Just so you realize, the tires on your car are 90% of the limiting factor when it comes to how well a car handles on snow or ice. The tires are the part that touch the road. Just as you can walk through snow much better when you have on a pair of good snow boots, so can your car.

I once made it through a New York winter with an Acura NSX and a set of Bridgestone Blizzack snow tires. Just get a good set of snow tires and you should be fine.

The main advantage of most of the SUVs is that you can get away with using just one set of all season tires. On a rear drive car, if you try to get through the winter with the standard all season tires, you will most likely have trouble.

I use dedicated snows even with my AWD 330xi. It's unstoppable in the snow. I had to drive from my house to Portland, Maine in a horrible snow and ice storm and the 330 was very sure-footed.

Rear drive with snow tires is fine. I actually prefer it to FWD

More weight on the drive wheels, right?

Not quite. BMW has 50/50 weight distribution and all fwd cars have more weight on the front. I just think you have much more control with rwd in every situation including snow with the right tires

I mean under acceleration.. Doesn't the weight shift rearward, putting it over the drive wheels?

I'm thinking I'd get Dunlop Wintersport M3s for winter tires.. or Blizzaks.

Oh in that case your right. the weight does transfer rearward.
I like the blizzaks personnally

Blizzaks are a great choice...

That's why I never understood the theory that FWD was better because there was "more" weight on the fronts...

Stupidity reared its head a great deal in those years.

55 MPH

FWD

Rear drive in snow is DEADLY.

I had a 330i a while ago as you know. It had DSC and all those other useless gizmos. It also had a dedicated new set of winter tires.

Despite that, the rear came out on basically every corner and I had real trouble starting from a red light in snow. Thank god it was automatic cuz it could start in 2nd. You can do that with manual, too I know. But manual is too difficult.

Anyway, RWD is deadly.