winter driving

dwight7642 · 11th December 2006, 01:19

I am new to this forum and will be picking up my new car this coming weekend. As I live in the midwest this means I will have to learn how to drive my M5 starting with winter weather. I have learned much from the various comments about winter tires, and have ordered OEM wheels with the Michelin Alpin tires. However, I could find little that has been written about the nuances of actually driving this car on snow and ice. I would appreciate any thoughts that the group might have such as transmission settings, whether to use the automatic setting, should I put some weight in the trunk, etc.

thanks all!

unfoundhorsepower · 11th December 2006, 04:52

Dwight my man....It's like , " DRIVING any other car with ....500 HP, in the snow"......be careful, be smart, hold onto the wheel and have large gonads.....good luck buddy

WilliamCheung · 11th December 2006, 04:56

Just because it's got 500HP doesn't mean that you have to use it all.
1) leave it at 400HP mode;
2) take it easy on the gas pedal;
3) DSC, winter tires, and near 50/50 weight distribution makes this an EXCELLENT winter car;
4) rear-wheel drive quirk: don't brake during cornering, or you may lose rear traction due to weight transfer. Slow down BEFORE you have to turn, not DURING.
This car is much easier to drive compare to a front-wheel drive with four-season tires.