Tyre advice please :)

[jonnzee]

Hi all,

I managed to find this forum via google and just looking for some advice.

I've only owned my 2013 BMW 520D for about 6 months and although I have been driving for some years this is my first RWD car as I've come from owning Ford's & VW's mainly. Although now approaching the Winter months I've noticed the tyres slipping a bit and recently coming out of a muddy firework display car park the other week the car felt like it didn't want to drive at all.

I'm currently on Bridgestone Turanza ER300 245/45R18 Run flats which are coming towards the end of their lives on the rear end and just wondered what you would advise to change them with? I was tempted to get a complete set of alloys fitted with winter tyres but I honestly don't think the weather in the UK ever really get THAT bad to warrant forking out on them.

Any advice or even driving the 5 series in wet, ice conditions would be much appreciated.

Cheers,

John.

[Bimmer Owners' Club]

Hi Johnny...welcome to the Forum

Unfortunately, that is one down side to rear wheel drive cars....no weight over the driving wheels.

Unless you have the X-Drive then it is a case of finding the best tyres to grip in icy conditions (sorry, not sure which these would be though) and using different driving techniques.

Hopefully it won't really get that cold this year in the UK, unless you're in Scotland or remote areas where there is likely to be snow.

Let us know what you find with your choice of tyres.

Cheers,  Trevor

[MICK 330DCI]

Hi John,

Trust me your probably in for a shock the first time the roads are white! BMW`s are great but they are useless in the lightest of snow . If you have never bought "winter tyres" then IMO do yourself a huge favour & buy some. You can run them all year round if you buy quality tyres. Ive run Continental winter tyres for the last 2 years & they have lasted over 20,000 miles. If the 5 series is the same as the 3 series then it will ride MUCH better on normal tyres as Run flats ruin the ride! The Continentals are fine in the summer ..unless your name is Lewis Hamilton... & in snow my 330d moves without much drama! They are fine in the wet on motorways & if your sticking to err hem the speed limits then you wont have any issues running them all year round! I will be fitting them to my 330Ci soon as last year it was an ornament in bad weather! Couldn't get it off the drive in snow last year but the 330d just drove off ..no worries! You don't mention if you live in town or rural areas or miles to work on what roads. They wont perform miracles in a muddy field (mind ive never tried lol) & although you can move off easily , stopping the bugga can still get interesting! Still far easier than with summer tyres. 

Don't take my word for it, Read Auto express Finland winter tyre tests. Also find on you tube a BMW M3 on Nokian winter tyres walk away from a Ford KA (FWD) & a Subaru 4wd up hill in the fresh snow then later compacted snow.

This is my opinion & like you I didn't see the need to buy them. If you fit them, then enjoy laughing at EVERY Bmw  you pass that's stuck !!!!!!!!!!

I hope this helps you mate.

[Greydog]

Winters are the way to go I started using them years back when I did a lot of travelling and business in Northern Europe, they are law there from October on. Try an AMG E class or CLS with out !!! I even have a set of Wintrac Extreme for the X5, as Mick says they don't fix everything but at least you can still get about. 

[jonnzee]

On 16/11/2017 at 1:51 AM, MICK 330DCI said:

Hi John,

Trust me your probably in for a shock the first time the roads are white! BMW`s are great but they are useless in the lightest of snow . If you have never bought "winter tyres" then IMO do yourself a huge favour & buy some. You can run them all year round if you buy quality tyres. Ive run Continental winter tyres for the last 2 years & they have lasted over 20,000 miles. If the 5 series is the same as the 3 series then it will ride MUCH better on normal tyres as Run flats ruin the ride! The Continentals are fine in the summer ..unless your name is Lewis Hamilton... & in snow my 330d moves without much drama! They are fine in the wet on motorways & if your sticking to err hem the speed limits then you wont have any issues running them all year round! I will be fitting them to my 330Ci soon as last year it was an ornament in bad weather! Couldn't get it off the drive in snow last year but the 330d just drove off ..no worries! You don't mention if you live in town or rural areas or miles to work on what roads. They wont perform miracles in a muddy field (mind ive never tried lol) & although you can move off easily , stopping the bugga can still get interesting! Still far easier than with summer tyres. 

Don't take my word for it, Read Auto express Finland winter tyre tests. Also find on you tube a BMW M3 on Nokian winter tyres walk away from a Ford KA (FWD) & a Subaru 4wd up hill in the fresh snow then later compacted snow.

This is my opinion & like you I didn't see the need to buy them. If you fit them, then enjoy laughing at EVERY Bmw  you pass that's stuck !!!!!!!!!!

I hope this helps you mate.

Hiya mate,

Thanks very much for the reply and advice. Crazy as it may sound, I'm planning to now swap the 5 Series in for a 330D xDrive F31 (Touring) which are sadly also coming with run flats. Not sure how these will fair in bad weather with the xDrive but will most likely run them down then possibly swap for a winter tyre to use all year round but its just choosing the right tyre I suppose.

Most of my miles, mainly to work are motorway miles and I don't live too far away before getting onto a main road so it should be ok even if we do have snow/ice covered roads as predicted soon this year...

I'll definitely look into the winter tyres, any idea how much yours set you back?

Cheers

[jonnzee]

On 16/11/2017 at 7:09 AM, Greydog said:

Winters are the way to go I started using them years back when I did a lot of travelling and business in Northern Europe, they are law there from October on. Try an AMG E class or CLS with out !!! I even have a set of Wintrac Extreme for the X5, as Mick says they don't fix everything but at least you can still get about. 

Thanks mate, I think winter tyres may be the way to go. I know german motors, particularly BMW's and Mercedes are well loved in eastern europe where the weather is known to get bad during winter and they never seem to have much of a problem getting about. That being said, would an xDrive still face similar problems running the usual summer tyre on an icey road? I can't see it being great but on winter tyres it should probably be a breeze...

[Greydog]

An Xdrive will cope in anything but the most extreme conditions on summer tyres with out to much stress, however remember it's not just about getting going steering and stopping are useful things to be able to do as well. That said my X5 with fat summer tyres has many times pulled the horse trailer with a couple of fat horses on board out of slippery wet grass fields and coped with snotty gateways where others have had to wait for a tractor to assist. 

Winter Tyres use a different compound that only really starts to work below about 12 C so on a cold frosty morning they are not compromised. While a summer tyre still works it's stopping distance will be increased. With the AMG's on a cold morning on a moist road any acceleration would give the traction control a work out, while on winters it wouldn't be noticed.

Just remember just because they grip better in poor conditions they don't increase our driving skill to that of a World Rally driver !!

[jonnzee]

8 hours ago, Greydog said:

An Xdrive will cope in anything but the most extreme conditions on summer tyres with out to much stress, however remember it's not just about getting going steering and stopping are useful things to be able to do as well. That said my X5 with fat summer tyres has many times pulled the horse trailer with a couple of fat horses on board out of slippery wet grass fields and coped with snotty gateways where others have had to wait for a tractor to assist. 

Winter Tyres use a different compound that only really starts to work below about 12 C so on a cold frosty morning they are not compromised. While a summer tyre still works it's stopping distance will be increased. With the AMG's on a cold morning on a moist road any acceleration would give the traction control a work out, while on winters it wouldn't be noticed.

Just remember just because they grip better in poor conditions they don't increase our driving skill to that of a World Rally driver !!

Yeah I completely agree. I've driven for years in front wheel drive vehicles in bad conditions especially snow and never even touch the brakes, purely use the gearing system to brake. I just haven't got any experience of RWD cars in snow (having seen loads sliding everywhere it makes me feel uneasy) but now I'm going over to a xDrive hopefully there's more grip and once I sort the tyres out it should be a lot easier. To add to it all, the gearbox is an auto too so I'm wondering how good it will be using the manual shifter to try to brake that way as opposed to stamping on the brakes.

It'll all be good fun I guess!

[Greydog]

The Xdrive system has lock up on the box and engine braking at low speed. With my X5 it has a 3 option Auto box auto, sport, manual and I have to confess apart from a play when I first got the car it just lives in auto.

So I suspect that unless we have a really bad winter I think you will be the same, enjoy that Xdrive.