervened when it would have been flashing all over the place in my E46. I guess loss of traction and wheelslip are not he same thing (!) in its brain....

So then I gather that the truck keeps its sporting nature but is a heck of a lot smarter....

Now I just need to find a stripper 2004 X5 with a towing package.....

[Thunder22]

I had an '01 and an '04 both with sport package.

The '01 was a sled in the snow, the '04 was a lot better. A big reason was the '04 had 18's and the '01 had 19's however. What size rims are you running?

[AzNMpower32]

Hmmm DSC intervenes even less on my X3. When I rode an '04 X5 3.0i in a heavy snow, I was surprised at how much DSC flickered compared to the X3, which almost never does until you're really out of control.

[Stewthebassman]

The X3 has xDrive, same as my E90 AWD. That little light almost never comes on, it's so on top of what is going on. Trouble with our current X5 is that the little light never comes on either....except it should! The back end kicks out way too easy, and DSC is supposed to prevent that.

Our winter setup is the stock 17" rims with Michelin Scorpions on them. Our summer setup are aftermarket (Chinese) rims with 255 AS tires on them. The truck is sweet handling in the summer (and in regular weather in winter).

[motordavid]

Stew...no exp here driving an XDrive car in snow, (several dry pave
test drives), and I am certain the XDrive would run circles around
the orig AWD sys. But, I'm a little surprised at the description of
your exp with non-XDrive in snow.

Our '01 was indeed a skate with orig Michey tires on 18" sport wheels;
a switch to 17" oem wheels with Michey Alpins, turned it into a
remarkable winter car, here on our very steep, snow&ice covered roads.

My DSC would come on regularly on our ascents, though I found it more
"controllable" with DSC punched off and some wheel spin, to get up the tougher climbs. Maybe your DSC was glitching?

Just anecdotal, and I'm sure you will find the new XDrive w/snows, will get you through your drive.
GL,mD

[Stewthebassman]

That's what I was thinking too, about the DSC....I was thinking maybe someone would chime in here and say," Oh, there's a TSB for that!"...

Basically now, when the weather turns rough, I give my wife the E90 (unflappable), and I manhandle the Xer throught country.



BTW, treat your dead pets with respect...your children are watching...that's how they'll treat you when you die!