Edmunds.com | Inside Line | Auto Observer Your Account | Help | Directory
You are here:
![[F]](http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com/media/townhall/webxicons/site.gif){kind=small}
Forums
Maintenance & Repair Snow/Ice winter tires
708 messages, Last post on Nov 10, 2009 at 12:57 PM
You are in the Maintenance & Repair Forum. Your Host is mr_shiftright
For the general tire discussion topic, have a look at the Tires, tires, tires topic.
 Help? I have a BMW 328i Cabriolet and it isn't great in the winter. Dealer recommends 4 snow tires. I have never used 4 snow tires. Is that really necessary? Then there's 17 inch Alloy wheels, 16 inch Alloy wheels, and steel wheels with discs (cost half of the 17" alloys) I could buy a nice used car for the price of these! Another thing, would it be good to check with a tire dealer rather than BMW? What I would like to do is get 2 snows on steel rims. |
|
|
Replying to: driver100 (Nov 11, 2008 2:42 pm)
|
|
|
Replying to: driver100 (Nov 11, 2008 2:42 pm) As noted, check out tirerack.com.. Your dealer is the most expensive place to buy tires/rims for a BMW. |
|
|
Replying to: david112 (Nov 11, 2008 3:45 pm) Your suggestions sound very good, glad I asked. Oh yes, I live in Canada near Toronto. Basically, I would say it actually snows maybe 5 times during the winter where snow or ice is a problem. Work is only 20 minutes away and my wife as an all wheel drive car for trips etc. Thanks again.
|
|
|
Replying to: driver100 (Nov 11, 2008 6:41 pm) Blizzaks are great, but they very soft and wear fast, half the tire tread is snow tire, when that wears down it becomes an all season tire (at least the one I bought was like that). During the second season I had them they turned back into all seasons and I started sliding again  . The Nokia's I have now are in their 5th season and are still working great, but cost more. But nothing beat the blizzaks the first year I had them, amazing! But as you said only 5 or so days a year I really need them, if that, it snows way more then that where I live but the roads are usually plowed and salted by the time I use them. So sometimes I wonder if they are worth it. The handling is really poor with them (especially the soft blizzaks, feels like I driving on erasers) It may be cheaper just to call in sick on those few days I really need snows, or use vacation!
|
|
|
|
| for folks only facing a few days of snow, also consider auto socks as they are cheap (tirerack sells em for around $70 a set), work fine on ice and ok on anything up to moderately deep snow. Easy to put on compared to chains. | |
| Many garages and shops are refusing to install only two snow tires due to legal liability and safety issues. | |
|
Replying to: psorter (Nov 11, 2008 8:02 pm) Thank you very much - this is great information. If I go ahead you have convinced me 4 snow tires are better than 2. I might just go with plan C. Another thing I don't like about changing tires is trying to get 4 tires home. Storage is $400 at the dealer. Plan B; is to buy a Suburu for the winter. Plan C: Not drive on snowy days, which will be about 5 times during the winter. Work from home those days which I can do. Use my wife's all wheel drive if we have to go out. Go to Florida in February. Just hope they don't make snow tires compulsory in my province, they just did in Quebec but their winters are much worse.
|
|
|
|
|
Replying to: driver100 (Nov 12, 2008 5:40 am) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPE8vL5hlFA last half of video shows a Subaru Outback sliding down the road and piling into another car. If getting a Subaru, be sure Nokians or something decent's on the wheels. The stock Yokohama or Bridgstones are weak on snow and nearly useless on ice.
|
|
|
Replying to: kurtamaxxxguy (Nov 12, 2008 4:27 pm) very icy conditions That was fascinating. Wonder if snow tires would have hlped that much...looked like real slippery ice and major slope! 
|
|
You are here:
Forums
Maintenance & Repair Snow/Ice winter tires
