[naylon]

How is G30 Xdrive on snow?

Is there a lot of traction uphill?

When you do downhill, is there a Hill Descent System which keeps speed under control?

[docjrk]

Xdrive is only as good as your winter tires.

[mobilejo]

Originally Posted by docjrk

Xdrive is only as good as your winter tires.

We don't get much snow here, and although winter tyres are always going to be better for snow driving, my G30 X drive in snow on std tyres was much better than my f10 rwd on std tyres when trying to move off/turn.

Obviously when braking its all crap if you are not on winters, but as I don't do winter tyres, X drive still has some advantages over rwd. Just don't expect miracles - you can't drive 'normally' just because you have X drive.

[wknddrivr]

Originally Posted by mobilejo

We don't get much snow here, and although winter tyres are always going to be better for snow driving, my G30 X drive in snow on std tyres was much better than my f10 rwd on std tyres when trying to move off/turn.

Obviously when braking its all crap if you are not on winters, but as I don't do winter tyres, X drive still has some advantages over rwd. Just don't expect miracles - you can't drive 'normally' just because you have X drive.

I don’t see X-drive as an advantage if it’s giving me the ability to accelerate faster but my braking and handling capabilities are still severely limited by poorly performing no-season tires. At that point I’d rather just stay with RWD so I wouldn’t have a false sense of security and get into as much trouble.

OP, assuming you live somewhere that gets below 40degrees F for a portion of the year, go with winter/summer tires and forget all seasons. RWD with winter tires is better than x-drive with all season. And the G30 has nearly a 50/50 weight balance so you should have enough weigh on the rear wheels to get good traction. It’s not like an American muscle car with 65% of the weight over the front.

[clee1982]

Originally Posted by ssquared

I don’t see X-drive as an advantage if it’s giving me the ability to accelerate faster but my braking and handling capabilities are still severely limited by poorly performing no-season tires. At that point I’d rather just stay with RWD so I wouldn’t have a false sense of security and get into as much trouble.

OP, assuming you live somewhere that gets below 40degrees F for a portion of the year, go with winter/summer tires and forget all seasons. RWD with winter tires is better than x-drive with all season. And the G30 has nearly a 50/50 weight balance so you should have enough weigh on the rear wheels to get good traction. It’s not like an American muscle car with 65% of the weight over the front.

Most of my friends live in north east stick with all season, I only know one guy who swap tires, not arguing all season is as good as winter tire but just most people do just stay on all season

[mobilejo]

Originally Posted by ssquared

I don’t see X-drive as an advantage if it’s giving me the ability to accelerate faster but my braking and handling capabilities are still severely limited by poorly performing no-season tires. At that point I’d rather just stay with RWD so I wouldn’t have a false sense of security and get into as much trouble.

OP, assuming you live somewhere that gets below 40degrees F for a portion of the year, go with winter/summer tires and forget all seasons. RWD with winter tires is better than x-drive with all season. And the G30 has nearly a 50/50 weight balance so you should have enough weigh on the rear wheels to get good traction. It’s not like an American muscle car with 65% of the weight over the front.

Its not about accelerating faster. Its about my F10 being unable to get off my drive as the back wheels just span, whilst my G30 was able to do it every time without much fuss.

No one should see x drive as an alternative to winter tyres. Have both for the best snow experience.

[XxLHCxX]

I have never changed winter tyres on any of my vehicles, even on RWD ones back in the day. I don't change it mainly because I do not like the hassle of going to the shop to swap out tires and lugging the tires around.

With that being said, I did drive my friend's Porsche Macan S with winter tyres previously and the stopping was a lot better than on all seasons for sure. I just don't drive as fast during the winter.

An AWD system does have the benefit in the winter time as you will not be "stuck" as easily. I have never been stuck with an AWD car as of yet. Just drive slowly and safely and you'll be fine.

Although I am not a professional driver, I would say that for some reason, I personally felt like the Audi Quattro system was a bit better. This can be due to a variety of factors but that is my opinion, so you can take it with a grain of salt haha.

[wknddrivr]

Originally Posted by mobilejo

Its not about accelerating faster. Its about my F10 being unable to get off my drive as the back wheels just span, whilst my G30 was able to do it every time without much fuss.

No one should see x drive as an alternative to winter tyres. Have both for the best snow experience.

Well said. Sadly many people less automotively inclined than us on the forum do see AWD as an alternative to winter tires...80% of the people I’ve talked to don’t even know winter tires exist and I’m from NY and used to ski quite a bit.

[ksoze]

Originally Posted by XxLHCxX

I have never changed winter tyres on any of my vehicles, even on RWD ones back in the day. I don't change it mainly because I do not like the hassle of going to the shop to swap out tires and lugging the tires around.

Many dealers will swap and store tires, sometimes for nominal fee. The summers are Flintstone tires in winter and killer in the warmer months, so winters are critical.

[HighlandPete]

Originally Posted by ssquared

Well said. Sadly many people less automotively inclined than us on the forum do see AWD as an alternative to winter tires...80% of the people I’ve talked to don’t even know winter tires exist and I’m from NY and used to ski quite a bit.

We have this problem in the UK, many users think AWD is all that is necessary for winter driving. Continue to run high performance summer tires through winter. Don't even run All-Season.

I've seen articles in our UK Motoring magazines on best vehicles for winter driving, listed a few AWD models, but didn't even mention tires. If that is the motoring press, what hope for the average driver?

I always say to folks who talk with me about why I run winter tires. "If you can't stop, best not even try to get going". Many just don't grasp it is not just about getting moving, preventing getting stuck, tires are key to car control and braking. 'Getting going' is why many buy AWD, it should include assessing the other risks, which many simply don't consider.

Then we have the invincible drivers... "I've got AWD, I don't have to think about control or stopping". Hence why we see as many AWD vehicles in the ditch as 2WD.

[AP]

This video really says it all.

As others have said. Does matter whether awd or rwd, all cars are all wheel braking so no difference!

[SteveinArizona]

Clearly AWD is no proper substitute for snow tires in snow country. However, having power applied to all tires does have the potential to increase grip which is desireable.

So...snow tires are better but all weather tires and AWD is better than nothing.

[hlothery]

What is this "snow", of which you speak?

[clee1982]

Originally Posted by AP

This video really says it all.

As others have said. Does matter whether awd or rwd, all cars are all wheel braking so no difference!

yea, but that's not the real comparison most people have in colder region I imagine. At least in northeast other than the like of M cars, all the inventory cars I have seen come with all season tires (ordered car is of course whatever you desire).

So at least here the typical comparison is AWD+All Season vs. AWD+Winter tire. I would not argue all season is as good as winter tire just do you really want it?

disclaimer, if I don't live in manhattan, i.e. if I got plenty of space like most normal American I would probably get winter tire, given I'm in manhattan there is no realistic place to store it, other than my livingroom...

[HighlandPete]

Originally Posted by clee1982

yea, but that's not the real comparison most people have in colder region I imagine. At least in northeast other than the like of M cars, all the inventory cars I have seen come with all season tires (ordered car is of course whatever you desire).

So at least here the typical comparison is AWD+All Season vs. AWD+Winter tire. I would not argue all season is as good as winter tire just do you really want it?...

Here in Europe most vehicles, (BMW, including xDrive in the UK), come with performance summer tyres.

This is what poses the biggest issue, All-Season are not common or popular. Most users simply run on into winter on the summer tires, get caught out completely when we have snow.

Due to our climate, our winter/cold weather tire selection is designed for a balance of wet and cold roads, with reasonable snow performance. We don't normally buy into a snow tire. Even here in the Highlands of Scotland, dedicated snow tires are not the best option, we have a lot of cold and wet periods.

[SpencerP]

Originally Posted by hlothery

What is this "snow", of which you speak?

[clee1982]

Originally Posted by HighlandPete

Here in Europe most vehicles, (BMW, including xDrive in the UK), come with performance summer tyres.

This is what poses the biggest issue, All-Season are not common or popular. Most users simply run on into winter on the summer tires, get caught out completely when we have snow.

Due to our climate, our winter/cold weather tire selection is designed for a balance of wet and cold roads, with reasonable snow performance. We don't normally buy into a snow tire. Even here in the Highlands of Scotland, dedicated snow tires are not the best option, we have a lot of cold and wet periods.

Guess different market have different baseline expectation, just curious (not relevant to winter tire) do you guys typically get run flat?

[HighlandPete]

Originally Posted by clee1982

Guess different market have different baseline expectation, just curious (not relevant to winter tire) do you guys typically get run flat?

Most of the current BMWs sold in the UK come with run-flats as standard.

I continue to run them on my 5-series, both summer and winter wheel sets. I drop a wheel size for the winter set, to keep a similar ride quality all year round.

[Black]

I got an xDrive 530D because the street I live in is impossible in any snow. However as it came with 19” summer wheels I got a set of 18” Bmw alloy winter wheels from my local dealer. 19s are presently being stored by them. Only had one short blast of snow so far and it drove up no problem at all, much better than my last front wheel drive car on winters. So xDrive definitely helps but as others have said the rubber makes the bigger difference.
Also for anyone else wondering I have the blue m-sport brakes and the 18” wheels fit just fine.

The LED headlights on the other hand are totally useless in a snow storm, not enough heat to stop snow accumulation and rapidly get covered. I don’t have washer jets and stopping on a motorway to clear is not an option. Serious design flaw which means even with the tyres sorted the car is heavily compromised at night in snow.

[JohnDoe2017]

X drive or not snow requires winter tires. These can be Nordic or continental European doesn't matter too much. Studs can also be included but honestly very rarely required (only on very icy conditions or areas). If very steep mountain roads you can use studded to get the extra grip.

I run x drive now non studded continental winter. They are fine. I have done several ski trips on steep mountain roads with ice. No issues whatsoever. Even stop and start went fine. Before I ran same tire set up on Rwd. Also fine in winter but requires a bit more work to get up steep mountain (keep momentum perhaps traction control off etc. ). Worst case some snow chains on rwd will beat x drive non studs I'm pretty sure...

[JohnDoe2017]

Led headlight washer is standard in Nordic I believe. But still may require manual cleaning due to salty roads

[Warp Ten]

Winter tires are definitely best for snow but all seasons are adequate with AWD, at least in the Chicago area. I had a '98 M3 that with summer tires would not even move in snow despite the limited slip diff. With winter tires on it was a blast to drive and both accelerated and stopped surprisingly well.Just ordered a set of wheels and snow tires from Tire Rack. Also once had a 2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 with 425 HP and 20 inch wheels with summer tires. Never changed the tires for winter. The AWD always got me going, but I had to be really careful for braking and turning. Plan well in advance for both. Not too smart probably but it did work fine for me as long as I was not foolhardy. With the 540xi and the 535xi before it, I have always used all season tires and never had a snow problem. But as with the Jeep, it always pays to be careful and cautious in the snow.

My latest snow adventure was with my Corvette Z06. My conclusion: snow, summer tires, and 650 HP don't mix very well. Sold my 535xi in late October and the new 540xi didn't come in until November 20. Had to drive the Z06 in between and wouldn't you know we had an early dose of winter. Had to take it out one day and it went fine on level roads but when I got back to my house I couldn't get up my driveway, which has a slight incline. Had to back all the way across the road into my neighbor's drive (which was level and without much snow), all the way to his garage, then get a running start. Bit of a bump when I hit my drive but it got up to the level area in front of the door. It stayed in the garage until the BMW came in, then it went directly to the top of the lift for its winter nap.--Bob