Tires and Chips
 

A bit of context. I used to own an A6 allroad and absolutely loved it. Since then my wife and I have downsized a bit and have been running a BMW X3 35 for the last 6 years. With 55,000 miles things are beginning to go wrong so I've been thinking about the A4 allroad, or maybe even waiting for the Q5 or SQ5.

So the questions:

1. How many of you have chosen to run summer and winter tire setups? As you can see I'm in Chicago but we have family about 4 hours drive north in the backwoods of Michigan.

2. How many of you have chipped your allroad for better performance? The X3 35 has pretty good performance and I don't really want to lose that, hence the question.

MTIA!

My opinions:

I highly recommend the dual tire/wheel route if you have the space... the only real extra expense is in the wheels since your tires will last that much longer anyway. While all seasons have definitely improved over the years, there is no replacement for the sure footed feel of a good solid snow tire in winter and the grip of a summer tire in summer.

Chipping on the other hand is a wait item for me. Personally i'd wait til the car is out of warranty (though i wouldn't have in my younger days). You don't have to worry about getting denied for a warranty claim and by the time you get it the chip will be thoroughly vetted. Be aware that with this car especially might be vulnerable since it's the first to have the new 'ultra' quattro. If there are any issues, additional power output may be a reason for them to deny this claim. Waiting 3-5 years ensures that there won't be any common issues like we've seen with other new technologies. Plus it gives you a 'refresh' after a few years.

Also, is the allroad really a step down in the performance department? Seems about the same 0-60 (stock anyway), and i can't imagine the X3 would hold a candle to it in the handling department in terms of weight and balance.