My thoughts on xDrive BMWs and just how different they can be... |
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07-26-2015, 08:08 PM | #45 |
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Dave,
Take a spin in a 235xi and then tell us how you feel about 235xi and Xdrive too. I drove both the 235i and 235xi side by side and there is a difference..But its for me it was negligable and I wanted Xdrive for Midwest Winters..
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Last edited by midwest 340xi 6sp; 07-26-2015 at 08:14 PM.. |
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07-26-2015, 08:10 PM | #46 | |
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For me? I love having Xdrive with snows those 5 mos of the year its winter...And I'm having a blast on my Michelin PSS when its 90 out there today. Glad there are choices for all of us!!
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07-31-2015, 11:28 AM | #47 |
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Glad to hear I'm not the only one who is enjoying their BMW with x-drive.
I wanted a year round "GERMAN" performance car that would stay planted in all weather conditions without the necessity of 2 sets of wheels and would go fast as stink! Find me another German car under $50K that can compete with the M235xi? Please dont say the S3. I test drove it and while I enjoyed the responsiveness of the 4 banger (I used to own an APR modified MKV GTI), once I drove the M235 it was all over. IMO, the M235 sh--s all over the S3 in terms of engine performance, steering/handling, cockpit ergonomics, cabin tech, Harmon Kardon stereo, sport seats and exterior styling. I've previously owned a 2009 335i coupe with a Dinan suspension and purchased a winter wheel set for the 2.5 months out of the year to deal with snow and ice. What a PITA owning 2 sets of wheels are (finding storage, lugging them back and forth to my indy shop). I hated the inconvenience and it still did not handle with as much confidence as my M235xi riding on all season tires. Now mind you my 335i dry weather handling capabilities and road feel riding on Michelin PS2s was in another class. Absolutely phenomenal in conjunction with the Dinan suspension but still as a total package my M235xi is the best car I've ever owned. The engine is an absolute gem. |
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07-31-2015, 12:16 PM | #48 |
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07-31-2015, 09:53 PM | #51 | |
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08-01-2015, 03:25 PM | #52 |
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Exactly...if he is driving fast as stink as he says. AW tires are fine on snow on an AWD vehicle but not if you don't slow down for the road conditions. A ditch may be in the future!
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08-01-2015, 03:59 PM | #53 |
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They get full of them around here each winter with overconfident SUV/AWD drivers on all-seasons tires!
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08-01-2015, 07:39 PM | #54 |
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Why anyone drives on snow with no-season tires when God blessed us with winter tires, is beyond me. I like to start and stop with authority in my AWD cars.
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08-01-2015, 08:33 PM | #55 |
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I understand it. Its a pain in the azz to deal with two sets if tires. I lived in Oregon and we got 400 inches a year in the mountains. I never had problems on AW tires the 10 years I lived there. That being said I drove like I did not have AWD on bad roads. I gave myself plenty of distance between cars and slowed the hell down. If you drive like you have a brain you dont need winter tires.
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08-01-2015, 08:46 PM | #56 | |
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'11 328! Touring - Tasman on Chestnut, 6spd manual, factory upside-down "i" option '11 128i Convertible - Space Gray on Savannah Beige, 6spd manual, also '14 Mercedes-Benz E350 wagon, '95 Land Rover Discovery, '74 Triumph Spitfire |
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08-01-2015, 10:18 PM | #57 | |
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08-02-2015, 06:08 AM | #59 |
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Yeah, the problem comes when you have winter tires and your safe speed for the conditions is notably higher than that of the person in front of you, who's crawling along because he has the wrong tires for the situation.
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2015 M235xi coupe, Black Sapphire Metallic, Black Leather, Fineline Stream trim, Steptronic, xDrive, ZPP, ZTP, ZCW, ZDA, ZDB, 5DP, hk w/BimmerTech amp, Enhanced BT
Prior 40 years: 67 BelAir wagon / 68 LeMans Tempest / 70 Mustang Mach 1 / 72 El Dorado / 78 Corvette / 81 Subaru GL wagon 4WD / 83 s10 Blazer 4x4 / 85 Bronco 4x4 / 96 Bronco 4x4 / 04 Passat 4mo / 09 BMW 335xi |
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08-02-2015, 07:30 AM | #60 |
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I guess we all have our own definition of crawling. Its not a worry for me anymore. I live in the South where it almost never snows. If it does you stay home because most folks down here do not know how to drive in it. Our roads are so much better too.
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08-02-2015, 07:32 AM | #61 |
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What's an appropriate distance when said bonehead slides across the centerline at you head on? Happened to me last winter. I was able to avoid them - might have been ugly had I been less prepared.
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'11 328! Touring - Tasman on Chestnut, 6spd manual, factory upside-down "i" option '11 128i Convertible - Space Gray on Savannah Beige, 6spd manual, also '14 Mercedes-Benz E350 wagon, '95 Land Rover Discovery, '74 Triumph Spitfire |
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08-02-2015, 07:39 AM | #62 |
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08-02-2015, 08:03 AM | #63 | |
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But is the RWD more entertaining? Well, yes, to a point, but you can never forget there's all that weight hanging out in the rear. Even the Porsche engineers can't change the laws of physics, and if you get too aggressive with the car it can still bite you, and it's going to happen earlier on the RWD car versus the AWD car. I've had it happen on both, and lucky for me I didn't bend or break anything. That being said if I had it to do all over again my preference would be a RWD Carrera versus AWD. But my 235 (on order) is an AWD. The overriding factor for me is that it's going to be driven all winter, versus the Porsche which goes into hibernation each year. Before I placed my order, I did have the opportunity to drive an AWD 235 and a RWD 235 back to back (both had all season tires) without any SA in the cars, so I was able to push them hard, really hard. Not at all surprisingly at the limit the AWD tends to understeer somewhat more than the RWD. And yes, you can feel the extra weight, but you really have to be pushing the car hard before you notice it. I would think the vast majority of drivers would never discern the difference in handling, and the rest of us will notice the difference only when the car is driven super aggressively. Just my opinion. |
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08-03-2015, 09:22 AM | #64 | |
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We were all going between 35 and 40 mph, all in control, and all able to stop well within our line of sight. Right up until we came upon someone in the center of the road, doing between 10 and 15 mph, and fishtailing at that speed. He was so out of it that there was no clean way around either side of him, and it took about 2 miles before he had the brains to move to the side and let the rest of us pass. We were running in control and safe for the conditions at 35 mph. He was unsafe at 10. Almost all of that had to be tire selection.
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2015 M235xi coupe, Black Sapphire Metallic, Black Leather, Fineline Stream trim, Steptronic, xDrive, ZPP, ZTP, ZCW, ZDA, ZDB, 5DP, hk w/BimmerTech amp, Enhanced BT
Prior 40 years: 67 BelAir wagon / 68 LeMans Tempest / 70 Mustang Mach 1 / 72 El Dorado / 78 Corvette / 81 Subaru GL wagon 4WD / 83 s10 Blazer 4x4 / 85 Bronco 4x4 / 96 Bronco 4x4 / 04 Passat 4mo / 09 BMW 335xi |
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