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      08-16-2011, 08:27 PM   #1
delt31
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Moving to Pittsburgh - worried about weather and the M3. Should I?

M3 is the car of my dreams. I'm finally able to seriously think about purchasing it and not put myself in a bad spot. I plan on moving Pittsburgh which has pretty harsh weather and now I'm concerned bc its rear wheel drive. I have a mustang right now and I can tell you that car is a slay when it rains or snows. I know the m3 should handle better but stilll......

Here's the issue. I've been reading these forums and found some great information so I joined recently. I've read that snow tires is definitely the way to go so I plan on purchasing those. However is that enough for pitt weather? I'm not someone who can buy another car just for the winter btw.

also - I started comparing the 335x to the m3 and even after all of the options installed like m3 sports package, the m3 can't be beat.

What do you guys suggest?

Last edited by delt31; 08-17-2011 at 08:47 AM..
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      08-16-2011, 08:34 PM   #2
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Winter tires and enjoy the ride... i can get around in Canada in winter with a M car you can in the US.
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      08-16-2011, 08:49 PM   #3
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Don't worry about it. Get a set of winter tires and enjoy the car.


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      08-16-2011, 08:58 PM   #4
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Hey

Just wanted to throw my 0.02 into the discussion.

I will completely echo what has been already said. I have lived 1 hour west of Chicago for most of my life. I have had as my daily driver, 1 Merc e55, 2 e60 M5's. I am taking delivery of my 2011 e90 M3 hopefully within the next couple of weeks.

All these cars have been fine in the snow. The KEY is DEDICATED SNOWS.

They really make all the difference in the world.

I have also gone from switching the rubber each and every season - to finally just purchasing a separate set of wheel, mounted with the snow tires. This perhaps is a bit more expensive initially, but the cost of 2x a year, removing, balancing and mounting snows and summer tires, was too much hassle.


With the proper rubber on the car, you really have no worries


Hope this helps


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      08-16-2011, 09:16 PM   #5
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^rofl, " yeah, that tree, it pretty much fits, we're taking it home now."
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      08-16-2011, 09:51 PM   #6
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I've got a lot of mileage out of that photo. What the photo doesn't show is there was no road to where we got the tree. I drove the e90 across a field and up a hill covered in snow to where we cut it. Oh, and there were four people in the car. Only thing better would have been the same story with a 997 turbo. Of course, the tree would be on top and two of the passengers would be midgets.
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      08-16-2011, 10:00 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Radiation Joe View Post
I've got a lot of mileage out of that photo. What the photo doesn't show is there was no road to where we got the tree. I drove the e90 across a field and up a hill covered in snow to where we cut it. Oh, and there were four people in the car. Only thing better would have been the same story with a 997 turbo. Of course, the tree would be on top and two of the passengers would be midgets.
That photo is unbelievable. You should send a hi-res version of it to the BMW marketing department, and demand an F10 M5 as compensation for your work.
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      08-17-2011, 05:27 AM   #8
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As other people have already stated - get a set of dedicated winter wheels with a set of Blizzaks and you'll be good to go! I have family that live in Uniontown PA and I've made winter trips thru Garrett County which always has snow and is extremely hilly without any issues.
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      08-17-2011, 05:54 AM   #9
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I live in Germany and have had plenty of winter fun (none with the E90 though) and went ahead and bought a separate set of 18" winter BMW wheels with pilot alpin tires. Couldn't stand the thought of driving another car while my M sat in the garage...

What are you guys doing for corrosion control?
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      08-17-2011, 07:22 AM   #10
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Unless you are a real sh*tty driver, snow tires + M3 + Pgh is no problem at all.

To contrast, my wife + ML350 (AWD) + snow + Pgh = a nightmare
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      08-17-2011, 08:15 AM   #11
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I drive my E90M3 in NH. Put 235/40/18 and 255/40/18 snows on the stock 18 inch wheels and bought wider aftermarket 18 inch APEX ARC8 wheels for the other 3 seasons. Some people buy a snow tire and wheel package instead. The best snows are the narrowest with squishy sidewalls, though handling is poor when you want handling.

A 335xi on dedicated snows would be awesome and not so awesome on all seasons and terrible on summer tires in the snow. We have dedicated snow wheels for our 535xi also. Test drive both. The turbo torque of the 335xi is enjoyable and can be boosted a bit with a tune though it won't handle like an M3 and won't accelerate like an M3 if the M3 is run to the 8400 rpm limiter. The older 335 with N54 engine is a bit faster with mods than the newer 335 with N55 engine.
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      08-17-2011, 08:39 AM   #12
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I've been driving my 330i ZHP around Pittsburgh for the last six years (dedicated snow tires in the winter) in the Squirrel Hill, Shadyside, and Oakland areas. There have only been a handful of times when I wish I'd had AWD (steep hills when the city hadn't cleared the roads yet - Negley and 5th, Forward and Beechwood, or driving around right when a storm is hitting).

On the other hand, the main BMW dealer in the city (P&W) only stocks xDrive 3-series cars. They claim resale without xDrive is a problem. Although an M3 is a different story ...

Unless you live on a hill or drive in really hilly areas, RWD and snows should be fine. I'm actually deciding between an M3 and 335xi right now too .
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      08-17-2011, 08:56 AM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Foodle View Post
I've been driving my 330i ZHP around Pittsburgh for the last six years (dedicated snow tires in the winter) in the Squirrel Hill, Shadyside, and Oakland areas. There have only been a handful of times when I wish I'd had AWD (steep hills when the city hadn't cleared the roads yet - Negley and 5th, Forward and Beechwood, or driving around right when a storm is hitting).

On the other hand, the main BMW dealer in the city (P&W) only stocks xDrive 3-series cars. They claim resale without xDrive is a problem. Although an M3 is a different story ...

Unless you live on a hill or drive in really hilly areas, RWD and snows should be fine. I'm actually deciding between an M3 and 335xi right now too .
Thanks! The area we're looking at is upper St clair and there are hills all over the place (actually Pitt has hills everywhere) and hence my hesitation. Seems like the overwhelming answer is you're OK with snow tires. Is that b/c the M3 has better suspension/control than other comparable RWD cars? I was reading that it has DSC (Dynamic Stability Control) - does that make the difference or would all RWD with snow tires be OK? Also - I wonder what the bargaining room is in Pitts for M3's b/c I feel like there is a good chance to get a great deal (used or new).

Also - as far as the 335ix, someone mentioned that even with that car you need snow tires and can't ride with the stock ones in the winter even though it's xdrive? If that's the case, that's another expense I should tack onto the 335 b/c I thought that would only be a M3 thing. As for the engine diff (54 vs 55), I don't plan on modding the car (maybe just a tune)so I guess I would go with the 55 ALTHOUGH I would love to get a black roof (carbon if possible) which I don't believe is done by BMW but must be after market, which would prob ax the warranty correct?
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      08-17-2011, 09:13 AM   #14
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Like everyone else, the key is dedicated snow tires and also someone who understands the fundamentals to driving a high HP RWD car. I made the mistake of trying to drive my E60 M5 (Conti DW) in some freak Dallas snow & ice last year... I made it about 15 yards down the street and pulled back in the garage!
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      08-17-2011, 10:13 AM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Radiation Joe View Post
Don't worry about it. Get a set of winter tires and enjoy the car.
My all time favorite M3 photo as well! I love to see people actually use thier car. You rock dude!
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      08-17-2011, 11:44 AM   #16
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Okay, so stick with getting a dedicated set of 18" rims for the winter here? Do most people stay with the stock width, or go narrower for winter?

Yes, I am looking through the tire section as well and using search, but someone else already started the thread!
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      08-17-2011, 01:19 PM   #17
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Okay, so stick with getting a dedicated set of 18" rims for the winter here? Do most people stay with the stock width, or go narrower for winter?

Yes, I am looking through the tire section as well and using search, but someone else already started the thread!
18s are not a necessity for winter. 19s are just fine (and look better IMO!). Depends on your road quality in the winter months. There are lots of winter tire options in both 18 and 19" fitments. I think most people use either stock widths (245/265), or slightly narrower (235/255). FWIW, I run 235/35/19 and 255/35/19 Dunlop Wintersport 3Ds in a milder winter climate.

I think most people would agree that Blizzak LM60s are the tire of choice for heavier snow regions. Happy drifting!
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      08-17-2011, 02:39 PM   #18
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M3s should be marginally better in bad weather due to having the limited slip diff, although that's likely offset a bit by the higher hp (it's not the DSC, all modern BMWs have that). I've also heard DCT is better in bad weather, due to it's ability to shift smoother than a person. In dry weather, the M3 is leaps and bounds better than the 335xi (I just traded a 335xi in for my M3). Even with my 335xi, I ran snows here in Chicago.

In Pittsburgh, I think you'll be okay in an M3 with snows, although I think some posters are discounting how much worse hills make for snow driving, an area AWD is markedly better. Basically, any RWD with snows should be better than any AWD with AS tires for normal flat landscape braking and accelerating, but I've seen people with experience say AWD + A/S > RWD + snows on hills. Since you'll be driving on snowy hills, if you do get the M3, I think you should really maximize your snow traction. This means 18" (no 19") tires, square setup, and go for the max snow type tires, not the performance winters. If your roads are anything like Chicago in the winter, there's NO WAY I'd consider 19" rims for the winter.

I'd also say it depends on if you can stay home if snow is too bad, or if you have committments where you must get in regardless. Pittsburgh, like most cities in the snow belt, is pretty good with plowing, but if you ever anticipate needing to drive through 12" + unplowed snow, I'd definitely go for the 335xi with snows over the M3 w/ snows.
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      08-17-2011, 02:51 PM   #19
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Perhaps this will make your decision easier. I would think that a 335 AWD - especially if fitted with sport type rubber - you would most definitely still need snows on them. For those of us who live in the snowy areas - we can all attest to seeing AWD Audi S4, RS6, RS5 - or perhaps an AWD Porsche car being simply useless in the snow. Hell - the dentist down the street came to pick me up for lunch one day in his Porsche Cayenne TT - stock 20' sport techno wheels - problem was - we had maybe 2" of snow on the ground - he could not get out of my parking lot.

He had previously made fun of me when I told him that I always put snows on my x5. Soon after this incident - he invested in snows for his Cayenne.

I would agree - that these cars are not snow plows - but can easily get you around with no problem - unless it's ice - still nasty
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      08-17-2011, 02:59 PM   #20
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I am definately getting snows this winter so this doesnt happen anymore (unless its on purpose )

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      08-17-2011, 03:04 PM   #21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by delt31 View Post

What do you guys suggest?
A winter set is definitely the way to go (I purchased a OEM replica set of wheels type m220 @ 18 inch [they look like the real McCoy for $600- then added Michelin ICE winter tires from TireRack for $1020-). This works fine for me and I live in Ontario Canada. Mind you I only take my ///M3 on the road in the winter time when the roads are dry of snow and slush.

Having set that I am not limited to that meaning, if it snows and I am out with the ///M3 there is no problem getting home or where I want to go. Needless to say one has to adjust to road conditions.

Mostly in the winter time I drive my wife's car it has all wheel drive.

In your case, why not get a winter set? you need the different rubber in the winter time the Michelin ICE is a good tire. Then when there is a lot of snow in the forecast take alternative transportation.

Good Luck
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      08-17-2011, 05:11 PM   #22
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Originally Posted by delt31 View Post
Also - as far as the 335ix, someone mentioned that even with that car you need snow tires and can't ride with the stock ones in the winter even though it's xdrive? If that's the case, that's another expense I should tack onto the 335 b/c I thought that would only be a M3 thing.
Even with AWD, I'd go for an extra set of wheels with dedicated snow tires. AWD plus all-season tires is not going to be fun. AWD only helps when you need to get moving. Snow tires help you grip the road in all situations. I'm looking at Blizzaks right now. If I went with the M3, I'd probably go with a more aggressive winter tire (e.g., WS-60) over a "performance winter" (e.g., LM-25).

Overall Pittsburgh winters aren't that bad compared to some other places that get a lot of snow. It's only when the city drops the ball (cough, Snowmageddon, cough), that things get bad. Most of the time in winter, I'm driving on dry salted roads with big piles of snow on the sidewalks.

With RWD Bimmers, I'd also suggest adding some weight in the back to give the drive wheels more friction. BMW's 50/50 car balancing is not helpful in this case. A couple 50 lbs sandbags in the trunk work well.

I don't spend that much time in the southern burbs (Mt. Lebanon, Upper St. Clair), so I don't know what the winter driving around there is like. Sorry.

Last edited by Foodle; 08-17-2011 at 10:56 PM..
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