[JPizzz]

What temperature are you guys switching tires out? I’ve read when temps drop below 45, but never done the seasonal swap. I will be picking up the m2 this Friday in NY and driving back to philly. Temps already going into 30’s here as a low.

Also, cosmetic question, can you put bmw wheel emblem caps on aftermarket wheels like the rial?

[scadagawd]

Originally Posted by JPizzz

What temperature are you guys switching tires out? I’ve read when temps drop below 45, but never done the seasonal swap. I will be picking up the m2 this Friday in NY and driving back to philly. Temps already going into 30’s here as a low.

Also, cosmetic question, can you put bmw wheel emblem caps on aftermarket wheels like the rial?

I normally switch my tires out when the average temperature is about 7 deg Celsius. I think that's about 44 deg F.

[Aronis]

November 1st here.......sucks getting caught with your pants down and a 1/2 inch of snow on the road.

Mike

[ZPrime]

Originally Posted by Aronis

November 1st here.......sucks getting caught with your pants down and a 1/2 inch of snow on the road.

Mike

Problem is that when it's that early in November, the snow usually doesn't stick, and you often get temps into the lower 50s, which is not the greatest thing for the life of your winter rubber.

It really varies depending on the region though. Our weather-guessers were just saying that this week is still normally a ~50F average... but they're saying lows in the 20s on Friday with chances of lake-effect snow.

Yet next week, they're guessing temps up near 50 again. Don't really want to have winter tires on for that... but I'm not swapping back and forth multiple times. Due to this upcoming cold blast and the uncertainty of my first RWD car in winter, I'm trying to get them installed Weds or Thurs. Was trying to source a good stud conversion by then, but can't come up with a set I like.

The back and forth temperature swings are the most maddening part of it. I almost wish I had a 3rd set of wheels with all-season tires, as an "in-between" setup from mid-October to mid-November.

[gmzanatta]

Originally Posted by JPizzz

What temperature are you guys switching tires out? I’ve read when temps drop below 45, but never done the seasonal swap. I will be picking up the m2 this Friday in NY and driving back to philly. Temps already going into 30’s here as a low.

Also, cosmetic question, can you put bmw wheel emblem caps on aftermarket wheels like the rial?

The MPSS are only rated to 5 celsius (41 F) so I usually change mine out when temperatures during my drives to and from work (7-8 am and 5-6 pm) hit that range. Especially important in the morning since overnight we're getting below freezing and you can hit some ice on occasion.

General rule of thumb is first week of November, so far it's worked out well for all my cars. Granted you'll get an occasional warm day here and there which isn't great for the rubber, but it's worth the peace of mind.

[ZPrime]

Originally Posted by JPizzz

Also, cosmetic question, can you put bmw wheel emblem caps on aftermarket wheels like the rial?

Depends on the size of the centerbore / cap hole on the wheel. TireRack generally will know if the wheel is OE centercap-compatible, if you're ordering from them.

The standard BMW cap these days is 68mm, so if the new wheel is the same, it will fit.

[Pilot-Z]

Originally Posted by quikM2

Another canadian chiming in - I have the Apex 18's with XI3's 245/40 all around and we have some serious winter days/storms here with -30 temps followed by tons of snow and icy roads. first things first traction sucks when it's very cold, you can't put any throttle down anywhere, you have to drive like an absolute grandma. Any gas whatsoever while turning brings on the over bearing dsc system. in mdm mode its not much better although it does allow a little more spin. To go slideways unfortunately you have to turn it all off. other than that issue the car is fine in the city and will go anywhere and do anything on a plowed road. if you're doing side streets with 2 foot drifts well then you will get stuck. I have come from a STI and an Audi S4 and those things are beasts that can't get stuck. An M2 will but is it a car to be avoided because of a winter climate... no not at all. most days it's a blast. in the rare blizzard just take the day off or like me drive the wife's X3.

How would you compare the M2 to the S4 you owned? I live in Minneapolis and thought I was silly for considering a RWD car. Thought about buying a used S4 with a manual and tuning it. You can get crazy power out of those Audi engines. But the M2 seems more special. It's good to see others impressions of driving it in the winter and snow so thanks to everyone that shared their experiences.

[gmzanatta]

Originally Posted by Pilot-Z

How would you compare the M2 to the S4 you owned? I live in Minneapolis and thought I was silly for considering a RWD car. Thought about buying a used S4 with a manual and tuning it. You can get crazy power out of those Audi engines. But the M2 seems more special. It's good to see others impressions of driving it in the winter and snow so thanks to everyone that shared their experiences.

You'll be fine

If it can survive a winter up here, you'll have no problems.

[m981addicts]

Originally Posted by JPizzz

What temperature are you guys switching tires out? I’ve read when temps drop below 45, but never done the seasonal swap. I will be picking up the m2 this Friday in NY and driving back to philly. Temps already going into 30’s here as a low.

Also, cosmetic question, can you put bmw wheel emblem caps on aftermarket wheels like the rial?

I usually keep one of my RWD cars with summers until it is definitely winter (stays below 45 deg.), then I switch to winter tires on all the cars. I also keep one front-wheel drive car with all seasons for mundane driving with very little/no patches of snow on the ground.

Otherwise, it's RWD with snow tires for winter and max/extreme tires for summer: no in between tires for the RWDs. If the snow is too much for my winter tired RWD, I just lower the pressure a bit. I've passed FWD/AWD cars on hills because they either had the wrong tires or too much air in them.

Other than my old Evo, I never had a need for awd/4wd. I don't off-road nor hunt.

You can buy BMW emblems to stick on your caps.

[Aronis]

Originally Posted by ZPrime

Problem is that when it's that early in November, the snow usually doesn't stick, and you often get temps into the lower 50s, which is not the greatest thing for the life of your winter rubber.

It really varies depending on the region though.

If we get a little snow in the middle of the night I do not have the luxury of 'not going in,' so I swap them Nov 1.

If I wing it and take the wife's SUV, that would be much worse than early wear on the snows LOL!

Mike

[quikM2]

Originally Posted by Pilot-Z

How would you compare the M2 to the S4 you owned? I live in Minneapolis and thought I was silly for considering a RWD car. Thought about buying a used S4 with a manual and tuning it. You can get crazy power out of those Audi engines. But the M2 seems more special. It's good to see others impressions of driving it in the winter and snow so thanks to everyone that shared their experiences.

They couldn't be more different. the S4 is a heavy beast and feels like it. The classic audi handling issue is also noticed with the engine hanging over the front so it plows. the s4 does come with torque vectoring which helps make up for it. It won't get stuck and it plows through snow with awesome traction except when it's icy like any car even with good winters. It's a prettier car inside with much nicer materials etc. but the outside is boring. The M2 is gorgeous and is the most fun I've ever had actually driving a car. interiors and traction issues aside the M2 is brilliant fun. If you have a classic plowed city road commute the M2 would be fine but don't expect much more than that. On cold icy days also expect to drive like a grandma as there is no possible way even with the best nokians or xice, ws80's etc. that you will be able to put any power on the road. The s4 splits the all season difference, jack of all trades etc. better than the M2 but for drivers car the M2 wins easily.

[F87_LCI]

Put a good set of winters on my AWD F30 335ix (lowered on H&R sport springs) and have never had an issue (Canadian Driver). Goes through snow like butter. Incoming F87 will not see the snow however. Used to have an RX7 back in the late 90's (only RWD car I have ever owned) and spun it regularly - lucky to never hit anything! just picked up a used (2014) Santa Fe for winters and hauling crap around.

F30 is for sale if anyone is looking for a good "winter beater"

LSB

[Miata13]

Just returned from New Orleans and BMW O'Fest. Attended tire seminars from both Michelin and Bridgestone. Chris Welty, Bridgestone, responded to this "when to switch to winter tires question" with an answers as simple as...."If you can frequently "see your breath, it's time to switch to winter tires".

Was 19 degrees here this morning and my Pirelli Sottozero III winter tires will go on my MINI Roadster this weekend...if not when I stop typing this.....

[F87_LCI]

My R1 tires turn to hockey pucks at anything below 7 degrees. I would assume a high performance car tire wouldn't be much different. we got snow yesterday and current temp is -6 degrees, so I'm thinking I'm going to have to change them out this weekend. Made it to mid November this year...not bad.

[jonahk]

Originally Posted by Pilot-Z

How would you compare the M2 to the S4 you owned? I live in Minneapolis and thought I was silly for considering a RWD car. Thought about buying a used S4 with a manual and tuning it. You can get crazy power out of those Audi engines. But the M2 seems more special. It's good to see others impressions of driving it in the winter and snow so thanks to everyone that shared their experiences.

Not the same exact comparison, but I drove my M235 for the last few years throughout the winter and I'd say it performed better and felt more planted than my GLA250 wagon. Granted the M235 has Blizzacks and the GLA has all-seasons, but still; the traction control and general stability made the M235 a lot easier to deal with in everything but 3+ inches of snow/slush.

On the honest side, a high-HP RWD car in the winter is just an absolute laugh riot. Even in my short commute from NE Mpls to downtown I spend most of my time sideways and giggling. I never thought I'd prefer a car over a truck/awd wagon in the MN winter but BMW changed my mind. I've already got snow tires ordered for my M2 when it arrives in December.

Go for it! (but get a Holiday Wash Pass to keep the salt off)

[gmzanatta]

First snow today glad my winters went on last Friday.

[Perp]

Originally Posted by gmzanatta

First snow today glad my winters went on last Friday.

Same but don't have my tires yet. Got a ride to work from a friend lol. Snow is plowed now, but it's -15C

[LinkF1]

Last year I drove the whole winter with the MPSS on. I never tried to push it on those tires in the winter, but they handled the winter temperatures here in VA fine without ever sliding. I also did not see any cracking or chipping of the tire in the temps driven last winter, not sure if the tread design is related to that.

Having said that, keeping them on is certainly not ideal, but we don't get enough of the super cold temps for me to invest in another set of tires and wheels (wife would hate me for another set of tires and wheels).

For when the white stuff falls: we had full winters (Blizzak WS80) on the Z4 if there was any snow in the forecast. This year we have the X5 40e for the snowy weather.

TLDR: The MPSS survive the winter, but are not the safest choice. It all depends on your specific climate.

[DSTR]

Car is ready for winter. Dealer installed the new Michelin PA4 on my original silver/black 437's. Feels very good so far. No intrusive noise from the tires and the grip is good!

[horsie]

Can you please post the sizes of the tires?

[gmzanatta]

Originally Posted by horsie

Can you please post the sizes of the tires?

640M's w/ 235/40R18 and 255/35R18 Michelin Alpin 4's

[mfritz]

Originally Posted by gmzanatta

640M's w/ 235/40R18 and 255/35R18 Michelin Alpin 4's

Have the same set up. What tire pressure are you using? Some say 35 psi all around, others 30 front 33 rear.

In addition to greatly improved traction they provide a smoother ride. My pss summer tires are done. Plan to go with new ps4 in the spring.