xDrive winter tyres yes or no?

[Dazvanman]

Hi there folks!

Like many others no doubt, its that time of the year where the temperature in the UK drops a little, so I'm contemplating winter tyres for my car. I'm weighing up if to purchase some winter tyres and wheels for my 2016 F25 BMW X3 mSport 2L Diesel. My way of thinking is that the xDrive system with winter tyres should allow the wife reassurance when it comes to snow, ice and slush this coming winter. My logic is, xDrive + winter tyres = a very grippy car! Not to mention the rubber reacts better in temperatures lower the 7 degrees.

This said, I've been advised by my local BMW parts dept & Master Technician, that even though there is a set available for my vin number/car type there is no need to alter the standard setup as the xDrive system is very intelligent and the car should get us out of a pickle come the bad weather even with the Pirelli summer tyres which are stock on the car anyway.

I'd love to know peoples thoughts on this and if people have ventured down the route of fitting winter wheels/tyres previously to an X3 or even an X5? I have a best mate who swears by winter tyres on BMW's, however this was on his rear wheel drive 3 Series convertible.

The only option available for my car, are the V-Spoke 304 17" alloy wheels with the Dunlop SP Winter Sport 3D tyre (225/60/R17 99H). No steel wheels are available.

The other thing I can't quite get my head around is that my stock alloys are the 20" 310 type alloys running Pirelli P-Zeros front - 245/40/R20 and 275/35/R20 on the rear. If I were to purchase the option available to me from BMW parts, would going down 3 sizes in wheel diameter harm the setup of the car and put the diff/transfer box under any undue wear and tear?

Also, with my stock 310 type alloys being diamond cut and polished, taking these off the car in the winter months may be beneficial to prevent salt/grit damage, hence why I've ruled out buying cross climate/all season tyres for my 20" wheels.

Appreciate any feedback! Many thanks.

[d_a_n1979]

IMO doesn't matter if you're in an AWD, xDrive or 4x4 etc; winter tyres will ALWAYS better a car with 4x4 driving, for example, and summer tyres...

My Dad has an X3M 3.0 xDrive; they have a property in Dunkeld that we frequent every winter; it gets A LOT of snow generally and up until the last few years he's never done anything re tyres; just stuck with the summer Dunlop RFTs he runs

We went up to The Cairngorm one day (via the House of Bruar); my wife & I in my RWD E39 530i and my folks in Dads X3; he got stuck on the lower car park at Cairngorm, spinning all over the show and no traction and the snow wasn't that deep; but heavily iced...

We pootled on passed in my E39, laughing, all the way to the main car park...

Personally I won't be without winter tyres; no matter what car I've got. Even if no snow etc; they're better than. any summer tyres in the colder temps that we DO get in the UK over winter and more so; with all the wet weather we get too... They perform hell of a lot better than any premium summer tyres; their compounds are perfect for it, obviously.

I do get if you live in a city that winters are probably a waste of £££; but if you're rural, semi-rural or do commuting etc, winter tyres have their place

Oh; there's a long standing thread re winter tyres here too; worth reading: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

[Earthdweller]

Yes

The 4WD system will give you (some) more traction but the winter tyres will help you brake and steer and stop which the 4WD system will have zero effect on

I run an X3 and use winter tyres

[mmm-five]

Here's our resident tyre expert's comparison of 4WD on summer tyres vs 2wd on all weather/all season tyres.

https://youtu.be/3N6PGrQ5imw

[Lozw86]

In my experience x drive and summer tyres will keep you moving in the snow.. just don’t expect to stop when you apply the brakes

[ian in lancs]

I run an F25 3.0d MSport and used winter tyres for a 27mile cross county commute each way for work until covid. Definitely more sure footed and quieter.

[Mr Tidy]

I've never had an X-Drive, but fitted winter tyres to my E90 yesterday.

As others have said an X-Drive may be able to get moving on summers but won't stop or steer any better than a 2WD model so getting moving may be a drawback if it won't stop!

Those sizes may well be as the overall diameter may not be too much different given the 60 profile.

[Pica-Pica]

Not for me. I live in coastal North Wales; it rarely snows at sea-level, and has only gone down to between 2 to 4 degrees for two weeks in any year (I have logged temperatures for the last four years SPECIFICALLY to assess if I would benefit from winter tyres).
I have the luxury of choosing whether I go out or not, but even so wet and above 4 deg C is the norm. I do also have the expediency of a 2WD Fabia with all-season tyres, so IF I do need to go out in ice or snow, I have that choice. Ideally I would just use all-seasons too on my X-drive, but wet-grip followed by low noise and high comfort are my priorities for me and my location.

[AlpinaB5]

I live in Germany where winter tyres are a requirement. The difference in traction between winter and summer tyres in bad weather is huge. Definitely worth every penny. As mentioned before they also provide much better steering and braking ability in snow. My Alpina is rear wheel drive and is useless in the wet on summer tyres never mind snow and ice but is fine on winters. A few years ago I travelled back to UK in my MK4 Golf and there was a lot of snow. I travelled along the M4 in the outside lane with no issues much to the annoyance of everyone else who was stuck behind a snow plough at 30mph in the nearside lane!

[Allan L]

Earthdweller said:

The 4WD system will give you (some) more traction but the winter tyres will help you brake and steer and stop which the 4WD system will have zero effect on

So long as you have somewhere dark to store the wheels and tyres that are not in use, having summer/winter tyres seems sensible even in areas without much snowfall but temperatures below 7°C. Otherwise the x-drive is just a way of getting you to the accident quicker.

[pills]

Definately worth having. I always run a set on my F25 X3 335D, I'm in mountain rescue so have to able to get into the Peak district in bad weather, including using road which have been closed. The only thing which has stopped me in the past is very deep snow where the cars grounded out.
Worth looking a german ebays sellers, I picked up a set of 18in genuine BMW alloys and tyres for about £1800. I run a square set up for winter.

[mekondelta]

I remember with great fondness overtaking a struggling Range Rover in the snow as it struggled to go about 10mph. My car was a 118i with not the best winter tyres. The answer is yes, winter tyres are night and day better in the snow and also in very cold weather. Whether you have enough cold (less than 7deg) weather where you live and do enough driving in those conditions to make it worthwhile is the consideration to make, also where you will store your wheels (BMW have a storage option for about £50/year IIRC).

[MattyD803]

Be under no illusion.....even the most advanced 4WD system will struggle to get you up an incline if your tyres are wrapped in summer tyres and the snow is at that compacted/icy point....let alone swerving or stopping.

Depending on the nature of your commute/journey, Winter Wheels/Tyres are a great investment. I fit mine at the start of Dec and swap back around March/April, and the confidence and reassurance they provide is staggering.

[mat205125]

If you've the space to store them and the cash to buy them, then do it. Amazing in all conditions at this time of the year

[Scrump]

Dazvanman said:

Hi there folks!
The other thing I can't quite get my head around is that my stock alloys are the 20" 310 type alloys running Pirelli P-Zeros front - 245/40/R20 and 275/35/R20 on the rear. If I were to purchase the option available to me from BMW parts, would going down 3 sizes in wheel diameter harm the setup of the car and put the diff/transfer box under any undue wear and tear?

Appreciate any feedback! Many thanks.

The 225/60 17 tyres have the same overall diameter as the 245/40 20 tyres. (They have a much taller sidewall to make up for the smaller diameter wheels).

[aeropilot]

Dazvanman said:

Hi there folks!

Like many others no doubt, its that time of the year where the temperature in the UK drops a little, so I'm contemplating winter tyres for my car. I'm weighing up if to purchase some winter tyres and wheels for my 2016 F25 BMW X3 mSport 2L Diesel. My way of thinking is that the xDrive system with winter tyres should allow the wife reassurance when it comes to snow, ice and slush this coming winter. My logic is, xDrive + winter tyres = a very grippy car! Not to mention the rubber reacts better in temperatures lower the 7 degrees.

This said, I've been advised by my local BMW parts dept & Master Technician, that even though there is a set available for my vin number/car type there is no need to alter the standard setup as the xDrive system is very intelligent and the car should get us out of a pickle come the bad weather even with the Pirelli summer tyres which are stock on the car anyway.

I'd love to know peoples thoughts on this and if people have ventured down the route of fitting winter wheels/tyres previously to an X3 or even an X5?

Don't listen to BMW Techs for a start

You don't say where in the UK you are which will have a bearing on the answer.

For example, I run all season tyres on my X5 as a compromise, given I live in the home counties and for the snow/ice we get in the south-east, it is more than adequate. I specced the all-seasons when new (which you can't do anymore) and after 41k miles I'm just about to have to replace the ones on the front.
I used to swap between winters and summers on my previous BMW 135i, and if I lived in a more hostile part of the UK weather wise, I would probably run swap between winters and summers on the X5 as well, but the all-seasons have been adequate for the past 4 winters.

[chandrew]

AlpinaB5 said:

I live in Germany where winter tyres are a requirement. The difference in traction between winter and summer tyres in bad weather is huge. Definitely worth every penny. As mentioned before they also provide much better steering and braking ability in snow. My Alpina is rear wheel drive and is useless in the wet on summer tyres never mind snow and ice but is fine on winters. A few years ago I travelled back to UK in my MK4 Golf and there was a lot of snow. I travelled along the M4 in the outside lane with no issues much to the annoyance of everyone else who was stuck behind a snow plough at 30mph in the nearside lane!

From Switzerland so not legal requirement but pretty much equivalent. I'm a convert since moving here and even if back in the UK would always get winters. Even in the cold they're better than summers.

From a BMW-ownership perspective I had an i3 which was serviceable in snow on winters; a 340 xdrive which would always get you from A-B but which understeered quite badly. (A different set of winters reduced this). My B5 Touring is xDrive and I drove back home from a parents evening in Davos on Friday night over the Fluela with about 10cm of snow depth on it and it was fine, even though there are lots of slip-off-the-side-and-you've-got-a-200m+-fall type places to focus the mind. Off the pass and down the Engadine and I was at speed limit most of the way home no problem. You obviously brake earlier and make sure you're smooth but driving on snow is similar to heavy rain on summers.

If you factor-in that your summers will probably last twice as long they're not really so expensive. Get a second hand pair of wheels to further bring down the costs.

I also have an R53 Mini which has winters and it's never been stuck though the traction light flashes more than on the xDrive BMWs. It's -10 and snowing today (so salting doesn't work) and there was no problem driving up and down snow-covered hills.

[Dazvanman]

Cheers for the reply! Especially the one where it states “don’t listen to BMW Techs for a start!”

I’m not too bothered about the steering response etc, just want the car to stop and steer correctly for the wife when out in the cold conditions. We don’t tend to get heavy snow in the UK but what we do get is icy slushy roads where winter tyres would be a lot better than the wide P-Zeros that are on now. Also when it does snow, it tends to snow on top of ice and slush. We’ve all been there and seen it where when it snows on the M’way lane 3 is always left empty as snow has fallen onto slushy Tarmac and the Traffic Officers/Police always seem to just drive on through it in their big X5’s At speed. This I’m assuming as they have good quality winter rubber shoes on. My only concern is if the smaller diameter wheel (17”) will put mechanical pressures or wear and tear on the xDrive system as the car is setup and manufactured to work on my stock 20” wheels. BMW assure me, albeit the parts team, that the 17” wheels will fit my car and will go over the brakes. They also come complete with the tyre pressure sensors etc in the new wheels as a complete set. So basically other than the 3” size difference in wheel diameter, they will fit. I’m just panicking that the transfer case or diff may wear with smaller size wheels on? Thanks for all the responses.

[E-bmw]

Dazvanman said:

just want the car to stop and steer correctly for the wife when out in the cold conditions.

There is your own answer to your question, no brainer. Yes.

[jwo]

Yes.

Stuck my 18” winters on (my 330d G20) last weekend. Xdrive with summers won’t be much different to RWD with summers..
I have the Pirelli Sottozero 3 (225/45/18) which seem okay and are BMW star marked.

Car a lot more assured in the colder weather, and in the odd bit of snow we do get work very well. In Feb happened across a 320d xdrive going across the A66 in quite heavy snow - thought they could copy me.. they couldn’t..