X5 is bad on snow

[socalrancher]

Had a '01 X5 3.0 w/sport. In deep fresh, I was advised in this forum several years ago to turn off the DSC. Used it several times in deep stuff starting up and on inclines effectively.
Just bought an '09 X5 and they added a button DTC (Dynamic Traction Control) That turns off the Stability portion and goes for maximum traction. The manual says for use starting up in the deep stuff or with chains. Haven't used it yet but will let you know how it works soon.

[realchef]

TIRES TIRES TIRES!!!

I almost agreed with you a month ago or so.
Got the right tires on it and let the car do the work.

Drove it like I stole it through a foot of snow that melted into 6 inches of frozen slush etc.... It did remarkably well. I have driven Colorado Mountain Winters with everything from my Stroked Z28 to a Subaru and right now, the x is at the top of the list.

(Note the angle of the freezing ice coming off the headlights in the 2nd pic. She flies through the snow!!)

Wintrac 4 extreme
Blizzak
Haakapelitta
Nokian
Etc...

Stick to 17"s or 18"s. Search threads here for info.

[blktoptrvl]

IMHO...

Anyone who believes that driving any car on HP Summer tires in snow and ice is fooling themselves and may end up in a heap of hurt.

Driving on them in winter, especially when they have miles on them is like driving in the snow on baldies.

[kishg]

Originally Posted by blktoptrvl

IMHO...

Anyone who believes that driving any car on HP Summer tires in snow and ice is fooling themselves and may end up in a heap of hurt.

Driving on them in winter, especially when they have miles on them is like driving in the snow on baldies.

i'm not advocating driving on them. i fully agree with having winter tires, i'm just pointing out that given the correct technique, you can still maintain control in less than ideal traction conditions, even without awd. that doesn't mean that you should drive a on summers on snow and ice putting yourself and other people at risk. ever driven on a skidpad? same concept.

[x5pdx]

GOT TIRE? They do make the difference!!!

I got winter tires on 18s to replace my summer tires on staggered 19s. Never had a problem in the 2 feet of snow and ice in Oregon the past 3 weeks. I rescued others and gave endless rides to my neighbors who were stuck at home. I think i put on about 500 miles/week just driving people around. I got cabin fever and wasn't even stuck I can't imagine how frustrated I would have been with my bald 19s.

[sageriders]

Same here. I have the Pirelli Scorps on OEM 18" wheels, and the thing is unstoppable. Last week played in foot deep snow on the unplowed section of a large shopping mall, and never got hung up at all, including straddling the plowed berm of 20" +. The ABS gives up long before the tires on my car. I'm convinced it's the driver!

[E61Silver]

My 2005 X5 4.4 did fine in the snow with the stock 18 inch tires.

If I lived in snow country, I would get dedicate snow tires.

[Driver8]

A couple thoughts...

Thought #1 - During ownership of two X5s - one 4.4i and one 3.0i - over several winters, I never installed snow tires. I did, however, run a good all-season tire and drove with a little common sense. While not required, a good basic understanding of physics will help significantly in winter driving. IMO, I felt the OEM Diamaris tires were the worse kind of compromise - good at no one particular thing, average at best. The biggest problem was that the darn things lasted forever. They reminded me of an 80's era GM car...they ran badly forever. Okay, 'nuf said about that.

Thought #2 - My current ride, an E65 750i SWB, equipped with four serious snow tires (Dunlop Wintersport M3s) in an OEM non-staggered fitment, will go just about anywhere on snow/ice/slush. It will literally plow through snow, although this is not the preferred mode.

There is also a lot to be said for NEW snow tires as compared to WORN snow tires. If you have a choice, get new ones. You'll thank me later. Snow tires wear faster in the warmer temps before and after winter, and once you wear past the microcellular tread compound that is used in the outer 50% of the tread (the part that works the magic on the slippery stuff), I'd wager you'll no longer be able to climb that ski jump Audi used a few years back to show off their quattro stuff. Don't say I didn't warn ya.

D8

[JSD]

Originally Posted by sageriders

Same here. I have the Pirelli Scorps on OEM 18" wheels, and the thing is unstoppable. Last week played in foot deep snow on the unplowed section of a large shopping mall, and never got hung up at all, including straddling the plowed berm of 20" +. The ABS gives up long before the tires on my car. I'm convinced it's the driver!

Hi everybody! I'm new on this forum as I'm new to being an X5 driver.

First off, I'm glad to read the comment above. I just acquired a 2005 X5 4.4i (with sport and premium packages). I got the same winter tires as sageriders. I removed the 19-inch alloys (keeping them for summer) and put 18-inch alloys with Pirelli Scorpion Ice and Snow. This car is just astounding. I drove it for 1000 (highway) km last weekend in bad weather conditions. Partially snow covered and icy pavement did not bothered me for a second. When I got to the city, I started having problems though.


Accelerating in a straight line on snowy, icy or slippery surface is perfectly handled by the X5. No loss of traction whatsoever. But two or three time when I turned at 90-degree intersections at low speed, the X5 started to slide (drift?) laterally. The first time, I ended up in the opposite lane. If there would have been a car there, I would have smashed into it. I was driving carefully though, very slowly (was with wife and kids). Then, I started approaching 90-degree turns more slowly (much more slowly, almost come to a stop before turning...) and still, I felt the car drifting. In all instances, the pavement was covered with some snow and slush, but not that much. My DSC was on everytime. Is it just the sheer mass of this thing I'm not accustomed to which makes turning much more difficult on these surfaces in spite of the xDrive and DSC?

Or is it that Pirelli Scorpion's are not as good as they are said to be?

[JCL]

Originally Posted by JSD

Is it just the sheer mass of this thing I'm not accustomed to which makes turning much more difficult on these surfaces in spite of the xDrive and DSC?

Or is it that Pirelli Scorpion's are not as good as they are said to be?

If the Scorpions are the Ice and Snow version (they make lots of Scorpion tires, all different) then they should be fine.

You are on target with your hypothesis that it is the weight of the vehicle. A body in motion tends to stay in motion, as Newton put it. Another factor is that the stability control really works, and gives the driver a real sense of confidence. The vehicle doesn't move around as much and therefore doesn't always provide the same level of feedback on just how slippery the roads are. When you do exceed the tire's traction limit, in your case with a 90 degree corner, no traction control can save you. You have to always maintain a sense of what the roads are like. The capability of the vehicle up to that ultimate point, however, is pretty darn good.