Winter Driving

[nycbmw325is]

So i was wondering to myself, since this will be my first winter with my BMW, and I live in NYC... Shall i fill the already small trunk with 150- 200 lbs of sand. Then I had a thought that i was wondering if any of you guys had also had.. If I remove my spare tire, and fill that well with sand, (i figure at least 100 lbs in there) then myabe put 2 25 pounders in the trunk and along with the spare... Will I gain better handling with no sacrifice to traction by virtue of carrying that weight a lot lower (down between the wheels instead of actually above them in the trunk above the wheel well)

Then I was thinking of putting 2 100 lbs cast iron weight plates in the well and filling the rest of the well with sand... Lots of weight, carried really low, and stablized by the sand so we get no dynamic weight shifting on those spirited drives.... In the spring i can pull out the plates, carefully shovel out the as much sand as possible then pull the drain and let the rest just filter out into the air on its own on a nice long drive.

Yes I know getting winter tires wopuld be a better choice but I have no room for an extra set of wheels. or even tires to swap..

I am however considering the Conti Extremes as they were rated pretty good in the dry and also very good in wet and pretty good in moderate snow.. does anyone have any experience with these particular tires in the snow and the dry?

Thanks

[Furious]

what year is your car? does it have ACS-T?

if it does, simply keep the spare in and use good winter tires...

if you dont have the ACS than i still suggest the good winters, but learn how to drive it in the snow.. its pretty simple yes, but im telling you from experience.. i had to learn myself here in toronto. and i have a pre-acs car. if you really want, a bag of sand and maybe a bag of salt would be good. but i cant stress enough that you should make sure that the sand bag is tight, and the salt has no way of getting water into it.

[schilke]

I agree with furious, you won't need any weight added to the trunk if you have traction control. Last winter was my first in my bimmer and I have traction control. The only complaint I had was my car is too low and when it really snowed like 6+ inches, I would thunk all the ice clumps that tend to collect in the middle of the road.

If you don't have traction control, I suggest taking the bus.

[wulley1]

Dunlop has a new winter tire that put down better numbers than the blizzaks. I plan on going with those in size 205.

[Kevin325i]

Make sure you've got atleast 1 bag of sand in the back (even if you fill the well with weight) should you ever spin off the road. You can easily take it out and dump it on the snow to make a path out, instead of scooping handfuls onto it little by little.

[Cruzin 323is]

nyc.... and your worried about snow... cars drive in the city all the time, snow isn't able to accumulate on the ground... maybe a few icy spots... but its not bad... try long island.. then we'll talk!! plus, they do a good job with salt and sand...

[RIBEMR26]

Try New England...ok...probably the same as LI...get a good set of all seasons...learn how to drive with Rear-wheel in the snow...

thats my DIY for driving a BMW in the winter...

[Casey3561]

"what year is your car? does it have ACS-T?"

I have no clue. Mine's a '93, how do I find out?

I'm planning on just tossing 150# in the trunk, and getting used to RWD.

[docrobot]

: Wimps!

Try one or two, or twenty five winters up here in Canada. Along with the snow, we get as low as -40 up here, sometimes for days at a time...

Even up here I only use winter tires, with 3 sandbags in the back without problems!

[rsn48]

Remember, almost all cars were rear drives for a long, long time. That meant that all Northern dwellers, whether Canadian or American - other than those driving Beatles and the like - were mucking about in the snow, in all kinds of conditions in cars like yours - so DON'T PANIC.

I don't know the snow conditions in your area but a bag of sand is a good idea. Maybe some smaller chains if your in the "outbacks." Wet snow that turns to ice is harder to drive in than dry snow that packs, like in Edmonton or Fargo North Dakota. Snow is snow is snow, isn't true, its different all over. Just talk to the 50 year old plus guys and ask how they drove their cars in the snow in your area and they'll steer you in the right direction.

[Aksium]

Gotta agree with docrobot. Come up to Calgary and then complain about snowy driving.

What I have found works better than sand is cement mix. The cement mix is heavier than sand so you can get away with carrying fewer bags and taking up less spacein the trunk. Should be able to pick some up from your friendly neighborhood Home Depot or Lowe's.

[Casey3561]

One problem- wouldn't a breakage enable your concrete mix to hydrate and become, well, concrete?

[Aksium]

Maybe, I wrapped mine in trash bags and avoided that problem. I don't usually get a lot of standing water in the trunk either.

[nycbmw325is]

Originally posted by Cruzin 323is@Oct 14 2004, 03:34 PM
nyc.... and your worried about snow... cars drive in the city all the time, snow isn't able to accumulate on the ground... maybe a few icy spots... but its not bad... try long island.. then we'll talk!! plus, they do a good job with salt and sand...

[snapback]211330[/snapback]

Ok cruzin where were you last winter when my area was covered with ice and snow for weeks? in brooklyn!!! secondly, I dont have traction control. thirdly, i know how to drive in the snow, having had a 400 plus HP rear drive Z-28 (third generation) which would trade end front to back in half a heartbeat if you drove too aggresively in the snow. And to whoever posted " for a long time all cars except beetles were rear wheel drive..." The beetle, refereing to the original beetle was a rear engined rear wheel drive car.

[Cruzin 323is]

lol.. i don't think a z28 should ever see the snow, when i am alone on the road, i take my Traction Control off.. and drift down the road, ( thats when no 1 else ie around of course)