I have a few questions about driving your M3s in snow

1.how many of you have driven your car in the snow ?
2.how does it feel ?
3.if you do it on a regular basis what wheel tire combo do you use ?
4.more to come .....................:eyecrazy

The basic idea behind driving a high performance sports car on ice is no different from driving any other car on ice. Be aware that the higher torque will tend to pull your back tires to the side when you lose traction.

The most important piece of advice is to give yourself a lot of extra room to stop, either coming into an intersection or when driving behind another car.

Other than that, be aware that a healthy chunk of the population has no idea how to drive on ice. Drivers of SUVs and jeeps frequently belive that their cars will allow them to drive on ice just as they would under norml conditions. And remember to turn in the direction of the skid.

my M3 is my DD.

there is snow/ice on the ground right now.

The car handles GREAT in the snow if you dont abuse it, and drive it like an a$$.

I run 17inch wheels and tires bought off tirerack, i went with (4) 225/17 Michelin Pilot Alpins. They are great.

The only downside to driving the M3 in the snow IMO is that it doesnt look as good as it does with my set of summer tires... BIG DEAL!!! its a hoot in the snow, and like i said, traction even on icy uphills is not a problem, dsc is a great thing here.

only rarely do i have to turn it off to spin the tires to get "unstuck"

and of course to blow donuts :)

my is also a DD. I have OEM 19's and run 18's with Dunlop Winter Sport tires in the winter. no problems in snow, just be reasonable.

MENTALmurd what you stated is exactly what i was planning on doing and i already looked at tire rack and found my set of wheels and tires for under 1k and i was going with the 17" set up as well for better traction in the snow and cheaper price :D

well i wanted to make sure the M3 was at least decent to drive in the snow since here in the Ne we some times get slammed hard.

ps:many told me my gs400 would suck in the snow and i would hate the day i purchased it when i had to drive it in the snow ,im glad to say some kumo snow tires and my stock 17" gave me np .

well thanks guys!

I went with 17" ASA JH3's and 225/45R17 Blizzack LM25's from Tirerack ($980 + tax)...Iknow I did the right thing for optimizing snow performance, though we haven't had much snow in Jersey to confirm...I had 17" Dunlop Graspic's on my 1998 540i 6 speed and it was a great snow car!....the thing is!?......my Titanium silver M3 was SO GORGEOUS with it's 19" tire/wheel package that I'm having a hard time adjusting to the new set-up...visually, it is a completely different car...call it vanity, but there you have it...wish I went w/the 18" snow package, though I know it wouldn't have had the same snow performance...one plus is that I feel like I'm driving a stealth M3 now...doesn't attract so much attention....

I went with 17" ASA JH3's and 225/45R17 Blizzack LM25's from Tirerack ($980 + tax)...Iknow I did the right thing for optimizing snow performance, though we haven't had much snow in Jersey to confirm...I had 17" Dunlop Graspic's on my 1998 540i 6 speed and it was a great snow car!....the thing is!?......my Titanium silver M3 was SO GORGEOUS with it's 19" tire/wheel package that I'm having a hard time adjusting to the new set-up...visually, it is a completely different car...call it vanity, but there you have it...wish I went w/the 18" snow package, though I know it wouldn't have had the same snow performance...one plus is that I feel like I'm driving a stealth M3 now...doesn't attract so much attention....

:lol :buttrock

I run 18" with 225/45/18 and 255/40/18 Dunlop WinterSport M3's.
I'm very pleased with how the car drives in the cold and snow.
It's my DD also.

i bought a beater :)

I worked at a dealer here in PA and lots of people bought e46 330i sp wheels and put pilot alpin's on them. One client told me he wouldn't have it any other way, and loved driving it in the snow. He lived on top of a huge hill in sewickley pa, which has some crazy hills with ridiculous turns all around them. Snow tires, right foot control, practice, and maybe some extra weight in the trunk is all you need to get around. It's more about weight distribution than it is FWD or RWD. As long as you're close to 50/50 front to to rear, which all BMW's are, you shouldn't have a problem getting around. When DSC kicks in, keep your right foot at 1/4-1/3 throttle and let the car sort it out. Do not try to modulate the throttle with, DSC engauged. It will only hurt you. DSC will do a better job than you can, with the exception of a few rare situations. As far as stopping goes, it's the same as a FWD car except you can't pull yourself around in the turns by giving it some gas. You have to make the leap of faith and let the back rotate around slowly in the turns. You shouldn't brake while turning under any situation anyways, so you'll be learing proper driving technique while you're at it.

Let me put it this way. I'm 2 months shy of being 18 years old. I've been driving for long before I had my liscence, but admittedly, I don't have the decades of experience that others do. Anywho, a few weeks back, I was driving my dad's M3 while he was using my mom's van to haul furniture, and my mom had my car. I had to drive it to school, which involves a 4 lane divided highway, and a good amount of back roads. There was just enough snow to where it would instantly melt into mush and the freeze. Even though the rear end went out multiple times, and the SUV's in front of me were sliding down hills and rear ending other cars, the M3 performed like a champ. Reasonable driving, as well as a good amount of experience driving in snow, as well as some good old fashioned common sense makes it very manageable.

By the way, our setup is 17" At Italia's with Blizzaks. Great success!

Daily driver M3 here and driven through the nasty ice storms STL has had lately. Get some dedicated winter tires (Dunlop Winter Sport M3's here) and keep your foot out of the throttle and you'll be just fine.

Daily driver M3 here and driven through the nasty ice storms STL has had lately. Get some dedicated winter tires (Dunlop Winter Sport M3's here) and keep your foot out of the throttle and you'll be just fine.

thanks everyone .
ZCP M3 sweet car anymore pics ?

Unfortunately not. Hard drive crashed a while back and all my pictures went with it. :( Will get some more in the spring after a full detail!

We just had our worst few days of snow all winter (last week), and guess when I took delivery of my M3?? lol, perfect!

My first M3 - first time driving any M3 - and the roads (sidestreets anyway) were covered with snow. I am happy to report though that it handled beautifully, and I had a very uneventful short drive home. Only one or two particularly slick intersections gave me a little trouble starting off, but other than that she felt very planted and sure-footed. I was really impressed.

I was going to post a pic taken right after it was unloaded from the truck to the snow-covered mall parking lot, but looks like I need a few more posts under my belt yet. :P

We just had our worst few days of snow all winter (last week), and guess when I took delivery of my M3?? lol, perfect!

My first M3 - first time driving any M3 - and the roads (sidestreets anyway) were covered with snow. I am happy to report though that it handled beautifully, and I had a very uneventful short drive home. Only one or two particularly slick intersections gave me a little trouble starting off, but other than that she felt very planted and sure-footed. I was really impressed.

I was going to post a pic taken right after it was unloaded from the truck to the snow-covered mall parking lot, but looks like I need a few more posts under my belt yet. :P

Just just so I got this right, you actually bought a car without ever even driving it? Or even another car that's the same model? I would strongly advise against that in the future, even if the car is brand new from the dealer.

Just just so I got this right, you actually bought a car without ever even driving it? Or even another car that's the same model? I would strongly advise against that in the future, even if the car is brand new from the dealer.
Yea I know. I agree with you and I wouldn't recommend it either, but logistically driving it first was not an option. I had ridden in several M3's before, just not behind the wheel. Test driving first is always preferable of course but in this case I had to make a decision to either buy it or not without the test-drive.

I realize it is a risk, but I took some comfort in the fact that it is low mileage CPO and ultimately decided it was a risk worth taking.

GOOD LUCK...i bought a jeep and it is a gem...i love it and would never drive my M in the snow...

I run 18" with 245/45/18 and 265/40/18 Michelin Sport Alpins. I tried to drive my car once with the 19in summer tires and I almost ended up in somebodys
front yard.

I run 18" with 245/45/18 and 265/40/18 Michelin Sport Alpins. I tried to drive my car once with the 19in summer tires and I almost ended up in somebodys
front yard.

i could imagine that M3 in the snow with the wrong tires = not fun time:eek:

definately not a good idea with the summer tires, but since I installed the snows it has actually been a blast to drive in the snow.


i could imagine that M3 in the snow with the wrong tires = not fun time:eek:

mysticm3
what wheels are those in your sig and what size and width and what size tires are you running im looking for something almost like that but a little different but your set up look sweet even more the color :)