Good morning,
I'm picking up a car in Munich in late February and driving to Paris. Apparently it is recommended that I drive with snow tires. Can anyone answer these questions:
- Do German tire stores take (brand new) "trade in" tires?
- Does anyone have a web address for tire stores in Munich where I could get some prices?

Thanks,
Spartacus_33

Check with the dealer first. Make sure that they are not included in the package. They always have been when we bought a car in Europe. Also, the dealer knows that it is illegal in many countries in Europe to drive between November and March without snow tires or chains, so they should be responsible and make some sort of arrangement for you.
Cheers,
Jan

I would think your BMW would come with all-season tires. If you're that concerned, buy yourself a set of snow chains -- after all, it's only for a 4-5 day period.

Again, check with the dealer. Some European countries do not permit snow chains to be used on their roads.

Whereas the BMW will be equipped with ordinary tires only (and not all season tires), I would not buy winter tires for that short a period of time.
If you restrict your driving to Autobahns, they will usually be pretty well maintained and free of snow. Just don't drive as agressively as you probably would during warmer weather and you should be safe. And then: You are picking up a brand new car that needs some breaking in for the first 1500 km or 800 miles anyway, so I don't think you'll be facing any real problems.

hsv,

Thanks... aside from planning to drive the Romantic Road.. I was planning on driving Autobahns, when I can. I'm not really going there to tear up the roads... just see the country.

Have you ever driven from Munich/Fussen/Wurlzburg/Paris in February?

Thanks,
Spartacus_33

Depending on what model and packaging you are buying, for example BMW with Sports Package usually comes with Performance tires (good for summer, sucks in the snow), not all BMW comes with All-Season.

Have you checked with your dealer about having snow tires installed in the factory for your car? It doesn't seem like you care about the costs, anyway, but your dealer should be able to tell you, more than travellers here who seemed to have never went through the snow tire situation that you're struggling with.

You seem to go through all these picemeal posts without inquiring with your dealer first. All dealers that I went through when I purchased my Munich-delivery cars have somebody who is a Euro-Delivery Specialist.

spartacus,

I have not yet driven from Munich to Paris in winter (nor in summer).

However, I used to study in Innsbruck for half a year a few years ago and did quite a lot of commuting to Germany during the winter. I had a Volkswagen back then and did not use any winter tires (call me stupid, but still, I had to save some money back then). I never encountered any problems on the Autobahns and in the other direction made it into quite a number of ski-resorts without difficulty, too.
BTW as the BMWs have rear wheel drive, I know a number of drivers who put s sandbag in their trunks in order to increase traction in slippery conditions. Still would come cheaper than buying a whole set of winter tires, which for a V-8 BMW might easily set you back € 600.-.

Ezlivin,

I do care about costs! ;-)

I was planning on checking with my dealer about the possiblity of having snow tires installed at the factory instead of the low profile performance tires. I think I already know the answer. The performance tires are run flats and I hear that they suck anyway.. so replacing them would actually be good for me $$ wise. I would probably replace them here anyway.

Just trying to look at all my options.

Thanks,
Spartacus_33

spartacus_33, how about just enjoying the trip and stop sweating the small stuff.

Be flexible. If it snows, alter your itinerary, or pick up the car in the Spring.

Budman,

I do have a tendency to overthink things.
I have some time before I leave (7 weeks) and am just thinking of all the possibilites. I'm probably going to replace the run flat tires that come with the car anyway...... so thought this might be an option. Turns out BMW will NOT put anything on the car but the summer tires and buying snow tires in Germany isn't cost effective.

So... thanks for all the help to all of you, let's go ahead and end this thread.

Budman... if the weather looks bad, I'll probably drive around Munich for a day or 2 and then drop it off and take the train to Paris.

Thanks,
Spartacus_33