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      12-09-2014, 05:41 AM   #1
M2wolf
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Winter driving any tips?

Was -1.5C around my neck of the woods this morning.

Was wondering if anyone got any tips to share? Would be kinda scary to go > 80 mph with summer tyres at this sort of temperature..?

When you start your engine during winter.. do you leave it running for > 10 mins for the engine to warm up? any tips..?
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      12-09-2014, 07:11 AM   #2
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I'm not going to put winter tyres on mine. If it snows it'll get left in the garage and the wife's mini will be used instead.

As for driving on summer tyres when it's cold, modulate the throttle, don't go daft when cornering, drive smoothly and leave a decent gap to the car in front.

I don't leave mine running to warm up. I'm pretty sure BMW recommends you just get in and drive it normally (as in, don't kick its arse until it's warm) because it gets up to temperature better that way.
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      12-09-2014, 07:11 AM   #3
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Definitely not necessary to leave the car standing and ticking over , probably worse for the engine. Drive straight away slowly and let the oil get up to operating temperature before using all the revs. The car will drive perfectly safely even in these cold temperatures on the summer tyres if you drive sensibly and appreciate the longer stopping distances necessary and use a sensitive foot !
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      12-09-2014, 08:14 AM   #4
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Many people state not to let it run and just to get in and drive when cold.

I will say that with my car if I start it and begin to drive right away when it's cold (30F or so) it idles rough and is herkey - jerkey at a slow controlled speed (riding the brake). It sounds and feels quite ugly.

I usually start let run for 20-30 secounds when the car is that cold then back out, it's much more smooth this way. I don't think it will hurt the car either way you go.

Good luck driving in the snow, those treads look to be a nightmare in any amount of it. I can't imagine going up any incline or worse stopping on a decline. Be safe and test it out before you get on any public roads.
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      12-09-2014, 09:29 AM   #5
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I just get into the car and drive straight off. Heated seats a must .
I would take it easy on the summers. I guess the simple rule is to drive taking into account the conditions. Keep a safe distance and brake gently.

I have winters on but you still need to be careful.
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      12-10-2014, 06:58 AM   #6
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FULL ALERT AND WARNING .... recently in -1.5 C temps ... but more or less dry roads .. the slightest damp patch on an even more slight incline caused me to spin sideways. It was the gentlest of throttle to get me up the very slight incline that spun the back end. I couldn't believe how easy it spun. I am thinking now of winter tyres ?? Other peoples thoughts ??

and BE CAREFUL in the cold !!
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      12-11-2014, 03:58 AM   #7
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agreed..

with great M-power comes great responsibility to brake!
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      12-13-2014, 03:54 AM   #8
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After lots of research I ordered the BMW Winter tyre package with 18s and Continental TS830P. Basically could not get just tyres for my 19s ... It's the 275/35 back ones that are only made in very small quantities. £2300 not cheap but of course tyre consumption of PSS reduced and will be able to sell on 18inch wheel eventually.
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      12-14-2014, 05:59 AM   #9
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Got mine on a couple of weeks ago, the 640M wheels with Pilot Alpins ( I already had 2 tyres from my 330d winters).

First light snow yesterday and they seem to perform well. Hill start on steep snow covered hill, steer and stops well.

A bit of experimenting in an empty car park suggests that MDM mode the best, normal seem to bog down a lot, DSC fully off needs very quick reflexes and I suspect a lot of practice to catch.

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      12-17-2014, 06:09 AM   #10
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Here is my pennies worth ..

BMW's generaly are not good to drive in the snow because of how the wait is distributed in the car (and I'm not talking about cars with winter tyres, im talk about cars with summer tyres driving in winter conditions). I tend to leave Sport settings on for suspension and Stearing wheel. Also, there is too much power going into tyres, especially first thing in the morning when the tyres are cold and hard, so I put it in manual and 2nd gear to pull off (wouldn't recomend to do this all the time)

Start and go ... not convinced either way yet. I tend to start and wait for about 30 seconds before i pull off .. old habbits die hard
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      12-18-2014, 03:04 PM   #11
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Sorry....browsing the forum and couldn't help but notice this thread.

Much as we seem obligated to teach you about proper lumberjacking etiquette (high heels, suspendies, etc) I feel obligated to share colonial wisdom on something we may have more experience with.......

(since, frankly, most people here would not even consider -1.5C 'cold'. it is actually not a bad winter temperature, all things considered....but I digress.


Quote:
Originally Posted by Railgun View Post
Just because it's not snowing doesn't preclude the need for winter tires.

Summer tires will get hard...in even colder temps, too hard to be worthy of even being called a tire.

The rule of thumb is if you're in >45F/7C, get some proper tires on...as it's obviously not summer anymore.
Yes. Absolutely accurate.

Winter tires (or tyres ) aren't just for snow (though they can help in that) it is mostly for the cold. If you played hockey (real hockey, not 'field'....) I could make an analogy to hockey pucks, but instead lets just talk rubber shoes. Depending on the compound, rubber can get very hard in the cold. When it is really hard, it is slippery. Its why cheap rubber soled shoes are so bad in cold weather.

Better rubber soles for cold are softer and stay soft in the cold.

That is all winter tyres are - softer rubber that will give you grip on cold dry pavement when summer tyres (which are very hard) will slip like a cheap shoe.

What other thoughts?
Quote:
Originally Posted by ZacM4 View Post
Here is my pennies worth ..

BMW's generaly are not good to drive in the snow because of how the wait is distributed in the car (and I'm not talking about cars with winter tyres, im talk about cars with summer tyres driving in winter conditions). I tend to leave Sport settings on for suspension and Stearing wheel. Also, there is too much power going into tyres, especially first thing in the morning when the tyres are cold and hard, so I put it in manual and 2nd gear to pull off (wouldn't recomend to do this all the time)

Start and go ... not convinced either way yet. I tend to start and wait for about 30 seconds before i pull off .. old habbits die hard
...and

Quote:
Originally Posted by Andrew115 View Post
Many people state not to let it run and just to get in and drive when cold.

I will say that with my car if I start it and begin to drive right away when it's cold (30F or so) it idles rough and is herkey - jerkey at a slow controlled speed (riding the brake). It sounds and feels quite ugly.

I usually start let run for 20-30 secounds when the car is that cold then back out, it's much more smooth this way. I don't think it will hurt the car either way you go.

Good luck driving in the snow, those treads look to be a nightmare in any amount of it. I can't imagine going up any incline or worse stopping on a decline. Be safe and test it out before you get on any public roads.
Don't run your car for more than 20-30 seconds before you start driving.

Anything more just wastes fuel. Car absolutely doesn't need it.

Just drive it slowly for the first few km and it will warm itself up.

(frankly, again, -1.5 is not even a cold temperature. No harm at all to driving the car in that temperature - just, again, don't go WOT off your driveway.)

The concern is largely that you want the oil and fluids to warm up just a bit so that they lubricate and you don't have cold, metal bits hitting each other (breaking off bits). Letting the car idle more than 20 or so seconds doesn't do enough of that - much better to slowly drive it.

....in fact, idling may well hurt the car.

This is often discussed over here, so here are some random articles that might be of interest

https://ca.autos.yahoo.com/blogs/gre...201000465.html

http://www.nrcan.gc.ca/energy/effici...on/idling/4423

http://www.wheels.ca/news/should-you...re-driving-it/

Anyway, sorry. Couldn't help myself. I'll go back to my beavers, maple syrup and poutine now.
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Last edited by myzmak; 12-18-2014 at 03:14 PM..
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      12-19-2014, 02:23 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Railgun View Post
What?

If there's "too much power," that's driver error, not a fault of the car. Start in a higher gear, and learn throttle control as you allude to. There's nothing wrong with starting in 2nd as required. The clutch will handle it just fine.

Don't know where in the UK you are, but driving with these cars in tons of snow is fine provided it's not above the lower fascia and you plow through it. I've been through plenty of Chicago snow without a hitch.
Not sure why this upset you that much, it was just my opinion, dont have to listen to it or agree with it. Because of my profession, I can safely say that I know a bit about throttle control. I didn't say that 'too much power' is a fault in the car, infact that's the reason why most of us bought this car. What I was implying was that cars with this much power do need to be handle with care specially in winter conditions. Now you might be a very good driver but I have seen people with powerful cars who cannot drive in winter and it is driver error in most instances. I am in North of scotland at the moment where temperatures are low but most people here are use to it and know how to drive in these conditions
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      02-07-2015, 06:52 AM   #13
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....I nip out in my dressing gown and fire up (10-15mins) put heated seat on along wif front and rear De-mister's....makes a lot of throaty noise 4 the first 45 seconds then she tames...I have always fired up and let stand....the time limit on this depends on the Temp outside...
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