[Florence]

I just put my name on an i4 eDrive 40 and started to worry about how I should get through the long winters in New England. I did some research and it seems like it should largely be fine with winter tires. Just wanted to hear more thoughts on the driving safety of RWD cars during snow seasons.

 

[Pictionary]

RWD in snow is not great. I'm in Boston, that's why I got the M50 for AWD. Like you said, if you get winter tires and drive slow enough, you should be fine. I opted for AWD so I don't have to worry quite as much.

 

[Feeb]

I'm also in the Boston area. I'm waiting on an e40, and my hope is that the weight of the batteries will help with traction. My CA also recommended getting winter tires. I'm not sure if it's still there, but there was an option get some winter tires for about half the standard BMW price. If you didn't select them, reach out to your CA to see if they can be added. They were around $1,600 for four tires and rims.

 

[kipsate]

A RWD with winter tyres has way better traction on snow than an AWD with summer tyres. Always get winter tyres. They are very useful and better than summer not only on snow but also on ice and temps above freezing.

 

[Ken7]

I too have an e40, but EVs with RWD are a different animal than the same RWD in ICE cars. I had a RWD Model S and had no real problems…but I didn’t drive in the snow that often. As good as these EVs are with RWD, if I frequently drove in a lot of snow, I’d consider getting AWD with snow tires for winter.

 

[Florence]

RWD in snow is not great. I'm in Boston, that's why I got the M50 for AWD. Like you said, if you get winter tires and drive slow enough, you should be fine. I opted for AWD so I don't have to worry quite as much.

lol M50 is beyond my reach at this moment and can't find it anywhere that I could possibly get it in the summer....but I guess even for AWD, it's still safer to have winter tires on. I suppose I'll just get winter tires and drive less when it's really bad time in winter

 

[Florence]

I'm also in the Boston area. I'm waiting on an e40, and my hope is that the weight of the batteries will help with traction. My CA also recommended getting winter tires. I'm not sure if it's still there, but there was an option get some winter tires for about half the standard BMW price. If you didn't select them, reach out to your CA to see if they can be added. They were around $1,600 for four tires and rims.

when is your e40 expected to arrive? mine is still at the port. For winter tires, do they have to be BMW or can I choose other brands?

 

[Florence]

A RWD with winter tyres has way better traction on snow than an AWD with summer tyres. Always get winter tyres. They are very useful and better than summer not only on snow but also on ice and temps above freezing.

Thanks! Do you have any recommendation on the winter tyres?

 

[JoeK]

I too have an e40, but EVs with RWD are a different animal than the same RWD in ICE cars. I had a RWD Model S and had no real problems…but I didn’t drive in the snow that often. As good as these EVs are with RWD, if I frequently drove in a lot of snow, I’d consider getting AWD with snow tires for winter.

Agree with Ken, I am also in Boston area but my days of driving north for skiing are behind me. So putting that aside I will be very comfortable driving e40 with winter tires but expect to switch to smaller rims/tires both for better winter traction and better range. I was not aware of the possible purchase of winter tires at a discount but will check , although I have purchased and financed at 1.9, and only thing left is actual pick up next week after car is ready with Mass plates since dealer is NH and that causes a delay. Anyone know more on the winter tires discount and specific brand(s)?

 

[Florence]

I too have an e40, but EVs with RWD are a different animal than the same RWD in ICE cars. I had a RWD Model S and had no real problems…but I didn’t drive in the snow that often. As good as these EVs are with RWD, if I frequently drove in a lot of snow, I’d consider getting AWD with snow tires for winter.

yeah, I heard about that too. I would only use it for commute purposes. My thinking is that I'll try to avoid driving it in snow or when the streets are clean enough. Hope my boss would understand that and allow me to WFH

 

[Florence]

Agree with Ken, I am also in Boston area but my days of driving north for skiing are behind me. So putting that aside I will be very comfortable driving e40 with winter tires but expect to switch to smaller rims/tires both for better winter traction and better range. I was not aware of the possible purchase of winter tires at a discount but will check , although I have purchased and financed at 1.9, and only thing left is actual pick up next week after car is ready with Mass plates since dealer is NH and that causes a delay. Anyone know more on the winter tires discount and specific brand(s)?

Congrats on the upcoming pick up! 1.9 is history now. When did you order it? I found one e40 that is coming next month and it's in NY cause I need the car in the summer. I heard that it would be a little bit complicated for MA residents to buy a car out of state...it would be great if you could share your experience!

also interested in the winter tire brands and discounts...

 

[JoeK]

Congrats on the upcoming pick up! 1.9 is history now. When did you order it? I found one e40 that is coming next month and it's in NY cause I need the car in the summer. I heard that it would be a little bit complicated for MA residents to buy a car out of state...it would be great if you could share your experience!

also interested in the winter tire brands and discounts...

I ordered June 1 2021! My dealer (NH)stated they would discount under MSRP and kept to that promise. The out of state purchase ( I am in MA) only meant about 5 day delay ( next week) for getting the plates, and they indicated if I was in another state not MA it would have been possible to pic up immediately with temporary plates while MA plates on order. So given they were only 45 minutes away and were only dealer I found offering to sell under MSRP, it was an easy decision. If you are determined to get best range and traction in winter then the smallest possible rims 17 or if not 18 provide both . If you do not want additional smaller rims then winter tires alone are a significant improvement since regular ( all non winter tires) lose traction even on dry roads when temperature is below 45 degrees.

 

[JoeK]

I ordered June 1 2021! My dealer (NH)stated they would discount under MSRP and kept to that promise. The out of state purchase ( I am in MA) only meant about 5 day delay ( next week) for getting the plates, and they indicated if I was in another state not MA it would have been possible to pic up immediately with temporary plates while MA plates on order. So given they were only 45 minutes away and were only dealer I found offering to sell under MSRP, it was an easy decision. If you are determined to get best range and traction in winter then the smallest possible rims 17 or if not 18 provide both . If you do not want additional smaller rims then winter tires alone are a significant improvement since regular ( all non winter tires) lose traction even on dry roads when temperature is below 45 degrees.

If you check the rolling resistance that will let you compare range, tires with best rolling resistance will have best range.

 

[Florence]

I ordered June 1 2021! My dealer (NH)stated they would discount under MSRP and kept to that promise. The out of state purchase ( I am in MA) only meant about 5 day delay ( next week) for getting the plates, and they indicated if I was in another state not MA it would have been possible to pic up immediately with temporary plates while MA plates on order. So given they were only 45 minutes away and were only dealer I found offering to sell under MSRP, it was an easy decision. If you are determined to get best range and traction in winter then the smallest possible rims 17 or if not 18 provide both . If you do not want additional smaller rims then winter tires alone are a significant improvement since regular ( all non winter tires) lose traction even on dry roads when temperature is below 45 degrees.

I am in Boston as well. By the time I started to call around (a week ago), it's either sold out or best at MSRP. It's amazing you can get it under MSRP!!! How much discount are you getting? I was only able to found one in NY that suits me the best. They said the same thing about selling to MA customers. So I have to drive 3hrs to sign the paper work at least. They said they can send a driver to drive the car to my house after I got the plate. But I'm skeptical of that.

 

[TXZL1I4]

Four wheels can slip just as easily as 2 wheels. I've heard of people driving a V8 RWD in the snow/ice with a proper set of winter tires with no problem. The i4 will be heavier, so you may have better traction, but stopping may be advantageous. In the 1-2 weeks that it ices over in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, I've noticed that 4WD drivers get a false sense of confidence. Then again, I drove a 4WD last year when it was crazy icy here, and it felt more sure footed, but I was more concerned with the other drivers than my driving. As long as you're prepared to find a proper set of snow tires with proper weight considerations (as EVs are generally heavier), then you should be fine. Or, you can do like we do down here in Texas, and for the one or two weeks of "winter", we just don't drive. 🤪 Of course I tease about the northeast winters, and am currently contending with 103 degrees outside... 🥵

 

[Florence]

I ordered June 1 2021! My dealer (NH)stated they would discount under MSRP and kept to that promise. The out of state purchase ( I am in MA) only meant about 5 day delay ( next week) for getting the plates, and they indicated if I was in another state not MA it would have been possible to pic up immediately with temporary plates while MA plates on order. So given they were only 45 minutes away and were only dealer I found offering to sell under MSRP, it was an easy decision. If you are determined to get best range and traction in winter then the smallest possible rims 17 or if not 18 provide both . If you do not want additional smaller rims then winter tires alone are a significant improvement since regular ( all non winter tires) lose traction even on dry roads when temperature is below 45 degrees.

Just realized that you said June 1 2021!! hhhhh that's a long wait!! Because I wanted it in the short run so I can only search what cars those dealers have at this moment. It's a sacrifice for features.

 

[PoisonEye]

I am also in the Boston area (and ordered my car in NH). I will only drive AWD cars, but that's partly traction and mostly I like the handling characteristics AWD gives. If you get the edrive40 in MA, 100% get snow tires. You'll be fine if you drive carefully. I think as others have said, that extra weight works in your favor, plus I've always felt the snow tires are a large part of why my car handles snow so well. AWD and traction control are the other factors... So you're really missing one part of the equation and it isn't the biggest one.

For 18" wheels that'll fit these cars, there are Michelin (X Ice I think?) and Continental VikingContact. I have had good luck with Continental tires, so I may go that direction.

 

[Feeb]

when is your e40 expected to arrive? mine is still at the port. For winter tires, do they have to be BMW or can I choose other brands?

My car is currently in the paint booth, so maybe an August delivery? You don't need to have BMW branded tires, but you want to make sure the tires can handle the weight of the car. You could check out Town Fair Tire to see what they have available.

 

[PoisonEye]

Since we're talking New England, I'll put a plug in for My Tire Guys - Premier Mobile Tire Shop. You can just call them and tell them what you are getting (car model wheel size, etc) and they will find something for you. Usually they beat a site like tirerack.com by a few bucks and they'll come to your house and put the tires on in your driveway or garage. I think they can even come to your workplace.

Of course, since we're talking about the eDrive40, you have the option to add a winter tire/wheel set for something like $1600, which is a steal, since the tires themselves are over $1000 and the wheels are about $600 each. If I could get that deal, I'd take it. As it is, I'm probably going to see what makes sense for me (probably just tires and have my tire guys swap them).

 

[Feeb]

The discounted tires from BMW are on the Accessories page when building your i4. I had asked my CA about adding them to my order about a month ago, but it was unable to be done. Can't hurt to ask your CA about it.