Do you wear Flip Flop or Sandals in the winter? - From your tires point of view, winter starts at 45 ° F.

Do you wear Flip Flop or Sandals in the winter?  - From your tires point of view, winter starts at 45 ° F.

Woodcliff Lake, NJ – December 15, 2011…  Like flip flops and sandals, summer and all-season tires are not the best in winter weather, especially if walking / driving on icy and snow packed roads. In contrast, boots and Cold weather tires have treads with more biting edges for better grip on snow and ice, while their softer compound remains flexible even in extremely low temperatures using specialized rubber compounds and tread designs to handle the cold temperatures.

Drivers that regularly encounter ice, unplowed snow, or slush, will need Cold weather tires (also known as “snow tires") that will give that extra traction, braking and handling needed to confidently drive on snow and ice. Tests conducted on ice show that even at 15mph, vehicles equipped with cold weather tires stopped from 1/2 to a full car length shorter than identical vehicles on summer and all season tires. Without cold weather tires vehicles are more likely to fishtail on corners and spin out in snow and icy conditions.

The impact of cold weather can be felt on summer/performance tires as soon as temperatures drop to just 45°F, according to the tire experts at BMW. Rubber compounds quickly stiffen, contributing to slipping, skidding and an overall reduction in vehicle performance. According to Craig Westbrook, Vice President of Aftersales at BMW “the summer/performance tires that come on many of our vehicles with optional sport packages are designed for handling and performance on normal road conditions.  Customers driving in geographic areas that experience these colder temperatures and or winter conditions should think about installing cold weather tires on their BMW”.

BMW Centers take a proactive approach in educating drivers — even BMW SAV owners and vehicles with xDrive — on the  safety and performance benefits of cold weather tires, regardless of road conditions.

Why BMW Approved Cold Weather Wheels & Tires?

• Formulation — BMW Approved Cold Weather Tires’ carefully formulated mix of compounds actively generates heat, so tires reach optimum operating temperature faster.
• Design — Larger tread blocks and open channels provide more traction in ice and snow while reducing the risk of skidding on wet roads.
• Safety — Increased levels of grip reduce hydroplaning and can shorten braking distances as much as 20% compared to summer/performance tires.

Local BMW Centers are the experts to consult when choosing Cold Weather Tires and wheel combinations for BMW vehicles and some dealers even store their customer’s summer tire and wheel sets while providing the very best value in service to conduct the semiannual seasonal tire / wheel exchange.

Schedule a visit to your local BMW Center to take advantage of the BMW Cold Weather Tire Program.

BMW Group In America

BMW of North America, LLC has been present in the United States since 1975.  Rolls-Royce Motor Cars NA, LLC began distributing vehicles in 2003.  The BMW Group in the United States has grown to include marketing, sales, and financial service organizations for the BMW brand of motor vehicles, including motorcycles, the MINI brand, and the Rolls-Royce brand of Motor Cars; DesignworksUSA, a strategic design consultancy in California; a technology office in Silicon Valley and various other operations throughout the country.  BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC in South Carolina is part of BMW Group’s global manufacturing network and is the exclusive manufacturing plant for all X5 and X3 Sports Activity Vehicles and X6 Sports Activity Coupes.  The BMW Group sales organization is represented in the U.S. through networks of 339 BMW passenger car and BMW Sports Activity Vehicle centers, 139 BMW motorcycle retailers, 110 MINI passenger car dealers, and 36 Rolls-Royce Motor Car dealers.  BMW (US) Holding Corp., the BMW Group’s sales headquarters for North America, is located in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey.

Information about BMW Group products is available to consumers via the Internet at:

www.bmwgroupna.com.

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Journalist note: Information about BMW and its products in the USA is available to journalists on-line at www.bmwusanews.com. 

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