[JMcLellan]

Originally Posted by Sportstick

I picked up a bright orange Crosstrek with their symmetrical AWD and put on Bridgestone KO2 tires and got through stopping, turning, and going in Michigan winters with ease and confidence while the 2 Series hibernated. Subie was not just a winter beater... it was a beast! Then, we moved southwest, Subie got a new owner, and the 2 went from All Seasons to Summer Performance rubber.

Nice. I bet you never had any issues with that ride. And then moving out of wintery climates doesn't hurt either.

I lost the winter beater argument as we have managed sharing my wife's Lexus GX460 in the winters and with covid forcing us to work from home it's been pretty easy. The kids are getting older and busier with activities and trips to the office are becoming more frequent so there will be some days this year I gotta take the car out of the garage. And I hate it.....

[Sportstick]

Originally Posted by JMcLellan

Nice. I bet you never had any issues with that ride. And then moving out of wintery climates doesn't hurt either.

I lost the winter beater argument as we have managed sharing my wife's Lexus GX460 in the winters and with covid forcing us to work from home it's been pretty easy. The kids are getting older and busier with activities and trips to the office are becoming more frequent so there will be some days this year I gotta take the car out of the garage. And I hate it.....

In case the investment for a second set of wheels and winter tires is a concern, here's what I did once a few decades ago before I could afford an extra car when my wife raised the question. We walked into the bedroom closet and I asked her about all the shoes she had and why without revealing the motivation for the question. She explained casual, dress, athletic, higher/lower heels, etc. I then took her to the garage and explained that the car responsible for transporting us safely can get by with just two. That's when I bought a new set of Blizzaks on wheels from Tire Rack. No problem.

[JMcLellan]

Originally Posted by Sportstick

In case the investment for a second set of wheels and winter tires is a concern, here's what I did once a few decades ago before I could afford an extra car when my wife raised the question. We walked into the bedroom closet and I asked her about all the shoes she had and why without revealing the motivation for the question. She explained casual, dress, athletic, higher/lower heels, etc. I then took her to the garage and explained that the car responsible for transporting us safely can get by with just two. That's when I bought a new set of Blizzaks on wheels from Tire Rack. No problem.

I love this story so much! I do have two sets of wheels so not as much of stretch having to only get new tires for one set.

Aren't you also the person who has a garage floor that matches the color of your car? I need to learn your ways as I am upgrading my garage right now and the floor is a potential part of the upgrade next spring.

[Sportstick]

Originally Posted by JMcLellan

I love this story so much! I do have two sets of wheels so not as much of stretch having to only get new tires for one set.

Aren't you also the person who has a garage floor that matches the color of your car? I need to learn your ways as I am upgrading my garage right now and the floor is a potential part of the upgrade next spring.

Yes, I decided to have some fun with that in this new house we just built. (Please pardon the unslightly solar panel equipment on the wall.) One gets to an age where you start to think, "Why not and if not now, when?"

I started out with the typical application of colored flake, but it didn't look good, was uneven, and the flake did not have the impact I hoped for. My installer could not find an orange-colored base coat, so the overall effect was poor when the flakes were scattered on top. We had that grinded a bit and applied over that epoxy paint in a color that looked more consistent with the goal. If I was starting from scratch, I might consider the tile application products if it had the look I desired, such as:

https://racedeck.com/racedeck-garage...s/racedeck-xl/

https://www.swisstrax.com/garage-flooring.html

Then, I found a nice piece of artwork from the BMWCCA of the spritual predecessor of the 2 Series in a coincidentally consistent color for the wall. I had it appropriately framed. That is a rendering, not a photo, so enjoyable for the talented artist as well! The other two cars sit on a typical light brown/tan flake appearance as over the years, who knows what color cars will come and go.

If you are re-doing the garage and have bicycles to manage, these are great, don't require electricity, and the reason you see reflections of bicycles apparently from the ceiling!

https://www.kradlco.com/buy?gclid=Cj...kaAkHZEALw_wcB

[JMcLellan]

Originally Posted by Sportstick

Yes, I decided to have some fun with that in this new house we just built. (Please pardon the unslightly solar panel equipment on the wall.) One gets to an age where you start to think, "Why not and if not now, when?"

I started out with the typical application of colored flake, but it didn't look good, was uneven, and the flake did not have the impact I hoped for. My installer could not find an orange-colored base coat, so the overall effect was poor when the flakes were scattered on top. We had that grinded a bit and applied over that epoxy paint in a color that looked more consistent with the goal. If I was starting from scratch, I might consider the tile application products if it had the look I desired, such as:

https://racedeck.com/racedeck-garage...s/racedeck-xl/

https://www.swisstrax.com/garage-flooring.html

Then, I found a nice piece of artwork from the BMWCCA of the spritual predecessor of the 2 Series in a coincidentally consistent color for the wall. I had it appropriately framed. That is a rendering, not a photo, so enjoyable for the talented artist as well! The other two cars sit on a typical light brown/tan flake appearance as over the years, who knows what color cars will come and go.

If you are re-doing the garage and have bicycles to manage, these are great, don't require electricity, and the reason you see reflections of bicycles apparently from the ceiling!

https://www.kradlco.com/buy?gclid=Cj...kaAkHZEALw_wcB

Heck yeah! That is a sweet looking setup. Love the wall art too.

If we redo our floors 99% certain we will do epoxy since the floor will be getting wet from snow-covered vehicles going in and out. Right now we are strategizing on storage solutions for all the stuff. Luckily, we have a decent sized shed in the backyard that has been under-utilized. Home Depot is in route today with some wall slat boards, hooks, and I bought a 7 piece cabinet/toolbox setup made by Husky. We will have 19 feet of wall devoted to slatboards and cabinets in front of our vehicles which should cover organization for nearly everything. Then we gotta figure out some watersports stuff: paddleboards, water carpet, tube, life jackets and so on. Oh yeah, and bikes!

[Sportstick]

Originally Posted by JMcLellan

Heck yeah! That is a sweet looking setup. Love the wall art too.

If we redo our floors 99% certain we will do epoxy since the floor will be getting wet from snow-covered vehicles going in and out. Right now we are strategizing on storage solutions for all the stuff. Luckily, we have a decent sized shed in the backyard that has been under-utilized. Home Depot is in route today with some wall slat boards, hooks, and I bought a 7 piece cabinet/toolbox setup made by Husky. We will have 19 feet of wall devoted to slatboards and cabinets in front of our vehicles which should cover organization for nearly everything. Then we gotta figure out some watersports stuff: paddleboards, water carpet, tube, life jackets and so on. Oh yeah, and bikes!

Sounds like a fun project and you'll love the results when it's YOUR plan! Totally happy with Kradl for the bikes. We have three of them screwed into the ceiling and keeping floor space open.

[Kernel Kurtz]

Thanks for the heads up on that Kradl. Looks like exactly what I need!

[Sportstick]

Originally Posted by Kernel Kurtz

Thanks for the heads up on that Kradl. Looks like exactly what I need!

Note that Kradl can be ordered with two different weight ratings so order carefully. The front two are holding the lighter carbon fiber bikes. The rear one is holding my 1967 Schwinn Varsity 10 speed "keeper" at a historic 41 lbs!

[Oltimer]

Originally Posted by kmh4321

looks neat!
Where did you get those sideskirts?

R44 performance

[Oltimer]

2 and a half months since this happened



finally got her back oh and at a cost of (£6k)

[jzeiler4]

I still find it unbelievable they stole the entire steering column.

[happyjack]

Originally Posted by Sportstick

Sounds like a fun project and you'll love the results when it's YOUR plan! Totally happy with Kradl for the bikes. We have three of them screwed into the ceiling and keeping floor space open.

and that looks like an 8-ft ceiling? that's been my biggest concern about any bike hanging solution...clearance under the bikes.

[Oltimer]

Originally Posted by jzeiler4

I still find it unbelievable they stole the entire steering column.

they steal to order in the UK and from what I could see it was only 4 bolts and unplug a couple of connectors and the whole column comes out , I had a dash cam and some other stuff in the car which wasn't touched so I guess speed is the key.

[Sportstick]

Originally Posted by happyjack

and that looks like an 8-ft ceiling? that's been my biggest concern about any bike hanging solution...clearance under the bikes.

10 foot

[ggggbmw]

Originally Posted by JMcLellan

Ok, there was just a little bit of snow and slush a couple days ago when I drove on my all seasons. It was pretty dicey.......either it was just really really slippery or I'm not as confident as I was last winter. Guess I will need to do some drifting and shred up those tires so I can justify buying a new set of winters.

My snow tires are entering their sixth winter, and they just don't work as well as they used to. And of course, after working from home 4 days a week since covid, this week I had to drive somewhere all 4 days it snowed this week in Minneapolis.

The Monday commute was eye-opening, but luckily, I didn't hit anything, and nobody hit me. It was the worst combination of no plowing, no embedded salt in the pavement because it was the first snow, and glare ice from traffic on the snow. At one point I stopped at a light, and then slid sideways a couple inches down the crown of the road.

[aerobod]

Originally Posted by ggggbmw

My snow tires are entering their sixth winter, and they just don't work as well as they used to.

With the minimum winter tread depth marker at 4.5mm (just under 6/32”), I’ve never managed more than 4 winters / 30,000km (18,000 miles) out of a set of winter tyres.

[leftoverture]

Originally Posted by ggggbmw

My snow tires are entering their sixth winter, and they just don't work as well as they used to. And of course, after working from home 4 days a week since covid, this week I had to drive somewhere all 4 days it snowed this week in Minneapolis.

The Monday commute was eye-opening, but luckily, I didn't hit anything, and nobody hit me. It was the worst combination of no plowing, no embedded salt in the pavement because it was the first snow, and glare ice from traffic on the snow. At one point I stopped at a light, and then slid sideways a couple inches down the crown of the road.

My 2 did just fine on the roads around the Twin Cities this week. This is the 3rd season for my winter tires but they only have about 5500 miles on them, since it sat in the garage most of 2020.

[JMcLellan]

Originally Posted by ggggbmw

My snow tires are entering their sixth winter, and they just don't work as well as they used to. And of course, after working from home 4 days a week since covid, this week I had to drive somewhere all 4 days it snowed this week in Minneapolis.

The Monday commute was eye-opening, but luckily, I didn't hit anything, and nobody hit me. It was the worst combination of no plowing, no embedded salt in the pavement because it was the first snow, and glare ice from traffic on the snow. At one point I stopped at a light, and then slid sideways a couple inches down the crown of the road.

That is crazy. I didn't think that those driving conditions were normal but you make some good points about no salt the ice pack from traffic. I'm going to venture out today for some errands and get a car wash. Conditions look much better but bitter cold!

[ggggbmw]

Originally Posted by aerobod

With the minimum winter tread depth marker at 4.5mm (just under 6/32”), I’ve never managed more than 4 winters / 30,000km (18,000 miles) out of a set of winter tyres.

Yeah, I'm almost at that. Measured 6.5 to 7/32" when I put them on. Nearly at the minimum snow depth marker bars. And if I added it up, that mileage sounds about right. Definitely their last winter.

It doesn't help that I've even done an autocross class and a driver training class on them when the temp was below freezing. Obviously poor handling compared to summer/track tires, but at that temp the summers would have been worse. So, the sipe edges are rather worn on these also which doesn't help.

When you live in Minnesota, sometimes you just have to make do in the shoulder seasons. aerobod , I have no idea how you deal with your weather.

[Sportstick]

Originally Posted by ggggbmw

My snow tires are entering their sixth winter, and they just don't work as well as they used to.

https://www.edmunds.com/car-maintena...%20manufacture.

...note this article also applies to tires never used.

[leftoverture]

Originally Posted by Sportstick

https://www.edmunds.com/car-maintena...%20manufacture.

...note this article also applies to tires never used.

Well, there are a number of factors at work here. Most people with winter tires store them indoors and they don't see lots of UV that can speed aging. So winter tires might live a bit longer than tires that see lots of sun and heat. But it is a good idea to be conscious of the age of your tires as well as the tread depth. And check date codes when you buy new tires, too.

[dradernh]

Originally Posted by leftoverture

Well, there are a number of factors at work here. Most people with winter tires store them indoors and they don't see lots of UV that can speed aging. So winter tires might live a bit longer than tires that see lots of sun and heat. But it is a good idea to be conscious of the age of your tires as well as the tread depth. And check date codes when you buy new tires, too.

As with race tires, an inexpensive means of determining the condition of a set of winter tires is the fingernail test. When you buy them, and every year after that, before mounting them on the car again, use your fingernails to ascertain how soft the rubber still is. It will become quite evident when they've begun to harden. At that point, they're no longer doing what you've paid for them to do.

I double-bag our winter tires and keep them in a temperature and humidity controlled space during the late spring to late fall months. I think that generally adds a single year to the life we get out of them.

With new winter tires, what you're paying for are tires with soft rubber. That softness is what enables them to grip cold and icy surfaces. As they begin to become progressively harder over time, they will not grip as well under the conditions in which you most need them to perform well. Expense aside, I would suggest changing winter tires out early when safety is a significant concern.