I got stuck in deep snow. Why didn't the front wheels try to spin?
 

So yeah I got stuck at the bottom of my driveway. I didn't realize that it was that deep on the way out, but the city trucks plowed us in reall nice. Anyways, I try to reverse and forward, Nothing. So my fiance got out and said that the front wheels weren't spinning at all. Not even a little. Whats up with that! I tried with DSC on and off. I also tried the holding the DSC button until the light went off, it help alittle but not enough. So I ended up digging myself out. I even did a holeshot and the fronts still didn't turn just the rears. Can someone explain how our 4 wheel drive works.:popcorn:

Can't answer your question since I'm a new X5 owner myself but I'm subscribing to this to find out the answer. And, that's one beautiful X5 you have there! :thumbup:

To be honest, I'm not sure where the power is going when you're in Reverse. But keep in mind, xDrive is by design, inherently biased towards the rear wheels. I've never understood why it seems like the front wheels don't seem to get as much power.

FYI: under normal conditions, xDrive is fully rear-wheel drive from 0-12mph and for parking lot manuevers, and for speeds above 112mph. Now, you might be shocked to think it's 100% rear from a stop, but I think it can change that if the rears dont have grip. Thats why I can always accelerate hard from a dead stop, 4 wheels on slick stuff, and never get stuck since it feels like the system sends power to whatever wheels have a bit more grip. But it always feels like the rear wheels are getting a lot more power than the front.

Thanks and welcome to X5world!! Watch how fast I get an answer on here. You'll become addicted like everyone else.

Well first you don't have X-Drive, which would probably help. I think if you tap the DSC button it turns on DTC, which allows for some wheelspin, and if you hold it, everything goes off. What kind of tires did you have on?

(bobbyp: Your car looks exactly how mine did..same options too! (before I sold it) :thumbup: :thumbup:)

Why wouldn't it have 4wheel for 0-12mph. That's were you need it the most, No?

Oh, he's right. oops. In that case, you have a fixed 38/62 power split biased towards the rear. That's a bit outta my league. Don't you wish you had xDrive in that situation?

He is talking about xDrive, which isn't on 2000-2003 X5s. I think. I could be wrong though.
But anyways I think because in normal dry circumstaces, you don't need 4wheel. If rears slip, AWD will be activated. Unless you have DTC activated. Then you have AWD with wheelslip. Confusing I know.

I have brand new Pirelli Scorpions

"Don't you wish you had xDrive in that situation?" BLAH!!

Love this SAV! Walked right up my driveway yesterday with 6" snow and 20 degree incline. I recently tinted all the rears at 20% and am thinking about putting on aluminum runners.

Sorry to highjack your thread Siver5!

huh...well I don't know then...:dunno:

:popcorn: i'm also new 2 X5 too, just got it,and this website is great...Hi all

The rear are 285. They were recomended on Tire Rack. I wonder if they are just to damn wide

:dancing: :xoutpost: :dancing:

THanks silver 5

does your doors lock at 5 mph when you drive off with them unlocked... i guess i have to get that programmed?

Yup.

xDrive is on all X5's, after 2003 they made HUGE improvements to the overall system (still no Audi :) ).

The original post makes me wonder if the older xDrive systems "sense" that the vehicle is stuck if both rear wheels are "slipping" at the same speed? What I mean is, from my understanding, the system engages when it senses that one wheel is moving slower then the other..and engages different torque amounts based on that. Now with that logic, if both rear tires were slipping at the same rate, the system wouldn't realize the vehicle was stuck.... :dunno:

Maybe minds 2 wheel drive. I have been getting 25mpg around town

All X5's are AWD :thud:

I don't think that is humanly possible. The highest I ever got in my 3.0i was 21 mpg.....and I don't usually ever drive hard....

Just kidding guys I know that mine AWD, Gotcha!

why would xdrive help in this situation?

Let's assume his front wheels did spin. I don't see how xdrive would help?

No traction = you are screwed.

xDrive would have correctly routed power to the tires that need it.

Before I post my hypothesis, which wheels did not have traction? Both front, both rear?

Well I was stuck so none of the wheels had traction. But the fronts where not spinning and the rears were.

My X5 now ('05) does MUCH better in the snow than my '01 did. I also have the Pirelli Scorpion Ice and Snow. Love them :thumbup: My winter set up is on 18s though, 255 all around.

I know the rear tire size has nothing to do with the front wheels not spinning, but I'm wondering if the wide 285 stopped me from having traction in the rear. I went with what Tirerack said to use for snow tires;[

I'm just a girl, I have no idea. I know the narrower the tires the better for snow but I have no idea if you would have gotten out with the 255s? :dunno:

Yes but would that really make a difference if all 4 wheels are spinning?

That power would only come in handly when losing traction while you are driving, not while you are stuck.
Correct?

Some of the best off-road vehicles are 4x4 not AWD.

Xdrive would be amazing while driving in the snow, but will putting more power to the wheels that needed it (all of them) solve the problem of getting unstuck?

This is assuming his front wheels did kick in and he was still stuck.

You've got 22's on that thing and you're wondering why you got stuck in snow? :rolleyes:

I would highly recommend getting a set of 18's for the winter... :thumbup:

Pre-facelift X5s had an open center differential= fuked.

Check out this video, looks like all wheels are spinning...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=058-T-rl1-4
Maybe something wrong with your AWD... :dunno:

I drive with my Sport 19" rims for the winter with Pirelli Scorpions. :rofl:

Yeah whats up with that! Mine didn't do that?? Maybe I'll try and video tape it next time it snows.

IMHO, 19's are too big for the winter as well.... I had 19's on my '01 and it was a sled in the snow...but I didn't have scorpions.

The 19's handle great no complaints at all. I just can't figure out why they didn't even attempt to spin.

:popcorn: I just did my first pull out of snow and ice in front of the house;at frist the rear tires were spining,but then i realized i did'nt have DSC on then just one push of button, and i was out.....i'm using 20" toyo proxies ST

Isn't DSC always on and goes off if you push the button?

Yes. DSC (stability control) is always on, and includes DTC (traction control). When you push the button DSC does off, but DTC stays on. The parameters are a little higher for allowing wheel spin without decreasing the throttle, but it is the same system. The only time to turn DSC off is when you have no throttle available because there is so little traction that the computer backs down the throttle, and you can't get engine revs. Short of that, leave it all on. When you turn it off you get more spinning before it backs off the throttle, and that can allow you to try and spin out of deep snow or sand, if you are stopped. You still need to be careful with it, because the brakes are still being applied to control spin, and they will overheat sooner.

yes, your correct, i turned it off just for a short time just to let me out the snow bank as per manual.

My cousin has a 2001 and I have a 2004 and 2006 X5. There is a very big difference in traction between mine with Xdrive asnd his without. X drive is an excellent system and much better than the previous system the X5 had.
Over the past few months ive done some prety serious offroading and have not had one problem yet. Except for knocking my running boards loose from deep mud.

Both systems are called XDrive. There is no X5 without XDrive.

Quote from wikipedia:
"BMW invented a new four-wheel drive system dubbed xDrive shared both in the X5 and X3 in 2004. Instead of using the previous X5 system which consisted of power being split 60-40 (rear wheels-front wheels) and DSC to brake wheels losing traction, xDrive could variably cut off power to the front or rear axles in a matter of milliseconds, while transferring 100% of the engine power to either, thus allowing the vehicle to regain traction quickly."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_X5

Yeah, ahh, I was wrong. There are two different styles of AWD....again...ALL X5's are AWD (let me clarify, again, ALL X5's are AWD...I misspoke when I said it was called xDrive prior to 2003).

So you are supposed to turn off dsc when stuck in heavy snow?

Maybe that is why I got stuck on the edge of my driveway with like 1.5 feet of ice and snow stacked on top of each other.

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