X5 is bad on snow
 

My wife's 2005 X5 4.1 is really disappointing in the snow. I got stuck right in front of my house, on the flat, in a bunch of snow that should not have halted it.

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

One would think a German car would be great in the snow, but this is not the case. :dunno:

let me guess, your scooter doesn't like the snow either.

1. Get some proper tires.
2. Put them on your X5.
3. Drive happy.

Good luck

What tires are on the X?

You can put summer tires on a hummer and it will be bad in the snow and you can put winter tires on a Ferrari and it will be pretty good.

Tires are often the most overlooked aspects of a vehicle.

You can search on this forum for winter tires and find lots of helpful information.

Good luck.

i drove my X5 perfectly fine with 19" diamaris tires......

must be your driving

Few things...

1) I think you mean 2001 4.4..not 4.1
2) What kind of tires do you have on it? What size? Is your traction control working?
3) If you have all season it should do fine, winter tires even better..

I have 20" all season tires and they do decent in the snow..Never been stuck.. I'm not saying its the greatest in the snow with my setup but it does the job...Also you might consider shifting to second gear to start off when starting from a dead stop.. Driving style matters the most in the snow...

Snow tires will help greatly, i noticed a big difference when going from the OEM Michelin A/S to a dedicated Winter Tire. A/S just don't cut it in low temperature.

Have to agree. Wife doesn't care for our X5 on snow or icy slick surfaces. So then she gets out the old Expedition and drives happy. Some of it is getting use to the snappier throttle movement and sudden brake reaction of the X5 but alot is the OEM tires. I would have thought with BMW traction control the X would have been more stable, but no, it wags it's tail frequently on the slick.

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..:confused:

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

This must be your driving............... The X5 rocks on Snow / ice.....

:popcorn:

One word: TIRES

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.

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

Let your wife know there is hope!

Good luck.

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

That's what TireRack calls these Dunlops that I have :)

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.

try and take some air out of the tires !!

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.

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.

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.

Exactly!

Most people forget the role of tires on snow.

Try walking on snow with leather sole shows.

That 4.1 engine means fake BMW. ;) :)

:iagree:

Agree with all, above: Snow Tars!

We have an '01 X, (pre-X Drive), and a CR-V:
there is no comparison in any category, imo.
GL,mD

That is a really bad idea for winter conditions. Makes sense for driving on soft sand, but not snow.

Tires is everything in snow but also snow condition, we had close to 2 feet(yes feet of snow in Seattle Xmas week). After rain for 3 days, I almost got stuck going up hill with snow chain on 1 year old Pirelli tires.
well being 19" wheel with 285 tires didn't help either.

Back into the garage, put the Dunlop performance snow tires set(no stud). It was way better.
In 20 degree cold my Pirelli + chain would be fine up hill not in 1 foot of slush though.

All in all CRV is not better than nX5 (maybe worst ) cause it's not even AWD, it's front wheel drive in normal condition then xfer case put torque into back axle upon slips. X5 is 40/60 front to back in normal condition.
The best would be 4wd with lock diff and off road tires. My neighbor is the first to come and go in 2 feet of snow in his subbie, up and down the hill of our private road.

I'll say go get the snow tires, if buying used just make sure the thread depth still around 9-10 of 32nd inch deep. The best deal was $950 from tire rack but with centering ring on 17" wheels. Not sure if they still have them. S/H was around $120.

Good luck, btw only drive in severe weather when you have to, other drivers may do so without a good set of tires and hit you.

JCL. what you say makes sense about tire pressure. I have never found a reference for differing pressures on BMW vehicles.

interestingly, on a Hyundai I rented (they rent those things??), it said to lower pressure nearly 5 psi for winter driving (read manual about tires while waiting for ferry).

I think a couple PSI lower would not even be noticeable yet may offer a small amount of traction without too much detriment. we will only know if someone tests under same conditions...

:iagree: Tires,, tires, tires

I have an 06 Expedition and an 01 4.4 X5. Took off the 19in Performance tires and put on 17in dedicated snows. Michelin Pilot Alpins. We live in Buffalo off an alley that gets plowed once a year if we are lucky. It is solid ice underneath foot deep ruts.

My X is my daily driver and will pound through anything. I only drive the Expedition if there is more than 5 of us riding.

As everyone else said it's all in the tires.

Lowering tire pressures in winter is a myth that has been well-documented.

That Hyundai manual may have suffered from poor translation from Korean: your tire pressures will drop 1 psi for every 10 degrees F drop. A 50 F drop in ambient will result in a 5 psi underinflation. They may have been talking about an effect (which requires extra inflation to correct) vs an instruction.

nope, it clearly stated using lower pressure for winter tires.

hmm, i could have sworn it said less. i was in a 2008, this is from a 2006.

Snow tires should carry 4 psi (28 kPa)
more air pressure than the pressure
recommended for the standard tires on
the tire label on the driver's side of the
center pillar , or up to the maximum
pressure shown on the tire sidewall,
whichever is less.
Do not drive faster than 75 mph (120
km/h) when your car is equipped with
snow tires.

Anyway, a change in pressure is strange.

That just said more air than standard, which makes sense and corresponds with what JCL stated. I find that in wet/slick conditions I get better traction with higher pressures. Lower pressures is for at the track, rock climbing or on sand...

tires but also driver. mashing the go pedal and erratic inputs will get you into trouble no matter what. my 540 on UHP summers is still drivable on snow if your careful.

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.

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.

:popcorn: (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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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

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?

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.

after my experience on snow, the factors that determine how good you move around on snow are in the order of importance:

1) Ground clearance
2) tires
3) driving skills
4) electronics

when your car's nose starts to raise/lift on the snow, you're in deep S, you can't defy physics, snow will literally carry your car from beneath, and your wheels will be there for decoration, just to spin... so in a foot of snow, or a little more, you can push it and keep it running, but 2 feet like x5pdx said, well, i doubt... even higher SUV and snow tires (i had a pajero/montero before then a pathfinder) i wouldn't try to negotiate 60cm of snow... let's take a look at realchef photos: the snow between his tires (underneath the car) is intact, so he has no lifting, and hence no problem if he has right tires and skills

the tires, the second point, will increase your friction, and intuitively give you enough thrust to move

the driver skills, makes you feel how to push on the throttle/brakes depending on your car's reactions, and gives you confidence to attack when necessary to gain momentum when negotiating some uphills... etc...

:goodluck:
here's to hoping!!

You need snow tires, get a set of blizzacks, they are great.

I've driven my x5 on 19" winter tires for 2 winter season now and it has been perfect. Never gotten stuck or have lost control of it. Awesome vehicle in the snow except for the electronics going crazy in cold weather.