[BimmerX5kid]

back when i owned 3 series with rear wheel drive i was huge proponent of dedicated Blizzak for the NJ winters i felt unstoppable in the car. havent owned a sedan in years now but am looking at pre-owned 330 now. i will go X-drive. I'm hoping to get some info from people in NY/NJ winters does the AWD with all-season tires work as good as RWD with Blizzak? so no, this is not your standard "is winter tires worth it".. what i'm curious about is do people who have Xdrive feel like that is good enough?

my next question would be about is 19 inch option on Xdrive really dimiinsh the effectiveness of the Xdrive? i dont know if the 19" is summer only. if summer only i'm not keeping those for winter even with Xdrive. thank you..

[GrannyShiftG80]

AWD with all seasons is very inferior to RWD with blizzak

[k4sh_90]

Doesn't matter how many wheels are getting power. If part of the car that actually touches the road sucks, you're gonna get stuck.

I'm running the factory all seasons on my xDrive car. It's competent, but I try not to praise it too much. I definitely don't drive it like everything is going to be fine. Nothing will beat a solid set of rubbers meant for the cold.

[zipstic]

Originally Posted by Allenssmart

AWD with all seasons is very inferior to RWD with blizzak

+1

Originally Posted by BimmerX5kid

my next question would be about is 19 inch option on Xdrive really dimiinsh the effectiveness of the Xdrive? i dont know if the 19" is summer only. if summer only i'm not keeping those for winter even with Xdrive. thank you..

The size of the wheel isn't what's important, it's the tire itself along with the width and sidewall. Typically you want more sidewall and narrower tires in the winter while keeping the overall tire diameter the same (or very close to the same) as OEM. This is especially important with X-Drive.

Also be aware that as you move up in higher wheel diameter, the selection of winter tires options decreases.

[TiMSport]

Why not get Blizzaks or comparable winter tires for the xDrive equipped car? Doesn't matter if you have AWD, if you live in a severe climate during the winter, you should have winter tires I think. Traction is ultimately as good as your tires.

[BimmerX5kid]

WOW.. well this was crystal clear. looks like i will still get the winter tires.. TIMSPORT you asked why not get..? I just wanted confirmation was i being foolish thinking that AWD would suffice...

thank you everybody..

[RustyNail19]

I live in Northwest Ohio, so probably pretty comparable as far as weather goes. I’ve never put winter tires on and have never had any kind of issue with traction on my F30 xDrive, even driving in bad weather. I also owned a rear wheel drive with all seasons. It wasn’t good in the snow. xDrive makes a big difference and IMO all seasons are plenty sufficient. Might be different if you lived in the mountains. Never had winter tires but also never felt like I needed them.

There is obviously the downside of cost and having to switch them out twice a year which some people seem to overlook. Maybe it’s not a big deal to them, but it’s an inconvenience to me. Especially when the weather can fluctuate quite a bit in the fall and spring, knocking season specific tires out of the recommended temp ranges.

[TiMSport]

Originally Posted by BimmerX5kid

WOW.. well this was crystal clear. looks like i will still get the winter tires.. TIMSPORT you asked why not get..? I just wanted confirmation was i being foolish thinking that AWD would suffice...

thank you everybody..

I speak from the luxury of living down South where snow and Ice (usually) are not a concern. Lol.

However, like everyone more or less stated, winter tires are of course superior to anything else in winter conditions. That's obvious. As another member also stated, he didn't/doesn't need winter tires and gets by with All Seasons where he lives. I suppose what it comes down to is how severe conditions can get where you live. How much peace of mind do you want when potentially driving in severe conditions, especially icy roads?

AWD, 4WD, FWD are again only about as good as the tires they're rolling on. Winter tires are designed to get superior traction over All Seasons by upwards of 50%. Special compounds for the tread rubber are used as well as a different tread design. It's one thing to get by on standard tires, but you will be at a performance deficit if you need controllable cornering and braking ability in severe conditions.

Bottom line is that xDrive aka AWD doesn't mean you'll get great handling abilities in severe conditions due to the drivetrain alone. You need good tires as well.

[Banana Clipper]

Originally Posted by Allenssmart

AWD with all seasons is very inferior to RWD with blizzak

WUT?

[oonowindoo]

using "just because it was OK before, then it must be Ok in the future" when it comes to snow/ice is never a good idea.

At the end of the day, you only have 1 life and all it takes is one time.

So if safety in winter is what you worry about, just get winter wheels/tires for all 4 corners, RWD or Xdrive dont matter as much when your car is sliding on ice.

That would be your best bet.

[wrickem]

I live in nj too and my family owned a chain of tire dealerships growing up, so I realize the importance of good tires.

This one is my 7th X-drive BMW and my 3rd one that I don't bother switching and storing winter tires on.

The winter tires are definitely better, but I get around just fine with (nonRFT) all seasons in snow. I am able to get up and down my very steep driveway no problem. X-drive with a/s gets up and down way better than my old RWD 633-csi with snows though, hands down.

[GrannyShiftG80]

Originally Posted by Banana Clipper

WUT?

?

[Tom20182018]

I drive a 330i xdrive in Idaho with stock all-seasons tires, doing pretty OK. But in the city there’s not much snow.
You can look up for michelin crossclimate 2, I heard it’s the best all-season in snow.

[BimmerX5kid]

Well this is good that we diff opinions now . For the record i'm never expecting an all season to "handle" perfectly in the snow. thats obvious. I should have given more details i'm sorry. what i'm talking about is the situation where there is 2 or 3 inches of snow on the road the plow has not come yet. We've all seen or experinced ourselves when stopped at a llight, or having to go up a small incline, you press the throttle and literallly the car doesnt move. the tires spin. you go "ohhh shit". if you have summer tires you are DEAD. when you have AS rear wheel you go "please oh please i think i can make it".. When you have blizzaks on you say "is this snow? what snow i didnt notice". So i was hoping to get more info about Xdrive with all season in the described condition is it better than "i think i can make it?"

[BimmerX5kid]

i remember my first 3 series in the snow without snow tires. i had a manual stick. i was at work and there was about 5 inches of snow by the end of the day. i got into my car, put it in reverse.. let up on the clutch and heard a "wurrrrrrr" sound.. i was like WTF is that? i did it again.. eased up the clutch. "wuuuuuuur".. i'm like "holy sh*t is my car broken.. are my gears messed up.. my car is not moving.." i tried it again.. then it dawned on me the car was fine.. that was just my wheels spinning under me. That afternoon i bought Blizzaks and never drove AS for the winter ever again as long as i had a RWD car..

[oonowindoo]

Originally Posted by BimmerX5kid

Well this is good that we diff opinions now . For the record i'm never expecting an all season to "handle" perfectly in the snow. thats obvious. I should have given more details i'm sorry. what i'm talking about is the situation where there is 2 or 3 inches of snow on the road the plow has not come yet. We've all seen or experinced ourselves when stopped at a llight, or having to go up a small incline, you press the throttle and literallly the car doesnt move. the tires spin. you go "ohhh shit". if you have summer tires you are DEAD. when you have AS rear wheel you go "please oh please i think i can make it".. When you have blizzaks on you say "is this snow? what snow i didnt notice". So i was hoping to get more info about Xdrive with all season in the described condition is it better than "i think i can make it?"

It sounds to me you already know the answer to your own questions. X drive is still primarily RWD.. the front will have some power when the rear starts to slip. At least that is my understanding. It is not the same as some of the full time AWD.

When that happens, it is just the difference between 2 wheels spinning or 4 wheels spinning. They are all just spinning.

While AS might be ok in your case 90%+ of the time, but if you can financially afford it, why not? It is not like you will be racing with anyone in snow/ice.

[RustyNail19]

Originally Posted by oonowindoo

It sounds to me you already know the answer to your own questions. X drive is still primarily RWD.. the front will have some power when the rear starts to slip. At least that is my understanding. It is not the same as some of the full time AWD.

When that happens, it is just the difference between 2 wheels spinning or 4 wheels spinning. They are all just spinning.

While AS might be ok in your case 90%+ of the time, but if you can financially afford it, why not? It is not like you will be racing with anyone in snow/ice.

Sorry but this is not true. It has rear bias but there is still plenty of power going to the front wheels when needed. As far as the spinning goes, you're comparing the rear tires with very little weight against the front tires that have the weight of the engine on them. That makes a big difference and it's very rare that good all season tires are going to spin out.

To the OP, you will be more than fine in 2-3 inches of snow. I have never gotten stuck in my xDrive and that includes driving around when we had almost 24 inches of snow in a two day period last year. Also, I live in Michigan (said NW Ohio earlier because I live on the border) where they don't plow the roads often. I have not once had that feeling of panic that I'm going to be stuck. I've driven multiple rear wheel drive cars before and there's a big difference having xDrive. Some of the comments on here are vastly understating the difference xDrive makes.

As you've pointed out, you will get the best traction with winter tires. I'm not debating that. But I personally don't think they're necessary for the weather around here. I've never felt unsafe even in bad storms. Regardless of having winter tires or not, it's obviously not a good idea to be racing around and driving aggressive in snow.

[oonowindoo]

Originally Posted by RustyNail19

Sorry but this is not true. It has rear bias but there is still plenty of power going to the front wheels when needed. As far as the spinning goes, you're comparing the rear tires with very little weight against the front tires that have the weight of the engine on them. That makes a big difference and it's very rare that good all season tires are going to spin out.

To the OP, you will be more than fine in 2-3 inches of snow. I have never gotten stuck in my xDrive and that includes driving around when we had almost 24 inches of snow in a two day period last year. Also, I live in Michigan (said NW Ohio earlier because I live on the border) where they don't plow the roads often. I have not once had that feeling of panic that I'm going to be stuck. I've driven multiple rear wheel drive cars before and there's a big difference having xDrive. Some of the comments on here are vastly understating the difference xDrive makes.

As you've pointed out, you will get the best traction with winter tires. I'm not debating that. But I personally don't think they're necessary for the weather around here. I've never felt unsafe even in bad storms. Regardless of having winter tires or not, it's obviously not a good idea to be racing around and driving aggressive in snow.

How is that any different than what i said?

Also doesnt 3 series have almost 50/50 weight distribution?

[FLPhil]

IMO having two sets of tires is the best solution, as summer tires and winter tires are superior to all-seasons. That is the route I took when I lived in NJ, now it is summer tires all year.

[GrannyShiftG80]

Originally Posted by BimmerX5kid

Well this is good that we diff opinions now . For the record i'm never expecting an all season to "handle" perfectly in the snow. thats obvious. I should have given more details i'm sorry. what i'm talking about is the situation where there is 2 or 3 inches of snow on the road the plow has not come yet. We've all seen or experinced ourselves when stopped at a llight, or having to go up a small incline, you press the throttle and literallly the car doesnt move. the tires spin. you go "ohhh shit". if you have summer tires you are DEAD. when you have AS rear wheel you go "please oh please i think i can make it".. When you have blizzaks on you say "is this snow? what snow i didnt notice". So i was hoping to get more info about Xdrive with all season in the described condition is it better than "i think i can make it?"

idk how much it snows where you live but i can give you some more insight

one time in late march there was a cold wave and we got a huge snowstorm. i'd already switched my winters over back to PS4S

i still managed to crawl my way back from work very slowly due to xdrive but even accelerating gently from a stop all the wheels would slip.

[RCtennis3811]

We don't get much snow here in Dallas, but we did have that ice/snow storm last February. FWIW, my 2020 330i xDrive with A/S tires performed admirably in 6" of snow on top of about 1" of sleet. I drove about 50-100 miles every day that week with temps not reaching higher than the teens for a few days in a row. The vehicle performed fine going up and down freeway ramps and interchanges. Then again, I don't live in Colorado or Washington where roads can be extremely steep.

[BimmerX5kid]

guys thank you again for all the feedback. but last night i just discovered what an idiot i am. I currently have an X3 with all season and Xdrive. like i literally should know the answer to my question already right?!? if i'm driving X3 Xdrive with AS that should be nearly identical to 330 with X drive right? unless you guys are gonna school me about SUV tires vs sedan tires..