Sudden snap oversteer - no warning

[adc]

Originally Posted by username11

Otherwise, if it's not raining or <45 degrees the car, even when driven (too) aggressively on the street does not engage DSC or have DSC cut in a restrictive way.

Obviously, YMMV. Duh.

If you are getting DSC to engage in a straight line on the street on a regular basis (causing your "profound dislike")

I "profoundly dislike" it even if it happens once a week - you are reading way too much into the situation...

you need to a) slow the fuck down b) try to be far smoother c) make sure the dealership did not mount all season RFTs from a 328xi accidentally on your M3.

... but some people are like that, they like to give unsolicited sarcastic advice to people they don't know and have never seen.

Chill out, and stop driving like my grandma.

[smmmurf]

Originally Posted by adc

Obviously, YMMV. Duh.

+1000. Glad you know how to get your money's worth out of an M car.
A 335i is a far better value if one never explores what an M3 can do with MDM engaged or DSC off.

Originally Posted by adc

I "profoundly dislike" it even if it happens once a week - you are reading way too much into the situation...



... but some people are like that, they like to give unsolicited sarcastic advice to people they don't know and have never seen.

Chill out, and stop driving like my grandma.

+5000

My grandma drives an IS250. I set the speed warning at 80 and she kept asking why the speedometer glows yellow all the time on the freeway. I was like, lol.

[Voltigeur]

-

So I have waited patiently and have an update:

1) I incorrectly assumed the temp on the day this happened: it was not cold but warm enough, > 50F, and I had been driving for 40 mins, that cold tires were not to blame for a loss of traction;

2) Subsequently on this same drive (over months), I saw a number of tire tracks going into the verge, indeed, towards trees, in the area I had to correct a 50+ degree sudden change of attitude (ie sudden oversteer); cars had gone 'off' on this corner; and

3) the city has now completely resurfaced this corner - which they have not done on any other on my entire commute - hmmm, recognized a problem?

In summation: I believe the surface was poor, and was not my issue. Glad I managed to 'catch' my car. Also argues that the best defense is offense, so doing track time in one's car sharpens responses to unforeseen events.

Thanks,

-- V

[M4Now!]

Originally Posted by Voltigeur

Answers:

* temp was about 40F
* no frost
* good quality of surface: even, tarmac in good condition, no potholes [having driven all 'round the world this road was top 10% condition]
* no leaves - TX - not such an issue where I live

Thanks for your input and all good qns but still mystified: have driven my car in much more tricky conditions and - aside from correctable slip - nothing like this has ever happened in 2 yrs of driving [28k mi - Germany and US].

Any drop off in the transition? I'm assuming you would have mentioned any roll-off of the grade, or off-camber turns, but as you described I've also found the M to be very planted. The one time I got significantly more oversteer than expected was transitioning onto a service road (90 degrees), where the grade also dropped. Rear wheels got light, and suddenly we were sideways.

Anyway, glad you're okay.

Cheers

[Voltigeur]

Originally Posted by M3Now!

Any drop off in the transition? I'm assuming you would have mentioned any roll-off of the grade, or off-camber turns, but as you described I've also found the M to be very planted. The one time I got significantly more oversteer than expected was transitioning onto a service road (90 degrees), where the grade also dropped. Rear wheels got light, and suddenly we were sideways.

Anyway, glad you're okay.

Cheers

Thanks - and yes, there was some correction in the corner's re-construction at the edge to reduce drop-off. The corner is not off-camber, fairly flat.

[voltavoltavolta]

MDM on public roads lol

[Voltigeur]

Originally Posted by voltavoltavolta

MDM on public roads lol

Mate, I cut my driving 'teeth' driving on dirt / gravel roads before there were any 'nannies' (ie no electronic gizmos to correct overteer etc). I learned to drive in a 3rd world country where locals, including the buses, would stray into the opposite lane - on mountain roads - and I would have to use throttle-steer and wheel-work to ease my way around them at the edge of the road.

I can assure you that MDM mode is quite safe when understood (ie go to track and work it); when I track my car I often don't use MDM because it's too corrective for optimal times.

Using MDM in this corner had nothing to do with the issue.

And I suspect you did not see this:

Originally Posted by Voltigeur

Asked and answered

[Voltigeur]

Originally Posted by M3Now!

Any drop off in the transition? I'm assuming you would have mentioned any roll-off of the grade, or off-camber turns, but as you described I've also found the M to be very planted. The one time I got significantly more oversteer than expected was transitioning onto a service road (90 degrees), where the grade also dropped. Rear wheels got light, and suddenly we were sideways.

Anyway, glad you're okay.

Cheers

Thanks . No, I did not change down - I too have felt the rear move on a sharp downshift - I was in 3rd through the corner.

Cheers,

-- V

[urbo73]

Hello old friend! Sounds like too much throttle input and not enough grip. 50% on the most agressive/non-linear throttle map (Sport +) is a LOT. That map is bad, bad, bad and should not be in the car IMHO. That will happen on any road, much less a bad one with even less grip. BTW, you can drive for even 60 minutes and have cold tires. The only way to get heat into them in those temps is heavy braking and cornering. Just driving around won't bring them up to required temps. While MDM wasn't the cause of this issue, having DSC ON would have made the oversteer less happy Not that I ever NOT used MDM or DSC OFF when I had my car