[Wildcat Jon]

Well, here in Cincinnati we had about 6 inches of snow yesterday afternoon and last night. My typical 30 minute commute ended up being 3 hours 5 minutes. Brutal. But, the great news is that my Dunlop Wintersport M3 DSST runflats performed incredibly. I have the 17 inch 225 setup for the winters and have SP with the 162s/18s OEM. I was caught numerous times on inclines where I had to "start from scratch" after being stopped and had no problem whatsoever. Much better than my 2004 TL with FWD and allseasons. I maneuvered around numerous wrecks, stuck trucks, cars and even SUVs, etc. with a smile on my face (well, I didn't smile too much in my 3 hour drive). I'll be out in it again this morning, but wanted to post a first hand review.

[LEDZEP]

Good to hear! We're getting the same storm now, but unfortunately where I live it is manefesting itself in the form of freezing rain and sleet. I'm not venturing out in that if I can help it! Although my wife did take the 325xiT out to work this morning.

[ase2dais]

I didnt get Michelin Pilot Alpins AS2 to wimp out ! let the fun begin!

Im going to find the biggest snow bank and try to plow my E90 in it

after which, I'll drive into the iciest patch at the fastest speed possible

and hope I dont pick up a nail, I dont have runflats

wish me luck

[bt304]

Originally Posted by Wildcat Jon

Well, here in Cincinnati we had about 6 inches of snow yesterday afternoon and last night. My typical 30 minute commute ended up being 3 hours 5 minutes. Brutal. But, the great news is that my Dunlop Wintersport M3 DSST runflats performed incredibly. I have the 17 inch 225 setup for the winters and have SP with the 162s/18s OEM. I was caught numerous times on inclines where I had to "start from scratch" after being stopped and had no problem whatsoever. Much better than my 2004 TL with FWD and allseasons. I maneuvered around numerous wrecks, stuck trucks, cars and even SUVs, etc. with a smile on my face (well, I didn't smile too much in my 3 hour drive). I'll be out in it again this morning, but wanted to post a first hand review.

Yes! I have the same tires and just drove my 325i in the snow for the first time. Took it easy of course but not once did I get stuck or feel uneasy. I'm looking forward to the drive home tonight!

[KC Bimmer]

3 degrees here in Kansas City with a foot of snow and zero problem here! Awesome!

[harbour456]

Great to hear that everyone is having good success with their RWD E90's on snow tires. I'm awaiting my 330i with SP and manual trans... supposed to be here in late December. My Dunlop M3 wintersports on 17" alloys from the tire rack are already waiting at the dealer.

Thought I might give my views on AWD and snow tires. Here in Ontario, Canada, snow is obviously a common event. I commute about 50 kms to and from the hospital daily and have been driving a discretely modified Subaru WRX for the past 4 years. I have been running non runflat Dunlop M3's in the winter for the past 2 seasons. Recently got caught out in the 1st storm of the season 3 weeks ago with my summer Goodyear Eagle F1 tires... let me tell you that even a very good AWD system such as the WRX's is USELESS without appropriate rubber. My commute home was terrifying to say the least! I'm back on my winter rubber now and the difference is NIGHT and DAY. I also had all-seasons on the car for the first 2 years and they really were not great in the snow, despite the AWD.

Hence, I honestly believe that appropriate snow tires are without a doubt the MOST IMPORTANT issue in winter driving... not the AWD. Don't get me wrong, an AWD car WITH snowtires is almost unstoppable but if the debate is AWD with summer or even allseasons versus RWD with snows... the latter will be safer and easier to drive in the winter.

I'll post my own Canadian 330i winter experience once I have my new baby.

Cheers from the Great White North

[Wildcat Jon]

I was toggling back and forth all spring between waiting on the 330xi and pulling the trigger on the 330i with SP. I'd never had a RWD before and we have our share of mild 4-12 inch snow storms (3-4 a year) plus a half dozen "ice" events. After doing a ton of research, I decided I just liked the look of the 162s with the lowered SP and I wanted to drive the car on dry pavement in late summer and fall. My decision was truly validated after driving the past 2 days on the Dunlop M3s. These tires perform pretty well on dry pavement (not as good as my stock) but better than expected. The snow, ice performance supassed my expectations. Almost as well as my wife's GX470 4wd and our old 4wd Expedition. I'm sure the car's 50/50 weight balance has a lot to do with it as well.

[silverado]

I have the same setup and I agree these tires are very good with ZSP. However, be careful of the low clearance of the car! See this other thread of mine for the details.

[natalia]

If you're in the snow and stuck, will it mess anything up if you're giving it gas and you're wheels are just spinning out?

[Wildcat Jon]

I haven't gotten stuck yet. Also, the DTC engaged will not allow a spin out.

[drkeng]

Just an old E46 driver; I have the all season 17 inchers; said I would get snow rubber, but never got around to it. We got a few inches last Thurs afternoon, obviously screwing the afternoon rush; my 25 minute drive took 1 hr 40 min. No problems; one small slide starting from one of hundreds of stops. Antilock brakes/DSC unbelievable. I purposely try to fishtail and the car seems to catch itself. Funniest thing I saw that day was everyone passing a Miata going practically sideways down the road; he couldn't seem to get a grip.
The amazing thing is that around here the main roads and even most of the side streets are clear of snow within 12 hours. That said, we haven't had a monster storm or repetitive/consecutive snows in the last few years; global warming, I guess.

[e90fanatic]

i got stuck yesterday on a block of ice. The wheels were still spinning slowly after i released the gas. I wonder why did it do that. Have anybody tried the Pzero Nero M+S in Northeastern snowy weather?

[stressdoc]

Glad to see everyone discovering the virtues of snow tires like Dunlop M3s. The other useful trick is to put weight (100 lbs works well) in your trunk on slippery days. Stuff it forward, over the wheels, to reduce polar momentum. You might also want a little bag of sand for slick ice situations like E90fanatics. And once you get some practice, you may want to turn the DSC off so that you can use power when you need it.

[Meatnog]

Has anyone been driving around in the snow on the stock tires? How are they performing?

[espo]

I've driven around on the stock A/S in my 330xi, they work fine.. A little different from my old 325xi since they are wider (225 vs. 205) with bigger rims (17in vs. 16in), but overall not too bad.