[Clearcan]

Hey all,

I'm getting back to the world of BMWs after a long hiatus. I've never had a convertible before and would like to know if anyone who actually drives their car in the winter if the convertible is going to be too much of a hassle.

This is going to be my daily driver, and I like the idea of a convertible but if the reviews are negative then I'll just suck it up and go with the coupe. Odds are I will work from home if it's real nasty out, but interested in hearing experiences with cold, windy days etc.

Any experiences would be great.

[Elvisfan]

What would make you think that a convertible would be a problem? Everyone we have had had an insulated top. If there is a major snow,just wipe the snow off the top. Heating the inside has never been a problem. Do the coupes lower the window slightly when the door is opened? If they do then there is no difference. If only the convertible does that then ice could be a problem.

[Clearcan]

Really just asking the question about any known issues to be cautious. The seal it made seemed pretty good with the body, unlikely any ice buildup would come in from there. Those are the types of things I'm interested in learning.

[Elvisfan]

Convertible has never been an issue in Chicago. The only issue is when it will be warm enough to put the top down.

[angler]

I live in Vermont, drive a 135 vert. Put four snows on go anywhere. Never had a problem and that is with rwd, you will have xdrive. It's all good. Enjoy the ragtop!

[Zooks527]

Originally Posted by Elvisfan

Do the coupes lower the window slightly when the door is opened? If they do then there is no difference. If only the convertible does that then ice could be a problem.

Yup, to clear the top edge trim. In fact, during an ice storm I got so much buildup on the doors that neither window would drop, and I couldn't get into the car without 10 minutes of ice chipping.

[Rayscott]

I had 2 S2000's with Blizzaks, no issues. 228ix has all season tires but probably won't drive in snow. Retired and have an X3.

[BEM-S4]

You'll be totally fine like others have said either with a good all season (DWS 06) or even better a dedicated set of winter wheels and tires. Only thing I'd be mindful of is if you're someplace prone to excessive snow and you get over a foot, brush the roof off. When that stuff gets wet and heavy it can weigh a lot. You'd probably be totally fine but 2 mins of effort seems like a good investment for some added peace of mind.

[bimmerfile]

Originally Posted by Clearcan

Hey all,

.......................................would like to know if anyone who actually drives their car in the winter if the convertible is going to be too much of a hassle................

.

From the early 1990's onward we've always had a ragtop as a second summer fun vehicle (Camaro, Firebirds, BMW Z4, BMW 128i) and a AWD vehicle (Rav4, Saab 9x, Subaru Forester, BMW X1) for foul and winter weather.
When the 228i xDrive ragtop came in MY 2015, we sold both the 128i ragtop and X1 SUV and replaced both with the 228i xDrive ragtop in the early spring 2015 on the basis that we would see if the 2er xdrive ragtop could be a suitable all year all weather vehicle. If we found that the 2er ragtop was deficient in any way handling all sorts of weather or road conditions, we would revert to the ragtop and SUV paradigm.
16 months onward and every type of weather, we have not missed the SUV one iota. Last fall we switched the 2015 228i xDrive ragtop for the 2016 M235i xDrive cabrio (due to a BMW recall/replace program) and the M235i xDrive ragtop handled all weather/road scenarios as well as the 228xi ragtop.
Could not be more pleased with the 2er xDrive in ragtop format.
BTW, I run the OEM RFT A/S in the winter and had no problems. Don't let that out though as a lot of winter tire aficionados here will pee all over me for that..

[moke]

Here's the problem as described above.

I've had about 6-7 BMW's where the window goes down a few inches when you open the door.

On those days where the moisture freezes on the car, the window wont go down and you can't really open the door freely.

What I do is take a credit card and run it the entire length of the window between the rubber and the window at the bottom.

This 'breaks' the frozen seal and allows the window to retract.

Except for that, the convertible is 100 percent worth it.

Good luck with your decision.

Moke

[Sportstick]

Originally Posted by bimmerfile

BTW, I run the OEM RFT A/S in the winter and had no problems. Don't let that out though as a lot of winter tire aficionados here will pee all over me for that..

Glad you've been good so far! No doubt those tires can help you get going. If/when you ever need to really stop/turn evasively in winter, I think you may wind up just peeing on yourself!

[Clearcan]

Thanks all for your thoughts. Yes i remember back on my old e36 the joys of the ice around the window when it was trying to drop to open the door. That never bothered me much.

I will definitely need to keep an eye on the snow pack on top though. During the work day we can easily see a foot or more plus additional from wind drift etc.

Appreciated the note from Vermont! As i'm currently sitting in the green mountain state and will be traveling here a bit during the winter to come up and visit family and skiing. I did see i could get my skis to pass through the rear seat area.

I will probably end up getting a dedicated set of winter tires and rims, just because i have a pretty good resource to help reduce the overall cost. I see a lot of people keep them squared up for winter vs. the offset that it looks like the M235i Xdrive comes with.

[Kolyan2k]

Use 303 or some other product to keep the top in good condition for wet and sunny days

[moke]

Originally Posted by Clearcan

Thanks all for your thoughts. Yes i remember back on my old e36 the joys of the ice around the window when it was trying to drop to open the door. That never bothered me much.

snip

Sorry, one more thing. I bought this stuff, and I apply to the bottom of the window, redoing it after every winter wash:

[angler]

Originally Posted by Clearcan

Thanks all for your thoughts. Yes i remember back on my old e36 the joys of the ice around the window when it was trying to drop to open the door. That never bothered me much.

I will definitely need to keep an eye on the snow pack on top though. During the work day we can easily see a foot or more plus additional from wind drift etc.

Appreciated the note from Vermont! As i'm currently sitting in the green mountain state and will be traveling here a bit during the winter to come up and visit family and skiing. I did see i could get my skis to pass through the rear seat area.

I will probably end up getting a dedicated set of winter tires and rims, just because i have a pretty good resource to help reduce the overall cost. I see a lot of people keep them squared up for winter vs. the offset that it looks like the M235i Xdrive comes with.

I have a dedicated set of tires and wheels and they are squared up. Get the hakkapelitta R2 in a size 225 squared. You will go anywhere... BTW I take my car to the mountain on a weekly basis. Best part will come in the spring when it's 60 out and you are driving to the mountain with your top down

[Kolyan2k]

Originally Posted by moke

Sorry, one more thing. I bought this stuff, and I apply to the bottom of the window, redoing it after every winter wash:

Honda Shin-Etsu grease is much better for all rubber seals. I used to apply that to all rubber in my car, so good stuff.

[Grentz]

Originally Posted by moke

Sorry, one more thing. I bought this stuff, and I apply to the bottom of the window, redoing it after every winter wash:

Similar:
http://www.autogeek.net/1z-einszett-...are-stick.html

Works great for all the weather seals and keeps them working well, not sticking.

[BPC]

get heated seats. it will expand the temp range where top down is doable to the mid-low 50's