BMW Drivers

[oracleslave]

Can't you see the 12 votes is messing with my mind and preventing me from forming an opinion ?

Apologies BGG. Although I have an inkling there is more than this pointless poll "messing with your mind".

[ferret]

A lot of people drive suicidally in the rain.

I have felt my car (Volvo) aquaplaning a couple of times in the rain recently, and it's a very scary feeling. So I slow down considerably. But the BMW lane is still filled with drivers trying to do 90mph.

Not a good idea when you don't actually have control of your vehicle.

Absolutely! Misplaced confidence and all that. I quite happily do 90 along that stretch in good weather and low traffic but I was doing about 60 as felt so unsafe. Honestly the worst conditions I have ever driven in. Mad to hear the BMWs are not that hot in the rain, from the way some of their owners bang on (and the price tag) you would think they were the ultimate car.

I tested a couple when shopping for the last motor and they did all feel a bit plastic like to be honest and certainly not worth the 20-30% extra they seemed to make over similar size and spec cars.

[threaded]

I tested a couple when shopping for the last motor and they did all feel a bit plastic like to be honest and certainly not worth the 20-30% extra they seemed to make over similar size and spec cars.

Get yerself a Mazda 6 MPS, best handling and best braking of any reasonably priced car out there. It is, without doubt, the ultimate contractor conveyance.

[Tensai]

Get yerself a Mazda 6 MPS,

I tried one and actually quite liked it, but then buckled under the marketing pressure and went for an A4 instead....

[nucastle]

I found out a few weeks into M3 ownership that the last thing you do with those cars is dare to put your foot down in the wet, on a corner, with tyres that you arent confident have MORE than enough tread on. One spin out later, i was a wiser man.

They are awesome cars i think, although the parking sensors on mine are hooky, and since driving it i seem to have decided that the car moves too quickly to dare risking taking time out to indicate as much

[darmstadt]

I don't understand this indicating problem. I regularly drive at speeds between 200 and 270 yet still manage to indicate when overtaking and when moving back. Driving is a piece of piss.

[PAH]

A lot of people drive suicidally in the rain.

People don't seem to realise that their grip on the road is only as good as the tyres, regardless of how much they paid for their car or how safe it's deemed to be.

Plenty of evidence shows having a lot more than 3mm of tread makes a lot of difference, especially with aquaplaining, though it's still no excuse for driving at silly fast speeds on motorways in the pouring rain. I think that's the only time I get nervous driving, as you're at the mercy of the cretins shooting past you who seem to have a death wish, no matter how sensible you yourself are driving.

[Peoplesoft bloke]

People don't seem to realise that their grip on the road is only as good as the tyres, regardless of how much they paid for their car or how safe it's deemed to be.

Plenty of evidence shows having a lot more than 3mm of tread makes a lot of difference, especially with aquaplaining, ........

BMW drivers don't seem to care.

BTW having loads of tread helps in the wet but actually hinders stopping when it's warm and dry.

[threaded]

BMW drivers don't seem to care.

BTW having loads of tread helps in the wet but actually hinders stopping when it's warm and dry.

Errr, actualllllllyyyyyy, slicks are good in the warm and dry because, for various reasons, they can use a softer compound. If you would compare a similar tyre with no tread to one with tread, which is what people would use as slicks last no time at all, the difference is not really all that much.

[PAH]

BTW having loads of tread helps in the wet but actually hinders stopping when it's warm and dry.

I'm not convinced that can be a generalised accurate statement.

Surely depends on the design of the tyre, as some are designed to provide more grip as the tread blocks move around, and so produce less grip as the tread wears down.

Compounds also play a part. A normal road tyre with little or no tread is not to be confused with much softer slicks that are designed to work with no tread to start with!

Something that does puzzle me is a report I read recently that suggests tyres actually wear quicker in the wet than the dry! Maybe they scrub themselves down quicker as they're not gripping as well?