It's that time of year again - do I need new winter tires and what would I get?
I have a 2011 BMW 535i X-Drive with some mods - KWv3 coilovers (modest ~1" drop in ride height), sway bars and some software stuff. For its size the handling is pretty sharp and I like a car that handles well. I'm far from being a kid and I drive like an adult, but the suspension out-drives winter tires so easily. My R2s are borderline in tread depth and age. I'm on the Canada side of the Great Lakes area and do not have a "gotta get there" job presently, although that may be changing in the months to come. I may still push them one more season and defer the expense.
I've had a decent number of winter tires in my life. My list of winter tires used on German sedans: Michelin Arctic Alpin (*), Dunlop Wintersport M3, Hakkapeliitta RSi, Blizzak WS60 (*), Dunlop Wintersport 3D (*), Hakkapeliitta R2 with "in the family" experience with Pilot Alpin PA2, Pirelli Snowsport 210. Tires marked with (*) came with a car or wheel package I purchased second hand and weren't chosen by me.
Shockingly, I feel like the WS60s (came with an E90 328i I had for a couple of years after my E39 was totalled) were the best balance of least wet/dry compromise but the winter traction I needed when I needed it. I was shocked based on my Blizzak pre-conceptions, but the fact that the PO went lower profile than I would usually run on my winter setup may have contributed to this positive result along with the 3-series platform simply being far more nimble to begin with without requiring heroics from the tires.
My shortlist as it stands today: Conti VikingContact 7, Michelin X-Ice Snow, maybe Michelin Pilot Alpin PA4 - though I'm not necessarily sold on reentering the "performance" category. I threw out my Dunlop M3s with lots of tread depth remaining because they lost all winter traction after one short season. The Dunlop 3Ds did OK until they aged and lost grip in fresh snow near freezing and clear wet conditions but somehow always had a huge mismatch between ice/snow braking traction and acceleration/turning (like 1:3 or 1:4, meaning low braking grip).
I have read praise of the VC7 as a great all-rounder, but it's been out for several years and may be surpassed now. A like-minded friend with a GTI reported to me that he felt more confident in all conditions on Xi3s over the VC7s he has now. I've read that the X-Ice Snow has long life and good wet/dry manners while still being top tier in the messy stuff. I assume the PA4 is pretty good, but I'm not sure to what degree I'll be compromised in slippery conditions compared to the X-Ice, and the pricing here on anything with "Pilot" in the name is cringe-worthy. How much winter grip does a PA4 lose compared to X-Ice Snow? Are they really only for cold, dry, sunny days?
Open to thoughts and discussion.
I have a 2011 BMW 535i X-Drive with some mods - KWv3 coilovers (modest ~1" drop in ride height), sway bars and some software stuff. For its size the handling is pretty sharp and I like a car that handles well. I'm far from being a kid and I drive like an adult, but the suspension out-drives winter tires so easily. My R2s are borderline in tread depth and age. I'm on the Canada side of the Great Lakes area and do not have a "gotta get there" job presently, although that may be changing in the months to come. I may still push them one more season and defer the expense.
I've had a decent number of winter tires in my life. My list of winter tires used on German sedans: Michelin Arctic Alpin (*), Dunlop Wintersport M3, Hakkapeliitta RSi, Blizzak WS60 (*), Dunlop Wintersport 3D (*), Hakkapeliitta R2 with "in the family" experience with Pilot Alpin PA2, Pirelli Snowsport 210. Tires marked with (*) came with a car or wheel package I purchased second hand and weren't chosen by me.
Shockingly, I feel like the WS60s (came with an E90 328i I had for a couple of years after my E39 was totalled) were the best balance of least wet/dry compromise but the winter traction I needed when I needed it. I was shocked based on my Blizzak pre-conceptions, but the fact that the PO went lower profile than I would usually run on my winter setup may have contributed to this positive result along with the 3-series platform simply being far more nimble to begin with without requiring heroics from the tires.
My shortlist as it stands today: Conti VikingContact 7, Michelin X-Ice Snow, maybe Michelin Pilot Alpin PA4 - though I'm not necessarily sold on reentering the "performance" category. I threw out my Dunlop M3s with lots of tread depth remaining because they lost all winter traction after one short season. The Dunlop 3Ds did OK until they aged and lost grip in fresh snow near freezing and clear wet conditions but somehow always had a huge mismatch between ice/snow braking traction and acceleration/turning (like 1:3 or 1:4, meaning low braking grip).
I have read praise of the VC7 as a great all-rounder, but it's been out for several years and may be surpassed now. A like-minded friend with a GTI reported to me that he felt more confident in all conditions on Xi3s over the VC7s he has now. I've read that the X-Ice Snow has long life and good wet/dry manners while still being top tier in the messy stuff. I assume the PA4 is pretty good, but I'm not sure to what degree I'll be compromised in slippery conditions compared to the X-Ice, and the pricing here on anything with "Pilot" in the name is cringe-worthy. How much winter grip does a PA4 lose compared to X-Ice Snow? Are they really only for cold, dry, sunny days?
Open to thoughts and discussion.
