My e34 rocks in the rain

[Gayle]

Here in San Diego we only get 9 inches of precipitation per year on average and this year it has been less than 2. I drove my car in the rain for the first time today and it holds the road better than any car I have ever owned (it is about my 7th or 8th vehicle).

You are probably thinking "so what". Because it never rains here, the roads get covered with oil and what little rain we get loosens the oil and makes the roads like a skating rink. Plus everyone forgets how to drive in rain, so there are always massive accidents.

I am so stoked about this car!!!!

[angrypancake]

You guys and your SoCal weather. I didn't believe that it never rained until I was out there. What tires are you running? They probly have a little bit to do with it. Well, that and the suspension.

[dacoyote]

LOL... I wish for rain...

[Kristuphir]

I just bought my 535 a couple of weeks ago, and I too have been driving around in the Southern California rain and would have to agree. It feels so solid and predictable, even on the Sonar tires the PO put on it and with my (surprinsingly close) "eyeball alignment" from last night after doing a front end rebuild all weekend. Much more confident than the E30 that I was driving...

[Alexlind123]

I experience the same thing (of course im in the NW where if its not raining its strange), even when im heavy on the pedal form a stop, its predicatble and solid.

[bahnstormer]

e34 with poor tires blows in the rain
same as any car...

the chassis is fairly balanced tho and holds slides well with what power it has =\

[Gayle]

You guys and your SoCal weather. I didn't believe that it never rained until I was out there. What tires are you running? They probly have a little bit to do with it. Well, that and the suspension.


Potenza tires. I think it also is partly the weight of the car and the suspension. It all works together.

.

[Zeuk in Oz]

Here in San Diego we only get 9 inches of precipitation per year on average and this year it has been less than 2

And I've been complaining about not getting our average 30 inches due to drought !

Obviously not many farms with pastures in your area.

I know what you mean about slippery roads when it hasn't rained for ages though, we have that problem here also.

[Alexlind123]

e34 with poor tires blows in the rain
same as any car...

the chassis is fairly balanced tho and holds slides well with what power it has =\

You should be able to slide to your hearts content with a 5 speed, especially in the rain!!!

[GJPinAU]

Here in San Diego we only get 9 inches of precipitation per year on average and this year it has been less than 2.
LOL I'm not gunna go near this one!:D

[angrypancake]

san diego has some fine hydroponics facilities. they most definitley compensate for said lack of rain.

[rob101]

And I've been complaining about not getting our average 30 inches due to drought !

Obviously not many farms with pastures in your area.

I know what you mean about slippery roads when it hasn't rained for ages though, we have that problem here also.
the diesel and oil comes out of the road when it rains for the first time in a while or so goes the theory. Ran into some heavy rain on the motorway to my work, of course being australia our highways/freeways/motorways don't drain properly so i had some interesting aqua planing moments whilst travelling at 100kph and running into random pools of water. and i mean pools big enough that you can hear the water splashing up and hitting the insides of the wheel arch.

[Gayle]

Water is why we would have a war to defend our right to half the water from the Colorado river. That is why God make aquaducts to get us our water. And it is the only reason that So Cal doesn't suceed from No Cal is we want their water from their snowfalls. San Deigo would be a total desert if we couldn't get water from elsewhere.

Oh, and did I mention the month we got the $500 water bill because I didn't jump on fixing the broken sprinkler head right away?

[liquidtiger720]

Water is why we would have a war to defend our right to half the water from the Colorado river. That is why God make aquaducts to get us our water. And it is the only reason that So Cal doesn't suceed from No Cal is we want their water from their snowfalls. San Deigo would be a total desert if we couldn't get water from elsewhere.

Oh, and did I mention the month we got the $500 water bill because I didn't jump on fixing the broken sprinkler head right away?


And now we conclude, Nor-cal > So-cal. :p

[Incantation]

i have yokohama avs db2 .. they're pretty amazing in the rain, i would say very close to the best michelins i have used

[digitaldragon03]

Really? On the way back from school, my car fishtailed TWICE! I wasnt even going at it hard. I need wider tires.

[Alexlind123]

Really? On the way back from school, my car fishtailed TWICE! I wasnt even going at it hard. I need wider tires.

Time to turn on traction control :)

[liquidtiger720]

Time to turn on traction control :)


My car dosnt have traction control.

[Alexlind123]

My car dosnt have traction control.

Neither does mine, im assuming that "digitaldragon's" would, being a '95 540. We just have to learn to keep a light foot on the pedal in the wet.

[digitaldragon03]

No traction control here either, fun when in empty roads, no fun when in traffic.

[genphreak]

Really? On the way back from school, my car fishtailed TWICE! I wasnt even going at it hard. I need wider tires.Uh, thinner, not wider... its the aquaplaning effect that alllows you to lose it so easily in the wet. I run 225s on my 535 and they aquaplane in the wet, even with a full tank. I had 205s on it once when between rims and i had much more trouble trouble losing traction in the rain. On an e34 I suspect that a 215mm tyre is the optimum size for wet-weather grip. Anything above that starts to comprimise it, the weight simply spreads over too great a contact area for the water to get sqeezed out. Off the mark is a different story if you get always the weight transfer right; I'm just talking about corners really. :) nick

[Zeuk in Oz]

Here in San Diego we only get 9 inches of precipitation per year on average and this year it has been less than 2. I drove my car in the rain for the first time today and it holds the road better than any car I have ever owned (it is about my 7th or 8th vehicle).

You are probably thinking "so what". Because it never rains here, the roads get covered with oil and what little rain we get loosens the oil and makes the roads like a skating rink. Plus everyone forgets how to drive in rain, so there are always massive accidents.

I am so stoked about this car!!!!

Where I am in Oz we are still on water restrictions, the drought has been going on for so long, no sprinklers, no hosing of hard surfaces etc etc. They even have a water restrictions Gestapo running around checking on people.

[genphreak]

Uh, thinner, not wider... its the aquaplaning effect that alllows you to lose it so easily in the wet. I run 225s on my 535 and they aquaplane in the wet, even with a full tank. I had 205s on it once when between rims and i had much more trouble trouble losing traction in the rain. On an e34 I suspect that a 215mm tyre is the optimum size for wet-weather grip. Anything above that starts to comprimise it, the weight simply spreads over too great a contact area for the water to get sqeezed out. Off the mark is a different story if you get always the weight transfer right; I'm just talking about corners really. :) nickbut then again, maybe its just **** tyres and suspension- I'll report more shortly as the suspension is now new, a set of tyres is coming...

[632 Regal]

sometimes im actually glad I have a well.

Where I am in Oz we are still on water restrictions, the drought has been going on for so long, no sprinklers, no hosing of hard surfaces etc etc. They even have a water restrictions Gestapo running around checking on people.

[digitaldragon03]

My mistake, i just assumed more rubber on ground, more resistance to sliding. I see your reasoning.

[Zeuk in Oz]

sometimes im actually glad I have a well.
I'm on tank water and lots of dams - all full at the moment for the first time in 13 years. :D

[uscharalph]

Here in San Diego we only get 9 inches of precipitation per year on average and this year it has been less than 2. I drove my car in the rain for the first time today and it holds the road better than any car I have ever owned (it is about my 7th or 8th vehicle).

You are probably thinking "so what". Because it never rains here, the roads get covered with oil and what little rain we get loosens the oil and makes the roads like a skating rink. Plus everyone forgets how to drive in rain, so there are always massive accidents.

I am so stoked about this car!!!!
My car does well in the rain also, Gayle. I drove from Long Beach to Anaheim and back tonight in the rain. All that suspension work I just got thru has made a huge differnece also.

[SC David]

My car does well in the rain also, Gayle. I drove from Long Beach to Anaheim and back tonight in the rain. All that suspension work I just got thru has made a huge differnece also.
Then again it's usually pretty difficuly to break our cars loose. With my old bald tires I had on over a year ago, my car was a nightmare to drive on the highway, and an annoyance around town. Any slight uphill standstill acceleration would need extremely light throttle if I wanted to move. I used to fishtail it all the time with those old Pirellis. This past year with my new Nittos, it has been impossible to break the car loose. So much grip, I love it. If only the dry weather grip were as good, comparitively.

[rob101]

but then again, maybe its just **** tyres and suspension- I'll report more shortly as the suspension is now new, a set of tyres is coming...
yeah, losing traction in the wet isn't always because of aquaplaning. And you are right that wider tyres are more prone to aquaplane, but i think aquaplaning mainly happens when there is a layer of water on the road and when you are travelling faster you kind of float on top of the layer. think of hydroplaning more like hydrodynamic lubrication where the two surfaces (ie the tyre and the road) don't actually touch yet are seperated by a thin film.

But in the wet the tyres always have less grip as the friction between themselves regardless of whether aquaplaning is involved or not and the road surface is reduced as the water acts like a kind of lubricant thus reducing the friction between the two surfaces and thus reducing your grip. for this kind of mechanism, wider tyres would be better. http://www.smartmotorist.com/rai/rai.htm#Hydroplaning%20(Aquaplaning)

[Paul in NZ]

well all i know is this.I have 235 wide tyres bridgestone potenza g III and with the lsd it is difficult to break the rear wheels loose,i have run into standing water deep enough that you can feel the drag on one side to the other but no aquaplaning,with the adv and intensive clean its the wet weather king.The very first weekend i had the car we were caught in a rainstorm,other cars were pulling over!I had no idea I thought what is wrong with these people.....

[Kristuphir]

well all i know is this.I have 235 wide tyres bridgestone potenza g III and with the lsd it is difficult to break the rear wheels loose,i have run into standing water deep enough that you can feel the drag on one side to the other but no aquaplaning,with the adv and intensive clean its the wet weather king.The very first weekend i had the car we were caught in a rainstorm,other cars were pulling over!I had no idea I thought what is wrong with these people.....

Yeah, we're having monster rains in LA right now, and I had to run some errands tonight. Turned into quite a fun time on the deserted roads with southern Cali "drainage"..i.e., vast rivers of foot-deep torrential water to drive through at 35mph and pressure-wash the buildings 30 feet away. Much fun, and not a hint of hydroplaning.

[dacoyote]

And now we conclude, Nor-cal > So-cal. :p

It is.....

[Gayle]

My car does well in the rain also, Gayle. I drove from Long Beach to Anaheim and back tonight in the rain. All that suspension work I just got thru has made a huge differnece also.


Hey Ralph--check the bimmerfest sticky.

[SRR2]

Funny how many people don't get this. Thinner is better in rain and snow than wide. Always always always. The best two wheel drive snow car ever was probably the Model T with those 3" wide tires.

[mistertonylee]

give nc a try. i live in the mountains, so we get dumped on with snow sometimes. my 535 is by far the best car i have driven in the snow. i can run 65 and 70 with no problem on a couple inches with ice underneath. it's great!!!!

[rob101]

Funny how many people don't get this. Thinner is better in rain and snow than wide. Always always always. The best two wheel drive snow car ever was probably the Model T with those 3" wide tires.
I challenge you to drive a datsun 120Y in the rain on stock cheese cutters and say that. in snow i can't say but i'd say your right, but if you have a good tread pattern to disperse the water in heavy rain you shouldn't get aquaplaning to a large degree. especially when you are travelling less than 100 kph 60 mph

Actually i've always wondered why the dakar buggies always have such narrow tyres i know they don't drive in snow but there must be some reasons for the cheese cutters they drive on

[Tiger]

It helps to have an E34... but it is all on the tires... all season tires sucks at everything... summer performance tires rocks big time.