41 warm enough?

[CeEl]

Supposed to snow about 2 inch in the next 24 hours.

But ... supposed to be up to 41 degrees on Friday! Partly cloudy, chance of rain "late" (whatever "late" means). 26 low.

Typically don't take the car out below 40. But -- unlike last year -- there really hasn't been a chance to take the car out in the last 3 months or so.

Really itching to take it out. Actually sat in it for a bit the other day (in the garage). Pathetic, I know

Show of hands -- should I take the car for the drive to the office on Friday? Or wait until morning temps are a bit closer to 40 (and no longer below freezing)?

Plenty of snow, car will be dirty when it melts on Friday.

Summer performance tires ...

[Gpwheels]

it won't hurt the car, some even drive these all winter, but i live in northern Alberta and I have driven summer tires in the snow. Bring someone along for pushing. Summer tires mean summer. You could get away with all-season's (although they still aren't very good), but summer tire require no ice. BTW, I have sat in my car in the driveway recently waiting for the melt. If it's below freezing, just let it warm up for a few minutes. Even the top works up to 12F.

[CedarZ4]

I know it doesn't compare to the weather in Il, but I'm in NJ and trust me, the temperature in my car read 12 degree F today and it's March, so it's not exactly SoCal.

With that said, my car is a DD (along with multiple members on this forum) so if you miss it, definitely drive it! I might even put the roof down… You'll get looks, but I've personally tested multiple times that with the windows up, heat/heated seats on, and no windscreen, I can cruise comfortably below 60MPH in 35F weather. That's the coolest temperature I put the roof down in.

But alas, like stated above, please only do this if all the snow has melted by Friday, otherwise you are asking for trouble. If grounds are clear, I vote yes!

[jparnes1]

Supposed to be 40 here also but there's too much salt still on the road. I shoot for early April before I wake her up.

[Fripp64]

My 2 cents....the car isn't a pair of shorts in your closet waiting for you to decide if it's warm enough to wear them on a hike.

The car has been tested in all sorts of extremes and will do just fine at 40 on summer tires.

get her out and let her stretch her legs.

J.

[jparnes1]

Originally Posted by Fripp64

My 2 cents....the car isn't a pair of shorts in your closet waiting for you to decide if it's warm enough to wear them on a hike.

The car has been tested in all sorts of extremes and will do just fine at 40 on summer tires.

get her out and let her stretch her legs.

J.

Just be mindful that summer tires will not grip at 40 like they do at 80. The soft rubber gets rather hard, so take it easy on those turns.

[nicknaz]

I used to drive my motorcycle in 40F weather. Get those Zs on the road ASAP

BTW, i would either start it up and drive it and bring it all the way to full operating temperature, or let it sit. Starting it up and letting it idle is not good since it creates just enough heat to start condensation and not enough to burn all the moisture away.

[jts1981]

I think the manual said don't lower the roof below 47F...

[cdeslandes]

Originally Posted by jts1981

I think the manual said don't lower the roof below 47F...

Untrue. The manual does mention that the roof will not operate below 14F/-10C.

As for driving in cold weather, I've driven mine in -20F weather - with the roof closed and winter tires of course!

[wmandra]

I'm in Northern NJ and drove mine all winter though I wont drop the top until it hits at least 50

[Asbjorn]

40F is my limit for top down driving. But then I am also the type of guy who doesn't mind wearing a hat and some gloves while driving. Today it was 56F and I drove top down although there were tiny drops of rain in the air

Someday I will uninstall the roof entirely. Someday...

[jts1981]

Originally Posted by cdeslandes

Untrue. The manual does mention that the roof will not operate below 14F/-10C.

As for driving in cold weather, I've driven mine in -20F weather - with the roof closed and winter tires of course!

Your right!! I stand corrected!

[AttyGunther]

Originally Posted by CeEl

Supposed to snow about 2 inch in the next 24 hours.

But ... supposed to be up to 41 degrees on Friday! Partly cloudy, chance of rain "late" (whatever "late" means). 26 low.

Typically don't take the car out below 40. But -- unlike last year -- there really hasn't been a chance to take the car out in the last 3 months or so.

Really itching to take it out. Actually sat in it for a bit the other day (in the garage). Pathetic, I know

Show of hands -- should I take the car for the drive to the office on Friday? Or wait until morning temps are a bit closer to 40 (and no longer below freezing)?

Plenty of snow, car will be dirty when it melts on Friday.

Summer performance tires ...

Well, did you? You and I are in the same (Chicago) boat. I don't have snow tires on either of my toys, so this winter has been particularly long and painful. I've decided I WILL be driving one of them on Sunday though!

[CeEl]

It was too cold ... 32 degree in the garage, down to 24 on my way to the office. Took the AWD & winter tires. Figured I would get stuck at a stop sign or something ... there were some slick spots.

On the way back home, it was up to 45 ... probably could have taken the Z4 after all!

Oh well, better luck Monday. Supposed to be above freezing in the morning & up to 50 during the day. Snow & cold over the weekend.

[DACZ4]

Took her out today, 50 F nice day! Had to wash her when I got home, but

[CeEl]

Originally Posted by DACZ4

Took her out today, 50 F nice day! Had to wash her when I got home, but

Same here! Psyched myself up so much on Thursday night & Friday ... 39 degrees, absolutely had to take the car out for a ride, adjust tire pressure, quick wash, ....

37 in the morning and up to 50 in the afternoon tomorrow ...

[mbetoni]

Apologies in advance for the thread jack here: Including mine, that makes three E89s in the Chicago area (I'm downtown). How come I've never seen you guys at a CCA Z-Club event, or at the very least Supercar Saturdays? I'd be happy to organize a drive/event/something for the upcoming months. Fav's are the Starved Rock loop (down as far as peeps would be up for), Kettle Moraine, New Glarus (and requisite brewery pit stop) and more. PM or I can start a thread in the regional section if there's interest.

Oh, and back on-topic. My car is still covered and stored and will be until ALL of the snow/salt/etc is gone with 0 chance of it coming back before Fall/Winter. I figure I probably have another month, give or take.

[kmelby]

Well, I'm in the Chicago area, too, Elmhurst to be exact. I've owned a Z since 1997 - we've owned 10 bimmers so far. I used to drive the Z3 with the top down as low as 40 or so degrees, and always felt that I was beating myself up. I don't do that anymore, even with the wonderful steering wheel heater.

I was thinking of uncovering her this afternoon - right now its 49 degrees out there - but I won't drop the top.

We used to ride all the time with the Z3s, but now travel with only 1 other Z3 from Wisconsin. We'd be up for more tours.

[AttyGunther]

I'm out in Elgin, but I work downtown. I take the train weekdays, so most of my Z time is confined to the weekends. I'm certainly up for a meet. I haven't done all that much with the CCA, but really need to get more involved. I'm always there for the Windy City auto show preview and have met some great people. I love getting out of the burbs and heading north to Wisconsin. Maybe we can organize something!

I didn't get the Z out despite the nice weather. My rule of thumb has always been that the snow is gone and we've had a good rain to wash all the salt off the roads, but this year I might have to bend the rules if we continue to have bad weather.

I did take my M5 out yesterday though. I've been looking forward to it because I haven't driven it since October. It's a long story, but I managed to hit a deer while vacationing in Wisconsin with less than 2000 miles on the odometer. The damage was only cosmetic, but it literally took four months to fix because none of the parts were available from BMW. I just got it transported back a few weeks ago and since I only have summers on it, it's been sitting in the garage. I gotta say, though, the summers don't have much grip with temps in the upper 30s/lower 40s. Hopefully better days are ahead.

[CeEl]

I may be up for a meet as well! I am in the south west suburbs ...

[mstevens]

It was up to 34F here yesterday, so I put the top down.

You do know they make these things in Bavaria, right? They handle cold weather just fine.

Mine is my year-round car in New Hampshire, and it's been a very cold and snowy winter. With decent snow tires, I've only had to take my wife's X3 once (because the snow was deeper than the rockers on the Z4).

[Gpwheels]

Had mine out yesterday and today. About 40F. First days this year. Just teasing myself though. Calling for a couple of inches of snow tomorrow. Spring next week.