Being a newbie here in the Pacific Northwest, I'm really curious about what the winters are like for driving. The summer was however beautiful. I'm in the process of selling my RS4 and picking up an E92 M3. Being a modder at heart, the BMW tuning scene is just so much more active and alive compared to the Audi scene. So I'm looking to get back into a BMW.

I know Seattle is known for its crazy rain all time winter weather, but how much of this is true? How bad does it really get? I hear stories but you know how heresay changes from person to person. Am I crazy to let go of my RS4 and get myself into a RWD winter killing machine? I mean it's not NYC or Boston here by any means.

Please keep in mind this will be my daily driver and only car. I see a bunch of people here in P-Cars, etc. Are you driving them daily throughout the entire winter? Will I be able to actually enjoy the car or is it not a conquincidence, everyone here in Queen Anne is in an Audi or Subaru?

Insights appreciated.

 

Get some winter (or year round) tires/wheels and you'll be fine

There might be a day here and there where you might want to stay home, but not very often.


EDIT: when I say winter tires I mean all condition tires ie non-summer, non-high performance tires. Not necessarily nubby snow tires or anything like that.

 

welcome to the pacific nw!

we (hubby and i) drive our pcars year round. we also have an suv when it gets too icy or snowy out though. i don't put winter tires on my car. i've thought about it, and i actually bought them, but i've yet to do it.

it really does rain its fair share throughout the fall, winter, and spring time. it's usually pretty gray and overcast and drizzles a lot. so as far as keeping your car clean....good luck! =D

i've also lived on the e. coast and mid west. i find the snow to be more wet and heavy here when it does snow.

our driving season is pretty short/ too short for my liking. but, i like driving! lol! even though we don't have year round sunshine, we have some incredible enthusiasts and car clubs in the area. once you get to meet everyone and go to some events, you'll see there are some beautiful collections of exotics and great people that own them!

~jody

 

Thanks for the insight. So am I crazy? "we also have an suv when it gets too icy or snowy out though" Does this happen often?

 

well, last year i never drove the suv, but the hubby parked the 996 and took it a few days. he also takes it up skiing, and it hauls our boat. it's just nice to have a larger vehicle.

last year had a few hairy days here in redmond as far as ice goes. i just went in to work a little later. one day, i used a vacation day and decided not to go in. i work in kirkland and i drive the backroads to work. my hubby gets on 520 and 148th, so he has a bit more traffic to fight than i do. but they also plow those areas quicker than they do the back roads.

as long as you have your suv...i think you'll be fine. =) you can drive it on those not nice mornings.

 

I didn't read this whole thread.. however BMW and Pacific Northwest weathers are fine. I had a e36 M3 and a e39M5.., both were fine for the weather since traction control is on the car. When it snows.. don't even think about it since you have a SUV. The M5 was a *****.

I don't think I'll ever put my 996TT on the snow.. can't wait for the Cayenne though!

But yeah.. your fine with the BMW.

 

I drive my Lotus 72D year round. Not exactly designed for snow though: Mid-Engine Rear-Wheel drive. I do have to watch the temperature though as the tires can't be allowed to get too cold. R-compound tires can crack if stored in low temps (below freezing).

 

Not like I'm biased or anything, but I can't believe you're already getting rid of the RS4.

That said, rear wheel drive is fine with the right tires.

Winter has never slowed me down.

 

I drive my E36 328 all year. I have a set of studless snow tires for going back home to Spokane in the winter, though. Haven't had a problem in the snow. Ice anywhere can be bad, though.

 

The only drawback that I see is if you want to go skiing or up over the passes. If you don't have AWD, you'll have to chain up. Not something I like to do.

I daily drive an S4 for this reason. I love M3's but it's just not worth it for me...plus that one week we usually have every winter that it actually snows in the city tends to leave most rwd cars stuck...especially if you have to drive in the steeper areas. I can remember people abandoning their cars on the 405 by NewCastle (which is not steep at all) 2 years ago while I cruised by in my wife's S6 Avant. That one night made owning the car the rest of the year entirely worth it. No walking home for me.


So I would say 95% of the time you're fine....it's up to you if the 5% means enough to you. I'd keep the Rs4! (Biased of course!)

Oh, and I have an NSX as a rwd "fun" car...it did get me through one winter back in '05 just fine...but I wouldn't want to have to do that again.

 

I have a second set of wheels with winter tires for the M3, drives great, you just need to turn traction control off on icy slopes. People are not very used to seeing convertible BMWs going skiing, but it can be done

 

I'm a Northwesterner, born and bread. The answer to your question probably depends mostly on your job. I'd say there is likely to be 2-5 days a year that I wouldn't drive the P-car to work. At least until after lunch.

It will also depend on where your house is. Those 2-5 days, by lunch the major roads are clear of snow and ice. However, the back roads, subdivisions, small arterials, they aren't cleared up until later, if at all. So I'd ask a neighbor what they think.

As for the rain, it does constantly drizzle, and it's generally cold from November to March. Then we get a couple week break in late March, where the weather turns warm and sunny. Then in April it is back to heavy rains and snow melt causing flooding...but I digress.

If you can work from home or call in a few days a year, a RWD Porsche will be no problem. I plan to have a GT2, Lotus Exige, and VW Karmann Ghia as my cars. I keep a bus pass though, as I can get through the WSJ before work that way.

I say go for it!

Cheers,

Trevor

edit: just reread your post. I have currently an SLK (layout similar to the BMW, less power of course). There are no days during the year that I won't drive it. Though I do tend to wait until the sun has been up a bit before heading out. For all of the above reasons. -Trevor

 

Thanks everyone for the advice! I'll let you all know how it turns out. BTW, I'm in Queen Anne.

 

I've been here 10 years now, it snows about once every 5 years, EVERYTHING closes down. Seattle does not have plows, or ice trucks.

Unless you live in the Issaquah highlands, or some other high land place you will be fine. I have never used snow tires in the PNW, & even made it up Queen Anne Ave when it was snowing in my BMW M3. Now if you ski, then get a beater SUV.

Yes, it rains, it rains a lot. A couple of years ago it was over 90 straight days of rain. But most of the time, it's a mist, & not a downpour. Things are just always wet in the winter.

The bigger thing are the drivers, when it does rain, they all get scared & go 20-40mph under the speed limit, & act like they have never see rain before. If it does snow, just say home, WAY,WAY to much dumb *** out there!

 

When it does snow I'm always out powering through it. We've had healthy winters these past two years... I spent a week last year without power.