E30 Zone

Just looked outside and the snow's proper coming down in the wet city Madchester.
Iv'e just realised Iv'e never driven a E30 in the snow.
What are your experences, how do they drive in the white stuff.

gazm3 wrote:how do they drive in the white stuff.

Sideways.

Easy on the right foot and be smooth. If they have an LSD fitted then so much the better.

ABS helps

What you waiting for?
Go out and have fun take it easy.
You just have to concentrate on what your doing, low revs and smooth acceleration.
Use engine braking as much as you can and keep off the brakes, don't downshift to early or you could lose the back end

TBH, I doubt I'd want to try driving an M3 in the snow, unless you're very well insured!

The M3 wont be going out of the heated garage.
And no where near the stuff you put on your chips.
I learn't to my cost that salt and polished rims dont work last year.
Had my cab for 10 years and never been out in the snow.

my touring seems to be fine in the snow but my birds compact with 225 tyres on and open diff is crap

Try 255 tyres

mine stays parked up in the snow, its lively in the wet so i wouldnt like to find out what its like in the snow.
however i reckon if you take it easy and dont get too excited with your right foot you shouldn't have any problems.
let us know what happens anyways.

just go and find out you should be fine unless you drive like a tit

the compact was suprisingly good at getting traction, just a bit of a handfull once moving.

the e30 seems to break traction almost instantly, but is a lot more progressive and controllable.

in the compact with its 205 60 15 tyres you could just let the clutch up slowly in 1st and it would pull you out of anything. the m3 just seems to send the backend sideways as soon as youre off the clutch. i guess taller gearing and a lot more torque makes it a bit more on/off

Loads of snow up here in Scotland, and I've never had any problems in the touring (daily driver). No way I'm taking the cabby out in all that grit/salt though......

My boss simply carn't drive his brand new Merc in the snow.
He brought his wifes fiesta today. I nearly pissed myself with his whining today.

a couple of paving slabs in the boot work wonders and you are better with narrower tyres...we all got about when we had real snow ..not just 1cm ...its fun

i can't get out the street in mine now lol.

some vids of e30's on ice

http://www.e30zone.net/modules.php?name ... highlight=

Its throwing it down with snow and im stuck at work. At least they could let us go home and have some fun.

If you know how to drive it won't matter what car your in, just take it easy and keep a shovel with you to help other's out.

I've found my underpowered Touring very difficult to control. It's very happy to go sideways, and struggles to get traction. If I had anything other than 8v 4pot goodness I wouldn't be driving anywhere.

It is fun though, every time the back end goes out I keep thinking "Dab of oppo" and chuckling as I slide towards the oncoming traffic.

hmmm itried this yesterday went sideways then more sideways then flipped right round and smashed one ov my wheels on a kerb

S50'd E30 on track tyres.. Fecking useless..

Can't get mine out of my street.....gave up and working from home now (honest )

well, my 316, with standard everything, including the 175 tires is the best car ive ever driven in the snow, goes where i point it, stops when i tell it too and goes sideways when asked to, ive never been stuck, plus there no bloody dangerous ABS on it, so it stops quicker than my lasses 07 corsa, ha, she hates me when i point that out,

Well we've got another 5 inches of snow now, all nicely lying on an undersheet of ice. Forget the E30 and E46 - both useless. You can't move them an inch and I don't care how good a driver you are you just won't move either car uphill for love nor money.
Even the Fiat (FWD, Nose heavy and LSD) just sat there with both front wheels turning at 3 rpm...

So, here comes the jeep! £1295 and will drive in snow all day

DanThe wrote:ABS helps

Doesnt seam to help me slow down though. Just judders and pushes the pedal back up.

I've only drove in less than an inch of snow, as jersey has sooooo much better ("tempramental island") weather.

Was pretty fun, as you can get away with driving slowly everywhere over here (around 25mph, and speed limits are 40mph anyway). Going sideways is fun and you'll get it kicking back if your not a complete pillock.

Completely icey roads though? Different story. Pulled out of a friends estate, barely even touched the throttle and lost it and went sliding. Nearly had an epic 5mph crash into a parked car

5 series is pretty rubbish. wide tyres + open diff = painful progress.

You need some french FWD wagon on 135 tyres, earth calling JESUS325itouring, you cars time has come!

This was the scene at 8.00am outside my house



and this was at 3.00pm when i got back



and its still snowing...since 5.00am

Jon_Bmw wrote:5 series is pretty rubbish. wide tyres + open diff = painful progress.

You need some french FWD wagon on 135 tyres, earth calling JESUS325itouring, you cars time has come!

Damn right,any excuse to whore the site with some wrongness

Set of snow chains,the bugger will (and did) go anywhere!



The MOT is a couple of weeks out though sadly Useless E30 for me this time around

ABS is the worst thing in the snow. I hate it, it just doesn't stop you at all. The key to snow driving is not spinning or locking up your wheels. To pull away, all you need is the clutch, and you will be fine!

Snow = fun

gazm3 wrote:The M3 wont be going out of the heated garage.
And no where near the stuff you put on your chips.
I learn't to my cost that salt and polished rims dont work last year.
Had my cab for 10 years and never been out in the snow.

Pussio!

M3's and Snow are "interesting"

Company civic goes well in the snow, front wheel drive wrongness.
Had an funny day,(went to Derby) dug out the Honda, local Manc traffic was bad.
Got to Stafford and the snow just disappeared.
Lovely drive up the A6 Matlock, Bakewell & Buxton covered in the white stuff.
People are proper tarts driving in the snow

gazm3 wrote: People are proper tarts driving in the snow

at least they are giving it a go and not pissing about on an internet forum asking how to drive in the snow

Can't even get out of my yard with a 'normal' E30 in the snow. Not much of a problem here, since snow is a bit of a rarity. Not at all rare at the moment, though!
I have a rust expired 325SE with a good LSD on it sitting here, waiting to be recycled, so I stuck a battery in it this afternoon and fired it up. First time I've been able to drive a slipper in snow!
Car's insured on my trader policy, but is a bit light on MOTs and tax, so, of course, I've only been able to drive it on 'private' roads (officer), but there's no comparison in traction. In and out of the yard with no problems, and good fun in the lanes on virgin snow - just one long drift, if you want it!