Rear end skid out in M3 this morning

So, what's all this DSC/Traction Control you BMW lot keep talking about, then?? ;):D:)

I'm not keen on these driver aids, not because they don't do a good job, or because they ruin the ride or whatever, but because you get used to them being there. Then, when you change car you forget that you haven't got them.

I locked up under braking the other day mainly because I'm so used to driving the Saab and knowing that ABS will kick in if necessary. It has made me a "lazy" driver. I've spun the wheels a few times as well, but I'm more used to that from the GT6, so it's not a panic moment. (OK, so the GT6 didn't have ABS either, but the brakes were crap anyway and so rarely locked up :D)
 
Yeah - now a day is behind me im wondering if maybe something needs to be checked

- tyres (ive put 4k miles on it since i bought it last month, but im not sure how much tread was left on them when i bought em)
- suspension (the rear struts were done before i bought it)
- wheel alignment

..... from what gibbo has said, the fact that the rear end was all over the place in a forty grand car with all manner of drivers aids just smells a bit fishy to me.

Now ive probably knocked the back left wheel out of alignment and need to get it checked, i suppose this is the best time to have it looked at.
 
Can you turn DSC off easily? I know the "ESP" or whatever it was called on the Saab was just a button on the dash. Could you have actually switched it off?
 
There are occasions where DSC will do absolutely nothing except fold it's arms, lean back and say "get yourself out of that one mofo".

I've had it happen before. DSC was on, I accidentally overcooked it, I sorted it out myself. DSC did absolutely nothing and the car was full on sideways for 30 feet.

It's not perfect, hence you shouldn't rely on it, expect it and it some cases with people here - worship it.
 
You can turn it off, but it puts a big yellow warning light right in the middle of the drivers instrument console to tell you 'dont blame me if you kill yourself'.
 
Its obviously far to dangerous my advice would be to sell it and buy one of them RS4's. It's got that 4wd stuff so is of course infallible, and with 4wd you get the added advantage of it being quicker in the bends too, a well known 'fact'. I actually think the best thing though, and the winner for me, is Clarkson likes them, and this is of course really important in anyone’s car buying decision..........well that and the fact that Tiff bloke can make it go sideways on a runway, you need that feature too.
 
nucastle said:
..... from what gibbo has said, the fact that the rear end was all over the place in a forty grand car with all manner of drivers aids just smells a bit fishy to me.
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If I didn't know any better, I'd almost interpret that as a statement of "my driving was fine, it's the fault of the car".
If you have that attitude, then I'd suggest that you sell your M3 now BEFORE the accident, which after all may injur others besides yourself.
 
volospian said:
So, what's all this DSC/Traction Control you BMW lot keep talking about, then?? ;):D:)

I'm not keen on these driver aids, not because they don't do a good job, or because they ruin the ride or whatever, but because you get used to them being there. Then, when you change car you forget that you haven't got them.
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I hate it. I got in a car with driver aid and didn't realise it had it so I was push pushing the car trying to make it skid a bit and all it did was force the car on in a bundle of understeer. Then when I finally did get the back end out the nanny practically killed the car while I was compensating and I had to fight it back into my lane while it decided to try and control the car halfway through my maneouver. Then later on I nailed the brakes, felt a wheel lock so let off the brake a bit, the wheel came back in check and then the ABS practically let the brakes off on me.

I can see where they come in handy for driving noobs and women who clearly have no control over their car, the sort of people who just belt the brakes, no clutch control and no cornering awareness. But like you say, then they become completely dependent on them. Doesn't their driving then get worse as a result? And what happens when one of these systems fails?

At the end of the day DSC can only get you out of trouble to a certain point. As soon as you've breached that point there's nothing it can do to save you. If you're not skilled enough to save it yourself then you're in a whole world of trouble basically.
 
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housemaster said:
It's got that 4wd stuff so is of course infallible
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Please tell me you are taking the mick.

The roads are very cold and slippery at the moment, the roads around me are being gritted at the moment and that adds a level of surprise to them. I had the back end of my car slide out a bit today pulling into traffic at around 20mph it can happen to anyone, take it easy, no driver is perfect and no car is perfect, just take it as a lesson and try to back off the fun pedal on cold days.
 
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Jonny69 said:
At the end of the day DSC can only get you out of trouble to a certain point. As soon as you've breached that point there's nothing it can do to save you. If you're not skilled enough to save it yourself then you're in a whole world of trouble basically.
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And that's another problem. DSC (or whatever) is there to mop up the basic mistakes, so if you manage to screw things up so badly that DSC can't help, you are probably well past most peoples level of skill.

It's like the "spuer sticky tyres" argument. With a little less traction the breakaway is more predictable, the car starts to drift. With super sticky, once you have passed the point of cohesion, you are probably beyond the ability to do anything other than spin.
 
If you hit diesel or a really slippy surface and dump the throttle the arse end will get very sideways even with DSC on, you could even spin or loose it. I had it happen on a few occasions when DSC was unable to stop the arse getting really wide. Luckily I am a driving god so I of course managed to collect it while posing for a photo and waving............or was it scrable at the wheel for my life while trying to prevent myself binning it, can never quite remember.
 
This weather is great for rwd...mines only a standard mr2 but practically any corner the back end can had a bit of fun.

I would defo suggest a skid pan / drift afternoon for anyone with rwd car taught me so much!
 
Mr_Sukebe said:
If I didn't know any better, I'd almost interpret that as a statement of "my driving was fine, it's the fault of the car".
If you have that attitude, then I'd suggest that you sell your M3 now BEFORE the accident, which after all may injur others besides yourself.
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LOL - of course not. Im not blaming what happened on the car .... at the end of the day it was MY choice to come off the line quickly, and to do so in the wet.

What i AM looking for, is to see if there IS some kind of issue that might have excasserbated what happened as a result of me going into a corner at what was not entirely breakneck speed ... and to get that sorted out before anything might happen if that was the case.

Believe me, the safety of other people and myself is at the top of my priorities ;)
 
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