Driving the Z4 during the winter?

R

realhenke

New member
Hi!
I'm thinking about buying a Bmw Z4 later this year but one question has popped up in my mind.
Can you drive the car in the winter when it's freezing temperatures or can't the car manage to keep the heat up?

Kind regards!
 
Welcome to the Forum. :thumbsup: No problem with mine in the winter other than it's a rear wheel drive which is not the best on snow coverd roads (any rear wheel drive that is). Looking at your location I guess the winters are a bit more severe than northern UK but other than extreme temperatures it should only effect the time the engine needs to achieve full operating tempertature - a few extra minutes.
 
realhenke, welcome to the forum... :thumbsup:
I've driven 7 winters in a Z4 and no worries about keeping warm. I always switch over to winter tires and while I avoid driving in snow that is deeper than 5 inches/12 CM I've never gotten stuck or had any real problem getting around.
 
I actually live as south as you can go in Sweden so the snow wont be any big problem and the roads are well sweept. So the in the cabin is so high that you can drive it without freezing? I was thing about buying a hardtop but if it's warm enough in the cabin then I don't need to buy it?
 
You won't need a hardtop to keep warm. The cabin of a Zed is actually a pretty small area and the heater will be pushing warm air within a few miles of driving and you will be very comfortable. I would suggest heated seats as that is a really nice option to have... :thumbsup:
 
realhenke said:
I actually live as south as you can go in Sweden so the snow wont be any big problem and the roads are well sweept. So the in the cabin is so high that you can drive it without freezing? I was thing about buying a hardtop but if it's warm enough in the cabin then I don't need to buy it?
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Heating system is pretty good and the multi layerd soft top helps retain the heat. Remember you only have to heat a small volume compared to a 4 seater saloon using the same style of engine. I use a hardtop in the winter for 2 reasons, 1. I like the look and 2. it preserves the finish of the soft top in the bad weather when road spray is loaded with salt and grime.
 
Mine's a daily driver (coupe) and we just had one of the coldest winters on record. Extended periods of well below freezing. Handling got a little slippery (didn't change to winter tires) but no problem with heating at all. I have heated seats, though, but had to start turning them down after just a few miles. Only takes about 2 miles for air to start flowing.
 
Ok sweet! What about rain? If I park the car on the street during a really rainy day and come back 8h later, will it be completely dry inside? I have a friend who drives a MG and his soft top leaks a bit, but off course that's a MG. :wink:
 
realhenke said:
Ok sweet! What about rain? If I park the car on the street during a really rainy day and come back 8h later, will it be completely dry inside? I have a friend who drives a MG and his soft top leaks a bit, but off course that's a MG. :wink:
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Storm, snow, heavy shower rain, not a problem.
 
Fantastic! Last question, how fast can you drive with the top up and still talk to the person next to you? Or how good does it sound isolate?
 
I drove my 2003 3.0 manual in snow last winter, probably the worst car i've driven for snow and ice - wide 18" run flat tyres and no limited slip diff make for a tough time in gaining traction, especially on hills.

Comfort and dryness was great though :)
 
I drove mine (roadster, heated seats) all through winter last year, although the lowest temperature I drove in was "only" minus 12degC which probably doesn't compare to a lot of folk. Grip was incredibly poor at those temps on summer tyres (funny that!) but I'll be fitting winter tyres this year. Not just for improved grip but also for more rubber in the sidewalls to cope with the potholes that appear over winter...

Conversation at 70mph with the roof down isn't a problem. I obviously can't comment about higher speeds than that :wink:
 
realhenke said:
Fantastic! Last question, how fast can you drive with the top up and still talk to the person next to you? Or how good does it sound isolate?
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Welcome - remember this is no metal topped saloon, so although of course you can hold a conversation at any speed with roof up, don't expect whisper quiet '5 series' noise levels.
 
One of the things that annoyed me the most during winter was the windows freezing into the door seals and not dropping for you to get in, pouring water on them every morning to get into my car was becoming tiresome.
Think i might try some silicon based grease this year to see if it helps, other than that it was as good as can be expected, toasty warm but a bit of a liability on the snow, just keep a shovel in the boot.
 
As others have saud,it can be tricky in the wet/snowy weather,but like ally,i have an order pending for either some vrdstn or falken winter tyres,which should solve any traction issues/more or less.
As for noise,upto 70-ish u can talk fine in the z4 with the roof down. its a pretty quiet roadster/espcly compared to some :D :thumbsup:
 
Lets be honest, a Z4 should be able to cope with anything a 3 Series can cope with (apart from carrying more than 2 people that is!). :wink:
 
I've got a Webasto ThermoTop-C parking heater in mine (probably the only one on the forum that has one) which is a very nice addition. Also very usefull in above zero conditions to pre-heat the engine. In below zero conditions this also defrosts the windows and prevents problems with frozen door seals.
 
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