[gchild]

How does your e90 behave in wet conditions?

[Dave3]

Depends on how wet & what rubber i'm using, if you want it to slide it will, if your know the car well then its going to handle exactly how you want it to within reason

[Carjack]

Before my current 320D M-Sport had a 320i SE, and can honestly say I had absolutly no probs in handling under wet conditions.
My yardstick has always been, how good is a motor overtaking lorries fast in the outside lane on motorway curves in heavy rain/spray.
These motors give good grip with positive accurate steering with OEM tyres.
Can't say the same for other motors I've had!

[dxb335d]

Every BMW Ive had has handled well in wet conditions. Always had premium tyres on them also.

[jrah]

Originally Posted by dxb335d

Every BMW Ive had has handled well in wet conditions. Always had premium tyres on them also.

I wouldn't run anything other than premium tyres, I only have problems if the tyres are still cold.

[DarkAnt335i]

I was just about to create a post about wet driving and opinions . Just had 30 mins of fun in the wet. Times like this make me really want a LSD.

It handles well but i find with the JB4 on mine makes it quite tricky in the wet due to the surge or power fairly low down(must remember to switch it off in the wet). Never had a problem with the front end or braking grip.
I can actually drive the 330i faster than mine in the wet, due to the progressive power delivery and softer tyres.

IMO a good FWD car is much better for wet conditions, i know i was a much faster wet driver in my MPS and Mini.

[m1bjr]

The Bimmer is heavy. And is inclined to push a lot in the wet.
(Only because it does in the dry, and the same things just happen at lower speeds in the wet).
I agree on the fwd as above though. Little Reno out in todays downpour and it was notably quicker around big roundabouts than my 335 with LSD

[zltm089]

plus one on what others have said...

I 've had a drive in the TTS today and i feel more confident in pushing it to its limit in the wet....its so much lighter and feels more planted and controlled than the 335i....i think the 4 wheel drive does help...

[ss134]

Went out for a spin with a few decent cars a couple of weeks ago in the rain - Corvette had 440hp, porsche had 600hp but had RWD conversion and i can tell you now that my car was faster and more confidence inspiring than the corvette in the wet and kept up well with the porsche who was struggling to get power down - the corvette was braking for corners that i could take easily without braking and the porsche could only use full throttle when into 4th gear!!

So my answer is this car is extremely planted and confidence inspiring in the wet as long you respect it. LSD definately helps - really locks on to the corner and gives you extra traction in the wet.

IMO AWD cars give a false sense of security in the wet - the only plus point is being able to get the power down cleanly - you cannot cheat the laws of physics no matter how many of your wheels are driven - only difference is that when you overstep the mark in a corner in an AWD car you hit the tree head on and with RWD you hit the tree going backwards!

Here are the cars by the way:

[HighlandPete]

To be honest, BMWs aren't half as tricky in the wet as they used to be years ago. E30 anyone?

We have to remember tread depth is crucial when we have wet roads and particularly standing water. Wide tyre sections don't help either, better on something like 255 sections, front and rear, when we have lots of water about.

Driving style has to change, if you want to keep the same safety factor as driving in the dry.

HighlandPete

[A_P]

Originally Posted by HighlandPete

To be honest, BMWs aren't half as tricky in the wet as they used to be years ago. E30 anyone?

We have to remember tread depth is crucial when we have wet roads and particularly standing water. Wide tyre sections don't help either, better on something like 255 sections, front and rear, when we have lots of water about.

Driving style has to change, if you want to keep the same safety factor as driving in the dry.

HighlandPete

I think sir. I would have to agree. fully.

[phil200tdi]

Originally Posted by ss134

Went out for a spin with a few decent cars a couple of weeks ago in the rain - Corvette had 440hp, porsche had 600hp but had RWD conversion and i can tell you now that my car was faster and more confidence inspiring than the corvette in the wet and kept up well with the porsche who was struggling to get power down - the corvette was braking for corners that i could take easily without braking and the porsche could only use full throttle when into 4th gear!!

So my answer is this car is extremely planted and confidence inspiring in the wet as long you respect it. LSD definately helps - really locks on to the corner and gives you extra traction in the wet.

IMO AWD cars give a false sense of security in the wet - the only plus point is being able to get the power down cleanly - you cannot cheat the laws of physics no matter how many of your wheels are driven - only difference is that when you overstep the mark in a corner in an AWD car you hit the tree head on and with RWD you hit the tree going backwards!

Here are the cars by the way:

I don't agree.

There is a reason AWD dominates rallying. In low grip scenarios AWD has a huge advantage.

In the wet an Evo/sti will kill just about anything. Active yaw control etc all help to get you round a corner faster than is physically possible in a Rwd/Fwd.

[Jules59]

Originally Posted by gchild

How does your e90 behave in wet conditions?

Mush better since Ive dumped the OEM RFTs. Now have Vreds Ultrac Sessantas - far less skittish. But If you pull out sharply to overtake and boot it in the wet, you can feel the back end pushing round. Doing the same with the OEM tyres caused the TC lights to go mad. And Im not remapped.

[Jules59]

Originally Posted by phil200tdi

I don't agree.

There is a reason AWD dominates rallying. In low grip scenarios AWD has a huge advantage.

In the wet an Evo/sti will kill just about anything. Active yaw control etc all help to get you round a corner faster than is physically possible in a Rwd/Fwd.

Agreed.
Both AWD and RWD tend to run wide if you go into a corner with a trailing throttle whereas a FWD will turn in better (unless its really awfully set up) which makes it feel grippier. In fact both my previous FWD cars had suspension changes designed to be capable of significant lift off oversteer which was a load of fun. You need to apply a bit of power as you turn in to keep the BMW tight IMO which is harder to get right than compared with the style needed for FWD (but that might be because Ive only had a RWD car for the last 18 months).

[rich1068]

I obviously don't push my car as hard as you guys. Plus it's only a 320d. However, I don't know how I'd go on with another FWD car. I find the handling wet and dry to be much more 'natural' than any other car I've owned.

[Kerr]

I have no issues with my BMW in the rain. Very stable and predictable if you go a little too far.

Fwd is fine up to the point you oversteep the mark. Once you lose grip of the drive wheels you also lose control of the steering.

I'd far rather have control of what direction I'm steering rather than be concerned about having a loose rear end.

A good 4wd car should always be best in the rain.

[nicktyler]

It's more about the condition of the roads in this country. Some are terrible in the dry and the same in the wet and others that are good in the dry get a drop of rain and turn into an ice rink. Thats before all the holes and random bumps everywhere.

I was driving in the damp/wet last week entirely normally at low speed behind an AstraVXR. going round the inside lane of a big roundabout and suddenly found I was going very sideways (DCT on) while he just pootled round as normal. Not really accellerating or anything. It was fun though as it was so controlable at such a low speed. That was all due to the road surface which could be quite dangerous in another car/situation.

[m1bjr]

Originally Posted by phil200tdi

I don't agree.

There is a reason AWD dominates rallying. In low grip scenarios AWD has a huge advantage.

In the wet an Evo/sti will kill just about anything. Active yaw control etc all help to get you round a corner faster than is physically possible in a Rwd/Fwd.

I'm with you.

Driver aids are far more effective than the ability of the 'average' road driver (most of us).

And driver aids can do things a human simply cannot - braking one individial wheel etc.

Nissan GTR anyone?

And as for the SS134 comparisons - not really relevant unless you drove them all. You aren't allowing for driver abilities.

[ss134]

Originally Posted by phil200tdi

I don't agree.

There is a reason AWD dominates rallying. In low grip scenarios AWD has a huge advantage.

In the wet an Evo/sti will kill just about anything. Active yaw control etc all help to get you round a corner faster than is physically possible in a Rwd/Fwd.

There are of course cars like the GTR, Evo's etc that utilise AWD and computers to great effect but the cars suspension, chassis set up, tyres etc are just as important as how many wheels are being driven on the car.

In the last series of Top Gear when they compared the RS5 and M3 on a wet track the M3 was the faster car - despite the RS5 having quattro, a host of 4WD trickery and more power - this should be impossible according to your theory.

The driven wheels is only a component of wet handling - yes there are AWD cars that are superb in the wet but there are plenty of AWD cars that cannot carry as much speed through a wet corner as some RWD cars.

All things being equal i agree that GTR, Evo,Sti are kings in the wet but just having AWD does not guarantee better wet cornering than RWD or FWD - the set up of the car is just as important.

[ss134]

Originally Posted by m1bjr

I'm with you.

Driver aids are far more effective than the ability of the 'average' road driver (most of us).

And driver aids can do things a human simply cannot - braking one individial wheel etc.

Nissan GTR anyone?

And as for the SS134 comparisons - not really relevant unless you drove them all. You aren't allowing for driver abilities.

I didn't drive the other cars but the other drivers are very experienced and quick drivers and i trust their opinions on their own cars.

[zltm089]

Very interesting debate...

I would tend to go with AWD is easier to drive in the wet...regardless of the driver's experience...

WAs the Top Gear test on a wet track?!...can't really remember....i kno that the M3 was faster than the RS5, but if it was in the wet, then thats very interesting indeed!!!...

[ss134]

Originally Posted by zltm089

Very interesting debate...

I would tend to go with AWD is easier to drive in the wet...regardless of the driver's experience...

WAs the Top Gear test on a wet track?!...can't really remember....i kno that the M3 was faster than the RS5, but if it was in the wet, then thats very interesting indeed!!!...

They put it down as a 'moist lap' i believe (love the word moist!)