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      01-03-2021, 01:01 PM   #1
kosmokratur
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M550: Good in snow?

OK, I know this is probably sacrelige to our Southern friends but...

I'm in Western NY and I have my eyes on a nice M550 with 19 inch wheels. I THINK the tires are Pirelli RF's.

Are these cars decent in the snow? Part of my sales pitch to the fam is that this car would climb out of our driveway while my e38 and e39 can't. Of course none of you have been here ,,,, the slope might be 2-3 degrees but the RWD ones have incredible trouble getting out.

BTW, the G30 doors etc. are aluminum, right? I'd really hate to ruin (another) nice car if they're steel.
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      01-03-2021, 01:41 PM   #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kosmokratur View Post
OK, I know this is probably sacrelige to our Southern friends but...

I'm in Western NY and I have my eyes on a nice M550 with 19 inch wheels. I THINK the tires are Pirelli RF's.

Are these cars decent in the snow? Part of my sales pitch to the fam is that this car would climb out of our driveway while my e38 and e39 can't. Of course none of you have been here ,,,, the slope might be 2-3 degrees but the RWD ones have incredible trouble getting out.

BTW, the G30 doors etc. are aluminum, right? I'd really hate to ruin (another) nice car if they're steel.
It's not about the car, but tires. And since xdrive is standard on the 550 it shouldn't be a problem in the snow with some decent snow tires.
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      01-03-2021, 03:12 PM   #3
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My previous car was 545 M-Sport (rear-wheel drive) and I live in Toronto, with the snow tires the car drove better than my wife's SUV!!! As the previous gentleman said, it's about the tires not the car and with the x-drive on the M550 with the right snow tires you are going to blow the road with this beast....

Quote:
Originally Posted by kosmokratur View Post
OK, I know this is probably sacrelige to our Southern friends but...

I'm in Western NY and I have my eyes on a nice M550 with 19 inch wheels. I THINK the tires are Pirelli RF's.

Are these cars decent in the snow? Part of my sales pitch to the fam is that this car would climb out of our driveway while my e38 and e39 can't. Of course none of you have been here ,,,, the slope might be 2-3 degrees but the RWD ones have incredible trouble getting out.

BTW, the G30 doors etc. are aluminum, right? I'd really hate to ruin (another) nice car if they're steel.
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      01-03-2021, 06:07 PM   #4
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Agreed, as far as it goes. It is USUALLY about the tires but starting from zero on an icy, slanted slope means my e38 and e39, even with new Blizzaks, are challenged to make it out... as is Mrs' 4x4 SUV w/same Blizzaks.
The old RWD ones are totally fine in the snow once I get them off my property.
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      01-03-2021, 06:43 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kosmokratur View Post
Agreed, as far as it goes. It is USUALLY about the tires but starting from zero on an icy, slanted slope means my e38 and e39, even with new Blizzaks, are challenged to make it out... as is Mrs' 4x4 SUV w/same Blizzaks.
The old RWD ones are totally fine in the snow once I get them off my property.
Quote:
Originally Posted by kosmokratur View Post
Agreed, as far as it goes. It is USUALLY about the tires but starting from zero on an icy, slanted slope means my e38 and e39, even with new Blizzaks, are challenged to make it out... as is Mrs' 4x4 SUV w/same Blizzaks.
The old RWD ones are totally fine in the snow once I get them off my property.
My 540 is great in snow, I live in NY. BIGGEST Problem is clearance. Anything over a foot, I take suv until streets are plowed.
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      01-04-2021, 05:36 AM   #6
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I live in Massachusetts and my 21 m550 is great in the snow. I run Pirelli sottozeros on the stock 20 inch rims and have had no problems going up hills in snow, ice or rain. I drove the car once with the stock Pirelli p zeros and it was a real scary experience. Even a slight touch of the throttle would lead to wheel spin
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      01-04-2021, 08:41 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kosmokratur View Post
Agreed, as far as it goes. It is USUALLY about the tires but starting from zero on an icy, slanted slope means my e38 and e39, even with new Blizzaks, are challenged to make it out... as is Mrs' 4x4 SUV w/same Blizzaks.
The old RWD ones are totally fine in the snow once I get them off my property.
Just curious...when your e38/e39 is in the situation you describe...have you turned ASC+T/DSC OFF? If not, give that a try because in deep snow or slippery inclines...you need some wheel spin/slippage sometimes to keep moving (or get moving) without the engine throttle reduction that occurs when you still have traction control turned ON. Usually with dedicated winter tires the e38/e39 does really well in the snow (from my personal experience) and if you do get into one of the "special" winter situations like a slippery incline or really deep snow...turning of ASC/DSC usually helps tremendously.
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      01-04-2021, 09:52 AM   #8
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haven't needed to take the g30 in the snow (and if it snows in FL, we're so fucked)
E46 rwd mt i take in the snow in Canada all the time - snow tires on, no need to worry about turning DSC/TC off - without snow tires, yeah i had to do all that. but i can't recall the last time i needed to do anything with snow tires other than maybe move forward a tiny bit and then jam it into reverse and floor it to get out of a driveway with foot deep snow.

with the beast that is the 550, you'll have wheel spin so i'd imagine with winter tires, you'd be just fine
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      01-04-2021, 10:23 AM   #9
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OP, I live in Atlanta but grew up in Western NY (Buffalo) and went to college in Ithaca, so I have plenty of experience driving in snow/ice and hills. We do get occasional snow in ATL so the two cars here for comparison are my current M550 and my previous S5 Cab. I drove both in snow/ice with no salt on the roads and both had summer performance tires. Without question the Audi was superior. Not that the M550 was bad, it was a lot more fun but much harder to keep the tail straight, likely because the M550 has massive low end torque. I still drive the M550 in the snow but with summer tires the xdrive can only do so much. As many have mentioned, with dedicated snow tires the M550 should perform great in the snow.
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      01-05-2021, 09:28 PM   #10
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Thanks everybody.
"Just curious...when your e38/e39 is in the situation you describe...have you turned ASC+T/DSC OFF?" - Yes, doing this is the only way I have a prayer of getting up the steepest part of the slope. I never have any real problem except those first uphill 20 feet or so.
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      01-06-2021, 08:39 AM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kosmokratur View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by Qsilver7
"Just curious...when your e38/e39 is in the situation you describe...have you turned ASC+T/DSC OFF?"
Yes, doing this is the only way I have a prayer of getting up the steepest part of the slope. I never have any real problem except those first uphill 20 feet or so.
...thanks for the verification. Mentioning the oft overlooked or forgotten suggestion to turn DSC off in certain conditions acts as a reminder or tip for the coming winter season when some owners may need to be reminded that this option to turn traction control OFF may get them out of a "stuck" situation.
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      01-06-2021, 11:55 PM   #12
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I’m sure everyone agrees with the importance of tire selection when it comes to winter driving. For years - no, decades, the M+S, or mud and snow sidewall stamp has been understood to indicate a snow tire. And while state DOT’s jumped on board, the reality is that the tire manufacturers themselves decide which tires get M+S. It’s totally up to them.

But there’s a newer standard for winter tires that relies upon actual performance testing in snow and ice conditions. Tires that meet test requirements get stamped with the Alpine symbol, or three peaked mountain with a snowflake in the center. Ironically, these tires will often also have an M+S, because manufacturers get to decide when it comes to that one, and DOT’s seem to be not up to speed on this, so a lot of them only recognize the inferior M+S.

Tires stamped with the alpine symbol perform remarkably better in winter conditions. For me, I’ve got Pilot Alpins on my 530 - so far, so good.
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      01-08-2021, 12:15 AM   #13
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I run Blizzaks which do have the three peaks (reminds me of Eccentrica from the Hitchhikers' Guide but I'm an old nerd).
Traction control off and a lot of throttle modulation to get them up the slope and pointed toward the exit. Really sometimes I have to do this with Mrs' SUV too.
Trying to rationalize an M550... sure, it will reliably climb out, first time, every time. Wish me luck!
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      01-10-2021, 04:52 PM   #14
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So far as snows go, can 18 inch wheels fit on the M550, or does it require 19+?
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      01-10-2021, 06:17 PM   #15
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I agree with everyone. Snow tires makes all the difference. Olympic ice skaters won't do well on the ice in sneakers.

I put Vredestein WINTRAC PRO's on my car and I couldn't be more happy with them. In the dry they perform surprisingly well for dedicated snows. I can compare them to Blizzaks and Pirellis on previous X5's.
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      01-12-2021, 05:44 PM   #16
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My slope

Here's the slope that gives me headaches.
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      11-09-2021, 07:30 AM   #17
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NNJCarGuy I'm interested in Vredestein WINTRAC PRO's for my M550. What size tires did you install? It's my first winter with this car and I don't want to purchase an entire wheel/snow tire package since the car just sits in Logan Airport's central parking 3-5 days each week.
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      11-09-2021, 09:40 AM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kosmokratur View Post
Here's the slope that gives me headaches.
Ideally you want 19". Only certain 18s will clear your callipers. Better have some room to avoid ice. Your current rims are 664m. Dealer sell those exact rims with Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3 in a square setup. They're great. You can get them in jet black if you want a different look for winter.
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      11-09-2021, 02:45 PM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kosmokratur View Post
So far as snows go, can 18 inch wheels fit on the M550, or does it require 19+?
Quote:
Originally Posted by kosmokratur View Post
So far as snows go, can 18 inch wheels fit on the M550, or does it require 19+?
19s are the smallest that will fit on the M550 due to the brake calipers
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      11-09-2021, 05:33 PM   #20
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My old 330 convertible RWD could go up my early 45 degree incline driveway in snow and Ice…. If I had winter tires. The regular all seasons didn't cut it. ( lucky to be alive after trying… got 80% of the way up, then shot back down like a rocket!)

I would imagine with the xDrive regular all season tires would be sufficient
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      11-10-2021, 11:10 AM   #21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by macdaddy_o View Post
...I would imagine with the xDrive regular all season tires would be sufficient
Reading your last comment made me think of the many YouTube videos that show comparisons of AWD vs RWD or FWD. In many winter conditions...a RWD or FWD vehicle mounted with dedicated winter tires will out-perform an AWD vehicle mounted with all seasons. There's many videos on Youtube that show comparisons if its something one would like to see.

The ambient temperature is what probably causes all season tires to suffer the greatest loss of traction for acceleration, braking, and handling (even on an AWD vehicle) when compared with an 2WD mounted with dedicated winter tires. When the ambient temps drop below 45° F...their rubber compound hardens causing their traction abilities to suffer.
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      11-11-2021, 05:01 PM   #22
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Quote:
Originally Posted by NVRfollo View Post
19s are the smallest that will fit on the M550 due to the brake calipers
The 18" black 662M will fit in an M550i. About $2300 for new rims and tires.

Last edited by SomaM550i; 11-11-2021 at 05:10 PM..
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