Soon to be new owner - quick winter tire ?
 

Hello Everyone,

I'm taking ownership of my first BMW this weekend. It's a 2012 X5 diesel w/ just about every option on it (Sports package, convenience, tech, premium, etc). I've spent the last month reading a lot of posts on the forum to educate myself a bit.

I have read a lot of people mentioning putting winter tires on their E70's. Is this specific to the really harsh parts of the world that get a lot of snow/ice or is there something specific w/ the X5's that lend itself to a different tire setup? I live in VA and we'll get a small amount of snow/ice and wanted to invest in a setup now given that the weather is right around the corner.

Thanks! Looking forward to sharing pics when I pick it up. I already have a mod list going.

Continental DWS tires by experience are great all year tires , handle great on ice/slush , rain or dry .


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A BMW is not different than other cars when it comes to the need for snow tires. If you have used all season tires with success on other cars you will be just fine. However if you have the 20 inch rims with summer tires. You could be in trouble on snow and ice.
Chuck

IMO, VA residents can live without dedicated winter tires, presuming you're on all seasons.

Do you have the staggered 275/315 setup inbound or the 255 width all around?

Just a quick update. I picked up the 35d yesterday and absolutely love it. I'll get some pics up as soon as I figure out how. I have already set up a few quick upgrades for this week - ordered weather tech mats, set up a tint appointment and putting on the running boards.

I am pleasantly surprised with the deep snow performance of my 2011 diesel. I've always used Michelin X-Ice or Blizzaks on all of my vehicles here in Northern Wisconsin and swear by the use of dedicated ice/snow tires. But, my 2011 has the Michelin Latitude Tour in 315/275's and they are much, much better than I ever thought they would be. If I was staying here in Wisconsin for more than this 3 weeks I would install ice tires but am headed to Florida for 3 months on Monday so no ice tires this year. We've already had over 4 feet of snow where I live and have driven through over a foot of snow with no issues on these Latitudes. I never would've expected such good winter performance and trust me, I know the benefits of dedicated ice tires.

I installed Blizzaks on my 2006 X5 when I owned that one and they were amazing and I really thought these huge 315/275's would've really sucked in the snow/ice but they didn't. I would highly recommend Michelin Latitudes for those of you that may have to only occasionally deal with ice and snow.

Here's a pic from Northern Wisconsin last week.

Great pic and thanks for the feedback! I picked up my 35D this past weekend and still figuring exactly what all the buttons do. Certainly different than the Tahoe I've driven around for the lat 5 years or so.

Like you, I have driven a 2001 Tahoe for the last 11 years. The last eight years included driving in New England winters (the reason for it's slow demise). Also like you, I only recently picked up my X5, a 2011 xDrive35d with most everything but comfort access and few other options, last Tuesday in fact.

The Tahoe was a total beast in the snow and slush with a set of LT265/70R17 Goodyear Wrangler Silent Armor tires on it. Alas, all terrains are pretty much impossible to find for the X5 and probably not required in most cases. Instead I found a cheap set of used Style 210 wheels and put a set of 255/55R18 Michelin Latitude X-Ice XI2 tires on them. I am happy with how they have performed so far in the very limited experience I have with the tires and the X5 in general.

I too absolutely love the X5 so far and the engine in particular.