[ChrisJadesFireF82]

I have a 328xi and the car feels fine normally but when i drive in rain(not even really terrible rain just hard rain) my car feels like its about to do 360s if im going above 50...i mean somethings wrong hyndais are blowing by me i pressed the dtc button when i almost got to work n seemed to feel better but not entirely sure bc the rain slowed....any suggestions? am i being stupid/paranoid or has anyone had this problem im hoping its me and not a problem with my car or tires

[fdriller9]

I think it's the wind and ride height. It feels like the car sways right? I get that all the time on a windy day.

Can't wait to lower my car this spring.

[wrickem]

Have you looked at your tires lately? My x-drive handles like it's "planted" to the road in the rain, even through large puddles, so did my last one, both on stock suspension.

[fdriller9]

Originally Posted by wrickem

Have you looked at your tires lately? My x-drive handles like it's "planted" to the road in the rain, even through large puddles, so did my last one, both on stock suspension.

How old was your other car? The 2011 won't get this feeling. It's because of worn shocks....that's why I'm lowering in the spring. New bilstein shocks and eibach springs.

[ChrisJadesFireF82]

i have an 08...i got 2 new tires in the front and my back tires shouldnt be bad maybe i should check them out...i mean yeah it feels like its swaying giving me a friggin anxiety attack on my way to work lol ive had the car for about a year now its a cpo...makes me wanna lower it if i had the money lol

[fdriller9]

Originally Posted by ChrisCharcoalE92

i have an 08...i got 2 new tires in the front and my back tires shouldnt be bad maybe i should check them out...i mean yeah it feels like its swaying giving me a friggin anxiety attack on my way to work lol ive had the car for about a year now its a cpo...makes me wanna lower it if i had the money lol

Well I'm not 100% the ride height and/or worn shocks are your issue, but that's the problem for me and on windy days, I feel my car sway at highway speeds.

It's quite annoying because I feel like I have to keep my wheel straight to counter act the swaying.

You can try lowering springs but you'll get a bouncy ride because there will be more rebound with the OEM shocks.

[wrickem]

Originally Posted by *********

How old was your other car? The 2011 won't get this feeling. It's because of worn shocks....that's why I'm lowering in the spring. New bilstein shocks and eibach springs.

Old one was '07 e92xi with 40K miles, still held the road perfectly. And to be honest, I never felt any difference between the more "broken in" one and the new one when I got it in the rain. I do understand your point about the feeling of lowering and feeling better planted, I just don't get that feeling in mine at all.

And I agree with you, if it's not his tires, he needs to look at his shocks or something.

[fdriller9]

Originally Posted by wrickem

Old one was '07 e92xi with 40K miles, still held the road perfectly. And to be honest, I never felt any difference between the more "broken in" one and the new one when I got it in the rain. I do understand your point about the feeling of lowering and feeling better planted, I just don't get that feeling in mine at all.

And I agree with you, if it's not his tires, he needs to look at his shocks or something.

Well I'm at 73K and my suspension is REALLY loose. The rear end wobbles over bumps when I'm turning and I get that sway feeling on windy days.

At 40K, the suspension still has a bit of life left. It's recommended to change the shocks between 60-80K.

When I get 328xi loaners from the dealer with less than 2000 miles, I'm jealous of the tighter and more planted feel of the car. But I'm disappointed in the power lol. That extra 30 or so HP makes a huge difference.

[4corners]

Originally Posted by ChrisCharcoalE92

I have a 328xi and the car feels fine normally but when i drive in rain(not even really terrible rain just hard rain) my car feels like its about to do 360s if im going above 50...i mean somethings wrong hyndais are blowing by me i pressed the dtc button when i almost got to work n seemed to feel better but not entirely sure bc the rain slowed....any suggestions? am i being stupid/paranoid or has anyone had this problem im hoping its me and not a problem with my car or tires

How is your car setup? Stock? Wheel spacers? Etc?

[HellsBells]

your tires... suspension will have something to do with this but less so than tires.

I have the bilsteins and eibachs with all seasons in the winter and It really is scary how fast I can go around turns without breaking lose if you know what I mean... I know if I eventually do it will be ugly.

[serotoninsteve]

Are your new tyres the same brand an type as the rears? You should measure the outer diameter an compare, xdrive is really sensitive on different rolling diameters! I've had problems with Michelin fronts and Hankook rear, car feeled almost undriveable.

[ChrisJadesFireF82]

cars stock...im at work but ill check later im sure i bought the same size tires i was lookin everywhere for them n finally found a pair...what i dont get is why does my car feel fine normally but lil rain n its like im speeding on ice

[Dominus]

My old car did this as well. Not saying you have the same problem but my old car had a bad tow on the tires and from the outside they were brand new but on the inside they were worn to the belts! I say check your tires

[pits200]

No offense but it sounds like you are going cheap on your tires. And not to discount everyone elses comments but it isn't your ride height or your suspension.

My parents old camry was a rocking boat that sat high with super soft suspension and it drove fine in the rain and the snow because it had the proper tires.

When it comes to rain, tires is all that matters when it comes to moving the water away from the path of your car. If you're buying 2 tires at a time that says a lot about how much you care about the tires on your car. Unless you had to buy 2 of them because you bent them or bubbled, then I apologize.

And all tires are not created equal when it comes to evacuating the water. I can bet 100% it is the tires, please be careful not to hurt yourself or anyone else in the meantime.

[Doyle]

+1 tires or alignment

OP what are your specs on both?

[ChrisJadesFireF82]

i had to change the fron two because of westchester county and new york citys wonderful job of fixing potholes after the worst winter ever last year(yes sarcasam)...i hit so many unavoidable potholes i had massive bubbles on my front two tires n had to change them out(esp one blew eventually)...but i bought the same exact tires my front and back tires are the same exact horrible stock brigestone tires

acutally the alignment might be the problem at least im hopeing...i do need one my steering wheel is off-centered and been meaning to bring it in...you really thing that can be causing the problem?

[4corners]

Originally Posted by ChrisCharcoalE92

i had to change the fron two because of westchester county and new york citys wonderful job of fixing potholes after the worst winter ever last year(yes sarcasam)...i hit so many unavoidable potholes i had massive bubbles on my front two tires n had to change them out(esp one blew eventually)...but i bought the same exact tires my front and back tires are the same exact horrible stock brigestone tires

acutally the alignment might be the problem at least im hopeing...i do need one my steering wheel is off-centered and been meaning to bring it in...you really thing that can be causing the problem?

"you really thing that can be causing the problem?"

Think about it. You said you replaced the tires because of road damage. I align my car on all four corners with new tires. Much less if, ..."i hit so many unavoidable potholes i had massive bubbles on my front two tires n had to change them out(esp one blew eventually)"...

[ChrisJadesFireF82]

the alginment is a recent thing...i had the tires balanced n everything when i installed the new ones months ago...its not really that off so i never really went out of my way to do it but id be shocked if thats whats causing such a bad feeling while driving in the rain maybe the xdrive is just that sensitive...ima bring it in and see how it feels after thanks so far for the help guys

[Doyle]

Good money on a toe out issue. Makes sense since it only happens in the rain-- more drive being directed to the front axle, awd front toe out under power makes things squirrelly.

[wdlfbio]

You're alignment could have been bad for a while, but within specs for the computer to handle it. Then you add a few more nasty bumps and bruises, swap to a new set of tires, and now you've got the straw that borke the camel's back and you can really feel the problems. Get it aligned and see how far off your numbers are from stock. If the front wheels have to do extra work in the ugly rain, you're gonna feel the problems much more.

[MJR63]

My car feels planted with the Continental DW's in the rain. I run snows in the winter...Tires are a big factor in driveability in the rain. Good luck!

[MassBimmer]

My car hydroplaned like crazy with the crappy stock runflats on. Haven't hydroplaned once since I put on my Conti DWS tires.