Spun out in my E36

[CamB 48]

A mate reckons there could be diesel on the ground from all the trucks nearby but I dunno. Do i need better tyres? Is there something wrong with the car? Doesn't the car have traction control to prevent this from happening?

Well given someone else posted above with the same problem there, and its a heavy truck route in and out of the port diesel is possible. Any dodgy suspension mods? Car so low its got lots of camber and no rear contact patch?

^true but when you get an lsd going then your up for serious sideways.

E36 aren't nearly as bad as an E30 (assuming both with an LSD). You have to REALLY try (ie, being deliberate), even yesterday, to get my car to do anything more than twitch the rear end a little. Other stuff matters too, like the tyres and how stiff the car is.

[bravo 35]

A good set of tires works wonders.

[zenetti 0]

^ so does driving to the conditions

Edited May 12, 2010 by zenetti

[e30ftw 410]

First time raining here in a while too, cruising to course hit the 100km road and I put my foot flat in 3rd and once it hit about 4500rpm the revs shot up and the rear stepped out starting to slide sideways. Sh*t myself coz I was NOT expecting that to happen Lol.

Edited May 12, 2010 by e30ftw

[camera doctor 25]

I ran my daughter to school this morning as it was raining, and saw a Toyota Previa get sideways at an intersection!!

Looked at the driver, looked in his 50's , so I don't think he meant to !!

Maybe he has started a new class of drifting - people movers

[Apex 693]

^true but when you get an lsd going then your up for serious sideways.

Must admit my E30 with the LSD has caught me twice already. I have to be very very carful on the go pedal in the wet in first second gear.

A good set of tires works wonders.

This is the culprit im thinking. Must have been lol watching lawyers and bankers spin there M325is in the 80's on 80's speck tyres.

I was told they are tail happy but its beyond a joke. I swear it is trying to kill me.

Edited May 12, 2010 by Apex

[Guest Ari Gold]

really? i would imagen the e34 to be a bit like drifting a bus.... just going by how they look... never driven one.

E34's are brilliantly controllable sideways. Much more so than an E30 - the longer wheel base makes everything much smoother and more progressive than the snappiness of an E30.

I was told they are tail happy but its beyond a joke. I swear it is trying to kill me.

They're slidey in the wet, you've just got to be careful with your throttle application. 80's suspension design and no driver aids demand respect.

Edited May 12, 2010 by Ari Gold

[Docile 64]

i spun my e36 at the slyvia park onramp stop lights towards the city with my 255 direzza rears.. it was the first rain for a long time.. it was like a light drizzle of rain.. now everytime it rains i put the snow mode on

[Guest Simon*]

Ha! That's nothing!

Every time there is even a speck of dew the diesel Hilux looses absolutely all traction (especially at roundabouts) on it's current offroad tyres. It is shocking!

[Guest Simon*]

E34's are brilliantly controllable sideways. Much more so than an E30 - the longer wheel base makes everything much smoother and more progressive than the snappiness of an E30.

Oh and a big plus one to that

[Apex 693]

They're slidey in the wet, you've just got to be careful with your throttle application. 80's suspension design and no driver aids demand respect.

The Touring was safe as houses with the extra weight and open diff, im amazed at the difference between the two cars that’s for sure, its black and white. Must be the gearing and the light rear end.

I haven’t driven a car that bites your hand as hard as this does, its looser than some big power Japanese cars I have driven with a measly 120 odd kw, you seriously have to concentrate driving it faster in the wet. It is fun as all hell though, it’s been years since I have driven a car that makes my hands shake!

[simke 0]

the intersection with the shell and foodtown? that's where it happened to me! but i didn't have the skills to correct

Funnily enough, few weeks back when it was a bit wet after raining my left rear lost traction just after those traffic lights. Almost brand new tires and I was not doing more than 40 due to traffic anyway. Gave me a bit of a fright when the back started sliding sideways. There was another car next to me as well.

As someone mentioned it is a route used heavily by trucks, so possibly some diesel / oil on the road.

[Guest Simon*]

Sometimes it can be transitioning onto smoother surface too. It places have been resealed with more tar and less chip they get quite glassy

[Guest Ari Gold]

The Touring was safe as houses with the extra weight and open diff, im amazed at the difference between the two cars that’s for sure, its black and white. Must be the gearing and the light rear end.

I haven’t driven a car that bites your hand as hard as this does, its looser than some big power Japanese cars I have driven with a measly 120 odd kw, you seriously have to concentrate driving it faster in the wet. It is fun as all hell though, it’s been years since I have driven a car that makes my hands shake!

I remember my first big slide in the 2.7, Ladies Mile / Marua Rd intersection, right hander downhill, I swear it lasted about 100m before I brought it all under control, definitely a shakey hand moment

How many k's has yours done? The LSD probably doesn't have a lot of LS left.

[Docile 64]

Sometimes it can be transitioning onto smoother surface too. It places have been resealed with more tar and less chip they get quite glassy

a roundabout near my place is like that. rainy day downhill blind corner roundabout at the end from chip to glass surface.. my abs lights went on like chirstmas lights trying to slow down from 40km in like 15 meters gave me quite the scare.

ithought they had repaired it with another seal of chip... but they used that smooth glass crap.

[Apex 693]

I remember my first big slide in the 2.7, Ladies Mile / Marua Rd intersection, right hander downhill, I swear it lasted about 100m before I brought it all under control, definitely a shakey hand moment

How many k's has yours done? The LSD probably doesn't have a lot of LS left.

180k. you may be correct as I swear BMW wouldn’t have let this out of the factory as is, its not locked but it’s far from progressive.

[deeveus 81]

DSC For the loose on a E36

Roads are slippery as down here today too. Could be a combination of poor tyres and or diesel, chemicals on the roads.

[CamB 48]

Ha! That's nothing!

Every time there is even a speck of dew the diesel Hilux looses absolutely all traction (especially at roundabouts) on it's current offroad tyres. It is shocking!

Yeah well, my 2002 on old, hard Dunlop semi-slicks and with a tight LSD and extra sway bar at the rear would go sideways if you looked at the throttle too hard in a corner. That was mostly a tyre problem (they were so old and hard they took 3 laps at the track in the dry to start gripping properly and went off after 6 laps!).

[shaneg 0]

the intersection with the shell and foodtown? that's where it happened to me! but i didn't have the skills to correct

yip.. i thik its called tangihua st? was turning towards parnell/st heliers way way on the lane closest to shell when i lost the rear end, think all those trucks must spill a bit of diesel on those roads or petrol gets washed off from shell.

best thing is not to panic..

when the roads arent busy but wet, i try and step it out on purpose, helps knowing what to do when it happens for real, gives good car control and feel for how much you can push before it slips..

love the e32 for drifting!!!

[Mike 1]

I know of a few who have lost e30's in slippery conditions, often on roads they drove everyday. what I didnt like was 95% of the time mine would just spin the inside wheel, it was the other 5% when both let go that caught me out. Havent actually driven e30 with LSD so cant comment on them.

E39 is far more progressive, even if it still happily spins inside wheel. DSC is nice safety net when cruising and you hit a slippery patch. Gets in the way and is actually slower if you giving it a proper go.

[CamB 48]

With an LSD, the back grips better (you don't spin the inside wheel), but when it goes it always tries to slide. Its pretty predictable, to be honest, and much easier to gather back in with an LSD than without.

[JiB 0]

Just to be boring, I'm gonna ask:

-Tyre pressures correct?

-Alignment correct?

-Shocks in decent shape? (bump test doesn't tell you very much)

-3 year old poo Firestones probably aren't going to be the most predictive thing in the world

-Is the car modified?

-Are bushes all in good order?

[hybrid 1043]

I now have this problem in the dry in the e30 need to watch/check myself constantly.

[Mark 178]

I have Firestone Firehawks on the E30 and they are shithouse. The thing slides quite easily in the dry and in the wet it's ludicrous. Unfortunately they've got plenty of meat left... stuck with them for a bit longer until I can afford to buy a decent set.

[Apex 693]

Firhawks will last for ever. Do a skid.

I had Toyo T1R’s on the Touring and it only went around once and that was on the track…..in front of Glenn from Botany Motor Worx. They were a fantastic tyre. Im 99% sure the Michelin save fuel save the environment tree huger tyres someone fitted to my car are the reason its ratshit in the wet.