[jaffab]

So, how many of you here have ever driven your cars beyond the normal 'road' drive. I am talking the following (yes or no to each, more detail if you want):

1) Driven you car around a private track?
2) Used launch control (if your car has it)?
3) Driven in anyway which you know is REALLY bad for your tires?

Just interested becuase (a) My insurance specifically removes private tracks (cant rememebr the exact wording) and (b) not sure I would ever want to drive to such an extreme that I would have to replace the tires after an 'event'. Even the launch control part of the manual warns that its use could ruin multiple parts of the car (so whats the point?).

After all - tires are £250 a corner - not sure any 'fun' justifies that kind of personal money in a standard car, or risk my own car in any way.

Dont get me wrong - I have driven around test tracks. I had a very nice day at palmers in Bedfordshire driving some of their nice cars (M3 tour, atom, Formula Jag, LeMans, caterham, etc - but all was done on THEIR risk and THEIR tires - not mine).

A link - in case anybody wants to see what Palmers is all about (a day costs around £1,300)...

http://www.palmersport.com/

[dungaboy]

I normally do 2 or 3 track days a year ....just been waiting to get a few miles on the clock first before it gets thrashed around castle coombe

[gtsussex]

I took the 335d onto wet airfield once I'd run it in so I could understand just how the car behaved in its different modes and when taken past its limits up to reasonably high speeds. Best not something experimented on HM Highways.

That is the only time it'll go off-road as for track use, it's really a bit of a blancmange, let's be honest. It's heavy and if you really push the car, the tyres will go off pretty quickly in the dry and I wouldn't like to guarantee the brakes would be too happy with continuous hard use. Can't see the enjoyment in pushing car to destruction or conversely pussyfooting around because you're worried about pushing it. And that's before worrying about some of the muppets they let out in open sessions.

Far more fun getting a cheap hot hatch or MX5. Before I raced Lotuses, used to have an MX5 with a LSD that was possibly the easiest car in the world to drift. Huge huge fun and best of all I sold it for more than bought it 3 years later. Took as much abuse as I could hurl at it and at £200 for full set of rubber, wasn't too hard on the bank.

[dannywooly77]

Launch control on a disused road yesterday was awesome

Looking to hit a track in the evening during the summer once got a few more miles on the clock!

[Quakered]

What are tires?

[jaffab]

Originally Posted by Quakered

What are tires?

The same as tyres, only american. Dont you know, we are all american now.
Get with the program.

[Torquein]

Originally Posted by jaffab

The same as tyres, only american. Dont you know, we are all american now.
Get with the program.

Fuck yeh! oorah.

[Torquein]

Originally Posted by dannywooly77

Launch control on a disused road yesterday was awesome

Looking to hit a track in the evening during the summer once got a few more miles on the clock!

I tried launch, m/s mode, sport plus, buried the brake, buried the accelerator, flag came up, released brake - full 2-3 second wheel spin ? : ? What did I do wrong?

[dannywooly77]

Originally Posted by Torquein

I tried launch, m/s mode, sport plus, buried the brake, buried the accelerator, flag came up, released brake - full 2-3 second wheel spin ? : ? What did I do wrong?

Brought an s Drive

[nordberg]

Someone remind me the procedure for Launch Control......

[dannywooly77]

Originally Posted by nordberg

Someone remind me the procedure for Launch Control......

Sport+
Sport Gear (over to the left)
Left foot on brake
dump accelerator

Spot flag

Left foot off and hold on!

[Torquein]

Originally Posted by dannywooly77

Brought an s Drive

Very good

Maybe I should put 3-4 bags of coal in the boot or a dead fat mans body, the extra weight may give me xd performance i.e. slow me down/use more fuel/unbalance the car in general - no I'd miss the tyre squeal

[dannywooly77]

Originally Posted by Torquein

Very good

Maybe I should put 3-4 bags of coal in the boot or a dead fat mans body, the extra weight may give me xd performance i.e. slow me down/use more fuel/unbalance the car in general - no I'd miss the tyre squeal

Haha! I remember driving around one winter with 2 bags of sand in my E90 330d boot, and you're right it does help a lot.

Just to address your points:

- slow me down - yes the 3-4 bags would slow you down, but even empty I don't think the 330d is quicker, as you said 2-3 of wheel spin will hinder a drag race

- use more fuel - yes again the extra weight would, not sure of the math but using fuel and getting no where compared to using fuel and getting away straight away should be about the same no?

- unbalance the car in general - depends where you put them, also i don't think the xdrive is weighted to one side or front to back so i presume the car is balanced correclty

- I'd miss the tyre squeal - try 4 wheel drift it sounds pretty good.

[JustChris]

Not worth it for my current steed, but that will change in a while. So answer currently is a no.

I wouldn't think a track day is the total end of a set of tyres by the way, would consider taking it to the track towards the end of tyre life, depends how hard you intend to thrash it of course.

Those Palmer Sport days are great. Saw a full day M3 course for £395 linked from the official BMW front page.

Interestinglt whatever your spend on a new Porsche (£32k entry level boxster far less than some of us on here have paid for the BMW) entitles you to an experience day at Silverstone in your car. Very nice touch. Come on BMW!

[Torquein]

Originally Posted by dannywooly77

Haha! I remember driving around one winter with 2 bags of sand in my E90 330d boot, and you're right it does help a lot.

Just to address your points:

- slow me down - yes the 3-4 bags would slow you down, but even empty I don't think the 330d is quicker, as you said 2-3 of wheel spin will hinder a drag race

- use more fuel - yes again the extra weight would, not sure of the math but using fuel and getting no where compared to using fuel and getting away straight away should be about the same no?

- unbalance the car in general - depends where you put them, also i don't think the xdrive is weighted to one side or front to back so i presume the car is balanced correclty

- I'd miss the tyre squeal - try 4 wheel drift it sounds pretty good.

I'd say 99% of real life acceleration demand against other vehicles is rolling overtaking so the sd would out perform and over a 1/4 ml I'd still be surprised if the xd outran the sd, quite the opposite, yes it would get going a bit better but the weight would tell. There are plenty of reports that suggest the xd system compromises bmw's 50:50 weight distribution a touch, how much? Who knows.

[....,,,,..,,..]

Originally Posted by Torquein

I'd say 99% of real life acceleration demand against other vehicles is rolling overtaking so the sd would out perform and over a 1/4 ml I'd still be surprised if the xd outran the sd, quite the opposite, yes it would get going a bit better but the weight would tell. There are plenty of reports that suggest the xd system compromises bmw's 50:50 weight distribution a touch, how much? Who knows.

Probably naive question.

This much vaunted 50:50 weight distribution is it car empty or with a specific size driver in the car?

I only mention it as lad I work with is a rather large rugby player and quiet often it's him and some other equally large guy in passenger seat.

Then compared to that, my car when I am not using it, has my wife who weighs about the same a a bag of wet butterfly's.

So what one gives the 50:50 feel.

Do you still get it with 36 stone up front?

[dannywooly77]

Originally Posted by Torquein

I'd say 99% of real life acceleration demand against other vehicles is rolling overtaking so the sd would out perform and over a 1/4 ml I'd still be surprised if the xd outran the sd, quite the opposite, yes it would get going a bit better but the weight would tell. There are plenty of reports that suggest the xd system compromises bmw's 50:50 weight distribution a touch, how much? Who knows.

Then I guess I should bow out and conclude the 330d sDrive is obviously quicker than 335d xDrive and that I wasted my money, I'm cool with that

[Torquein]

Originally Posted by dannywooly77

Then I guess I should bow out and conclude the 330d sDrive is obviously quicker than 335d xDrive and that I wasted my money, I'm cool with that

Obviously not!

[Torquein]

Originally Posted by Brigand

Probably naive question.

This much vaunted 50:50 weight distribution is it car empty or with a specific size driver in the car?

I only mention it as lad I work with is a rather large rugby player and quiet often it's him and some other equally large guy in passenger seat.

Then compared to that, my car when I am not using it, has my wife who weighs about the same a a bag of wet butterfly's.

So what one gives the 50:50 feel.

Do you still get it with 36 stone up front?

Is the big guy in the box in the back?

The front passengers are approx in the middle of the chassis so they have little impact on the weight distribution front to back, if he jumps in behind you though I'd get worried

[dannywooly77]

Originally Posted by Torquein

Obviously not!

I am its fine don't sweat it , I know why BMW built the F30 335d, ergo I know they thought the 330d just wasn't up to Audi's challenge.

[....,,,,..,,..]

Originally Posted by Torquein

Is the big guy in the box in the back?

The front passengers are approx in the middle of the chassis so they have little impact on the weight distribution front to back, if he jumps in behind you though I'd get worried

I only get worried when I feel his hands on my shoulders....

[TonyS]

Originally Posted by Torquein

Very good

Maybe I should put 3-4 bags of coal in the boot or a dead fat mans body, the extra weight may give me xd performance i.e. slow me down/use more fuel/unbalance the car in general - no I'd miss the tyre squeal

Just put a live fat man's body in the boot, you can listen to him squeal instead