I've got an N reg 323I coupe...

All of a sudden i don't seem to have any traction whatsoever! no i know the roads are a tad greasy and i should expect some sort of loss but it sort of feels like a had traction control before but no i've switched it off!

So does my car have non switchable traction control as standard?????? and can it just give up the ghost?

My tyres aren't the best in the world but they have never given me greif before it all just seems a bit instant :(

The TC on a 3 series, if it had it fitted, is switchable by a button on the centre console, with matching yellow light in the dash between rev counter & speedo. 

On an N reg I don't think it came with it - twas 97 onwards I think, but I stand completely to be corrected. My 95 has no TC.

Just enjoy the slippiness,kick the tail out on roundabouts, and be wide everywhere else is my advice

Oh right :(

It's not even fun though tbh :( It really feels like i'm not in control of the thing! Were as before it felt so heavy and planted that only when you took the piss did it shift!

what sorta 3 do you have now, Scarface?

I'd never have called the 3 unpredictable; once grip becomes slip it is pretty controllable. And unless you're really provoking it with the throttle, it doesn't break into a drift / roll-oversteer unless you're doing dangerous speed on the public road. I've an LSD in mine which makes it more predictable in a sense (in that it slips earlier but is more throttle-controllable), but good razzes in a colleagues E36 323i on 16" showed it hangs on very well, with the inside rear spinning in most cases and it generally behaving itself.

the 3s do seem to be exceptionally sensitive to wheel alignment, partic at the rear. I know of one lad who had his 'correctly tracked' by someone with a great rep in IRL, but parked it in a wall when the rear literally decided it wasn't interested soon after he had it done. And having been in a car with him, he's not a lousy pilot or a taker of unnecessary risks, and always spends good money on tyres etc.. the setup just messed the rearend up.

Right cheers for that guys :)

Going to get the suspension checked and the tracking etc..

I run 36Psi on the front and 34Psi on the rear at the mo, on 225/45 17". I haven't dented the rims (a depressingly easy task over here!) since I put them on 20,000 miles ago, and it strikes a reasonable grip/ride compromise. I've always ran around 36psi on low-pros without an issue.

T.J. wrote: Just enjoy the slippiness,kick the tail out on roundabouts, and be wide everywhere else is my advice

very true

i really do think that 3s are very well balanced in the way that you can feel a slide coming on and i seem to find them very easy to control

i allways turn my tc off ;the reason being is that i find it a more rewarding driving experiance

when we get the snow its allways better to turn the tc off because if you keep it on ;it just cuts out all power to the wheels and you just end up getting no were fast

just my 2 pennys worth

I put a bit more into the front cos:

1. It improves the steering response a smidge

2. More weight over the front (I know BMW are supposedly 50:50 but I think it applies to 316i's, not 328/330s somehow)

3.the impact is always bigger on the front - by the time it gets to the rear there always feels like there is an element of absorption already done by the front suspension/tyre and subsequent body movement. there is some technical support for this that I read before, but it fell out of my head soon after I put it in!  Something to do with phasing. That's why there is less suspension travel in the rear too.

point 1. agreed- every car I have had I have run 1 psi under figures and definately makes a difference!

point 2. you'd be surprised - 316/8 are iron blocked - sixes are ally, not much difference in the balance, especially with the batter in the boot on sixes.

point 3. anything you say TJ...

Re: point 3 ~  ok ok I'll do some digging to try support my notion!

it would be interesting (re: point 2) to get them on a weighbridge to suss weight distribution out, wouldn't it?

yeah, I've been onto a mate who owns the race team I used to work for as he has corner weight scales.

don't know anyone with a 318 though.... 

Come to think of it i put all my preassures at 30 psi the last time i filled them up! Could be the problem but they were only 28 when i did it.

The book says somthing daft like 26/34!?!

In terms of suspension, if you soften the front relative to the rear, you get better turn-in and more propensity to oversteer. Stiffen the front relative to the rear, and more understeer is the result.

In my opinion, 36psi is more than enough for the rear - no matter what your set up, that pressure will make the rear end feel keen to slip rather than grip. 

when I bought the 328i the bushes were shot, and the car was lethal - the first night I had it I was going up a straight but very bumpy hill around 5,000rpm in 2nd and the rear stepped out so much I had to go half into the opposite lane to gather it up. I did all the bushes and it made a huge difference. The eibach lowering springs weren't quite right for me either, so I changed the whole setup to a Schnitzer rig. Now it drives like a WRX - tight but acceptable ride and great body control.

Anyway, going back on track, bushes mightn't be a bad place to start with alignment done properly afterward. Drop the pressure on the rear a smidge, and maybe further down the road 2 new tyres if you're still not happy. Anf keep us up to date with the tweaks and how they work out for you!

Thanks for that mate!

I used to have a wrx before so you can tell why i'm being picky! LOL

It just feels dangerous and like the car weighs 800 kilo's were as before it felt like a tank but i could shift the rear if i ever wanted.

Bushes it is first then!

Sounds like a plan alright! the Scooby setup is a hard one to replicate - it just feels so right on the road with enough travel that back roads don't hold any fear, but well enough tied down. I'm pretty chuffed with the handling of mine now.

I fitted OEM BMW bushes all around, cos they worked out pretty cheap, and I wanted to see what they were like before I went to any other setup. I'm still running them now, though the front are a bit tired again after 25k and some trackdays, so I may fit poly bushes there in the new year. 

Were did you get the OEM ones from mate BM?? Online?

@ Alan - I bought them off the local dealer.

@ Scarface - It's the front ones on the rear of the lower control arm. The design of them, and the direction the loads go through them, seems to speed up the process. They're not completely gone by any means, but they're on the slippery slope!

Hey guys.

The roads in Essex are lethal at the moment, irrespective of tyre pressures. I have noticed that my tyres (Continentals) lose a bucket load of grip when the air temperature drops below 5 degrees.

That's probably why sensible people on the continent have a set of winter tyres and also why they can deal with snow so much better...

Scarface that's exactly what i run them on now mate after the advise you gave me mate :)

Feels a lot better but being so busy in work i havn't had a chance to get the bushes checked out yet :(