oversteer on wet surfaces

[Yargk]

It started raining and my e30 has gotten quite tail happy. I realize that I most likely just need to get used to the car's handling however, I remember being less scared driving my 930 in the rain and purposefully steering it with the throttle around a (dry) track. The car has suspension techniques springs and bilstien sport shocks that were installed by the previous owner. The front shocks have gone a little soft, the rear sway bar bushings are a little worn and the rear shock mounts probably should be replaced sometime. Would any of these things contribute to the undesired balance I've been encountering? Since the car has a light rear end, would lightening the front by 35-50 pounds help balance? (removing the alarm in the front, front fog lamps, and switching to a fiberglass hood)

Thanks

[larmstrong]

well my 90is holds pretty good in the rain, it is stock which probably helps, but new tires can help a bundle too, having the correct tire with a certain setup is essential, what tire works best for a stock bmw probably will not work the best for a modded bmw,

now take into the fact the mods where done by who? exactly what one tells you he put in the car and if he did put those things in and if that person did them properly is another variable......what turned me on to bmw's in the first place was how "perfect" they were stock, yes you can make it faster, maybe even handle "better" but lets face most of th mods people can afford finacially and do themselves, dont help performance at all if by any, and many of them actually hurt the cars performance......your problem could be any number of variables, good luck, bmw's are wounderfully engineered machines and my opnion is they should be left alone, sorry for the rant

[Jared at Pelican Parts]

What sort of tires are you currently running? This might be a factor in how your car handfles in the rain. I have Sumitomo HTR 200's on my car currently, and I've found that in the rain, they dont provide the best grip, and I too have problems with oversteer. I cant say for sure if the oversteer is an inherent problem with the E30, but you might want to check out www.tirerack.com. They have a variety of wet ratings for tires and can give you a good idea of how a particular tire will work in the rain.

[golden]

Ive got goodyear hp's and they are miserable in the rain. I just adjust by looking in my mirrors for cops and letting it run its course,....hopefully scaring the bejezzus out of surrounding traffic.

[mikescars]

The front being soft and the rear bushings will definately effect handling. with a soft front, the weight transfer is not being controlled.

[Yargk]

Originally posted by mikescars
The front being soft and the rear bushings will definately effect handling. with a soft front, the weight transfer is not being controlled.

That was one of my thoughts.

The tires are Michelin mx I believe. I'd like to get the Bridgestone RE950s for the current wheels or when I can stop worrying about a "plastic hub centering ring," I'd get 15 inch Koseis with Bridgestone S-03s.

[APZak]

Originally posted by larmstrong
bmw's are wounderfully engineered machines and my opnion is they should be left alone, sorry for the rant

u think the same when it comes to performance chips?

just wondering because i cant see how they hurt a cars performance

[Yargk]

Originally posted by APZak
u think the same when it comes to performance chips?

just wondering because i cant see how they hurt a cars performance

Oh let him be, we aren't going to change his mind. I understand where he is coming from and I agree that BMW's are engineered well. However, they build their cars for an audience, not specifically for me. I have a much greater tolerance for harsh rides. If the engineers knew that and wanted to make the perfect car, for me, they'd have made the suspension different. Why are there M3 models if the car is engineered so it's "good enough" for everyone? It's not that hard to understand why people customize and that even the factory does it with special models when they see that there is an audience large enough to make it practical.

When I plan mods for a car I research everything, it is annoying buying an already modded car because you are unsure as to whether the previous owner took the same care.

[Jared at Pelican Parts]

You gotta admit, controlled oversteer is a hell of a lot of fun thoguh...

[Yargk]

Originally posted by Jared at Pelican Parts
You gotta admit, controlled oversteer is a hell of a lot of fun thoguh...

True, True, in fact I was looking forward to it, I just think it might be wise to get used to this particular car on a track before I enjoy it's handling characteristics too much on the street. This is the process I went through with my Porsche and I might have thought the first step could be skipped with this car. Different car, different feel, I must start over to some degree.