How bad are E30's in the Winter

[djk]

No-one has mentioned the original 'mountain goat' car - Fiat Panda 4x4! My cousin had one about 10 years ago - frickin awesome fun in the snow. Unfortunately the entire transmission ate itself on the M4 shortly afterward - she was much missed. I doubt there are many about now - they always felt slightly like they were held together with goodwill rather than welding.

BTW, if you have traction control TURN IT OFF in the snow (or use the 'winter' setting if it has one) - you'll find most cars so equipped have this advice in the handbook, and it's basically the reason why manufacturers allow the systems to be manually disabled. I also found ABS frightening in snow - rather than 'cadence braking' it just seems to lock the wheels then release the brakes, never to return. These systems aren't designed to cope with such low grip conditions.

[Grrrmachine]

This'll be the first winter I've driven a RWD motor, and it can get proper nippy out here - minus 30 was the most extreme I saw (in 2006.) I've got some 14" steelies, but can anyone recommend some decent winter tyres and sizes? Im guessing nothing wider than a 185, for starters.

[murran]

the difference with those studded tyres on was like night and day.
word of warning tho if the cozzers pull you over on a road not completely covered in ice/snow they can fine you or something i think, for destroying the road surface.

[Alex]

I want TONNNES of snow this year.

get a set of snow chains

[mrLEE30]

I find driving my E30's in the winter a real joy, i am able to finally get the convertable out of its summer hibernation and enjoy the rather brisk 25C evenings, the days can be little hard in the winter especially in traffic, but i simply turn on the air conditioning and just relax, if its really hot, as some winters it reaches 30C, i really need to close the roof to feel the benfits of the AC, but it is generally pleseant by 6pm

winter driving....cant see what all the fuss is about

[dazleeds]

I find driving my E30's in the winter a real joy, i am able to finally get the convertable out of its summer hibernation and enjoy the rather brisk 25C evenings, the days can be little hard in the winter especially in traffic, but i simply turn on the air conditioning and just relax, if its really hot, as some winters it reaches 30C, i really need to close the roof to feel the benfits of the AC, but it is generally pleseant by 6pm

winter driving....cant see what all the fuss is about

lucky sod

guess you wont be rushing to move here in a hurry then

[TheHeap]

I find driving my E30's in the winter a real joy, i am able to finally get the convertable out of its summer hibernation and enjoy the rather brisk 25C evenings, the days can be little hard in the winter especially in traffic, but i simply turn on the air conditioning and just relax, if its really hot, as some winters it reaches 30C, i really need to close the roof to feel the benfits of the AC, but it is generally pleseant by 6pm

winter driving....cant see what all the fuss is about

W****R

[mrLEE30]

guess you wont be rushing to move here in a hurry then

if i were a betting man then that would be a good one!!

W****R

WINTER?? yes thats right it WINTER here too only its 32C today and convertable season!!!

[Rav335uk]

I find driving my E30's in the winter a real joy, i am able to finally get the convertable out of its summer hibernation and enjoy the rather brisk 25C evenings, the days can be little hard in the winter especially in traffic, but i simply turn on the air conditioning and just relax, if its really hot, as some winters it reaches 30C, i really need to close the roof to feel the benfits of the AC, but it is generally pleseant by 6pm

winter driving....cant see what all the fuss is about

No need to GLOAT!!, Mr Lee, we all know where you're located

[andye30nut]

i had a few sideways incidents in the snow last year was great fun lol

[mrLEE30]

i have rubbish summers, you have rubbish winters!! a fair trade and i take the mick when given the chance in this subject

plus Rav, its a (reasonably) free country all are welcome!

[Rav335uk]

Thanks for the offer Mr Lee, but i'm considering a further place to move too, which is totally a "Free" country

[Tedswagon]

Here is how to drive an E30 in the snow

[lloydp]

the difference with those studded tyres on was like night and day.
word of warning tho if the cozzers pull you over on a road not completely covered in ice/snow they can fine you or something i think, for destroying the road surface.

Steel-studded snow tyres are the best thing ever
Dunno what its like now, but just before we left Norway they were trying to get everyone off steel studs and onto plastic-studded or studless snow tyres because they had to resurface some of the roads almost every year, or at least grind the hump off the centre so it was flat again. Didn't seem to be a popular move as these other options generally seemed inferior at the time (2002). They mandate everyone has to have snow tyres on from October to April (iirc), or you get fined.

[ChrisiS]

Used to enjoy the snow in my old landrover.....Drop the tyres down to about 15psi and it was unstoppable!

[Blitz]

Will be my first winter driving let alone in an E30. Let it snow, cant wait to fool around.

I recormend cleaning out the underneath espically the arches in winter.

[Z3I]

I find driving my E30's in the winter a real joy, i am able to finally get the convertable out of its summer hibernation and enjoy the rather brisk 25C evenings, the days can be little hard in the winter especially in traffic, but i simply turn on the air conditioning and just relax, if its really hot, as some winters it reaches 30C, i really need to close the roof to feel the benfits of the AC, but it is generally pleseant by 6pm

winter driving....cant see what all the fuss is about

He he! But be honest, apart from the nice warm sun in winter, there's not much else going for the E30 enthusiast in BAH. There's nowhere to go, no nice drives, no local pubs to go to, a local population of careless and sometimes dangerous drivers. A trip over the causeway to Dhahran doesn't bear thinking about! Interesting for the odd business trip, but who'd swap the leafy lanes of the UK for that. All the ex-pat population think about is their next trip home..

[mrLEE30]

there is the Bahrain international circuit where a open track day for all day open pit lane access is less then hundred quid (free for me as i instruct there!), there are the 19 roundabouts of Hamed town, and the as yet unopened highway down to durrat where silly speeds can be achieved if that floats your boat, a trip over the Dhahran (well actually it Khobar the bridge goes to!) was sucessfully made yesterday and last week the E30 made a 880km trip to Riyadh and back.

E30 enthiusiast?, i do reckon per head population there are more E30's here than anywhere else, and the scrap yards are full of em, mostly crashed and not rusty. engines are easy to find and a swap can be done for peanuts. so very cheap and easy to run my E30's, then there is the insurance for the cab and the sport, both less than the price of a UK 318! fuel...yesterday in Saudi i put 45 litres in for 25 riyals.... thats four quid in your money!!

There are about a million bars in Bahrain and these days cheaper then UK for a pint, plus live bands in most each night, and plenty of nightclubs too with your superstar DJ's here monthly -although i confess my clubbing days finished 10 years ago!! Leafy lanes.. i live in one of those here (well i will when they complete planting the trees!!), and finally the thought of my next trip home makes me shudder, three pound pints, over a pound for a litre of fuel and cold and wet, and then there is the relatives to visit....no thanks!

next trip i think about is skiing in France in Feb

[Morat]

Hmmm any jobs in IT?

[mrLEE30]

IT is a diffucult one as it covers all sorts, if you are experienced in IT for banking sectors then have a look at the website below, it a company run by a mate of mine and mainly recruits in the banking sector but they are branching out, i dont know much about this sort of stuff as i am basically an glorified elecrician, except rather than wiring houses i wire up cities with 400000volt cables!!

http://www.gulfconnexions.com/

[tomti]

before i got into E30's i always used to buy rwd cars for the winter purely for the fun factor. Could always find a cheap sierra for a couple hundred quid. now i got 2 e30's im looking forward to it. the 325i will stay home and the shitter 320i will be put into duty

[b4gga83]

I never found it that bad in my 318i auto when I first came into E30s, the 325i auto has proved to be a totally different kettle of fish.

[Ziggy]

If we get snow this year, I think I might take the 245(!)s off the E36 & stick some steelies on. The E30 can stay in the garage I'm afraid!

[ShakeyC]

Is this thread serious? I did thousands of miles in the snow last year the E30 without any issues. Plenty of tyre tread and 10psi under inflated job jobbly jobbed

Little bit of snow the UK panics

[murran]

anyone got a spare pair on 15" bbs (lets face it, who hasnt on here?!)?
bless them with these!
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/dunlop-weathermas ... 45ef2f378b

20 psi in them and go anywhere in the snow.......

[FASTFREDDIE]

winter? get an old smoker e30 of course and go and enjoy it,

legalised sideways action officer!