BMW M3 Winter Driving

rjb6

I swore that I would only buy an all wheel drive car. But the M3 looks so much better than the 335xi.

If i put snow tires on it during the winter - am I still loosing traction and control in the winter relative to the 335xi?

Please help.

roadburner

If i put snow tires on it during the winter - am I still loosing traction and control in the winter relative to the 335xi?

An M3 probably won't be quite as sure footed as an xi, but you really shouldn't have any problems. Buy a dedicated wheel/tire set and you'll be able to swap them over yourself in less than an hour.

nkeen

I have an E90 325i and use Bridgestone LM-22 RFT snow tires on that. The tires give excellent tracking and traction, but it's still an RWD car at the end of the day -- i.e., the wheels push rather than pull you out of trouble.

akv25

The "push/pull" theory that a lot of people believe in has no relevance to driving a car (sorry, nkeen, just stating facts). Traction on tires is provided by the weight distribution. With a close to 50/50 weight distribution, you will be okay driving it in snow with a dedicated set of good winter tires. I have driven my RWD BMW in the most severe snow weather and it handles as good as any AWD car/SUV around.

There was a long discussion thread with good posts from people on both sides of this issue. You might be able to search for it in the forums here. At the end of the day, it is personal preference.