Reply to: BMW Drivers

[51st State]

Nice to find where all the Passat tdi and Ford ctdi (or some equally inane arrangement of letters) are hiding. The worst drivers in the world, without a doubt.

[gingerjedi]

Hello! And welcome to this weeks edition of Tire Geeks...

Tyre

[bogeyman]

I had some Bridgestone Potenza's

Hello! And welcome to this weeks edition of Tire Geeks...

[PAH]

I had some Bridgestone Potenza's which normally stick to the road like the proverbial 5hit to a blanket but when I ran them down to below the legal limit they became useless in the wet or dry, its as if they have a different compound once you hit the wear indicators… one that you’re not supposed to drive on!

That's probably the effect I was on about, where the tread does a lot more than some people realise.

I remember a guy bringing some worn tyres to a track day that were almost like slicks, thinking the grip would be excellent. He said it was like driving on ice. Fortunately he brought a trailer so he didn't have to drive to/from the venue on them.

[hyperD]

Get yourself a TVR... I have something called a "wet weather brick". I stick it under the throttle pedal so in wet weather I'm not tempted to push more than 50% power.

You want to fishtail on the M25 at 70... freaks other drivers out and I had to chip my brown trousers off.

Still, when you go to Merc driving days and handle the wet track with the car control tech off, the instructors always say "do you drive a TVR?"

[gingerjedi]

I had some Bridgestone Potenza's which normally stick to the road like the proverbial 5hit to a blanket but when I ran them down to below the legal limit they became useless in the wet or dry, its as if they have a different compound once you hit the wear indicators… one that you’re not supposed to drive on!

[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?

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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

[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....

[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.

[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.