winter driving: all seasons or full-on snows?

sukotto · 09-01-2015, 06:26 PM

I live in the mountains, sometimes we get loads of snow, but this drought is killing us.....still, with my imminent M3 purchase, I want to be prepared. The car I am considering has the stock 220M wheels.

I have a couple of 18" wheels left over from my old 335i: can I use those on a winter setup with some sort of offset spacers?

2nd question: was considering going with a set of high performance all-seasons for winter driving. I won't be driving this in adverse conditions (I have a 4WD Toyota Taco for that) but it often doesn't get above 30 degrees here in the winter. Even on dry days, I can't run a summer tire. Was thinking of the all-season as an alternative: still has good grip, won't kill me if we get a freak snow storm that wasn't predicted and I drove the M3, and I have a set of 18"'s all-seasons in the garage.

Thoughts? Are these going to be scary as hell if I do get stuck in the snow once or twice? I had Dunlop Winter Sports on my last RWD BMW, they rocked.

WingZeroX5 · 09-01-2015, 06:30 PM

All seasons will be much better than summers, but for a piece of mind, just stick with dedicated snows. You said you had dunlops before, that should answer your question

dparm · 09-01-2015, 07:24 PM

Just get real winter tires. The problem with all-seasons is that they try to be great at everything, but just can't do it. Buy the right equipment/tool for the job.

pbonsalb · 09-01-2015, 08:22 PM

I agree -- skip the all seasons.

09-01-2015, 06:26 PM	#1
sukotto Private 41 Rep 78 Posts Drives: 2011 335xi Join Date: Sep 2013 Location: NE Washington State iTrader: (0)	winter driving: all seasons or full-on snows? I live in the mountains, sometimes we get loads of snow, but this drought is killing us.....still, with my imminent M3 purchase, I want to be prepared. The car I am considering has the stock 220M wheels. I have a couple of 18" wheels left over from my old 335i: can I use those on a winter setup with some sort of offset spacers? 2nd question: was considering going with a set of high performance all-seasons for winter driving. I won't be driving this in adverse conditions (I have a 4WD Toyota Taco for that) but it often doesn't get above 30 degrees here in the winter. Even on dry days, I can't run a summer tire. Was thinking of the all-season as an alternative: still has good grip, won't kill me if we get a freak snow storm that wasn't predicted and I drove the M3, and I have a set of 18"'s all-seasons in the garage. Thoughts? Are these going to be scary as hell if I do get stuck in the snow once or twice? I had Dunlop Winter Sports on my last RWD BMW, they rocked.
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09-01-2015, 06:30 PM	#2
WingZeroX5 Colonel 766 Rep 2,361 Posts Drives: F80 / F30 Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: New Hampshire iTrader: (14)	All seasons will be much better than summers, but for a piece of mind, just stick with dedicated snows. You said you had dunlops before, that should answer your question
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09-01-2015, 07:24 PM	#3
dparm Stop the hate, get a V8 3850 Rep 8,625 Posts Drives: C7 Corvette GS, AMG C63 S Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Frisco, TX iTrader: (1)	Just get real winter tires. The problem with all-seasons is that they try to be great at everything, but just can't do it. Buy the right equipment/tool for the job. __________________ Now: 2017 Corvette Grand Sport, 2021 AMG C63 S sedan Past: 2011.5 M3 sedan ZCP
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09-01-2015, 08:22 PM	#4
pbonsalb Lieutenant General 5228 Rep 10,614 Posts Drives: 18 F90 M5, 99 E36 M3 Turbo Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: New England iTrader: (4)	I agree -- skip the all seasons.
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