Driving BMWs

[DimPrawn]

My wife drives a brand new 330 ci

It has so many stability control features you could try* and drive it at 155 MPH on sheet ice round a corner and all that will happen is 20 lights will flash on the dash and the onboard computer will drop the power to the wheels to about 3 BHP and you will tootle round looking like a div.

Of course, you cheapskates are probably looking at a 20 yr old BMW which will kill you.

[Francko]

Interesting fact: BMW 3 series outsells Mondeos in the UK

That's only because a large majority of the UK population are chavs or drug dealers.

[Chugnut]

My wife drives a brand new 330 ci

It has so many stability control features you could try* and drive it at 155 MPH on sheet ice round a corner and all that will happen is 20 lights will flash on the dash and the onboard computer will drop the power to the wheels to about 3 BHP and you will tootle round looking like a div.

Of course, you cheapskates are probably looking at a 20 yr old BMW which will kill you.

I had a Sport one of these. Most overrated pile of cack I've ever had the misfortune of driving. I can confirm that the dash does indeed light up like a Christmas tree at the slightest whiff of the accelerator.

Hope she likes it, I couldn't wait to get shot of mine.

[gingerjedi]

As I said yesterday 'chav' is an overused term, it seems that anyone who is deemed as below the observer’s status is now a 'chav'. Every car out there has a label that can be applied, stop behaving like sheep and buy whatever suits your needs... Saying that I will always think some BMW drivers are egotistical tits but that’s probably down to the fact that a lot of people who no nothing about cars buy them because they believe the advertising bumph and somehow by owning 'the ultimate driving machine' they are transformed into the ultimate driver.

[fzbucks]

Absolute garbage. What on earth are you talking about? How many chavs can afford an X5, M3, M5, or M6, etc.

It just a very popular brand driven by all sorts of folk.

Just remember not all chavs are poor or on benefits.

[Methuselah]

Just remember not all chavs are poor or on benefits.

In fact the definition I saw in one place was "someone who has more money than taste". That might apply to more than a few here......

[Bagpuss]

That's for sure. However, what some people say is that BMW are very unstable in the rain and they have exagerated reactions. While this might not be a problem for rear wheel long experienced user if you don't have that much experience with it, it might turn to be quite dangerous as you would react differently in front wheel. I just wonder how many people did the switch from front to rear wheel and how easy that was.
Probably this is just a myth and perhaps it was due to very old BMW whose reactions where incredibly oversensitive. However, as in all myths there might be some truth in it.

I have a front wheel drive car and rear wheel drive one. Front wheel drive have dialled in understeer meaning the car will tend to go wide on cornering, and sometimes not have enough turn into a corner. With front wheel drive the car is trying to do two things through the front wheels, turn and power, this impedes the handling especially when you get torque steer with powerful front wheel drive. It's harder to tell when front wheel is losing grip because it's less communitive because of the issues above, that's why many powerful front wheel drives understeer into crashes on bends, it's gone before you realise. Front wheel drive cars can't deal with more than about 220 bhp.

Rear wheel drives don't have the above compromises, the front wheel only have to concentrate on steering, if you start to lose grip you feel it through the seat of you pants or through the wheel, so it can make you a safer driver. You need to be careful of powering into corners in rear wheel drive, so you can't drive one as you would a hot hatch and you need to be more careful in the wet.
BMWs have traction control so even oversteer isn't an issue anymore unless you turn it off.

[fzbucks]

BMWs have traction control so even oversteer isn't an issue anymore unless you turn it off.

"REAL" Drivers turn it off

[Chugnut]

Or alternatively get yourself a performance 4WD and go into your crashes sideways.

[Bagpuss]

I was behind one of those wonderfull handling focus' the other day, powering around a bend he was so drifing so wide I thought he was going to come off the road, you could almost see the wheel slipping sideways. People who drive them seem to think they are 'sporty', how sad