keep the conti sports and get a 2nd set of snows.. (archive)

The conti's are good tires for the car, even in wet weather. But in ice and snow they will suck. IMHO, Boston has enough snow that you can rationalize a true winter tire (not just a hybred all-season) for the winter months, as the snow and ice performance will be much better than you will get from the "all season" tire the dealer will give you. Plus, with the all-season tire, you can almost be assured that the dry handling will be worse than you get from the Conti. You spent $40k-ish for a great handling car, don't compromise the handling year round by stepping down from the conti. Its worth the extra $1k for a complete winter tire set.

Find a cheap set of 16" (no real need for a 17" in the winter tire...just means more $$ for the wheel and tire) used 3-er wheels (ebay, local BMWCCA website, or new from TR), buy a set of winter tires from TireRack, and you'll have the right type of tire for every season. With real winter tires and ASC (or whatever BMW calls trax control now) you'll be blowing past moms in Explorers in the first snow.

txhedg
1991 750iL w/ContiSport 235/45/17
(no winter tires....moved from Mass to TX)

Guys,

6 weeks ago I took delivery of my new 330Ci with premium and cold weather packages.

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:

330ci needs 17 inch rims to clear larger rotors J. Kidd 11:37 11/24/2000 (0)

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