[mjr24]

I have to be honest.....until we got the X7, I always thought I was good with all-season tires in the winter on my cars. I've never put "snow tires" on any of my cars.

I am in Wisconsin so we do get snow and it obviously gets cold. What do a lot of you guys run during the winter? All seasons or snows? There are just so many more options for all season tires.

I can see probably getting snows if the car were RWD (when I was younger and had my RWD Benz SL/CL/etc....I just would not leave the house if it snowed LOL....even if that was for days).

Some people seem to say you definitely need snows.....but then I've seen a lot of others say they have been just fine with all-seasons.

[Young04]

You'll be fine with all seasons. Obviously, winter tires are better in winter conditions, but I have used both on many types of vehicles living in Massachusetts for the last 25 years.

In the case of our X7, I had winter tires (Bridgestone RFT) on for the winter of 19-20 and they were great. For 20-21, I did not switch over (kept the OEM all seasons on) because we were hardly driving anywhere and there was a noticeable, but not huge, difference in snow performance.

[serpentine]

For my part of the world, and my current lifestyle, all seasons are fine. I’m not really driving in blizzards or feet of snow, ever. And even if I were to find myself in mountainous terrain, I think all seasons would be enough to get me from A to B.

That said, our vehicles have performance tires. So I opted for a dedicated winter set, as opposed to swapping the performance for all seasons.

They will be mounted this week.

[unfoundnemo]

It depends on how you drive and how you would expect the car to respond in the given condition (including cold temperatures on dry roads).

I care less about snow/ice performance... roads clear quickly around me so there's only the 2-3 times a season where I might drive a couple of miles on unkept roads before the city gets to them, and I could plan the alternate routes to not get myself into trouble easily in my area. If I lived in a more rural area, had self-maintained driveway to contend with, etc., I would care more about having a proper snow tire.

That being said, I still prefer a winter tire since the daily highs stay at or below freezing for a good 3 months where I live, and I typically have a relatively short (less than 20 mile) commute. I like to have fun when I drive on occasion and push both of my cars fairly hard, though. I would not trust taking a corner at speed on an all-season tire when it's below 20 unless I had a chance to really get my tires up to temp, even if it's sunny and the roads are completely dry. Nothing beats the feeling of switching to your winters and feeling that grip after you get your first week of freezing temps.

If you'll treat a dry road in extreme cold the same way you would treat a wet road near freezing, then you'll probably be fine with all-seasons.

[dmanb2b]

I was good with all-seasons until I tried running dedicated winter tires. My opinion is that it depends on the use of the vehicle. If you tend to not drive during inclement weather all-seasons are OK, but that's what they are designed for, OK performance in most weather conditions. If you commute daily, regardless of weather, winter tires are far better in cold rain, icy conditions and of course snow. Having a dedicated winter set also allows you to run a better performance tire in the warmer months, but I also get that our options are somewhat limited on the x7.

[bradythedog12]

We have Scorpions on 21” for the winter here in the Chi-town area. As folks have said, it’s not just the ice/snow benefit but also the fact that it gets so darn cold. The winter tires really help with that, IMO. That being said, it really depends on how often and where you drive. We have family in the Quad Cities and that drive down I-80 can be treacherous… so having the winter’s on gives us some good piece of mind.

[jasheaer]

All depends on which rims/tires you want for summer season. If you want the look of the summer only steam rollers on 22s then winter wheels/tires are your only choice.

If you are okay with a square set of wheels/tires year round then A/S will be fine on an AWD vehicle.

I started using winter wheels/tires on my 2004 CTS-V which was RWD and I've driven SUVs with A/S since and never wished I had winter. On the last X5 and current X7 I wanted to go with the big steamroller summer wheels/tires so I made the choice to have a dedicated set of winters, I do enjoy having the best of both seasons available.

Jay

[Wild Blue]

Can you get away with all-seasons? Sure. But you will get SIGNIFICANTLY better performance in traction and braking with dedicated winter tires. Applies to snow, ice, and even just cold bare pavement. Multiple videos that demonstrate that. And the time it becomes really important is that emergency situation of braking/stopping/swerving to prevent an accident, not your daily road routine.

Because of the demonstrated proof, I have become a big believer in dedicated winter tires, and have them on both my Bimmers. (RWD 330i, and AWD X7). Doing so also allows you to go performance summer tires, so you get the best of all worlds, as opposed to "all-seasons" which are often fairly called "no-seasons".

For anyone at northern latitudes, higher elevation, or otherwise icy/cold winter environments, I highly recommend winter tires. For people that only drive in San Diego, or Miami, it doesn't matter.

[Wild Blue]

Oh, and to answer your other question, I use 21" BMW wheel and tire set. Includes Blizzak tires. Looks great, works great, OEM, easy bolt-on swap with my summer set.

[bradythedog12]

Originally Posted by Wild Blue

as opposed to "all-seasons" which are often fairly called "no-seasons".

Kinda like how the prevent defense “prevents” you from winning!! nicely done WB!

[Splatt115]

I wasn't sold on winter tires until I put them on my Yukon. That beast would slide all the time on all season tires. Once I had the Blizzaks installed, I had reliable stopping ability. Given that this vehicle is also extremely heavy, winter tires it is.

[mitch57]

Depends on where you live. I live in the Pacific Northwest and have never had winter tires. That's because it doesn't snow that often here. When it does it usually doesn't stick around for long.

I also drive to Mount Baker and Steven's Pass for skiing. Not once have I felt the need for winter tires. Even when traction tires are required.

All that being said, I was born in Cody, WY and grew up in Billings, MT. Driving in the snow is second nature to me. However, if I still lived in Montana I would definitely put Winter tires on my X7.

[GrussGott]

Originally Posted by mjr24

I am in Wisconsin so we do get snow and it obviously gets cold. What do a lot of you guys run during the winter? All seasons or snows? There are just so many more options for all season tires.

In Wisconsin, i'd for sure go with snows (25 years of MN driving talking, wife is from Madison) without a pause. Nokians (WRs or Hakkas) if you can find some that fit or Vredestein wintracs will be dry performance biased.

Don't even pause - if you can afford a bimmer, spring for the snows.

[ComingInHot]

It depends… How comfortable are you in snow/ice driving? I've had both winters and performance all season (not crappy all season) and to be honest slowing down is the difference between them. I can drive faster with winters on because you get more grip and I can stop quicker. However if I just slow down a bit with the perf. all seasons I'm about the same.

Also, here is something that maybe some of you with winters have noticed… and kind of an annoyance I have with winters on… I have to still drive my car like I don't have winters on because the people behind me keep following me like they do have full winters on and a lot of times they don't so when I stop they can't and it puts me constantly at risk of getting rear ended. So in the end I drive around slower to slow them down and thus less chances of accidents and now I don't really need the winters anymore.

Hence I run perf. all seasons in winter. Also I'm in the upper Midwest with lake effect snow so I'm not talking inches I'm talking feet and I'm still fine with all seasons… but I am also good with the occasional slip and correct… others may not be… which is why I started with It Depends.

[crackerjack15]

Originally Posted by Wild Blue

Can you get away with all-seasons? Sure. But you will get SIGNIFICANTLY better performance in traction and braking with dedicated winter tires. Applies to snow, ice, and even just cold bare pavement. Multiple videos that demonstrate that. And the time it becomes really important is that emergency situation of braking/stopping/swerving to prevent an accident, not your daily road routine.

Because of the demonstrated proof, I have become a big believer in dedicated winter tires, and have them on both my Bimmers. (RWD 330i, and AWD X7). Doing so also allows you to go performance summer tires, so you get the best of all worlds, as opposed to "all-seasons" which are often fairly called "no-seasons".

For anyone at northern latitudes, higher elevation, or otherwise icy/cold winter environments, I highly recommend winter tires. For people that only drive in San Diego, or Miami, it doesn't matter.

The ayes have it. This meeting is adjourned.

[Jszlaga]

I'm in Chicago and have different wheels for summer and winter so just makes sense for me to put winter tires on since I change them up once the nice weather comes anyhow. As a matter of fact just put the winters on today. I use the stock 22" 755M wheels for winter. Tires are Vredestein Wintrac Pro. 285/40-22 all around. Tires fit just fine on this set up. Pictures below.

[GrussGott]

Originally Posted by Jszlaga

I'm in Chicago and have different wheels for summer and winter so just makes sense for me to put winter tires on since I change them up once the nice weather comes anyhow. As a matter of fact just put the winters on today. I use the stock 22" 755M wheels for winter. Tires are Vredestein Wintrac Pro. 285/40-22 all around. Tires fit just fine on this set up. Pictures below.

gawddamn I love Vreds ran those on my M4 in Minnesota and they were such great winters ...

[Xtabi]

Here's an objective video that highlights the difference between the two options:

[GrussGott]

Originally Posted by Xtabi

Here's an objective video that highlights the difference between the two options:

Just to totally nerd this out a bit farther ... there's kinda 4 types:

* Summer tires (i.e., "max performance" & other sub-types)

* All Seasons (good at nothing, mediocre at everything)

* M+S (like those Vreds - these are snow/mud "all weather" tires that bias dry performance even in cold)
* Winters (i.e., "severe weather"/"severe snow service" tires, i.e., have the mountain symbol on them)


note: the orange is just to highlight the symbol, it's not orange

These last two aren't mutually exclusive, i.e., a tire can be both M+S and severe snow service, but there are many tires that are just M+S which more/less means you can use them in the cold (i.e., the tire meets at least the minimum standard for winter use), but they aren't designed for / don't meet the standards of "severe snow service" ... it gets a little confusing ...

I'm pointing this out because some people (me), may want to actively choose cold dry performance tires which will always have at least M+S, but may NOT have the severe winter service symbol/rating ... and that's fine as long as you know what you're doing & what you're picking. I've run non-severe tires in deep MN snow for years, they're fine, but just not as good in snow as severe weather tires.

Final point, speaking of "as long as you now what you're doing" ... some all season tires may not even have the M+S rating! i.e., probably shouldn't be used below 40F even though they're "all season".

[Patgilm]

Originally Posted by GrussGott

Just to totally nerd this out a bit farther ... there's kinda 4 types:

* Summer tires (i.e., "max performance" & other sub-types)

* All Seasons (good at nothing, mediocre at everything)

* M+S (like those Vreds - these are snow/mud "all weather" tires that bias dry performance even in cold)
* Winters (i.e., "severe weather"/"severe snow service" tires, i.e., have the mountain symbol on them)


note: the orange is just to highlight the symbol, it's not orange

These last two aren't mutually exclusive, i.e., a tire can be both M+S and severe snow service, but there are many tires that are just M+S which more/less means you can use them in the cold (i.e., the tire meets at least the minimum standard for winter use), but they aren't designed for / don't meet the standards of "severe snow service" ... it gets a little confusing ...

I'm pointing this out because some people (me), may want to actively choose cold dry performance tires which will always have at least M+S, but may NOT have the severe winter service symbol/rating ... and that's fine as long as you know what you're doing & what you're picking. I've run non-severe tires in deep MN snow for years, they're fine, but just not as good in snow as severe weather tires.

Final point, speaking of "as long as you now what you're doing" ... some all season tires may not even have the M+S rating! i.e., probably shouldn't be used below 40F even though they're "all season".

Looking on tirerack’s website it does say the Vreds Wintrac are severe snow rated.

[MystroX5]

I am in a situation where AS tires are the only option when traveling from the North East to Florida every year in the winter months. I drive out of snow/slop/ice and get into dry warm pavement 1/2 way down the coast. Having designated snow tire on in Florida would be horrible. 2 years ago I hit a full blown ice storm with slop and snow from Virginia driving home in a G05 X5 50i M-Sport with 20” AS tires and it was rock solid. On my X7M50i I am running my 21” winter wheels with AS tires. Two factors would be the width of the tire and how well adapted the AWD system handles the real winter weather. The BMW X does outstanding at all speeds.

[phellar]

Anyone from Chicago area want to chip in here…
I want to go with winter tires but the fact that temperatures 44 and above will eat away the tires and the transition season before and after winter when the temperatures are 30s and 40s in the mornings but go to 50s and 60s noon is making me think a lot…

Also, if I want to drive south during Christmas.. how would that work out..(not that i do it regularly but jst an example)

Would you guys suggest all seasons 🤯☹️🤔