Tirerack Guys: Performance vs All-weather Tires (archive)

3 weeks ago I got a letter from BMW USA which says in part: "As you may be aware, your new BMW comes equipped with the highest quality 205/50 R17 performance tires instead of all-weather tires. The performance tires are designed to provide excellent stability, traction and comfort in all conditions except ice and snow....Please remember that if you intend to drive your BMW in snow or ice conditions, you may wish to change to tires designed to perform in inclement weather."

In speaking with my dealer, it appears that BMW ran out of all-weather tires when my car was in production and put on the performance tires instead (Conti Sport Contact 205/50 R17 93W). The dealer has agreed to swap my performance tires for all-weathers at no charge. My question is, what are the pros and cons of getting the all-weather tires versus purchasing a set of snow tires and rims. Obviously, there's an incremental cost the new tires and rims, but I'm pressed to understand the performance differences. I'm not an "aggressive" driver, and on test drives couldn't tell the difference between the performance and all-weather tires. Since I live in the Boston area, I am concerned about being able to travel in snow and ice conditions.

Thanks,
Joe

Follow Ups:

keep the conti sports and get a 2nd set of snows.. txhedg 00:11 11/24/2000 (1)
- 330ci needs 17 inch rims to clear larger rotors J. Kidd 11:37 11/24/2000 (0)
that really depends on the exact tire for this one Aaron@tirerack.com 18:24 11/22/2000 (0)

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