Tahoe great success
 

Just got back from my second trip to Tahoe this winter season, the first time I've driven my X5 in the snow. The first trip was a little disappointing because the roads were clear (one good thing about CalTrans) but the second trip was dumping hard on the drive up.

I'm running Pirelli Scorpion Ice & Snow on cheapo 17" rims. I drove through light snow, deep snow, ice, slush, and rain with no problem. Even accelerating from a dead stop on ice was no problem. I felt the DTC kick in and rolled away smoothly!

By the way, I read up on the whole discussion about turning DSC on/off in the snow. I never turned off the DSC nor felt the need to.

I mounted the Inno dual angle ski/snowboard rack pretty easily and it's working great so far.

One thing I wish I had is the cold weather package. Visibility was pretty bad on by the time I reached my destination, I saw that the headlights and fog lights were both caked in snow.

I bought the X5 a few months ago to have a good vehicle for Tahoe trips that's also fun to drive on clear roads. She performed just as good as any other SUV or truck I've driven in the snow, granted that I wasn't driving in extreme conditions.

what kind of rack/bars are those?

:thumbup: Good to hear. My '03 3.0 did very well in similar conditions, on the same 17" wheels. I didn't have Pirellis then, but I do now, and they work very well.

I just got back from Mammoth a few days ago. I was in the monster storm and the X performed great! I drove up form LA on Sunday, a week ago. I went from some of the most extreme rain driving I have ever been in while in LA to the most amount of snow I have ever seen on the way to Mammoth. I was riding on michelin mxv4 all season tires and they did well. I fully agree about the winter package. That is the only option I wish my X had.

Heres a pic after one day. Yup theres an X under all that snow!!!

You don't need to turn off the DSC with the Pirelli Scorpions. They make a huge difference. But if you climb something steep and deep it will be a different story.
The MXV4's will lack in a harsh circumstance.

mxv4's lack in any temperature nearing freezing or below. with snow or ice the difference is even more amazing...

Inno dual angle ski/snowboard rack:
RH722 / inno (RV-Inno) / ADVANCED CAR RACKS,

It's a dedicated snow sports rack that lets you tilt it at an angle, so that snowboard bindings don't hit the top of your car.

Damn that's a lot of snow man! I bet you had a fun time in Mammoth by the looks of it. I decided to get dedicated winter tires because I plan on doing a lot of snow trips and I hate messing with chains.

Yup, I haven't faced what I'd call extreme conditions yet. It's nice to know the wheel spin is just a button away if I ever need it.

Congrats on the X handling the snow.

You're lucky to live close to Mammoth. I have friends that are frequently there and Mammoth to date has been pounded by snow (that's a good thing). That's the place to be this year. I hope to one day ride Mammoth. :rolleyes: I live on the East Coast.

Mammoth is an awesome mountain. I've only been there once for boarding but would definitely go back. They say they have the highest peak in California serviced by a lift - I can tell you the view from up there is incredible.

Mammoth is actually a major hassle to reach from northern California, so Tahoe is usually the destination for me. Today and tomorrow will be storming in the Sierras again, so I see some fresh powder in my near future...

I toss and turn about getting a dedicated winter set. But I feel like it might be a little silly because I live in Phoenix, AZ. The all seasons did fine in these extreme conditions. We drove up with out putting chains on but we chose to put them on for leaving town. It was a lot of driving downhill on narrow streets with other cars. As well, when we were leaving we had no traction control. The TC light, ABS light, and DSC light were all on. It turns out that if the X is on ice or dyno rollers the computer can get confused and that is exactly what happened. I didn't find out until we got out of town that you can reset the system by turning the wheels fully left then right than left and center them. Turn the car off and let the computer shut off. I would have felt fine driving out with out chains but because TC wasn't on I thought it would be wiser to be ultra cautious and put the chains on.

It is true that Mammoth is not so easy to get to from NorCal. Its a pretty simple drive from LA. Just a long straight boring drive:) Yeah, I see they are getting more snow right now!!! I am thinking about getting a weekday pass for January and moving up there for a month HAHA!

The view from the top of Heavenly Valley isn't too bad either! :thumbup:

Does the X feel much different on dry roads (enough to make you change your driving habits) when running smaller wheels and tires in the winter as opposed to summer performance wheels and tires?

At low ambient temperatures, on dry roads, my smaller winter tires handle much better than my summer performance tires. They have a lot more dry road grip. At high ambient temperatures, not so much.

I went from staggered 19" with Bridgestone Dueler run-flats to the 17" setup with Scorpion Ice & Snow skinny tires. When I swapped for my winter set, I immediately noticed the difference on dry roads in above-freezing temperatures:

Smoother ride (taller sidewall)
Less responsive steering
Small gain in acceleration (lighter wheels and tires)
When driving on freeways with rain drainage grooves, the deeper tread seemed to lock into them and pull the steering into the grooves.

This is mostly subjective so I could be wrong. I did slow down my driving habits to adjust for the loss of handling, especially in tight turns.

I'll remember this if I run into that problem. I'm heading back to Tahoe today since it's been dumping pretty good up there.

I remember reading something (from owners manual?) that DSC should be turned off when you are using snow chains. Did you turn it off on your drive down the mountain?

I'll be there tomorrow! :D

I didn't have the choice to turn DSC off. The entire system including DSC went crazy and was not functioning. So, to answer your question. DSC was off but not by my doing. I am thinking about heading back up to mammoth in the next week!!!!!
Did you ever drive in the snow with the Duelers?? If so, how were they.

Never drove in the snow with my Duelers. However I once drove my Celica to Mammoth with street tires and it was pretty gnarly. A surprise storm hit while I was boarding and I had to leave the resort early and drive down the mountain without chains! I don't recommend this....