The Vehicles Earth

Not long after the snow melted, I took a gamble and switched the M5’s Pirelli Sottozero winter tyres back to the standard Michelin Pilot Super Sport 19s. The comments below generally urged me not to, but I wanted the car back to its best. The winter tyres were absolutely phenomenal in the snow, but it now looks highly likely that the little snow that we did have in Peterborough this winter has gone for good, and none of it would have seen me stranded had I had summer tyres anyway.

For the rest of the time, the temperatures have been unseasonably high, and so the Sottozeroes haven’t been able to shine. Instead they’ve reduced traction – I’ve been driving about with the traction control in the mid-way setting to give the rubber some leeway and save the power being constantly cut – and they’ve also introduced an element of sogginess to the M5’s handling. The tyres genuinely spoil the car’s dynamics, and I don’t think that’s right when you’re dealing with something as sporting as an M5.

The Michelins are now back on, the temperatures are getting even higher – my phone’s predicting a balmy 14degC on Thursday – and the handling is sharper and the traction is on a different planet. Clearly, the joke’s on me if it does snow but, come on, how bad can it be…

On another note, I’ve had a couple of drivetrain warning lights bong up on the dash recently, and the man from BMW now says it needs to come in for a ‘campaign’. I think that’s German for recall. All very intriguing. I’ll report back soon.

And, finally, don't miss the BMW M5 group test in the new March 2012 issue of CAR Magazine out now. Our M5 long-termer takes on the Jaguar XF-R, Porsche Panamera S and Mercedes CLS 63 AMG. Lots of sideways slidery ensues...

By Ben Barry