[jgoldstein2000]

Try not to flame me but I’ve never driven a RWD car. I currently own a tuned 228xi and am considering 2 cars to upgrade to: Audi RS3 and the M2 Comp. I live in Boulder, CO and we get snow... this will be my daily driver meaning I have to learn to drive RWD in the snow. Thoughts? Especially from anyone who lives here and is familiar with our winters. Appreciate your help.

[ContactPatch]

Dedicated snow tires, the BEST you can get, and slow down for winter conditions and you will be good to go!

[mikeahso]

Buy a $500 150hp rwd manual beater.

No aids.

A non turbo 240sx sort of thing.

Use that for the first winter. By next year you'll have learnt everything you need.

The issue with an inexperienced driver in an M2, is the level before it lets go is so high, so it's not a good learner.

With that said, if you drive it like a Camry you'll be fine.

[aerokubectl]

Even AWD doesn't mean anything in the snow when the tires suck. Get legit snow tires and you will be just fine. Of course AWD + Snow Tires => God mode but you can get 80% of the way there with a legit set of snow tires.

[chris719]

Originally Posted by jgoldstein2000

Try not to flame me but I’ve never driven a RWD car. I currently own a tuned 228xi and am considering 2 cars to upgrade to: Audi RS3 and the M2 Comp. I live in Boulder, CO and we get snow... this will be my daily driver meaning I have to learn to drive RWD in the snow. Thoughts? Especially from anyone who lives here and is familiar with our winters. Appreciate your help.

Get Michelin Xi3s and don't drive like an idiot. You'll be more likely to get stuck on a climb than in a 228xi, but with the snows on you should have superior traction otherwise.

[Mr Pete]

If you decide to go with a rwd car, I recommend Nokian Hakkapelitta tires. I purchased mine, with a cheap set of winter wheels, at discount tire.

I ran those for a season in my old F80 M3 when I lived in Colorado. I got stuck once in front of my house after over a foot of snow overnight. But otherwise, drove the car every day during winter. Car felt stable, I never felt out of control of the vehicle.

[Die ///M Rakete]

Originally Posted by jgoldstein2000

Try not to flame me but I’ve never driven a RWD car. I currently own a tuned 228xi and am considering 2 cars to upgrade to: Audi RS3 and the M2 Comp. I live in Boulder, CO and we get snow... this will be my daily driver meaning I have to learn to drive RWD in the snow. Thoughts? Especially from anyone who lives here and is familiar with our winters. Appreciate your help.

I'm sure you have good reasons to doubt your abilities. Skip the M2.

[MartyE12345]

Originally Posted by jgoldstein2000

Try not to flame me but I’ve never driven a RWD car. I currently own a tuned 228xi and am considering 2 cars to upgrade to: Audi RS3 and the M2 Comp. I live in Boulder, CO and we get snow... this will be my daily driver meaning I have to learn to drive RWD in the snow. Thoughts? Especially from anyone who lives here and is familiar with our winters. Appreciate your help.

I don’t live too far from you and I was in a similar situation. I really liked the RS3, I like having four doors, and it is extremely quick. In the end, I thought the M2C would have better dry/summer performance. I also thought it would hold its value better. The only difference for me is that the M2C is my daily but I work from home.... I also have an s2000 that I have two sets of wheels for (summers and conti dws). I am really trying to avoid buying winter tires for the M2C. It is extremely rare I’d have to drive during the day and my wife has a forester. For these reasons I picked the M2C over the RS3. My daily used to be a WRX with dedicated winters, it was great.

If I had to drive for work out here in Colorado I may have picked the RS3 and slapped some dedicated winter tires on there.

[COChris]

Originally Posted by jgoldstein2000

Try not to flame me but I've never driven a RWD car. I currently own a tuned 228xi and am considering 2 cars to upgrade to: Audi RS3 and the M2 Comp. I live in Boulder, CO and we get snow... this will be my daily driver meaning I have to learn to drive RWD in the snow. Thoughts? Especially from anyone who lives here and is familiar with our winters. Appreciate your help.

This is year 18 for me on the front range, and about 10 of those have been driving in RWD BMWs. My M2C is a weekend car. I've found that I can daily these cars with good snow tires, but in the end it's just really hard on the car. The biggest problem I've had is blocks of ice falling off other cars and being scattered all over the road. These will break the fragile front fascia pieces and can also damage oil and water coolers. Also this year, Boulder has decided to stop using mag chloride and just put down pea gravel. The roads will be trickier moving forward.

The other option is get the M2C and find a cheap beater Subaru and you won't have to worry about a thing.

[3tekcorps]

https://www.amazon.com/Porsche-High-...rmance+driving

Best $20 I ever spent. Buy it, read it. Absorb it all.

I'd still want a beater Subaru for the bad days.

[pizza240]

Go for the RWD. Just drive it. You'll learn. I learnt to drive in the snow in an E46 M3 with "broken electronics": DSC, ABS, etc did not work from time to time. It's fun.

[Economatic]

Originally Posted by COChris

The other option is get the M2C and find a cheap beater Subaru and you won't have to worry about a thing.

^^This. It doesn't have to be a Subaru either, just anything with a set of studded tires.

OP, I almost bought an RS3 last year and ended up with a Subaru STi because I thought I needed AWD. I also got a cheap Ford Fiesta a couple months later for skiing, biking, or when weather/roads are not great. Best car decision I've ever made...aside from trying to get an M2C when I only had the STi for 7 months.

[10"]

Originally Posted by ContactPatch

Dedicated snow tires, the BEST you can get, and slow down for winter conditions and you will be good to go!

This.

+ go and find snow covered empty parking lots and experiment and learn the car and it's behavior.

[ryem3]

Originally Posted by Die ///M Rakete

I'm sure you have good reasons to doubt your abilities. Skip the M2.

Yep, skip the m2. Get an rs3. Much better option in your conditions unless you can have it as a dedicated summer only car.

[Mr Pete]

Beater Subaru is actually a great idea. I found a 04 WRX wagon 5 speed on Craigslist for super cheap. So much fun driving that car. I love Subaru’s

[Drop the hammer]

I daily my M2 with blizzaks up here in Canada. Also daily’ed my M3 with blizzaks. They are very capable with the traction control on and that M differential, I’d say way better than my light rear ended, open differential diesel truck in the snow (unless it’s like stupid deep 12 inch dump of snow), then clearance is more important. But traction wise rear wheel drive is not an issue with good tires and traction control.

[Soren535]

Keep an eye out for local car clubs that run auto-x, they might do winter events as well. In my area the local clubs hold winter driving academy's out on the lake that are designed to get drivers more comfortable with winter driving conditions. They set up various courses with pylons, as simple as a large circle to test grip limits while turning, slalom to understand the importance of weight transfer, to pylon walls where an instructor tells you left or right at the last second to test evasive maneuvers.
It's a great way to gain confidence with your current setup

And if you're lucky the clubs in your area might hold competitive timed events on a regular basis. Get a set of studded tires and it's the most fun you'll have with your car all winter!

[Downunder99]

Originally Posted by jgoldstein2000

Try not to flame me but I’ve never driven a RWD car. I currently own a tuned 228xi and am considering 2 cars to upgrade to: Audi RS3 and the M2 Comp. I live in Boulder, CO and we get snow... this will be my daily driver meaning I have to learn to drive RWD in the snow. Thoughts? Especially from anyone who lives here and is familiar with our winters. Appreciate your help.

Proper winter tires and probably one or two sandbags in the trunk and you'll be fine. And yes, AWD helps you get going, but does nothing in slowing you down.

[FSociety]

Michelin Pilot Alpin PA4 or Alpin 5
I just installed 255/35-19 front 285/35-19 rear PA4 in my M3 with 600hp

[ScottAndrew]

Originally Posted by ryem3

Yep, skip the m2. Get an rs3. Much better option in your conditions unless you can have it as a dedicated summer only car.

Why? You’ll possibly get stuck less leaving car parks and suchlike. Otherwise, cornering ability in snow is really down to the studs your car is wearing.

Every winter Britain becomes full of driving gods who’ve stuffed their hi-po Audis and SUVs into a verge, hedge, tree, brick wall, front garden (surprisingly often and almost always a TT!) or another car with a family inside, because “Ize got for will drive innit”. 4WD will never save others from the consequences of being a dick!

[chris719]

Originally Posted by FSociety

Michelin Pilot Alpin PA4 or Alpin 5
I just installed 255/35-19 front 285/35-19 rear PA4 in my M3 with 600hp

He's in Boulder. I don't think performance winters will cut it. He should get Michelin Xi3 / Bridgestone WS80 / Hakkas.

[10"]

Originally Posted by chris719

He's in Boulder. I don't think performance winters will cut it. He should get Michelin Xi3 / Bridgestone WS80 / Hakkas.

This. Don't buy poser winter tires. Get proper snow tires.

A RWD car with good snow tires like what chris719 mentioned above are more than enough to get through any snow; no issues.

Don't listen to people saying you need a dedicated summer and winter car it's nonsense. Be old school; improve your driving abilities.

My first RWD car was a 135i and I drove the crap out of it in snow with snow tires and it made me a better driver.

Now I drive the crap out of my 1M in snow and it's made me an even better driver!