Quote:
Originally Posted by Matt_B
I had WS80s on my Audi last winter. Fantastic snow and ice tire but drives like complete mush on dry roads. That was in an A4 - I would have hated it in a dynamic car like the M3. Also worth considering that they don't come in a great size for the M3 - 245/50R18 and 245/40R18 are probably the closest and each will throw off your speedo about 3.5%.
Still, I understand your concerns. How much snow are you expecting on those half a dozen days?
|
Thats what I am concerned about. I am not looking to set records at this years BMWCCA ice racing, I just want peace of mind--without being annoyed at the car's performance being completely neutered by the tires.
I don't expect it to be like last year which was bananas. Most of the time the roads around here are dry but when I do run into snow it is usually 2-4" on the road itself but mostly hardpack and ice. In my experience with the LM-60 it would show its weakness in loose stuff--it felt like the treadblocks would fill up and it would feel very loose. Not a big deal in the S4 because I could just monster through stuff. They also were not fantastic on ice and polished snow. All this was expected and mirrors what the test data said. Despite these concerns until you threw it into a corner it felt pretty rock solid. When driving cars with the WS series tires you could feel tread squirm on the highway just changing lanes.
Perhaps I am answering my own question but I am afraid the LM-25's will be too compromised to tackle anything resembling a snowstorm. I also realize that in my past cars I would go out in every type of weather imaginable, with the M3 I will simply avoid it. For example, when we would get a monster snow storm I would just drive straight through it to VT, many times plowing my own way down the highway. I won't be doing that anymore, I'll be safer for it despite my own arrogance about my winter driving abilities.