Snow + DSC = still sideways

M

Mr Whippy

Veteran
 Harrogate
Weee, what a day in the UK today with all this snow. Only one week in and 4 inch of snow on the roads until I got to the main roads...

I found that about 15 degrees of tail out action possible, and some super-fast corrective lock was still needed... ok I asked for it by adding some throttle on a roundabout (empty) :oops:
The DSC seems to lag a bit behind a driver on the ball... I managed to react before it acted a few times. I can see it being useful when you are caught unaware of course...

I expected the 255 width rear tyres and low rear weight to be a bit of a liability, but it actually drove really nicely today, not much yawing at all under power, and lots of braking grip... Not as good as narrower tyres on a fwd car for example, but driving sensibly for the conditions it was fine :D

Great car, just looking forward to enjoying it in 'normal' weather coming into spring!
 
Did anyone find a large empty carpark to play around in ? I didn`t :(
First time I`ve driven the Coupe in bad snow and it handled well. Had a coupe of 'moments' but was all done at safe speeds. Once I thought I slowed down too much for a sharp bend but the car still slid wide but was very controllable.
 
I found a nice one near to a local bingo hall.

Took the Z4MC out first for half an hour and then came back and took the M5 out as well.

On balance I think the M5 performed better - or at least everything seemed to be more controllable and predictable.
 
Pretty much the performance tires on our cars (be they run flats or the Falkans) are SUMMER high performance tires. They don't even like it when the temps are near freezing, much less below.

The fellas that live in the US where snow is a regular occurrence in the winter generally switch over to winter/snow tires in the late fall.
 
I fitted winter tyres this year, they're awesome in the cold weather, would highly recommend it even in the UK.

 
I had a play in a car park today, was excellent.

However, as said in a prior post, with DSC on, unless you are being a bit silly, the Z4 is faultless. Even with DSC off, trying to provoke it, it performs better than expected.
 
Having spent my youth sliding around a farm in old cars I was loving the slippery conditions today!
Way to work is pretty hilly on ungritted roads but keeping on the gravely dirt at the sides of the road, pulled up them with little trouble. i was using engine braking in second down the hills but the braking was too much and the back end kept stepping out so had to use third gear.
Awsome fun. just have to watch out for the other noodles who seem to fall off the road at the first sign of the white stuff.
I took the z out on bit of an old WW2 runway we have. for some proper 360+ action. lol.
I found DSC is rendered pretty usless in the snow.

Quote of the day "I slid into the curb but i wasn't going too fast!"
so... "if you weren't going too fast why did you hit the curb?"
 
TOM14S said:
Having spent my youth sliding around a farm in old cars I was loving the slippery conditions today!
Way to work is pretty hilly on ungritted roads but keeping on the gravely dirt at the sides of the road, pulled up them with little trouble. i was using engine braking in second down the hills but the braking was too much and the back end kept stepping out so had to use third gear.
Awsome fun. just have to watch out for the other noodles who seem to fall off the road at the first sign of the white stuff.
I took the z out on bit of an old WW2 runway we have. for some proper 360+ action. lol.
I found DSC is rendered pretty usless in the snow.
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Hehe, I grew up on a farm too, so we had a selection of fwd, rwd and awd cars over the years.

I won't pretend the Z4 is the same as them, because it has huge wide tyres at the back and a bit more power than what I was used to, but the principles are sound. The ultimate axium is, don't lose traction in the first place if you don't want to potentially lose control :P

As said, I think the tcs/dsc on the Z4 is too slow really. Probably fine in the dry or slippy, but in the snow it just can't reign in the power soon enough, so you are still ultimately left up to your own devices to keep it on the straight and narrow!

One thing I will say is that the standard throttle mapping is a bit sensitive for what it needs to be. It could be another 1/3rd less sensitive using all the throttle range.

Dave
 
I have to say the car is not as bad as i thought it would be in the snow at all. Quite impressed actually.

I've only had one 'incident' and that was yesterday when i was turning the corner into work and i almost ended up backwards! Was very easy to control though. It get's really bad on my yard, it's just like a huge sheet of ice. Luckily i haven't gone into work today so the car won't be getting used, but unluckily it's because i'm very ill and can barely move, i don't think i'd actually be able to drive :(
 
Well i had to drive back from somewhere at 3am night before last and nearly didnt make it.

I took it nice and easy all the way home, got within about 1/3 of a mile from my house when coming of the north circular i had to enter a slip road to come of. This is a tight right hand bend that inclines.

All the way home i had the principles of snow driving performing well. Dont lose momentum and correct any steering quick. But with the incline in the sliproad i didn't have quite enough power as i thought and i just stopped.
After wriggling for a about five mins (seemed like a lifetime :o ) i was getting very worried I would have to abondon car and walk home. But eventuallly TRACTION and i creeped of! :roll: :D

Very lucky to have made it because as you can imagine driving at 3am, hardly anyone had touched the snow but me.

Saw a 3 series on the way back with its wheels buckled underneath itself, had obviously hit the curb side on. Not pretty!
 
The DSC has saved me many times this winter... Tried to turn it off a couple of times, but I soon discoverd that im not that good a driver, fun though :) :driving: Finally you guys get to experience a true winter :D
 
Darren M said:
Did anyone find a large empty carpark to play around in ? I didn`t :(
First time I`ve driven the Coupe in bad snow and it handled well. Had a coupe of 'moments' but was all done at safe speeds. Once I thought I slowed down too much for a sharp bend but the car still slid wide but was very controllable.
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After my experience with the police, I think im going to keep awat from the parking lots :P Too bad that it is SOOOO much fun :D
 
DSC relies on lateral law accellerometers to determine if the car is going sideways compared to your steering position. If you're freely skidding sideways on ICE (and theres no discernable acc/decelleration), the system won't have a clue because it cant 'feel' what the car is doing. In that case; you're on your own! :wink:
 
crossed the country through the worst of it yesterday including twice across the Pennines.. around Leeds, Manc, etc.. Didn't have a problem once! :thumbsup:

.. except I was in my sensible car, fwd, diesel and nice skinny tyres, perfect for snow. My Zed is safely tucked away in the warm, wanted to bring it out to play today but all my snow has melted already.. :cry: here's a sneaky pic next to some other toys..

Wallpaper1.jpg


gonna try and hunt down some more snow in a bit.. :driving:
 
when i reversed out of my drive (steep) and onto another hill my car just would not move, side ways ,side ways, sideways. tried traction on and off, same result. Had to abandon car and use wifes Yaris much to her amusement lol.
 
i couldn't even reverse up my very slight incline drive! :o

Driving back down through the snow on Monday, it behaved pretty well, although I think you really do have to be very careful, as the tail is more than happy to go wandering!
 
Andy said:
crossed the country through the worst of it yesterday including twice across the Pennines.. around Leeds, Manc, etc.. Didn't have a problem once! :thumbsup:

.. except I was in my sensible car, fwd, diesel and nice skinny tyres, perfect for snow. My Zed is safely tucked away in the warm, wanted to bring it out to play today but all my snow has melted already.. :cry: here's a sneaky pic next to some other toys..

Wallpaper1.jpg


gonna try and hunt down some more snow in a bit.. :driving:
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Roof down - good effort! I've been waiting to try mine in the snow with the roof down but there's too much spray around :(
 
I almost had to go to work in my Dad's X5 this morning. It's awful up here, i got stuck halfway up our land, ended up having to get my Dad and 2 other guy's to push me up to the gates at the top and then i was fine. Roads are horrendous though. Can get very rear end giddy in it. Hope it calms down for hometime!
 
Lucy said:
I almost had to go to work in my Dad's X5 this morning. It's awful up here, i got stuck halfway up our land, ended up having to get my Dad and 2 other guy's to push me up to the gates at the top and then i was fine. Roads are horrendous though. Can get very rear end giddy in it. Hope it calms down for hometime!
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Three of our Sheffield crew turned back today (we work just outside Wakefield) it was that bad down there... just gridlocked. The hills don't help at all in this weather!

I've managed to get in. I wish I hadn't because if it doesn't clear driving home will be an even bigger ball ache of nancying around at 20mph... only had the Z4 a week and a half and half of that time I've spent driving in snow!
 
Thankfully we have a nice fresh covering to play on :thumbsup: Main roads are fine, so I have to take my daughter out to teach her how to drive on snow, but will be using her Ka :thumbsdown:

Sutton Park this afternoon for some sledging and driving fun.
 
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