[Hank Scorpio]

Hey guys. Been lurking for quite some time now, but decided to ask you guys for your opinion.

Am looking to pick up a 2018 2-Series within the next 6 months, but torn deciding which trim I should go with.

I'm deciding whether I should get the M240i RWD or AWD or M2. I do plan on modding the car (mostly Dinan and M-Sport) upgrades. I live in the NYC area, and work in Stamford, CT. I have an active lifestyle, which means I go up to the mountain often to hike and snowboard. As some of you know, NYC does get hit with quite a bit of snow.

Should me even thinking about the M2 be a non-starter considering I probably would need the AWD? Or could I get away with a RWD car? Would it be better to go RWD and mod the car up to M2? Or am I better off just getting the M2?

I realize this topic may have been asked in the past, but I'd really appreciate any input. Thanks!

[overcoil]

240 AWD

you think you could manage 265 245 / 35 19-inch tires ?

[bthomas518]

RWD is not that bad in the winter, as long you put very good snow tires on it. I used to live in upstate NY with a RWD E90 3-series and just rocked all-season tires year round. We did always take my wife's Subaru for ski trips if snow was in the forecast, however.

My 228i is RWD w/ Michelin PS4S, it's completely un-usable below 40F, even on dry roads. Fortunately, live in SoCal now, so non-issue.

If it's going to be your only car, and you want to head into the mountains when it's snowing, you might be best off w/ M240i X-drive. You'll still want snow tires either way.

[Hank Scorpio]

Originally Posted by ScottSinger

240 AWD

you think you could manage 265 245 / 35 19-inch tires ?

I would be getting the Dinan springs, so I don't think I could get away with the 19's. The roads in NYC aren't the best, and I don' want to have a heart attack every time I mistakenly drive over a pot hole.

[overcoil]

Originally Posted by Hank Scorpio

I would be getting the Dinan springs, so I don't think I could get away with the 19's. The roads in NYC aren't the best, and I don' want to have a heart attack every time I mistakenly drive over a pot hole.

just to b clear the 265, 245 /35 19's are the M2's wheel size.

[BrettKA7]

One thing to remember is the M2 in comfort more is still about 2 billion times stiffer than an M240i's adaptive suspension in sport mode. It's a track car, the M240i splits the difference for a comfortable, capable, sporty daily driver.

[Sportstick]

240 AWD with a set of dedicated winter tires. If living in my old home town of NYC and driving on those awful roads, I’d get the smallest wheels possible...maybe swap with someone or the dealer for a new set of 17s that clear the larger blue brake calipers.

[Hank Scorpio]

Originally Posted by Sportstick

240 AWD with a set of dedicated winter tires. If living in my old home town of NYC and driving on those awful roads, I’d get the smallest wheels possible...maybe swap with someone or the dealer for a new set of 17s that clear the larger blue brake calipers.

Nah man. I don't think I can go that small. I'd stick with OEM. At the very least, I'd probably stick with a decent pair of all seasons. I don't have much room in my house to store winter tires. I could possibly try my front porch, but that would look nasty

Also, side bar: Besides the minor LCI Lights and digital cluster...is there a substantial difference between the 2017 to the 2018 M240i?

[Sportstick]

Originally Posted by Hank Scorpio

Nah man. I don't think I can go that small. I'd stick with OEM. At the very least, I'd probably stick with a decent pair of all seasons. I don't have much room in my house to store winter tires. I could possibly try my front porch, but that would look nasty

Also, side bar: Besides the minor LCI Lights and digital cluster...is there a substantial difference between the 2017 to the 2018 M240i?

OK, just trying to minimize risk to wheel damage. I never bent a 17 on also-awful Michigan roads. Try 18 then. For NYC, 19 is just asking to be spending on repairs.

As to winters, you don’t need to store them yourself. Some local recommended installers for tirerack.com will store your off-season set. Just a quick seasonal “pit stop” to swap. For the activities you plan, there is no such thing as a competent all season tire, keeping in mind the safety of stopping/turning are much more important than the convenience of getting moving and are controlled by the tires, not by having AWD. A different kind - all weather, like Michelin Cross Climate -could work as one all-year tire, but would sacrifice maximum performance the rest of the year.

[Efftooto]

I have an M235i XDrive and I'm in Ottawa Canada. Just got about a foot of snow overnight and the roads were barely plowed when I came into work.
I have square setup for the winter with Michelin X-Ice winter tires and I have no problem.
I would recommend the M240, you can tune it to perform better than the M2 (unless you're thinking M2C) with the X Drive for your winter trips. Keep in mind that XDrive can not get a manual transmission.

Chris

[Hank Scorpio]

Originally Posted by Efftooto

I have an M235i XDrive and I'm in Ottawa Canada. Just got about a foot of snow overnight and the roads were barely plowed when I came into work.
I have square setup for the winter with Michelin X-Ice winter tires and I have no problem.
I would recommend the M240, you can tune it to perform better than the M2 (unless you're thinking M2C) with the X Drive for your winter trips. Keep in mind that XDrive can not get a manual transmission.

Chris

Thanks for the input! Hadn't even thought about box vs staggered tires. I suppose, I would've gone with the staggered. After reading what others have said, I'm leaning towards the 240i Xdrive.

Speaking of AWD, has anyone had experience installing an LSD on an xdrive car? Is it even worth it? Intuitively, it sounds like i'd face some redundancies with that setup. Or am I overthinking this?

[againsttherage]

Originally Posted by Hank Scorpio

Thanks for the input! Hadn't even thought about box vs staggered tires. I suppose, I would've gone with the staggered. After reading what others have said, I'm leaning towards the 240i Xdrive.

Speaking of AWD, has anyone had experience installing an LSD on an xdrive car? Is it even worth it? Intuitively, it sounds like i'd face some redundancies with that setup. Or am I overthinking this?

To reiterate what others have said, if you are looking to take this car into the mountains you should 100% get snow tires of some type. You will take a performance hit in the dry with full snows (ice-x/blizzak/etc.) and less so with performance winters (alpin a4/etc.), but this will give you the best control and traction in the snow. You are doing yourself a disservice not optimizing the tire for the conditions and the car will not drive as well as it could. Running dedicated summers and winters is the path forward.

As far as size, I went down to square 17s for the same concern about wheel damage on New York's shit roads plus it's cheaper for the wheel and rubber. The BBS SX's I went with look more aggressive than stock due to the offset.

I don't believe you can get an LSD with xDrive, but would definitely recommend picking one up if you go m240 RWD.

[IchMagMunchen]

I lived in CT with an RWD 128i and later an RWD M240i. RWD with good snow tires is fine.

I would recommend getting good snow tires for snowy winters even with AWD, because while AWD helps you get going if you are stuck, it cannot help with braking or cornering.

[morphomeman]

The real question to ask is what is on offer. M2 was and remains very low production, so the likelihood of finding one nearby that hasn't been abused is very low. Between the X and no-X, it's a matter of which individual vehicle is closer to what you want in terms of trim, etc.
The reason for not having the LSD available on an X-car is largely that an LSD makes little sense on an all-wheel-drive car. AFAIK, it is not possible to retrofit one.
As for wheels, the smaller diameter, the better, unless you plan to spend all your spare change on tires. Been there, done that. There are 17" wheels that fit over the brakes, just not much choice.

[gimbles123]

Adding my 2 cents. As a 2015 m235 owner in northwestern Jersey (I see similar climates) I would have absolutely bought an AWD if I had my current hindsight. Totally understand where people are coming from with snow tires usage, but I think AWD is necessary based on the lifestyle you describe. I do outdoor rock climbing/ice climbing (winter) and I find myself traveling to less kept areas often.

Also pretty close to FBO and I'm not really feeling the need for more power.

[Fugly M3]

M2 with dedicated winter set. I am biased, but with proper tires it should be able to handle the vast majority of winter NY can throw at it. Now, if you were in the Sierras or the Rockies, I'd say otherwise...and that would apply to all of your listed options.

[Hank Scorpio]

A lot of useful info here.

Some have mentioned getting 17' for the winter. I think OEM is 18' and fairly aggressive. Can someone point me to some aggressive looking 17' for the winter set up? What are some decent Winter Performance tires (if this is a thing)? How about Summers (Pilot Sport 2)?

After so thought and advice from you guys, I've decided to go with the M240i xDrive.

[PeanuKeeyes]

X drive is the way to go. I can’t use my RWD 2er much these days. (I’m in New Haven) — I have all seasons on and they’re ok with anything under 2” snow. I recommend going slightly taller sidewall than stock, it’s not going to negatively effect anything, speedometer will be off by like 1.5mph on average. Driving through NYC when I had 19” forged wheels with lower profile tires was a nightmare, especially when lowered on H&R springs. Don’t go that route, trust me! — For winter I recommend an 18” square setup 235/40/r18 et38-et42 offset range. Apex makes good looking, durable wheels. Here is my car in this configuration for reference:

This is with stock springs reinstalled btw.

[Sportstick]

Originally Posted by Hank Scorpio

A lot of useful info here.

Some have mentioned getting 17' for the winter. I think OEM is 18' and fairly aggressive. Can someone point me to some aggressive looking 17' for the winter set up? What are some decent Winter Performance tires (if this is a thing)? How about Summers (Pilot Sport 2)?

After so thought and advice from you guys, I've decided to go with the M240i xDrive.

For winter, if capability/survivability is your priority over trying to look aggressive for a few snowy/sloshy/ugly months, the optimum setup is 205/50-17 or 215/50-17. "Winter performance" is an oxymoron. Suggest Michelin Xice xi3 or Blizzak WS90.

Keep in mind for winter, skinnier is superior, as it creates more psi downforce to cut through snow. For 17" wheels that can fit over the blue MSport calipers, check BBS SR. Tire Rack has a tool on the site to help identify others that will fit as well if you define the car properly on their questions.
You can also verify the size compatibility on the 1010tires.com calculator on their site.

[Sportstick]

Originally Posted by PeanuKeeyes

X drive is the way to go. I can’t use my RWD 2er much these days. (I’m in New Haven) — I have all seasons on and they’re ok with anything under 2” snow.

It's not the RWD; it's the tires. With proper winter tires, your capability would be greatly enhanced. When I lived in Michigan, a set of Blizzak WS on rear wheel drive was hugely effective in any snow the car's ride height allowed it do drive over. Most importantly, they allowed me to stop and turn safely.

Of course, AWD enhances your motion capability even further on snow (not stopping/turning maneuvers off-throttle), but your current limitations are not due to the car and easily remedied for next winter!

[Fugly M3]

Originally Posted by Sportstick

It's not the RWD; it's the tires. With proper winter tires, your capability would be greatly enhanced. When I lived in Michigan, a set of Blizzak WS on rear wheel drive was hugely effective in any snow the car's ride height allowed it do drive over. Most importantly, they allowed me to stop and turn safely.

Of course, AWD enhances your motion capability even further on snow (not stopping/turning maneuvers off-throttle), but your current limitations are not due to the car and easily remedied for next winter!

This. All season tires are not winter tires. I had a rental wagon for a ski trip in Austria about 6 years ago and the winter tires without 4wd were better than all season with 4wd. Again, if you plan on trudging through the intense storms of the Sierras or the Rockies, then you're going to need 4wd and snow tires and probably a proper 4wd, not a 240, but I don't think that's the case here.

[dradernh]

Originally Posted by Hank Scorpio

Some have mentioned getting 17' for the winter. Can someone point me to some aggressive looking 17' for the winter set up?

It depends upon what looks aggressive to you; below is a shot of my car on BBS SR 17X7½ ET35 Anthracite Painted.

17" tires will give you a better shot at surviving potholes, and BBS makes high-quality wheels. Tire Rack is a good place to get both.