# BMW M Power Driving Gloves



## swchang (Oct 5, 2003)

I'm thinking about getting myself a pair. People who have them, do you like them? Or would you recommend a different pair?

People with a ZHP (or for that matter, anyone with the Alcantara steering wheel): I heard there's a set of gloves that grips the Alcantara pretty well. Is that the BMW gloves, or a different set of gloves?

TIA.


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## italia550i (Mar 25, 2002)

I have them and I like them. The mesh lets them breath, which is important because you generally wear them in conditions that make your palms sweat. i.e. driving near the limit. 

They are pretty cheap and I would buy them again. Melted the tip of the index finger when like an idiot I touched my rotor to see how hot it was.... it was VERY hot.


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## swchang (Oct 5, 2003)

italia330i said:


> I have them and I like them. The mesh lets them breath, which is important because you generally wear them in conditions that make your palms sweat. i.e. driving near the limit.
> 
> They are pretty cheap and I would buy them again. Melted the tip of the index finger when like an idiot I touched my rotor to see how hot it was.... it was VERY hot.


Thanks fro the reply, italia. 

Anyone else have an opinion?


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## doeboy (Sep 20, 2002)

swchang said:


> I'm thinking about getting myself a pair. People who have them, do you like them? Or would you recommend a different pair?
> 
> People with a ZHP (or for that matter, anyone with the Alcantara steering wheel): I heard there's a set of gloves that grips the Alcantara pretty well. Is that the BMW gloves, or a different set of gloves?
> 
> TIA.


Can't comment on the M gloves... saw them only once for a few seconds last weekend.

As for gloves, that grip the Alcantara wheel well, I use my Sparco Profi driving gloves and it grips REALLY well.


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## The Roadstergal (Sep 7, 2002)

I tried the M gloves. I think you'd be better off with a good set of motorcycle gloves, honestly. Better breathe and fit.


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## swchang (Oct 5, 2003)

Thanks for the suggestions. Those seem a bit pricey (and bulky) though... Now I'm thinking I want grippy gloves without the fingers. Someone suggested bicyclist gloves. Has anyone gone this route?

Alternatively, I've also been given the suggestion of cotton lab gloves. They apparently breathe very well...


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## rwg (May 10, 2002)

Most bicycle gloves have padding in the palm to absorb road shock. That would be VERY bad for a driving glove. They also don't tend to fit well enough to use as a driving glove imo.

The M gloves would add at least 10 hp, right? Most good driving gloves are made with some type of sticky material. I would be afraid that plain cotton gloves would slip. I know they wouldn't last very long.

If I were buying, I would get something designed for driving. After Roadstergal's suggestion, I would also try and find a shop so I could compare them to motorcyle gloves. I hadn't thought about that option, but I bet the motorcylce market is bigger than for driving gloves. They might have more options and better designs.


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## doeboy (Sep 20, 2002)

rwg said:


> Most bicycle gloves have padding in the palm to absorb road shock. That would be VERY bad for a driving glove. They also don't tend to fit well enough to use as a driving glove imo.
> 
> The M gloves would add at least 10 hp, right? Most good driving gloves are made with some type of sticky material. I would be afraid that plain cotton gloves would slip. I know they wouldn't last very long.
> 
> If I were buying, I would get something designed for driving. After Roadstergal's suggestion, I would also try and find a shop so I could compare them to motorcyle gloves. I hadn't thought about that option, but I bet the motorcylce market is bigger than for driving gloves. They might have more options and better designs.


I'm pretty sure my Sparcos are designed as driving gloves...  Yet they have padding in the palm...  and is a mix of soft suede and fireproof Nomex material...


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## rwg (May 10, 2002)

doeboy said:


> I'm pretty sure my Sparcos are designed as driving gloves...  Yet they have padding in the palm...  and is a mix of soft suede and fireproof Nomex material...


Ok, let me rephrase that a bit. The padding used in bicycle gloves that is thick, sometimes contains a gel, wide, and stiff enough to interfere with normal hand flexing is, imo, not the best choice for a driving glove. :flipoff: 

I haven't seen your gloves, but I suspect that my bike gloves are a ton stiffer. I doubt you could even feel the steerging wheel through them and there is no way I would even consider trying to use them on a track. Or a highway, for that matter. There are other types of bike gloves, of course, but I think they are designed to ride bikes, not to drive cars. :dunno:


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## Elwood (Dec 20, 2002)

rwg said:


> Ok, let me rephrase that a bit. The padding used in bicycle gloves that is thick, sometimes contains a gel, wide, and stiff enough to interfere with normal hand flexing is, imo, not the best choice for a driving glove. :flipoff:
> 
> I haven't seen your gloves, but I suspect that my bike gloves are a ton stiffer. I doubt you could even feel the steerging wheel through them and there is no way I would even consider trying to use them on a track. Or a highway, for that matter. There are other types of bike gloves, of course, but I think they are designed to ride bikes, not to drive cars. :dunno:


You definetly don't want the everyday road racing gloves. Fox makes awesome mtn bike gloves that also make beautifull driving gloves. Suede palms/fingers/ thumb the rest is a breathable mesh. Padding is minimal since touch/feel is importnat on a mtn bike (else you go flying  ) They are basically Driving gloves without the nomex. There are other brands too, but Fox's seem to fit like ..heh... a glove


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## Mark_325i (May 1, 2003)

*Driving gloves...*

Yeah, baby, yeah!


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## Akakubi (Dec 21, 2001)

I saw them at my dealer. The really look good. But kind of seem pointless to me. I drove around with my MOMO racing gloves when it was very cold outside and my hands were freezing on the wheel in the morning. Very comfortable, plus they are Nomex for safety. :angel:


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## Rich_Jenkins (Jul 12, 2003)

I like the light brown ones in this picture, available from Moss, here:

http://www.mossmotors.com/Shop/ViewProducts.aspx?PlateIndexID=39864&SortOrder=5

I originally got a pair to use on the hard plastic steering wheel on the Mini. After we got the E46, I just kept on wearing them. We have an Alcantara wheel and I think they are great, the palm leather is very soft and seems to grip the wheel fine; they also give a little when shifting. The back is cotton/woven material and very open/cool which is nice here in Fla. They also snap close (not velcro) which for some reason is important to me, but I hardly ever snap them to be honest. I am now on my second pair.

It feels wierd now when I drive Mom's minivan with no gloves (not that I need them.)


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## swchang (Oct 5, 2003)

wingspan said:


> I like the light brown ones in this picture, available from Moss, here:
> 
> http://www.mossmotors.com/Shop/ViewProducts.aspx?PlateIndexID=39864&SortOrder=5
> 
> ...


Those look nice, and some of the features sound very appealing. I think I really want fingerless gloves, though.

I went to Sports Authority today to look at biking gloves and weightlifting gloves. Both are fingerless types of gloves, but unfortunately, both also had the padding. (I didn't see any Fox mountain biking gloves.) I'm thinking I might just get the BMW ones, since they're pretty cheap (did I mention cheap as also being an important factor? ).

Anyway, the reason I want fingerless gloves is so I can still do stuff like pick up coins from the (poorly-designed) coin dispenser. It's hard enough to do without gloves, and with gloves on I wouldn't want to think about it.

So, for people with the BMW gloves, do you feel it's still pretty easy to manipulate things (like, for instance, the coin dispenser), or does it feel pretty bulky and clumsy with them on?


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## Chocaine (Jul 1, 2003)

I have the M power gloves, but they are the only pair of driving gloves I've ever had so I can't compare them to any others. That being said, I like them and wear them often, especially on cold winter drives. Since I got them for free, I can't complain.
I can still use all of the controls with no problem when wearing them. I don't use the coin holder but imagine it could be difficult with them on.


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## swchang (Oct 5, 2003)

Hmm, what do y'all think of these?

http://store.yahoo.com/alamo/unfincowleat.html

I managed to find them for $3 at a different online site, but I don't have the URL readily accessible. Anyway, I'm not sure what size to get, so maybe I should just order one of each size. It'd still be cheaper than getting the BMW gloves... 

Has anyone used these? I'm curious to know about the quality.


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## Salvator (Oct 14, 2003)

"I'm curious to know about the quality."

I'm guessing you get what you pay for... But then again, for $3, you can just buy more!


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## Pinecone (Apr 3, 2002)

Over the years, I have had several different pairs of driving gloves. I like the M gloves. Well made, comfortable.

I have a pair for each car.


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## Rich_Jenkins (Jul 12, 2003)

swchang said:


> Those look nice, and some of the features sound very appealing. I think I really want fingerless gloves, though.
> 
> I went to Sports Authority today to look at biking gloves and weightlifting gloves. Both are fingerless types of gloves, but unfortunately, both also had the padding. (I didn't see any Fox mountain biking gloves.) I'm thinking I might just get the BMW ones, since they're pretty cheap (did I mention cheap as also being an important factor? ).
> 
> ...


Yeah, I hear you. On the pair before my current ones, the right hand index and middle fingers stiching had given way, so they ended up abrading and sort of wearing off the leather. Result was these two fingers were open. I did kind of like it that you could have the dexterity of the finger but with the glove on. So I could see where you want fingerless gloves, sure. I don't use the coin dispenser (its one of the things on the car, in addition to the MPG meter, which make absoloutely no sense to me, at all. But hey, its a package and I'm not stressing over it.)


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## Rich_Jenkins (Jul 12, 2003)

swchang said:


> Hmm, what do y'all think of these?
> 
> http://store.yahoo.com/alamo/unfincowleat.html
> 
> ...


Hmmm...unlined "cow" hide? The look kinda, well, cheap if you ask me. I had a pair of weight lifting gloves once that looked exactly like this (but with some padding) and they were pretty stiff. I'm not sure quite why you'd go with these for a driving application. I'd rather go without. But YMMV...


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