I decided to forgo snow tires this year because based on past years I figured the average number of days per year that I wouldn't be able to use it would be 3-4 here in NJ and that I would use my wife's SUV on those days. Well I got caught in an unexpected snow shower a couple of weeks ago while some distance from home. Well my trip home was an absolute death ride. Just changing lanes felt like an amusement park ride with the rear of the vehicle fishtailing like crazy. So my suspected stupidity has been confirmed...

LOL! I'm assuming you don't have all season tires?

LOL! I'm assuming you don't have all season tires?

Nope. Stock run flats. Might as well be slicks in the snow.

Same thing here. I had driven a 300ZX with performance tires on it for years in the snow, figured the 335 would be similar. MAN! Was I wrong! I was white knuckling it around every turn and considered myself lucky to have made it the 25 minutes home.

I have no problems with the stock high performance run flats in the snow with my xi. ; )

I'm pretty sure the all seasons are RF too?

The upgraded sport package 18 inch rims and tires are high performance summer. Ive had absolutly no traction problems in the snow, actually it's a lot of fun in the snow.

Any one that runs summer high performance run flats in temperatures below 40 degrees is asking for trouble. The tire becomes very hard below 40 degrees. IM talking about rear wheel drive cars. It doesn't matter if your area has snow or not. The tires loose traction extremely easy in very cold temps.

really not much to do with the specific car.. rather the layout. RWD with even all-season tires is pretty much useless in the snow. Our 328xi did fine in the last snow storm but did require some intervention of the DTC button which I wasn't accustomed to in my last three Audi's.

summer tires + snow = bad idea. Been there, done that, not wise and definitely not advised. The amount of anguish on those bad days outweighs the fun or $$/effort saved in swapping snows. But not all snow is created equal btw, some days you'll feel like it doesn't matter, some days you get by and others you just go nowhere or worse, eget cozy with guard rails and ditches. If you expect to drive a RWD car in the snow, be wise and get snows as the OP states. I've been down to NJ in the winter during snow storms and saw the poor fellas strugling to drive around while the guy with Ontario plates passes by them with ease:devillook, then I get the comment "This is nothing to you guys, right?" :cool

..RWD with even all-season tires is pretty much useless in the snow. ...

I just hit one of those birthdays and realize that I am old, no way around it. And after 33 winters, with all due respect, you are in error.

AWD, RWD or FWD. If you are driving in snow/ice you need proper tires--period. Actually you need proper tires all of the time, but that is another issue. For the average A to B driver RWD lets you know that you have a traction problem early. FWD lets you know a bit latter. AWD keeps you ignorant and happy until you are in the ditch with no idea how you got there. Count the bodies at the body shops in March.

The key fact is that traction is not just "go", it is turning and stopping. And drive train has nothing to do with the last two. Hill descent not withstanding.

RWD is fine in the snow. But in all cases, keeping the car on the road and under control has very little to do with the drive train. Launching off the stop light in snow--who cares. If you get it sideways, regardless of the drive train, park it.

I will say it was one of my smarter purchases of the past year. Like what was stated earlier, it's not just about driving in the snow. You have cold temps, freezing rain, etc... They all can provide hazards that can be made worse by driving on improper tires. For me I asked myself this, Is a few hundred bucks not worth the added protection of your $40K+ vehicle?

I didn't have any real trouble getting around in a 745 with stock tires. You just have to be very careful and attentive.

I didn't have any real trouble getting around in a 745 with stock tires. You just have to be very careful and attentive.

It just depends on what "stock tires" are. On the 335 with Sport, they're summers, and anyone that drives them in the snow is begging for an accident.

All-season tires are uniformly underperforming in all seasons.

I just hit one of those birthdays and realize that I am old, no way around it. And after 33 winters, with all due respect, you are in error.

AWD, RWD or FWD. If you are driving in snow/ice you need proper tires--period. Actually you need proper tires all of the time, but that is another issue. For the average A to B driver RWD lets you know that you have a traction problem early. FWD lets you know a bit latter. AWD keeps you ignorant and happy until you are in the ditch with no idea how you got there. Count the bodies at the body shops in March.

The key fact is that traction is not just "go", it is turning and stopping. And drive train has nothing to do with the last two. Hill descent not withstanding.

RWD is fine in the snow. But in all cases, keeping the car on the road and under control has very little to do with the drive train. Launching off the stop light in snow--who cares. If you get it sideways, regardless of the drive train, park it.

Well said, well agreed.

I truly found out the goodness of snow tires this winter when the outside temperature hit - 30C (-40C with wind). Everyone was driving 20 km / h below the speed limit in the slow lane because the roads vere found to be very slippery. For some odd reason I find the roads were fine and I can maintain the 60km/h speed limit without any handling issues. Note: I do not drive xi.

Many people say AWD is good for winter, but I find that AWD will undoubtly pick up the weakness of FWD and RWD (i.e. You end up with the worst of the 2).

I just can't wait till no one even thinks of discussing snow tires and winter driving anymore, we had enough, this year is the worst in recent memory here and today was the worst white knuckle drive to work ever even with good snow tires on. When you drive on a highway that was only partially cleaned with groves and hedges of snow all over the road, the car tends to want to steer towards the guardrails and you have to wrestle it back into position. Not to mention needing my wife to push me out of my driveway because I got stuck due to lack of clearnace up front. No more snow, no more snow, no more snow.

Not to mention needing my wife to push me out of my driveway because I got stuck due to lack of clearnace up front. No more snow, no more snow, no more snow.
:lol
What a lucky fellow having his wife to push his car out. Shouldn't it be the other way around?

:lol
What a lucky fellow having his wife to push his car out. Shouldn't it be the other way around?
She doesn't know how to drive stick :stickoutt. You gotta know how to configure your car ;). Neah, she was a champ today.

I have no issues so far w/o all season. With Z rated tires, more likely to hydroplane with Spring rains so summer tires will be issue in Winter and Spring.

I just can't wait till no one even thinks of discussing snow tires and winter driving anymore, we had enough, this year is the worst in recent memory here and today was the worst white knuckle drive to work ever even with good snow tires on. When you drive on a highway that was only partially cleaned with groves and hedges of snow all over the road, the car tends to want to steer towards the guardrails and you have to wrestle it back into position. Not to mention needing my wife to push me out of my driveway because I got stuck due to lack of clearnace up front. No more snow, no more snow, no more snow.

AMEN!!! We had it bad down here as well, I think this winter (and it's not over yet) currently ranks 6th for all time snow in the Chicago area. I guess it makes up for the mild winters we had as of late. I thought it was personal vendetta against me for buying a RWD car when my last two have been AWD.

The snow in Toronto this year has convinced many drivers that snow tires are essential - there is talk of making in mandatory. We have had so much consistent snow fall that unfortunately, you just can't park the car and stay home. My 328 is an xi and I'm glad I put snow tires on it. It is, without a doubt, the best combination in heavy snow.

I just can't wait till no one even thinks of discussing snow tires and winter driving anymore, we had enough, this year is the worst in recent memory here and today was the worst white knuckle drive to work ever even with good snow tires on. When you drive on a highway that was only partially cleaned with groves and hedges of snow all over the road, the car tends to want to steer towards the guardrails and you have to wrestle it back into position. Not to mention needing my wife to push me out of my driveway because I got stuck due to lack of clearnace up front. No more snow, no more snow, no more snow.

Amen, and I can't wait till no one from Kansas chimes in about how winter driving isn't that bad.

Amen, and I can't wait till no one from Kansas chimes in about how winter driving isn't that bad.
:lol, I already invited them to drive up here and see for themselves but I fear their safety if they do. You really don't know what it is like till you know.

With all this being said, what are the best snow tires for 335i?

With all this being said, what are the best snow tires for 335i?

There is no definitive answer for this. Depends on what your needs are. Usually full fledged snow tires are best and provide most traction but those are usually Q or R rated (i.e. approx max 100mph). So called high performance snow tires have higher speed rating (usually H, i.e. up to 130mph) but don't quite perform as well, however they are usually good enough for most applications (that's what I use). It really depends on where you drive. Check this out if you are not familiar with tire ratings (http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=35).

Size wise, you want a skinnier tire to plow more easily through the snow and you want a higher profile to avoid damage to tires/wheels from the potholes which are more common in winter time. Sizes 16 or 17 are probably best on the e9x, although some brave souls may have used 18 low profile snow tires *ouch*. Note that 16s will not fit the 335 though, so pretty much 17" is your best choice. I personally would not go below 50 aspect ratio on winter tires to avoid damage (http://www.howstuffworks.com/tire2.htm) and as I said as narrow as feasible. Check out tirerack.com and select your car model, they usually recommend the best sizes for your car, or check your manual which list manufacturer recommended tire sizes.
Another consideration is whether you want run flats or regular tires. The former cost more and you get much smaller selection, but keep in mind that changing a tire in the snow is not a fun thing to do (been there, believe me it sucks).

As far as brands go, you'll get as many recommendations as there are members here. I went with the Continental ContiWinterContact TS810 S SSR, which are runflats, size 205/55HR16. They are excellent both in dry, wet and snow. I also had contis for a long time on my e36 and they lasted forever (7+ years) and performed admirably. Keep in mind that some brands (well known ones) may not have a winter compound throughout the tread depth and half way through you may end up with an all season compound that will result in lower traction. It is not easy to find which brands are as such, but google can be your best friend.

Good Luck

I had Blizzak LM22s on my M3; they worked great. I have Dunlop WinterSport M3s now on my 335; they work very well (but not great). That might be because they're not as good as teh LM22s, because it's a 335, or because they're runflats..I have no idea. Either way, though, I recommend both.

With the amount of driving I do in the winter, Ive been doing well with my Toyo Proxes 4 Ultray Hi Perf all season tires all year round. For 6 yrs I swapped out the summer tires/rims with a set of winter alloys with winter tires mounted.. But for my driving Im preferring the all year round Fikses with the Toyos mounted.

For the 335's rims, can you mount conventional tires on them, or do they only accept runflat tires? If its the former, Id be very tempted to try and either work a deal for the dealer to switch to conventional UHP all seasons, or else do it myself aftermarket. Of course, that leaves a problem with flats, but I might try and store a doughnut spare somewhere in the trunk or backseat that doesnt take up too much room...

Nope. Stock run flats. Might as well be slicks in the snow.

I just put on the Eagle F1 all season z rated. Works GREAT in wet/Dry and well in the snow. I recommed them to any BMW driver.

I just put on the Eagle F1 all season z rated. Works GREAT in wet/Dry and well in the snow. I recommed them to any BMW driver.

Did they fit on stock rims? iOW, the rims that come mounted with runflats can hold regular tires as well, right?

Did they fit on stock rims? iOW, the rims that come mounted with runflats can hold regular tires as well, right?

Yes. stock rims and didn't effect tpms.