My M3 in Winter...

[ilron]

Well, then it is winter again. I read a post on this forum where someone asked about the M3 "Winter rims" and when they would be out, I could not find this post again so I decided to start a new thread.

It took a while for the dealer to find appropriate tires for the car, there are not that many winter tires for Scandinavian weather in 245-40-18.
I could have gone for the Michelin Pilot Alpine, and in retrospect that might have been a better choice for dry roads. The Nokian Hakkapelitta RSi are too soft for nice weather, but are brilliant on days like today where you are pretty much driving on ice.

According to the dealer the winter rims are not available in a staggered setup, you are therefore running 245 on all four corners which makes the DSC light up like a christmas tree just by the thought of accelerating.

Anyways, by now some of you might be wondering on how the car handles on ice, and I can say that it does a better job than I expected.
The most negative thing I can say is that the understeer caused by ice may surprise you, the cars nature makes it feel like it has tons of grips until it suddenly tells you that it is indeed very slippery, if you have driven a 5 series on ice you know the feeling. This is not a problem if you are an alert driver as you will notice the conditions and adjust accordingly. How you feel the reduction in grip is also a factor between tires and your driving style.
As expected you do have to feather the throttle, but the car will not surprise you if you apply a bit more than you should have. As always the M3 is easy to get under control.
The brakes does a good job of stopping the car, even on very slippery surfaces, they seem to always find the exact point between locked wheels and max friction. But when you are driving on ice tires will always be the deciding factor.

BTW: Milage increased by 0.1l when I changed rims.

I will probably leave the car in the garage most of the winter but went with the winter rims so that I could drive it whenever I want too, should be fun when the snow arrives.

[southlight]

In Germany these rims are "bundled" with Michelin PA3 235/40. Are you sure about your tires being 245?

Best regards, south

[Epacy]

Good info, nice snow shots.
Poor thing!

[JEllis]

snow..........I hate snow

[lucid]

Thanks for the post ilron.

How is the Jerez doing with the rain and the slush? Is it proving to be difficult to keep it clean and polished?

I am thinking about ordering Jerez, but am a bit concerned I will end up spending too much time trying to keep it presentable during the winters.

[ilron]

Originally Posted by southlight

In Germany these rims are "bundled" with Michelin PA3 235/40. Are you sure about your tires being 245?

Best regards, south

They are indeed 245, it was difficult to find other tires than the PA3.
I have good experience with Michelin X-Ice North (with studs) but they were not available in a suitable size.

Jerez is a nightmare to keep clean, but looks real good when it is... I guess that is the eternal trade off with dark cars.

[TTBear]

Thanks for the info - can you tell us what the model number is of the wheel? (I am assuming that it is a BMW-made rim)

Thanks!

[FifthStreetz]

looks nice in the snow! haha

[ilron]

Originally Posted by TTBear

Thanks for the info - can you tell us what the model number is of the wheel? (I am assuming that it is a BMW-made rim)

Thanks!

Styling M 270 - 8 x 18" ET 20

[swiss_cornholio]

Quick (off topic) question: What's an M3 good for in Norway? Driving 100km/h on the E6 or 60-80 with speed cameras every 500m?

[ilron]

Originally Posted by swiss_cornholio

Quick (off topic) question: What's an M3 good for in Norway? Driving 100km/h on the E6 or 60-80 with speed cameras every 500m?

Good question
Fortunately top speed is not everything. There are some challenging roads around here if you like the twisties.

[ase2dais]

those cars shouldnt be left in the cold, find a garage somewhere

[ilron]

Originally Posted by ase2dais

those cars shouldnt be left in the cold, find a garage somewhere

You can sleep well knowing that she's warm and dry now.

[Tobizach]

Originally Posted by ilron

You can sleep well knowing that she's warm and dry now.

LOL thats good to know Nice pics tho.

[AK]

Looks like the car is somewhat pissed it´s snowing. It looks really mean in the first pic

[lucid]

Originally Posted by AK

Looks like the car is somewhat pissed it´s snowing. It looks really mean in the first pic

[remmib]

Heisann

I can imagine the DSC lamp flashing like crazy in your M3, because it lights up pretty often in my 320d too

[arbitrage]

How do you guys think the M3 will compare to a 335i in winter, both with winter tires?? I have a 335i and do fine in the winter with my winter tires (dunlop m3 dssts) and the great dsc/dtc system but when I get my M3 I'm wondering if it will be better or worse. My initial thoughts are that the LSD helps with the start off the line and reduces tail wagging like I get in the 335i but then the M3 puts down more power so maybe that makes it worse. However, it doesn't put down much more torque and I'm not sure what really affects starting off the line in slippery conditions but if its torque then maybe they would be similar. These are just some of my random, fairly uniformed thoughts...anyone care to comment??

[Pancho]

I prefer sunny and beautiful Mexico to drive my M3. Also, I have the liberty to drive above 200 Km/hr. if I wish. The police will never catch me.

[MrHarris]

lol