X5 is bad on snow - Page 2

Zulu95 · #11 01-06-2009, 01:05 PM

I put Yokohma Geolander HS tires on our 3.0L X5 and took it out into a parking lot with 12" of fresh snow with no problems. My wife and I had fun throwing the vehicle about to see how it handled with the DSC.
Tires make all the difference.

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X5rolls · #12 01-06-2009, 01:10 PM

Don't get discouraged - tires will make the world of difference.

Let your wife know there is hope!

Good luck.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Best4x4xFAR

Okay, none of these reports are encouraging. We bought the X5, in part, because of inclement weather safety. I know the stock tires are not very good, and will be replacing them asap. I hope that it transforms the car. I'd hate to think our $23K Outback is going to run circles around a $55K X5 in the bad weather..

What year is your X5? I understand the '04 and up X-Drive systems are far better than the earlier systems, true?

brian5 · #13 01-06-2009, 01:27 PM

The X5 is fantastic on snow or ice with "Performance Winter" tires

That's what TireRack calls these Dunlops that I have

rayxi · #14 01-06-2009, 01:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sames1

Our Honda CRV has no problem in the same spot and our 1985 front wheel drive Caddy is better on the snow

You really can't draw any conclusions unless you account for the different types and sizes of the tires. A rusty Yugo with 4 new skinny snow tires will always have better traction in the snow than any X5, CRV or Caddy with wide summer/all season tires.

Electronics and AWD can only make the most of the available traction. If you don't have the proper tires to increase the available traction in the first place there is nothing to work with.

I live in a hilly area and I get great performance in the snow and ice with my Hakkapeliitta snow tires.

LI-X5 · #15 01-06-2009, 01:37 PM

try and take some air out of the tires !!

sames1 · #16 01-06-2009, 01:38 PM

Better tires would certainly help I'm sure. I'm just saying, compared to the Honda, that has pretty comparable tread, it is not as good in the snow. My 2 wheel front wheel drive Caddy with all weather tires can beat it.

sames1 · #17 01-06-2009, 01:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rayxi

You really can't draw any conclusions unless you account for the different types and sizes of the tires. A rusty Yugo with 4 new skinny snow tires will always have better traction in the snow than any X5, CRV or Caddy with wide summer/all season tires.

Electronics and AWD can only make the most of the available traction. If you don't have the proper tires to increase the available traction in the first place there is nothing to work with.

I live in a hilly area and I get great performance in the snow and ice with my Hakkapeliitta snow tires.

That makes sense. It has to be the tires that we have on it. I've been told those fat tires are not as good as skinny tires on the snow. I would have thought the opposite.

X5rolls · #18 01-06-2009, 01:49 PM

There are many factors besides tread - compounds and design are among the others. Comparing the X to a Honda and a Caddy doesn't really give enough information for a true side by side comparison without providing details about the tires of all three.

Let us know what tires are on the X.

Here is an interesting article that might provide some useful insight. Good luck.

Winter tires offer drivers peace of mind
October 23, 2008
BY ANDY MIKONIS SearchChicago – Autos Contributor
Now that it’s time to start winterizing your car, it’s especially important to think about your tires. Tired of getting stuck in your drive way and white-knuckling it every time a light turns red? Modern winter tires offer increased safety and peace of mind in all winter conditions.

Matt Edmonds, vice president of Tire Rack, based in South Bend, Ind., a nationwide retailer and independent tire tester, says to think about tires like shoes. “You wear different footwear for snow and ice; so should your vehicle,” he says.

Though he says all major brands offer winter tires, Edmonds credits Bridgestone’s Blizzak line for “re-introducing” winter tires in the mid-1990s, with tires that were “not the knobby tires that were on the back of your grandfather’s car, but tires that were livable on a daily basis while offering a quantum leap in traction over all-season tires.”

The changing appearance of those tires reflects changes in what tire makers look at when designing them. “There has been an industrywide effort to use the term ‘winter tires’ as opposed to ‘snow tires,’ ” says Kurt Berger, consumer products manager for Bridgestone/Firestone North American Tire, “because the technical advantages of winter tires are not only evident in snow conditions but also ice, slush and extremely low temperatures.”

The first thing you’ll notice about winter tires is the tread pattern. In dry weather you want the most rubber possible on the road – think about the slick tires on racing cars. On all-season tires, grooves are cut in to divert water away from the contact surface, otherwise cars will hydroplane in the rain. In winter, those grooves fill with snow, rendering the tire effectively smooth. A winter tire typically has more open space around tread blocks to help pack snow in and dig down for traction.

To aid on ice “winter tires also have far more ‘biting edges’ designed into the pattern,” says Berger, “with added grooves and sipes that increase traction levels.” Sipes are narrow lines cut across the face of each tread block.

Not as obvious, the other key feature is the use of softer rubber. “Winter tire compounds are designed to retain their flexibility, even in frigid temperatures, unlike summer or all-season tires,” says Berger, “which can become brittle, resulting in lower grip levels.”

While driving enthusiasts were the first to pick up on winter tires, according to Tire Rack’s Edmonds, even “the average driver can really tell the difference.” Any vehicle benefits from winter tires, especially rear-wheel drive vehicles whose weight isn’t distributed as ideally for traction as front-wheel drive. However, “that’s purely when accelerating,” points out Edmonds, “when you have to stop or turn, both benefit equally.”

Winter tires are now available for virtually any car, light truck, minivan or SUV. “We carry over 180 sizes, with an average of three or four models in each size,” says Edmonds. More and more cars are coming equipped with summer, or three-season tires, he adds, making a switch to winter tires a necessity.

Winter tires are sometimes a hard sell for owners of vehicles with modern advances like traction control, stability control and anti-lock brakes. These are “traction management” systems Edmonds says. “Only the tires can give you traction.”

Even all-wheel drive vehicles can see dramatic improvement. In winter testing, Tire Rack took two Jeep Grand Cherokees, one with factory-equipped all-terrain tires, the other with winter tires. Edmonds said they were even when accelerating, but when it came time to stop “the one with OEM tires kept going, it went 70 feet further.”

So what’s the downside? They have to be removed in the spring. “As a result of the softer tread compounds that are used in winter tires, wear rates are higher,” says Bridgestone’s Berger, “particularly on dry road surfaces and at higher temperatures.”

Though there is extra expense involved in buying a second set of tires, it does make your primary tires last longer. While most people are having their tires dismounted and changed at a tire shop twice a year, according to Edmonds, many are purchasing a second set of inexpensive wheels for their winter tires. This way you can change them yourself, and it spares fancy original equipment or aftermarket wheels from damage in winter.

Check out videos of Tire Rack’s winter tire comparison testing at www.tirerack.com. Also, the “Blizzak chill zone” section of www.bridgestonetire.com offers winter driving tips and information on Bridgestone’s Winter Driving School held in Steamboat Springs, Colo., every year.