Brings out worst in other drivers

[Iandk]

I’ve been running an F10 M5 a few weeks now.....great car......but the behaviours it creates around you are a real pain in the backside. People trying to overtake on motorway slip lanes, hovering behind on dual carriageway then hurriedly overtaking to pin me behind the car in front. Don’t get me started on traffic lights.

The slip laners....seriously....what does a young lad in a corsa think is going to happen when he tries to overtake a 560bhp car over the unbroken line joining the motorway, pushing the other car into the back of a lorry?

I’m tempted by a 520d logo from eBay...

[VerySideways]

Just debadge.
It's still a 5 series so you will still get some of this kind of behaviour, but you might get less...

[AW10]

I have a 520d badge on my E61 M5 and pretty much get left alone. On the other hand the M2 is a like a rad rag to a bull.

[njw1]

When I had a 330d I had everyone and their brother stuck to my bumper trying to push me on, when I took the badge off no one bothered. My 540 is de-badged and no one bothers me in that, although it's also old man green..

[Chestrockwell]

Iandk said:

I’ve been running an F10 M5 a few weeks now.....great car......but the behaviours it creates around you are a real pain in the backside. People trying to overtake on motorway slip lanes, hovering behind on dual carriageway then hurriedly overtaking to pin me behind the car in front. Don’t get me started on traffic lights.

The slip laners....seriously....what does a young lad in a corsa think is going to happen when he tries to overtake a 560bhp car over the unbroken line joining the motorway, pushing the other car into the back of a lorry?

I’m tempted by a 520d logo from eBay...

I’m not saying I do the same but whenever I do see an M5, from far for example, I’d approach it quite quickly and slow down to about 3 car lenghts behind, so not up the bumper, it’s not a case of wanting to race, but to provoke the M5/M4 driver to let it rip so I can watch in awe.

Once I was going at speed on the A3 at night and a F10 M5 caught me up fairly quickly, I move out the way and my god, it slingshotted past me, I was flat out and it was as if I stopped, that’s how fast it went off, and I’m in a 430d so not a Corsa.

Anyways since that day, whenever I see an M5, I try provoke or give a thumbs up hoping I’d see it disappear again.

Never on normal roads or during rush hour though.

[e30m3Mark]

I don't have 500bhp but generally I attract pretty positive responses from other drivers. I'll quite often have cars alongside deliberately out drag me but most often or not I just let them go. I usually pass them whenever a roundabout or tight bend in a slip road comes up.

[BenGismo]

I had similar issues with my M3 then I de-badged it and things improved somewhat, but to most people with any knowledge of cars, you should be able to spot an M3 or an M5 even without the badge (exhausts, body styling and grills give them away) so they do attract some stupid drivers and goading.

Ive got a de-badged M135i (>420hp) and literally had no problems whatsoever...lol. Just a common looking car so I dont get the stupid responses.

To be fair... the level of motoring skills/common sense/politeness seems to be dropping no matter what you drive these days.

[akirk]

never had an issue with my e39 m5 - perhaps it is that bit more subtle / hidden... looks like an old farts car

600 miles this weekend and nothing - lots of overtaking, and I have a suspicion that when I pass, there is no complaint when people see the M5 badge on the back, whereas, were I to overtake in a normal car, I suspect I would get more response...

never had anyone race me on a slip road, and am trying to work out how you get that - if they are in a corsa style car you are surely past and gone - are you driving too slowly?! If they are in a faster car, do you not let them go about their business and the. follow on, and get up to speed on the motorway?

[Iandk]

I’ll have a look into debadging, even though I do like my cars stock. I’m not an automotive snowflake but it’s a daily driver and this routine is getting old pretty fast, plus on the odd occasion I’m on the Kessle Run I don’t really want an audience.

I’m guessing there are some YouTube’s on how to do it

I have to say M5 or not, I wouldn’t go near any bigger engined BMWs at the lights (especially the diesels), in my opinion nothing RWD can go quicker outside of unrealistically perfect conditions or ‘knacker my drivetrain mode’ before you are in the silly speed zone. I wonder if there’s someone smarter than me who has worked out the max realistic RWD 0-60 in the wet based on traction, weight, power etc. The M5 is an elephant on roller skates in the wet whereas some of the other cars can floor the throttle for the same result.

I have to say though, still the best car I’ve ever owned (except an E36M3 Coupé 3.0).

[theboss]

I've done near enough 100k miles in my F10 and have to say I have found the opposite - nobody ever tries anything on. In contrast a Golf R is like a red rag to a bull as somebody said above. Perhaps its something to do with spec as mine is debadged, dark blue, 19" wheels and usually filthy so might not stand out so much from the diesels.

[Joscal]

Unfortunately this is why I was wasn't sorry to see mine go at all. I don't think it's just the M5 it's any car that's perceived to be 'flash' creates jealousy and contempt, I've had many a nice car in my time but now just can't be bothered. I'd far rather pull up at a petrol station unnoticed and go about my business without jealous stares from assholes.

Maybe I'm getting old but I never remember it being like this. A good friend of mine had a guy approach him in his 991 Turbo while parking trying to start a fight for absolutely no reason and it really shook him up, he's a big fella so nothing happened but it was all about the car nothing else.

My Mum in her 60's also got called a flash bh at a pelican crossing in her ten year old E320d estate a while ago for stopping to let someone cross.

There are a lot of unhappy people out there and rubbing noses in it isn't a wise idea in my opinion.

Love the elephant on roller skates analogy btw, very true just wait until its snowy or icy they are shockingly useless. (winter tyres will fix this admittedly)

Edited by Joscal on Tuesday 23 October 09:22

Edited by Joscal on Tuesday 23 October 10:56

[VerySideways]

Iandk said:

I’ll have a look into debadging, even though I do like my cars stock.

I'm picking up a new BMW tomorrow, and have it fully debadged from the factory.
To take the badge off the bootlid on yours you just need some dental floss or fishing line, and then perhaps a hairdrier and/or some white spirit to get rid of the residue.

[Rob747]

Likewise, mine debadged from the factory, dark grey, 19” wheels, plenty of road grime and sooty exhaust tips.

Never had anyone try and goad me into racing them.

[Chamon_Lee]

Chestrockwell said:

Iandk said:

I’ve been running an F10 M5 a few weeks now.....great car......but the behaviours it creates around you are a real pain in the backside. People trying to overtake on motorway slip lanes, hovering behind on dual carriageway then hurriedly overtaking to pin me behind the car in front. Don’t get me started on traffic lights.

The slip laners....seriously....what does a young lad in a corsa think is going to happen when he tries to overtake a 560bhp car over the unbroken line joining the motorway, pushing the other car into the back of a lorry?

I’m tempted by a 520d logo from eBay...

I’m not saying I do the same but whenever I do see an M5, from far for example, I’d approach it quite quickly and slow down to about 3 car lenghts behind, so not up the bumper, it’s not a case of wanting to race, but to provoke the M5/M4 driver to let it rip so I can watch in awe.

Once I was going at speed on the A3 at night and a F10 M5 caught me up fairly quickly, I move out the way and my god, it slingshotted past me, I was flat out and it was as if I stopped, that’s how fast it went off, and I’m in a 430d so not a Corsa.

Anyways since that day, whenever I see an M5, I try provoke or give a thumbs up hoping I’d see it disappear again.

Never on normal roads or during rush hour though.

This is what I have came to realize too. When I got my M6 GC I had quite a bit of (what seemed to be) bad attention which was annoying at first as i didnt fully grasp what they wanted. Surely a fool would know a 1.2 corsa wasn't going to cut it against an M6. Quickly learned they just want to see it gun it or blast past or have a little tickle. 60% of the time hey ho ill give it a blast but other times I just want to be left alone. I have quickly learned to ignore everyone as you do get plenty of looks and glances and I am happy to embrace peoples guilty pleasures when I choose to.

Thankfully I have never had any negativity towards me, it has always been positive.

Edited by Chamon_Lee on Tuesday 23 October 12:51

[shantybeater]

The only time i've ever come across this behavior is in my girlfriends modded Golf Gti. Haven't had the M3 on the road long enough but in 6 years my little old 996T either blends into the background or provokes no interest for racing etc...

I'm surprised the M5 is the victim of this, compared to other M cars of the same era they are the most subtle.

[Chestrockwell]

shantybeater said:

The only time i've ever come across this behavior is in my girlfriends modded Golf Gti. Haven't had the M3 on the road long enough but in 6 years my little old 996T either blends into the background or provokes no interest for racing etc...

I'm surprised the M5 is the victim of this, compared to other M cars of the same era they are the most subtle.

Whenever I see a Porsche on the road, of any kind, I never pay it much attention hoping whoever driving will floor it. It’s always driven by old men or women, especially the new turbos, they’re sort of like trophy’s for the ultra rich who have no interest in driving. Now that is extremely judgemental from me but that’s my experience of it, I really don’t bother looking or paying attention, now I’m not saying that’s you at all.

Whenever I see a 911 Turbo, I never take them for an enthusiast who is up for a laugh, just a serious middle aged director type who wants to drive something expensive, usually the same for Ferrari drivers.

In my experience, which is big as I’m always around Cobham, Oxshott and Weybridge in Surrey, I see all sorts of flash cars, expensive ones and the cars I see being used as intended is always an M car of any kind, C63’s and Hurucans, never anything else. There’s loads of RS3’s and S3’s about and all are driven by women, fast Audi’s have had their time, it’s mostly M cars and C63’s now.

[Schermerhorn]

Breaking the hearts of chavs in their Civic Type R's, Golf R's and Clio's at traffic lights and dual carriageways is part of the fun of owing an M car, surely?

The first day I got my M6, some chav tried to race me in his EP3 Civic Type R. Suffice to say, it wasn't even remotely close.

These young tadpoles need teaching a lesson every now and then.

[red997]

you want to try it in a 991 GT3; most of the time I'd rather be driving our E46 320d touring; no-one gives a st about it

[red997]

Chestrockwell said:

Whenever I see a Porsche on the road, of any kind, I never pay it much attention hoping whoever driving will floor it. It’s always driven by old men or women, especially the new turbos, they’re sort of like trophy’s for the ultra rich who have no interest in driving. Now that is extremely judgemental from me but that’s my experience of it, I really don’t bother looking or paying attention, now I’m not saying that’s you at all.

Whenever I see a 911 Turbo, I never take them for an enthusiast who is up for a laugh, just a serious middle aged director type who wants to drive something expensive, usually the same for Ferrari drivers.

In my experience, which is big as I’m always around Cobham, Oxshott and Weybridge in Surrey, I see all sorts of flash cars, expensive ones and the cars I see being used as intended is always an M car of any kind, C63’s and Hurucans, never anything else. There’s loads of RS3’s and S3’s about and all are driven by women, fast Audi’s have had their time, it’s mostly M cars and C63’s now.

must be the location;
(well, I am a middle aged director I suppose !)
If you see a '63 plate white Clubsport 991 GT3, its a high likelihood its me, trying to blend in....probably on the way to a track