[RigaTony1982]

Hi guys,

A little background. I currently have a 2021 M340i xDrive, but have always wanted a convertible. Do any of you who haze a Z4 drive it year-round in the Northern climates? I live in Chicago, so we don't have the greatest weather for 1/2 the year.

I've had my 340 for 1 year and 1 month and it only has 2,700 miles on it (and 800 of those came on 1 trip), so I don't drive a ton. I also take the train to work on the couple days a week I do go into the office, so it's really just a weekend thing for me. I should be able to avoid driving it in any real nasty stuff. My wife also has an X1 at the moment, so could always take that if needed.

Assuming I throw some winter tires on it for the snowy seasons, could I make this work as my main car?

[Living Dead]

Yes, it's my daily driver. I have a dedicated set of snow tires and rims purchased from BMW, I live on Long Island, the car is really good in the snow as long as it isn't deeper than the ground clearance. It's also fun to turn off the traction control and do 360s in empty parking lots after a snow.

[RigaTony1982]

Oh. Well this is good to see . I've just never owned a RWD car and have always heard how bad they are in the snow.

[CJ421]

I drive my Z4 weather permitting in the winter, only if it's dry because I don't have snow tires for it.
That said, I did drive my last two RWD BMWs in the snow with proper winter tires. I never got stuck. The Z4's biggest problem is going to be ground clearance as noted.

Charles

[Westside Guy]

Originally Posted by Living Dead

Yes, it's my daily driver. I have a dedicated set of snow tires and rims purchased from BMW, I live on Long Island, the car is really good in the snow as long as it isn't deeper than the ground clearance. It's also fun to turn off the traction control and do 360s in empty parking lots after a snow.

I love the picture but you may wish to invest in a car cover.

[RigaTony1982]

Originally Posted by CJ421

I drive my Z4 weather permitting in the winter, only if it's dry because I don't have snow tires for it.
That said, I did drive my last two RWD BMWs in the snow with proper winter tires. I never got stuck. The Z4's biggest problem is going to be ground clearance as noted.

Charles

Good point. Oddly BMW doesn't list ground clearance specs on their website.

[BMWGirlFL]

They do here:

https://www.press.bmwgroup.com/globa...29593EN/476180

[Rob_G77]

If I wanted a convertible for year round driving, it would probably be a 4 series (M4 Comp or M440i). AWD and winter tires for the win!

But, having said that, ground clearance is also a necessity for when it snows a lot so this is why I have an X6. Winter can be too unpredictable here on the prairies. A big storm passed through just a few days ago and left a lot of snow.

Rob

[RigaTony1982]

Originally Posted by Rob_G77

If I wanted a convertible for year round driving, it would probably be a 4 series (M4 Comp or M440i). AWD and winter tires for the win!

But, having said that, ground clearance is also a necessity for when it snows a lot so this is why I have an X6. Winter can be too unpredictable here on the prairies. A big storm passed through just a few days ago and left a lot of snow.

Rob

I’ve considered an M440, but like the look of the Z4 much better.

[berk35]

Originally Posted by Living Dead

Yes, it's my daily driver. I have a dedicated set of snow tires and rims purchased from BMW, I live on Long Island, the car is really good in the snow as long as it isn't deeper than the ground clearance. It's also fun to turn off the traction control and do 360s in empty parking lots after a snow.

Did you consider all season tires at all? I am going to daily my Z4 and I might consider all seasons

[Horseman]

I do……. But I also live in San Antonio, TX.

[Rob_G77]

Originally Posted by RigaTony1982

I’ve considered an M440, but like the look of the Z4 much better.

Me too. I like that there's just 2 seats and no back row of unusable seating.

Rob

[Living Dead]

Originally Posted by berk35

Did you consider all season tires at all? I am going to daily my Z4 and I might consider all seasons

I did consider all seasons but the car came with a fresh set of 19" super sports and the winter 17" tire and wheel combination was only a little more than a set of all seasons, changing them takes about an hour and I have room in the garage for storage.

The car would have been in the garage during that storm in the picture but it arrived earlier than predicted and by the time I woke up the damage was done.

[Kwajtrader]

It’s my daily driver here in Georgia and I have the stock 19” tires. We rarely get snow but when it gets below 40 the tires lose some of their grip. I may switch to all season tires once these wear out. I’m 9 months in and still have under 5k miles on the car, so I’ve got some time to decide. I grew up in Boston with big old rear wheel drive V8 cars and am familiar with how to properly throw the rear end out in the snow and mud. I don’t plan on doing that with my Z4 any time soon though

[RigaTony1982]

I’d probably just get a set of winter tires/rims and swap them. Feel like it would be better for the rare occasion where I do need to go out in the snow.

[Karnidge]

I drove my previous-gen Z4 and M4 in the winter and I live in Chicago. I had a dedicated winter wheel/tire set for each car. They both drove perfectly fine in the snow. On days where it snows 6+ inches, I stay home until the streets are plowed.

[Westside Guy]

Originally Posted by Karnidge

I drove my previous-gen Z4 and M4 in the winter and I live in Chicago. I had a dedicated winter wheel/tire set for each car. They both drove perfectly fine in the snow. On days where it snows 6+ inches, I stay home until the streets are plowed.

I had 3 rear wheel drive convertibles when I lived in NYC and unless it was a light dusting they never left the garage next to my building when it snowed. I had plenty of public transportation available as an option so why take a chance. 😉

[RigaTony1982]

Thanks everyone. This is super helpful. Really appreciate the feedback. I think I can make this work.

[Bigmouth Studio]

Luckily, we in Hong Kong never snow & we can enjoy the RWD open top all year round.

[RigaTony1982]

Originally Posted by Bigmouth Studio

Luckily, we in Hong Kong never snow & we can enjoy the RWD open top all year round.

Right, but isn’t it astronomical to own a car in Hong Kong?

[Bigmouth Studio]

Originally Posted by RigaTony1982

Right, but isn’t it astronomical to own a car in Hong Kong?

Yes, the tax is very high, the price of the car itself is 100% more than the actual price. The registration fee is high! Parking is expensive & gas price is the most expensive in the world......but I love driving! Driving BMW is so fun. So eat less, wear less

[Westside Guy]

Originally Posted by Bigmouth Studio

Yes, the tax is very high, the price of the car itself is 100% more than the actual price. The registration fee is high! Parking is expensive & gas price is the most expensive in the world......but I love driving! Driving BMW is so fun. So eat less, wear less

When you take into consideration the extremely high cost of owning a car in HK we should give you the title of "Ultimate Unicorn"!!!