Wet Weather driving

[Chris]

I know Goodyear eagle NCT5's are not supposed to be as good as the F1's but in the wet mine seem just as communicative as ever, Obviously they let go a lot earlier but when they do its still quite nicely progressive.

I am still on original 320i Touring suspension (M-tech) That may make a difference, Nice and soft.

Although saying that, the other day i wasn't really paying attention in the piss pouring rain, turning right at a round about, gave it a little bit of a boot full a little early and the next thing i knew i had done a complete perfect 360 and pointing right at my exit Not quite sure how i managed it and just thankful it was quiet.

Chris

[Speedtouch]

Agreed, I have Eagle NCT/NCT2's on my 535i and they seem nice and predictable.

[Simon13]

E30's drive fine in the wet, you just need to adjust your driving styles!

They will ditch you in a bush if you drive like a nobba. Is this good or bad?

F1's are the best road tyres i've tried wet or dry.

[Jesus325iTouring]

E30's drive fine in the wet, you just need to adjust your driving styles!

They will ditch you in a bush if you drive like a nobba. Is this good or bad?

100% agreed,my tyres are cheap rubbish and neither myself or the missus have any problems.

[Rosc0PColtrane]

I have F1's on the front of my cab and Uniroyal rainmasters on the back. The Uniroyals out grip the goodyears. I'd happily use either tyre again.

The 'pina is a mish mash for now. Driving in the wet is very predictable, as Simon says, it's down to driving styles and control. Listen and feel the feedback from your car and you'll never go sideways unintentionally.

[78dude]

I didnt have any problem to drive my old E30 in the wet, the Toyo Proxes gave a good grip on the road and as what Simon13 is saying, you need to adjust your driving when weather change....

[munky30]

my tyres are budget tat and I havent had the back step out or twitch on me once yet (when i havent wanted it to).

[Speedtouch]

We are the regenmeisters!

[oakey]

I spun out at 10mph in farnham town centre yesterday driving an mr2 on nankangs That was embarrassing!

[march109]

I spun out at 10mph in farnham town centre yesterday driving an mr2 on nankangs That was embarrassing!

Was it the old MK2 MR2 or a MK3 MR2, if it was the MK3 I can see how it was embarrasing being a girls car.

[munky30]

they're all girls cars...

[oakey]

it was a mk2 rev1 in black with black wheels and bucket seats- it hardly looks poncey. (but it is) Its my girlfriends car! honest

They are lethal when they lose grip! I turned the steering slightly too hard so the front lost grip then when the front caught it sent the back swinging. All at about 5-10mph in the wet in the middle of the highstreet! I got loads of evil looks from all the posh farnhan people

[munky30]

annoying posh people is good... you have redeemed yourself.

[Careanla]

This is interesting as I was thinking of starting a thread about tyres types and whats best for all round wet/dry driving and wondered if there was such a tyre that will do both?

When I bought the car it had 4 brand new * Centum 195/65/R14 * tyres on all four corners, i've never heard of the tyre before. My car is standard with only a K&N 57i kit.

I generally have a good mannered driving style 99% of the time, slowing for weather conditions, sticking to speed limits etc. I even drive the same in the works van and I do about 1k a miles a week in that thing!

Since having the E30 (1st RWD car i've owned) i've always been worried about the wet weather and the back end catching me out... so sometimes late at night i purposely TRY and get the back end sliding out on a roundabout for a bit of practice and it suffers with under steer very badly!! I get lots of under steer and then the back end will just fly out like it's on a unstoppable mission to destroy on the oncoming lamp posts.

I ain't made of money and can't afford to try tyres and see how they perform. So that leaves me on to the big question... How would I know which tyres will be best suited to the car as i'm big on safety and tyres play a huge part in this and it's easy to be caught out unexpectedly and meet the lamp post even when your being cautious!

Any recommendations would be good

[Onz]

I used to go to remoulds in the winter as they seemed the best for wet weather, in the dry I like pirelli p6000's


Sal are your ARB's fully adjustable?

[HairyScreech]

i think camber may play a large part in the wet, as the amount of camber the e30 gets when lowered is quite extreem, this leads to less of the rear tyres being in contact with the road and as has been sujested sliding before the distortion of the sidewalls allows the tred to fully meet the road.
another thing that wont help is the lack of body roll, as in more slipery conditions the roll of the body will load extra weight onto the outside tyre causing an increase in the presure on the tyre allowing the tred to meet the road properly, this is why disconecting the rear ARB helps.

in short im not realy sure what the answer to wet grip on the e30 is but theres a few things to try:
less rear roll stiffness or more front stiffness either of which will shit balence toward understear tho,
less presure in the rear to allow the tyre to deform and meet the road sooner (and i meen only a few psi),
raise front/lower rear to increase presure on the rear tyers,
use softer tyres in winter,
corect your rear camber to a more normal level (lots of camber dosent automaticaly meen lots of grip anyway).

[munky30]

mine has about an inch on the inside of the rear tyres in contact with the road... and a stiff rear end with soft front. Yet still I dont find it steps out unless I want it to...

Maybe I just drive like a pensioner

[HairyScreech]

driving style will play a big part yes, the other thing is you are probly more familier with the back end than most and know what it will take to lose it.

with lots of camber that lifts the tyre off the road you are effectively getting a narrower tyre untill the side wall deforms engugh to allow it to make contact again.

[tailoutcharlie]

This is interesting as I was thinking of starting a thread about tyres types and whats best for all round wet/dry driving and wondered if there was such a tyre that will do both?

When I bought the car it had 4 brand new * Centum 195/65/R14 * tyres on all four corners, i've never heard of the tyre before. My car is standard with only a K&N 57i kit.

I generally have a good mannered driving style 99% of the time, slowing for weather conditions, sticking to speed limits etc. I even drive the same in the works van and I do about 1k a miles a week in that thing!

Since having the E30 (1st RWD car i've owned) i've always been worried about the wet weather and the back end catching me out... so sometimes late at night i purposely TRY and get the back end sliding out on a roundabout for a bit of practice and it suffers with under steer very badly!! I get lots of under steer and then the back end will just fly out like it's on a unstoppable mission to destroy on the oncoming lamp posts.

I ain't made of money and can't afford to try tyres and see how they perform. So that leaves me on to the big question... How would I know which tyres will be best suited to the car as i'm big on safety and tyres play a huge part in this and it's easy to be caught out unexpectedly and meet the lamp post even when your being cautious!

Any recommendations would be good

if i was you pal i'd get hold of some 15" or better yet 16" wheels with tyres on as i doubt those 14s are doing you any favors at all.

as for confidence in the wet, find an empty car park and night and try it out, you'll then know the capabilities of the car and can choose wether you exceed them or not on the road.HT

[fastdiablo]

Since having the E30 (1st RWD car i've owned) i've always been worried about the wet weather and the back end catching me out... so sometimes late at night i purposely TRY and get the back end sliding out on a roundabout for a bit of practice and it suffers with under steer very badly!! I get lots of under steer and then the back end will just fly out like it's on a unstoppable mission to destroy on the oncoming lamp posts.

Any recommendations would be good

Sounds exactly like what i'm getting on mine with the understeer to oversteer thing. Feel the understeer building before giving her a little extra gas for oversteer.

I would say leave your current tyres on and learn to drive the car on the back end before changing to super stickies, it will make you far more confident aswell as compedent.

My old barge came on Pneumant PM550 ffs, Anyone ever heard of these, they're crap ! . . . can even get turn in oversteer . . .

[delae30]

I love driving me E30 in the rain. You just need to learn the throttle and when to apply it and it won't jump out on you. My daily driver tires are completely worn and the car is semi-dangerous in the rain, but it sure is fun to get the tail out at only 2,000rpm around u-turns. The M20 has plenty torque to induce oversteer at low speeds in the rain. I will say that the E30 does like to hydroplane at higher speeds!!

[Simon13]

re moulds? please

Next time it's wet on the roundabout hammer the revs and kick the clutch and see if the back end comes out a bit quicker! Scandavian flick works well too if you have a bit more space

Again F1's!

Rosco fit the F1's onto the back and see if understeer occurs more often with the urinals on the front

[oguz327]

E30's drive fine in the wet, you just need to adjust your driving styles!

They will ditch you in a bush if you drive like a nobba. Is this good or bad?

100% agreed,my tyres are cheap rubbish and neither myself or the missus have any problems.

Goodyear eagle F1s on mine and i am running Bilstien sports, H&R arb's, no problems at all, grip is very good.
Also found the Toyos to be excellent in the wet too.

[DanThe]

This is interesting as I was thinking of starting a thread about tyres types and whats best for all round wet/dry driving and wondered if there was such a tyre that will do both?

When I bought the car it had 4 brand new * Centum 195/65/R14 * tyres on all four corners, i've never heard of the tyre before. My car is standard with only a K&N 57i kit.

I generally have a good mannered driving style 99% of the time, slowing for weather conditions, sticking to speed limits etc. I even drive the same in the works van and I do about 1k a miles a week in that thing!

Since having the E30 (1st RWD car i've owned) i've always been worried about the wet weather and the back end catching me out... so sometimes late at night i purposely TRY and get the back end sliding out on a roundabout for a bit of practice and it suffers with under steer very badly!! I get lots of under steer and then the back end will just fly out like it's on a unstoppable mission to destroy on the oncoming lamp posts.

I ain't made of money and can't afford to try tyres and see how they perform. So that leaves me on to the big question... How would I know which tyres will be best suited to the car as i'm big on safety and tyres play a huge part in this and it's easy to be caught out unexpectedly and meet the lamp post even when your being cautious!

Any recommendations would be good

if i was you pal i'd get hold of some 15" or better yet 16" wheels with tyres on as i doubt those 14s are doing you any favors at all.

as for confidence in the wet, find an empty car park and night and try it out, you'll then know the capabilities of the car and can choose wether you exceed them or not on the road.HT

Dito the above

Those nasty bottletops are useless for wet weather driving. I had a set on mine temporarily last year and I nearly lost it through understeer so many times I just had to slow down. You need at least a set of 15's and 205 tyres for a decent level of grip in the wet.

[Careanla]

if i was you pal i'd get hold of some 15" or better yet 16" wheels with tyres on as i doubt those 14s are doing you any favors at all.

as for confidence in the wet, find an empty car park and night and try it out, you'll then know the capabilities of the car and can choose wether you exceed them or not on the road.HT Very Happy

And

Dito the above Thumbup

Those nasty bottletops are useless for wet weather driving. I had a set on mine temporarily last year and I nearly lost it through understeer so many times I just had to slow down. You need at least a set of 15's and 205 tyres for a decent level of grip in the wet.

Cheers for that fella's, I don't want to buy some bigger wheels till I got a few other things sorted first, plus I don't have power steering and the bigger the wheels the harder it gonna be to turn the darn wheel lol

I wouldn't go any bigger than 16" for that reason... so maybe i'll just drive as I normally do and take it easy.

Would love to BBS alloys like these: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Genuine-BMW-e30-s ... dZViewItem

But money doesn't allow that at the mo and i'd prefer spend it on rusty bits and maintenance on the car first.

Appreciate the feedback though.. Ta

Craig

[Simon13]

E30's like softish rear springs. I know they squat but when you have a 325i or more power it allows the back end to dig in and grip. wet or dry

60/40 cupkit springs are good for this. Cheap 60mm stiff ones just make the back end break as there is no give and they make the car more skittish

[Onz]

hasnt anyone also lowered tyre pressure in the wet for more grip?

[Cotty]

With the current wet season how is everyone finding their grip levels?

Those with H&R anti roll bars - are you finding your rear end a little 'alive' in the wet?

I have KW suspension 60/40 drop, H&R's and no problems driving to Le Mans last year in torrential for most of the journey.

Last year I had Ant in the car and the back let go entering a slip road, no dramas just a little opposite lock and drove out of it.

However I used to race karts on slicks in all weathers, kind of gets you used to having a loose vehicle under you.

[Rosc0PColtrane]

That shot reminds me of Newquay!!!!

[Cotty]

That shot reminds me of Newquay!!!!

Tell me about it, karts stalling due to the amount of water being sucked in. Zero traction etc etc or were you refering to the campsite

[Rosc0PColtrane]

re moulds? please

Next time it's wet on the roundabout hammer the revs and kick the clutch and see if the back end comes out a bit quicker! Scandavian flick works well too if you have a bit more space

Again F1's!

Rosco fit the F1's onto the back and see if understeer occurs more often with the urinals on the front

I'll give it a go mate, The unrinals are about dead though...

F1's last for fooking ages!!

[tailoutcharlie]

got a set of F1s today, there on the back for a day till i swap them to the front, oooodles of grip in wet compared to the old cum ho's.

think ill put them on the front so they last more than two weeks tho

[Rosc0PColtrane]

That shot reminds me of Newquay!!!!

Tell me about it, karts stalling due to the amount of water being sucked in. Zero traction etc etc or were you refering to the campsite

\
Both!!

Though linking slides through corners was fun!