Driving German cars + Snow = Useless ?
12-21-10 | 02:01 PM
#16
Lexus Fanatic
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 91,624
Likes: 89
From: Virginia/D.C. suburbs
The IS250, BTW, (and now the IS350) come in AWD versions, if desired. The IS250AWD is a big-seller in my area (Washington, D.C. suburbs)
Last edited by mmarshall; 12-21-10 at 02:05 PM.
12-21-10 | 02:01 PM
#17
Lexus Fanatic
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 7,864
Likes: 0
From: Massachusetts
They are fine, it snows like crazy in Europe where they mostly sell and people buy them. 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6yX7...layer_embedded
And of course more proof many have no idea their car is RWD...here are snow chains on teh front of a RWD car
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6yX7...layer_embedded
And of course more proof many have no idea their car is RWD...here are snow chains on teh front of a RWD car
Holy F***!
12-21-10 | 02:08 PM
#18
They are fine, it snows like crazy in Europe where they mostly sell and people buy them.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6yX7...layer_embedded
And of course more proof many have no idea their car is RWD...here are snow chains on teh front of a RWD car
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6yX7...layer_embedded
And of course more proof many have no idea their car is RWD...here are snow chains on teh front of a RWD car
12-21-10 | 10:38 PM
#21
Lexus Champion
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 2,618
Likes: 0
From: NYC/ATL
12-22-10 | 07:08 AM
#22
Pole Position
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 2,794
Likes: 0
From: Lake Country, WI
12-22-10 | 07:19 AM
#23
So I were at a party Saturday night and since a couple folks had MB & BMWs, allot of folks were saying that with a little bit of snow these expensive cars are useless and they have to park it up for someone with a FWD car to pick them up etc.
I started saying that the correct tires with good thread depth makes a HUGE difference with how a car drives in snow. I inquired if these cars had a dry weather performance type tire or a good all weather tire? No one knew the difference as they were females and family members and not die hard enthausis!?! I then stated if the cars have summer performance tires, then there's a good chance they will not have a good experience in the white stuff. And the cars are all rear-wheel drive & not all-wheel drive models.
Note: Please do not respond like such: It's the driver or were they speeding, etc. I'm looking for more factual experienced responses, thanks.
I'm inquiring whether the "winter mode" if available on these cars are useless?
So my questions is, for those of you that actually own a german can or have had enough time behind one.....and, this is not blizzard driving but more small snow falls...
- How do these RWD cars drive in the snow?
- What type of tires do you have that allows for easy and safe snow driving
- What's your tire depth like (if you remember)
I started saying that the correct tires with good thread depth makes a HUGE difference with how a car drives in snow. I inquired if these cars had a dry weather performance type tire or a good all weather tire? No one knew the difference as they were females and family members and not die hard enthausis!?! I then stated if the cars have summer performance tires, then there's a good chance they will not have a good experience in the white stuff. And the cars are all rear-wheel drive & not all-wheel drive models.
Note: Please do not respond like such: It's the driver or were they speeding, etc. I'm looking for more factual experienced responses, thanks.
I'm inquiring whether the "winter mode" if available on these cars are useless?
So my questions is, for those of you that actually own a german can or have had enough time behind one.....and, this is not blizzard driving but more small snow falls...
- How do these RWD cars drive in the snow?
- What type of tires do you have that allows for easy and safe snow driving
- What's your tire depth like (if you remember)
With the tires being the only part of the car touching the ground, they're arguably the most important, no matter the layout. I've seen a number of cases where people rely on AWD as the go-to for snow in this area, when at the same time, they neglect their tires, not realizing AWD isn't a direct substitute, but a supplement. The end result is a confidence boost, which can quickly lead to a dangerous situation, especially when it comes time to brake.
Provided you have the space, a one-time dedicated wheel/tire setup can be cheaper in the long run, while providing a broad range of benefits.
12-22-10 | 07:48 AM
#24
Lexus Fanatic
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 14,100
Likes: 1
From: tech capital
useless=picking a car for snow based on COO (country of origin), without taking into account tires, traction control and stability control systems.
No kidding an old dated (no traction control, no stability control) front heavy (weight on front in high 50's% range) rwd car with summer tires performs poorly in snow.
No kidding an old dated (no traction control, no stability control) front heavy (weight on front in high 50's% range) rwd car with summer tires performs poorly in snow.
12-22-10 | 10:04 AM
#25
Lexus Fanatic
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 7,864
Likes: 0
From: Massachusetts
The reason why the tire cost isn't more is because you're only using one set of tires at a time, thus increasing the span of time you own your tires.
12-22-10 | 10:25 AM
#26
Lexus Champion
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 3,054
Likes: 1
From: Alberta
True. Having two sets of tires is no more expensive than having one set of all-seasons. It is a common misconception that you need to add the full cost of a set of tires to your budget. The only initial expense is buying the second set of wheels to prevent having to mount/demount tires from the same wheels each year. For many, buying an aftermarket set is a must anyway. You then use aftermarkets for the non-winter months and the stocks for winter.
The reason why the tire cost isn't more is because you're only using one set of tires at a time, thus increasing the span of time you own your tires.
The reason why the tire cost isn't more is because you're only using one set of tires at a time, thus increasing the span of time you own your tires.
This!
I have a storage unit that is half filled up with our second sets of wheels/tires...lol.
As for RWD not being as capable in the winter, I could link the threads from the F forum from the owners that don't have any issues in the snow/ice.
12-22-10 | 06:33 PM
#27
Lexus Champion
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 2,618
Likes: 0
From: NYC/ATL
AWD/4WD is only as good as the tires that are on the vehicle, I have seen plenty of SUV clearly off the road in snow cause they could not get traction.
Back in the day when AWD did not exist and FWD was still fairly new, and most cars where large RWD heavy American sedans, you put snow tires on them and away you went, some added extra weight in the trunk but modern cars are pretty evenly weight distributed
Several years ago I went to a snow driving event that was held by one of the local dealers, a dozen or so Bimmers and other random RWD's with snow tires, and several SUV with all season tires, the coolest part about the event was the instructor showed me how to do donuts around the SUV, later in the evening the instructor showed me how to improve my snow driving in my 4Runner
Tires are the most important part of the car, most are not even aware of it.
Back in the day when AWD did not exist and FWD was still fairly new, and most cars where large RWD heavy American sedans, you put snow tires on them and away you went, some added extra weight in the trunk but modern cars are pretty evenly weight distributed
Several years ago I went to a snow driving event that was held by one of the local dealers, a dozen or so Bimmers and other random RWD's with snow tires, and several SUV with all season tires, the coolest part about the event was the instructor showed me how to do donuts around the SUV, later in the evening the instructor showed me how to improve my snow driving in my 4Runner
Tires are the most important part of the car, most are not even aware of it.
12-22-10 | 08:36 PM
#29
Super Moderator
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 8,146
Likes: 333
From: IL
I've put 90k miles on my 323i, roughly 25k of that in Chicago winters, and have no problems whatsoever. My car actually drives better in the snow than my father-in-law's Sebring Convertible. Both have the same tires--Continental ExtremeContact DWS--which is about the best ultra high performance all-season tires I've found thus far at handling snow and rain.
On my next car I'll probably rock a set of snow tires, but I don't want to on this one because it's a decade old and I'm not sure how much longer I'm going to keep it. So the wheel/tire investment just isn't worth it.
On my next car I'll probably rock a set of snow tires, but I don't want to on this one because it's a decade old and I'm not sure how much longer I'm going to keep it. So the wheel/tire investment just isn't worth it.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
