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Sedans BMW 3-Series BMW 3-Series - AWD or RWD?
427 messages, Last post on May 13, 2009 at 5:06 AM
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Replying to: xeye (Dec 22, 2007 3:23 pm) You are set up perfectly for an M3! You would need to forget about it in the winter and become a 335xi family! 414 HP is a no-brainer for AWD...check out the Porsche Turbo or the new Nissan GT-R. Loads of HP all buttoned down by AWD traction. Perhaps the new 2009 X-6 is the harbinger of that M3 AWD dream... Regards, OW |
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Replying to: shipo (Dec 22, 2007 4:45 pm) That's been my experience as well. My wife had a 1998 318ti that we fitted with Artic Alpins every winter. I used to disable the DSC and drive it in the nasty stuff with no problems whatsoever. Ditto for her 1997 528i. As for my 1995 Club Sport, it never sees ice or snow due to the fact that if some imbecile ran into it I'd wind up doing 20-Life for murder... That said, if all you want to do is geeze out and cruise through the nasty stuff without tapping into your reserve of driving talent, my wife's X3 truck is perfect. The Pirelli P Zero Nero M+S tires I fitted do an excellent job in the dry, wet, and wintry stuff. It even handles well enough that a Mustang GT that tried to keep up with it on a decreasing radius on-ramp came REAL close to kissing the guardrail. An early Christmas present from the Bavarian elves...  Speaking of Christmas presents, I just found out that my old M6 is for sale:  Maybe my wife will think it just followed me home... 
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Replying to: roadburner (Dec 22, 2007 6:29 pm) 
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Replying to: shipo (Dec 22, 2007 7:05 pm) Thanks! It is oh so tempting to bring it home again, but my wife would kill me... |
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Replying to: roadburner (Dec 22, 2007 6:29 pm) I never just cruise through the nasty stuff. The 330xi puts the X3 in the Mustang's place. BTW, that is a sweet car for sure...too bad you didn't hold onto it. I had my eye on the 635i back then. Regards, OW |
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Replying to: shipo (Dec 22, 2007 4:45 pm) Just curious if part of the difference is due to the 530i being a larger, heavier car than the 318i? I used to have a ''73 Alfa Spyder as my daily driver, and I could successfully navigate roads with light snow, provided there was little traffic to interfere with my momentum. For one period, my Alfa had been damaged in an accident and I had a medium sized Ford sedan as a loaner (but still huge in comparison). It was remarkably better in the snow than the Alfa, which I attributed to greater weight and higher ground clearance. Thanks Bruce |
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Replying to: shipo (Sep 27, 2007 5:01 am) I have been following your posts with interest over the last several years and very much respect your knowledge / experience. I live in Central Illinois, 2 hours drive south of Chicago, where there can be a fairly strong winter, depending on the year. My first BMW was a 2004 330i non-sport steptronic that I bought in 2003. In 2006, I bought a 2007 530xi steptronic, both with all season tires (which slipped and slided in the winter from time to time). After recently test driving a manual transmission 335i, I am now considering to move back to a 3 series with a manual transmission and sport package. My options under consideration are manual transmission with either: 1) 335i with sport and summer performance tires, and purchase a set of winter tires 2) 335i with xdrive with sport and summer performance tires, and purchase a set of winter tires. I have read in various forums that BMW may have improved the 335i with xdrive suspension in 2009, and there are certainly more proponents of AWD now than 2 years ago. I humbly submit that I am not a skilled BMW driver, but I have caught the "enthusiasm bug" of driving a 335i with manual transmission, and want to fully experience the passion of what I appear to have been missing over the last 6 years. So my question to you is: are you still a strong proponent of a 335i SP, with a second set of tires for the winter? Or have you warmed up to the 335i with xdrive, as BMW has perhaps "tinkered" with the suspension, etc. over the last couple of years? Thanks, JRW
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Replying to: jrw52 (May 12, 2009 3:59 pm) Long story short, I guess I just enjoy RWD too much to give it up just because of a little snow. Best regards, Shipo
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Replying to: shipo (May 13, 2009 2:18 am) If anyone else is still monitoring this thread who has experience with the 2009 335i with x drive, I'd be interested in hearing your perspective. I have heard that BMW may have improved somewhat the suspension on the 335i with x drive for the 2009 model year in response to feedback from enthusiasts. Thanks, JRW |
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