Re: [bmw] Winter Driving

["Chris Pawlowicz" <cpawlowicz@xxxxxxxxx>]

Gary asks
> This will be my first Midwestern winter (St. Louis) in my south Texas
530iA.
> I am hearing about snow tires, and have not needed such an animal for many
> years and at that time they were on my pickup. We usually get a decent
amount
> of snow and ice.
>
> What recommendations would the listers give me on snow tires? I guess I
> should also find a set of wheels for them, suggestions there too?

Pretty much any name brand snow tire (with the little snowflake symbol on
it)
is going to perform head and shoulders above summer or all-season tires in
the winter.
(see http://www.tirerack.com/winter/tech/severe.html for explanation of the
symbol)

Specific tire choices for winter are just as variable and personal as for
summer tires- ask 10 people and you'll probably get 10 different answers!

Some perform better on ice, some are a little quieter on dry pavement, and
some don't squirm as much as others. I personally am using Nokian
Hakaapallita's on my E30 and my 4x4 because they are quiet, long lasting,
work great in snow and don't squirm at high speeds. Other tires are better
on ice, however, and tire technology is advancing quite rapidly (last year's
Hot Tire may be second best this year).

Typically you use a narrower tire size than 'normal' (helps cut through the
snow down to pavement below), and most people buy steel wheels for their
winter rubber (cheap, work well, take winter pothole abuse a bit better than
alloys, and don't corrode like alloys in the salt which can lead to leaky
rims).



Chris Pawlowicz
Stebro Stainless Performance Exhaust
http://cpcperformance.com
--
to be removed from bmw, see /bin/digest-subs.cgi
or email "unsubscribe bmw" to majordomo@domain.elided