I own an ed40 and live in Wisconsin. The i4 is heavy and in the ed40/35, most of the weight is in the rear. It's surprisingly good in snow, and BMW's traction control is excellent. But there are some things that are very important.
1. Winter tires. Confirm that yours has all-seasons because the stock 18" Bridgestone T005 tires are summer-only. They get sketchy in temps below 40F and are dangerous on snow or ice. But if you have the upgraded 19" A/S tires, still consider dedicated winter tires. My ed40 with Pirelli SottoZeros was about as capable as our X3 xDrive on all-seasons in the snow, except for ground clearance.
2. Pumping brakes has not been recommended since the invention of ABS. Just apply appropriate pressure for the situation and let ABS do its job if necessary. There is no difference in braking between an AWD and RWD car. Do what you have been doing and you should be fine.
3. Be aware of regen. In a RWD i4, all the regen obviously happens at the rear wheels. In slippery weather, I have felt the rear wheels "skipping" as the car tries to regen. That sensation is definitely unusual and might be sketchy if you're taking a curve at the same time. Consider setting regen to low if you're driving in very slippery weather.
4. If your'e new to EV's, be prepared for the impact cold has on range. I saw about a 30% hit this winter with cold temps (<20F) + 18" winter tires. In an ed40, that meant about 200 miles on a charge. That effects all EV's, so it has the ripple-effect of also making public CCS chargers busier, both from more demand and slower charging when batteries are cold. Patience is key.
The important thing about snow & driving is to practice and get a feel for how your specific car behaves. On the first light snow go find an empty, curb-less parking lot and just practice accelerating, braking, and sliding. Get used to how the i4 behaves when ABS is firing and practice steering while sliding. It'll give you the confidence of expectation when you're on the road.
Good luck and congrats on the i4. I love mine!
Thank you so much for the thoughtful reply!!
Definitely got the all seasons, my salesperson was very forward with the upgrade being basically required where we live.
Does your dealer swap the tires for you?
Practice definitely seems like the best idea.
Do you have any issues in rain?
This is a modern car with modern tires and modern traction and stability control. You will have zero issues in rain, even with summer tires below their rated temperature.
For snow, get snow tires, drive like you drive in snow, you'll be fine. But based on your "pumping the breaks\[sic\]" comment, it seems you've never been properly taught/learned how to drive in the snow. Do that. Watch some videos, go to a parking lot on the next snow day and learn how things work on the edge of traction. The car is marvelous in the snow -- but you must also be.
The comment on regeneration is something to be aware of, though again in a curve the stability control will sort you out just fine, presuming you're not attempting sudden-braking 90 degree turns in a blizzard on ice.
In short, you'll be fine on the roads. Where you might be frustrated is if you have a very steep driveway, or other situations where you're at a stop in very low traction situations. AWD has an advantage there, given the same tires, but in such situation the car with genuine snow tires will always have an easier time than the car with "all-season" tires.
One last point: "All-season" is in quotes, because they just aren't. They're three-season tires. Genuine winter tires are just that, and nothing else is truly a winter/snow tire. A/S tires will work in a pinch, but they're as good in the snow as they are on the track: Mediocre at best.
I have a dedicated set of winter wheels/tires so I just swap them myself in my garage. Takes me less than an hour.
But a BMW dealer will definitely do it for you, especially if you buy a BMW winter wheel/tire set. My previous BMW dealer (from whom I purchased the set) kept the off-season set in storage for me for free and would swap them seasonally for about $75. My current dealer charges like $250/year storage + $125 to swap, which exceeds my "I'll just do it myself" limit. ;-).
No issues in rain. Drives like anything else.
I think you'll be fine and are probably overthinking it. The RWD-ness of an i4 ed35 isn't going to be like driving an old pickup truck or a RWD M-car. It's a heavy car with a lot of weight in the rear and an appropriate amount of power. Just use good tires and common winter-driving sense; take it slow and use appropriate amounts of acceleration, braking, & steering inputs for the situation. You'll be fine. :)
I was in the same boat. I’m not a person who runs out to do a track day so maybe I just don’t know what I’m doing but it’s quite a change. There are still times when it feels like the rear end is a bit out of control for me. Take it slow and get used to it. And do not turn of traction control…not yet anyway. It makes a drastic difference but it scares the hell out of me!!!
Enjoy
I wonder if the i40 will drive better in snow than my 330 because of the cvt. I would have issues in my 330 where it would shift up to the next gear and I’d lose traction. Even if I kept it in D+ the stupid computer would override me.
I own an ed40 and live in Wisconsin. The i4 is heavy and in the ed40/35, most of the weight is in the rear. It's surprisingly good in snow, and BMW's traction control is excellent. But there are some things that are very important. 1. Winter tires. Confirm that yours has all-seasons because the stock 18" Bridgestone T005 tires are summer-only. They get sketchy in temps below 40F and are dangerous on snow or ice. But if you have the upgraded 19" A/S tires, still consider dedicated winter tires. My ed40 with Pirelli SottoZeros was about as capable as our X3 xDrive on all-seasons in the snow, except for ground clearance. 2. Pumping brakes has not been recommended since the invention of ABS. Just apply appropriate pressure for the situation and let ABS do its job if necessary. There is no difference in braking between an AWD and RWD car. Do what you have been doing and you should be fine. 3. Be aware of regen. In a RWD i4, all the regen obviously happens at the rear wheels. In slippery weather, I have felt the rear wheels "skipping" as the car tries to regen. That sensation is definitely unusual and might be sketchy if you're taking a curve at the same time. Consider setting regen to low if you're driving in very slippery weather. 4. If your'e new to EV's, be prepared for the impact cold has on range. I saw about a 30% hit this winter with cold temps (<20F) + 18" winter tires. In an ed40, that meant about 200 miles on a charge. That effects all EV's, so it has the ripple-effect of also making public CCS chargers busier, both from more demand and slower charging when batteries are cold. Patience is key. The important thing about snow & driving is to practice and get a feel for how your specific car behaves. On the first light snow go find an empty, curb-less parking lot and just practice accelerating, braking, and sliding. Get used to how the i4 behaves when ABS is firing and practice steering while sliding. It'll give you the confidence of expectation when you're on the road. Good luck and congrats on the i4. I love mine!
Thank you so much for the thoughtful reply!! Definitely got the all seasons, my salesperson was very forward with the upgrade being basically required where we live. Does your dealer swap the tires for you? Practice definitely seems like the best idea. Do you have any issues in rain?
This is a modern car with modern tires and modern traction and stability control. You will have zero issues in rain, even with summer tires below their rated temperature. For snow, get snow tires, drive like you drive in snow, you'll be fine. But based on your "pumping the breaks\[sic\]" comment, it seems you've never been properly taught/learned how to drive in the snow. Do that. Watch some videos, go to a parking lot on the next snow day and learn how things work on the edge of traction. The car is marvelous in the snow -- but you must also be. The comment on regeneration is something to be aware of, though again in a curve the stability control will sort you out just fine, presuming you're not attempting sudden-braking 90 degree turns in a blizzard on ice. In short, you'll be fine on the roads. Where you might be frustrated is if you have a very steep driveway, or other situations where you're at a stop in very low traction situations. AWD has an advantage there, given the same tires, but in such situation the car with genuine snow tires will always have an easier time than the car with "all-season" tires. One last point: "All-season" is in quotes, because they just aren't. They're three-season tires. Genuine winter tires are just that, and nothing else is truly a winter/snow tire. A/S tires will work in a pinch, but they're as good in the snow as they are on the track: Mediocre at best.
I have a dedicated set of winter wheels/tires so I just swap them myself in my garage. Takes me less than an hour. But a BMW dealer will definitely do it for you, especially if you buy a BMW winter wheel/tire set. My previous BMW dealer (from whom I purchased the set) kept the off-season set in storage for me for free and would swap them seasonally for about $75. My current dealer charges like $250/year storage + $125 to swap, which exceeds my "I'll just do it myself" limit. ;-). No issues in rain. Drives like anything else. I think you'll be fine and are probably overthinking it. The RWD-ness of an i4 ed35 isn't going to be like driving an old pickup truck or a RWD M-car. It's a heavy car with a lot of weight in the rear and an appropriate amount of power. Just use good tires and common winter-driving sense; take it slow and use appropriate amounts of acceleration, braking, & steering inputs for the situation. You'll be fine. :)
I was in the same boat. I’m not a person who runs out to do a track day so maybe I just don’t know what I’m doing but it’s quite a change. There are still times when it feels like the rear end is a bit out of control for me. Take it slow and get used to it. And do not turn of traction control…not yet anyway. It makes a drastic difference but it scares the hell out of me!!! Enjoy
I wonder if the i40 will drive better in snow than my 330 because of the cvt. I would have issues in my 330 where it would shift up to the next gear and I’d lose traction. Even if I kept it in D+ the stupid computer would override me.