New Guy, just bought an X5 - Winter Help :)

[MRV99]

I am sure this will just be noise but I drove my X5 with OEM all seasons and also winter setup/summer setup.

The difference between the All Season and the Winter tire is HUGE. I am running Pirelli Scorpion Ice/Snow(255/19's) for my winters. My OEM all seasons could get me to and fro but with the Pirelli's the car never slid and the car stopped on a dime. I no longer had any torque steer when going around the corner. The tires grab like crazy.

On another note, winter tires which are meant for below 45 degrees have "400" tread-ware which from past experience on X5's mean they do not ware. See about 2/32 ware a year on my winters (on my E53 and E70) which you can run them a long time. What I found is running winter/summer setup cost no more than running an all season setup but I get better performance with the winter/summer. The only difference is I had to pay the money for my winter setup upfront instead of waiting for the All Season to ware out.

[SJCFlyer]

Originally Posted by 335xray

Best solution and probably cheapest way to break things up. Get the 19" winters now and then in the summer get a set of 20" 214 or 300M reps with some nice summer rubber. If you leased, keep the 19" summers for lease turn in. This gives you the best of all worlds. Safety, looks and performance.

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I agree with the concept, but don't you also have to have BMW tire pressure sensors with each set -- and I though they were dedicated to each wheel so the left rear always has to be the LR....no?

Are those sensors expensive to purchase an additional set of? Hard to program your car to switch from one set to another?

Just curious...

[LeMansX5]

Originally Posted by JCL

Vancouver BC? Or Washington?

Winter tires aren't about the depth of the snow. They are about the temperature, and the appropriate rubber compound for that temperature. Summer tires are soft, and will go very hard and slippery, when it is cold. You don't need snow to have problems. AWD helps you go, it doesn't help you steer or stop, and more accidents are caused by not being able to steer and stop, than by not being able to go.

Recommend you get a set of smaller winter wheels, and dedicated winter tires. That is what I did. Your truck deserves them.

Well said.

[Penguin]

Originally Posted by JCL

AWD helps you go, it doesn't help you steer or stop, and more accidents are caused by not being able to steer and stop, than by not being able to go.

I think that AWD actually gets some drivers into trouble...

The AWD gives much better "go" and, as a result, some drivers don't realize how slick the road is until they try to stop. Without AWD, you know pretty fast how slippery things are when your real wheels slip when you try to take off from a stop, i.e., AWD gives some drivers inappropriate confidence on slippery roads, particularly if it is their first AWD or 4WD vehicle.

[JCL]

Originally Posted by SJCFlyer

I agree with the concept, but don't you also have to have BMW tire pressure sensors with each set -- and I though they were dedicated to each wheel so the left rear always has to be the LR....no?

Are those sensors expensive to purchase an additional set of? Hard to program your car to switch from one set to another?

Just curious...

My winter tires and wheels (from the dealer) came with another set of sensors. When I change wheels, I do have to do the reset in iDrive. I also have to manually check the pressure after several months of storage, so it just means clicking one button.

[Richard in NC]

Originally Posted by Richard in NC

OK. A set of Blizzak LM-25s are $1425 in the staggered 19's size. Pirelli Scorpion Ice are only $1135. I think Pirelli's it is... Neither are RFTs. Since I want the spare and mounting kit anyways, I've already got it on order from my dealer for $385.

Gee, I usually go a year with a new car before spending $1500 for tires but this is all for safety, and if I stay with 19s for summers, their life is extended.

What will happen after this is Charlotte will have its warmest winter in decades and it may not even snow in WV. But I'll be ready if it does.

I ordered the Pirelli Scorpion Ice thru a local Discount Tire store. I was hoping to give an initial review of them in this post but......

What the IDIOTS ordered was the Scorpion Zero All Season tires. Now I have to wait until Monday to see if I can even get the Scorpion Ice by the time I need them. UGH!!!

[335xray]

Originally Posted by Richard in NC

I ordered the Pirelli Scorpion Ice thru a local Discount Tire store. I was hoping to give an initial review of them in this post but......

What the IDIOTS ordered was the Scorpion Zero All Season tires. Now I have to wait until Monday to see if I can even get the Scorpion Ice by the time I need them. UGH!!!

Sorry to hear that Richard, very unfortunate. Hopefully they will be able to get a set for you. If not, the Michelin Alpin tires are great.

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