Spun out in my E36

[mtech1e30 0]

Just drive slower.

[e38king 1]

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.

The 740 is the same. Mind you traction control, decent suspension and good tyres also make it very hard for it "to let go".

I think the biggest factor though is driving to the conditions. If it hasn't rained for a while, then buckets down, common sense should say to drive slower and more carefully because the road is obviously going to be very slippery.

[Docile 64]

hit at 60km on the wet one of those flat metal covers in the middle of the rd @ lincoln rd.. damn that was scarey. 1/2 of the car lost traction lol

[mtech1e30 0]

Says the one with a 318i lol.

You dont have to be driving fast to spin out, an e30 with clapped out rear suspension can be quite a handful in the wet, even just pulling out from a intersection.

As others have said in this thread, drive to the conditions. i.e. when its wet, go slower.

[master garion 1]

tyre pressures just checked a week ago per info on door jamb, car tracks straight as an arrow, car is stock - no mods of any kind. as for the condition of the shocks/bushes, wouldn't have a clue? Long service history at BM Workshop and they haven't noted anything re suspension.

I was gently accelerating from a standstill at the intersection so I was going pretty damn slow when it happened. If you're saying that's all it takes to lose traction, then might be time for me to get a better car. I'm not into spinning the car on purpose so I'm not one of "those" ppl.

I have to put it down to either oil on the road, worn suspension or tyres. Surely the car wasn't designed to do that.

[JiB 0]

tyre pressures just checked a week ago per info on door jamb, car tracks straight as an arrow, car is stock - no mods of any kind. as for the condition of the shocks/bushes, wouldn't have a clue? Long service history at BM Workshop and they haven't noted anything re suspension.

I was gently accelerating from a standstill at the intersection so I was going pretty damn slow when it happened. If you're saying that's all it takes to lose traction, then might be time for me to get a better car. I'm not into spinning the car on purpose so I'm not one of "those" ppl.

I have to put it down to either oil on the road, worn suspension or tyres. Surely the car wasn't designed to do that.

Perhaps check the wear patterns on the tyres? Is there perishing at all? Maybe get a durometer on them? (Any half decent Tyre shop will have one)

I think e36's have semi trailing rears - worn components could lead to excessive camber, contact patch or toe change = sudden increase in yaw moment (aka snap oversteer). Incorrect/worn damping could contribute to the problem, and coupled with poo tyres could explain the car's behaviour especially with reduced grip conditions.

I'd start by checking out/buying new tyres. If you want more boring explanation why - I'll happy put in my 2 pence worth LOL.

Hope that helps

[shaneg 0]

could also be the shitty metal (stone chip) roads..

i wasnt going fast at all, prob 20-30 kmh, combined with big(and heavy) car-rwd-cornering

Edited May 13, 2010 by shaneg

[pureboiracer 0]

the bays around wellington airport were exeptionally slippy last night..

back to the op, i would suspect a combo of something on the road, going a lil fast into the corner with too much gas, and being 1st rain for a while...

mabey also tyres arnt that flash... i wouldnt be too concerned about it unless it kept on happening around all sorts of corners. then i would be looking to the car for answers.

[AzonicNick 0]

Be thankful we don't have tram tracks all over the road like in Melbourne. They make for some scary situations on the wet.

I drive my car carefully in the wet. If the auto decides to kick down and out its scary :s

[Wom 0]

did pretty much the same thing

the direzza's I had on there were absolute rubbish in the wet

hasn't happened at all since putting the bridgestone's on there

the direzza's were so bad, that my car would spin up in the wet at traffic lights with very little throttle (less than 1/4 throttle)

had to wait for huge gaps in traffic when coming out of side roads because I couldn't get traction

[Shady 0]

My 318i Auto loves wet roads.

Nuff said.

[e30ftw 394]

My 318i Auto loves wet roads.

Nuff said.

ROFL

[master garion 1]

My tyres are evenly worn individually but I've noticed that the left rear tyre is more worn than the the right rear one (by about 1mm). And also that the rears are more worn than the fronts (by 1-2 mm):

1. What are some of the reasons one rear tyre is more worn than the other?

2. Should I swap the fronts to the rears so I have got more tread in the rear?

cheers

[pjay 8]

CAmber, toe. Your cal lowered? You're local tyre alignment specialist should be about to correct it.

And yes, you should rotate your tyres because it is known lowered E36's camber like a camber thing in the rears, so they wear the insides of tyres really fast.

[master garion 1]

CAmber, toe. Your cal lowered? You're local tyre alignment specialist should be about to correct it.

And yes, you should rotate your tyres because it is known lowered E36's camber like a camber thing in the rears, so they wear the insides of tyres really fast.

No my car hasn't been lowered. Tyres are evenly worn. Just that the LR is more worn overall than the RR. Thanks.

[pureboiracer 0]

probs just alignment is slightly out in the back... do you live up a hill? any windy roads on ur normal journeys? any substantial corners that could be causing the wear?

[master garion 1]

probs just alignment is slightly out in the back... do you live up a hill? any windy roads on ur normal journeys? any substantial corners that could be causing the wear?

sorry for digging up an old thread....replaced the shitstones with a brand new set of Hankook Ventus HRII today and driving out of the tyre shop was a revelation in itself. On the short drive home I have noticed the following:

1. the ride is smoother, quieter and all round comfy-er

2. the car feels more planted....it's not scary anymore to pull out of an intersection into gaps in traffic

3. the steering is way lighter - i wasn't expecting this, i thought my heavy steering was normal

4. the vibration between 90 to 110 km/h is gone

5. the shimmy when braking at motorway speed appears to have lessen or gone - have to drive more to be sure

6. i'm not slipping off bumps and pothole edges anymore - i wasn't aware i was doing this before getting the new tyres

I knew my tyres were crap, i just didn't know that they were THAT crap.

[cliffdunedin 8]

It's funny how many types and brands of tyres you assume are decent, really are not.

I had a set of Good Year Eagles which seemed pretty good...but after switching to Continentals (similar pricing) i instantly felt the difference

[Wom 0]

the old tyres may have been stale

but yea huge difference good tyres make eh

[kingkarl 136]

Vibration could have been balancing issue?

[JiB 0]

the old tyres may have been stale

but yea huge difference good tyres make eh

Fully agree, an expensive old tyre is usually no better than a cheap new tyre!

Tyre age is as important as tread depth imho. The rubber breaks down and the compound is no longer as the manufacturer intended. The compound is what makes a tyre, the tread pattern/brand are what sells the tyre.

Been playing with some tyre data recently - 2+ years after manufacture, tyres start becoming poor. Compound and condition dependent of course.

It's even worse with race/semi slicks where life is generally the number and type of heat cycles rather than available tread (unless of course you're doing an enduro!)

If you wanna get serious about tyres, buy a durometer!

My (possibly erroneous/invalid) 2c worth.

[CamB 48]

Well I'm pleased you have resolved the issue.

In the four months since you started the thread I've almost run out of rear tyres (just squeaked through the WOF with 2mm of tread). I'm actually having to be careful in the wet (ie, every day).

[master garion 1]

the old tyres may have been stale

but yea huge difference good tyres make eh

yeah the old ones were really hard, partly due to age but also because it was probably a hard compound to start with....and the new ones weren't even expensive so real happy with the purchase

Vibration could have been balancing issue?

very likely....or just out of round?

[master garion 1]

Well I'm pleased you have resolved the issue.

In the four months since you started the thread I've almost run out of rear tyres (just squeaked through the WOF with 2mm of tread). I'm actually having to be careful in the wet (ie, every day).

Get some new tyres sooner rather than later is my advice. I regret not doing it 4 months ago and being able to drive properly through winter.

[antil33t 90]

very likely....or just out of round?

Your car got ABS?