Hard times coming home this evening in a 535d
Discussion
I don't know if anyone else was struggling with this tonight or if I was being stupid?
The snow came down very quickly this evening to the extent where the ground got covered in snow pretty unexpectedly having already been covered the night before. No rain prior to it stuck and when compressed was like an ice rink. Personally, I've never driven in anything like it; sure, I've driven in snow, ice and slush but this was pretty alien.
So anyway, to my point, we are on the motorway as it is coming down, everything grinds to a halt my 20 mile motorway journey takes 3 hours.
But I'm in a 535d, and even with my foot fully pressed on the brake, the torque from the rear wheels is pushing the front wheels to slide. The slowest you can crawl is the speed the car goes with your foot off the go pedal.
So in order to maintain a slightly slower speed you need to keep flicking between D and N which I wouldn't have thought was all that mechanically sympathetic - but to add to this, below a certain speed you can't switch from N to D without pressing the brake hard enough to slide or to appear to the person behind like you are a bit of a dick.
Anyone else had this problem?
All i did to combat it was leave a huge gap, then get rolling, slow down gradually to a stop in N, then set off again when the gap was large enough. Even so, with people swapping lanes like tits, made me look a bit stupid I felt.
The snow came down very quickly this evening to the extent where the ground got covered in snow pretty unexpectedly having already been covered the night before. No rain prior to it stuck and when compressed was like an ice rink. Personally, I've never driven in anything like it; sure, I've driven in snow, ice and slush but this was pretty alien.
So anyway, to my point, we are on the motorway as it is coming down, everything grinds to a halt my 20 mile motorway journey takes 3 hours.
But I'm in a 535d, and even with my foot fully pressed on the brake, the torque from the rear wheels is pushing the front wheels to slide. The slowest you can crawl is the speed the car goes with your foot off the go pedal.
So in order to maintain a slightly slower speed you need to keep flicking between D and N which I wouldn't have thought was all that mechanically sympathetic - but to add to this, below a certain speed you can't switch from N to D without pressing the brake hard enough to slide or to appear to the person behind like you are a bit of a dick.
Anyone else had this problem?
All i did to combat it was leave a huge gap, then get rolling, slow down gradually to a stop in N, then set off again when the gap was large enough. Even so, with people swapping lanes like tits, made me look a bit stupid I felt.
Can you engage the handbrake? (I guess if you have one of the more finicky electronic ones it might not like being engaged while moving, or for that matter partially engage so you can keep moving.) Even if the idle torque can overcome it, surely it would help...
Is there not some kind of facility for keeping the car in a high gear even at a standstill? Both of my autos have had a switch to make them start off in third gear for wintry conditions, although it's not a universal feature.
Is there not some kind of facility for keeping the car in a high gear even at a standstill? Both of my autos have had a switch to make them start off in third gear for wintry conditions, although it's not a universal feature.
Edited by Timberwolf on Tuesday 5th January 20:58
Engaging the handbrake makes the back end slide, even at 0.01mph so really wasn't an option. Also, flicking it into steptronic (that's the name for BMW flick manual on an auto i think) would only let me pull away in 1st or 2nd so I couldn't put it in third like I would in a manual perhaps? In second, the 'crawl' speed was even quicker.
It was just one godawful situation and I was sat on the one stretch of m'way for 2.5 hours. Much more tiring that the manual Z4 would have been and no way was I even attempting to back the 8 series up the steep drive.
It was just one godawful situation and I was sat on the one stretch of m'way for 2.5 hours. Much more tiring that the manual Z4 would have been and no way was I even attempting to back the 8 series up the steep drive.
AB said:
So I'm an idiot... or I'm the only person!
Not an idiot at all I'd say. I haven't even tried to move my 535d, assuming the combination of weight, auto, rear wheel drive, wide, low profile tyres etc etc would make it impossible. Our 320d (manual) did eventually get off the drive (which has a VERY slight slope) with DTC off and lots of dishwasher salt on the floor and old carpet underneath the rear wheels but within 5 yards of leaving the drive it got stuck again and took several neighbours to help push it back onto the drive where it sits now; unlikely to move tomorrow either.We're stranded!!
Anyone got a helicopter I can borrow?
sparks_E39 said:
BMW's in the snow are little more than useless, I know mine is.
See this debate on the M5 Board - a set of decent winter tyres appear to make all the difference! http://www.m5board.com/vbulletin/e39-m5-e52-z8-dis...
Auto boxes and diesels do not make for easy driving in the snow. Dad is currently driving the 530D and going nowhere.
Mate has a 535D like yourself, and as soon as it starts snowing he puts the tv on and his feet up and waits for it thaw, before even bothering to try and drive anywhere.
Mate has a 535D like yourself, and as soon as it starts snowing he puts the tv on and his feet up and waits for it thaw, before even bothering to try and drive anywhere.
gavinbailey said:
sparks_E39 said:
BMW's in the snow are little more than useless, I know mine is.
See this debate on the M5 Board - a set of decent winter tyres appear to make all the difference! http://www.m5board.com/vbulletin/e39-m5-e52-z8-dis...
But the instant torque of the 535d means starts need to be very gentle indeed to avoid the back end stepping out - the traction control doesn't respond fast enough. And the better braking of the snow tyres is great until the twit behind you can't stop anywhere near as fast and slides into you!
)
Its not a 535d but our 335d has been absolutely faultless in the snow, it got hairy in the ice on the 1st but the ice was that bad i struggled to stand let alone drive on it
So far i really cannot see what all this fuss about a BMW being useless in the snow is about, as long as you plan your journey then you should be fine
So far i really cannot see what all this fuss about a BMW being useless in the snow is about, as long as you plan your journey then you should be fine
My e39 540 would pull away in M1,M2 or M3 - did you try a higher gear?
I dont understand how you cant stop the rear wheels spinning by pressing the brake though? - My vxr8 started to crawl forwards whilst the front brakes were locked - so I just pressed the brake pedal harder and it stopped.
I dont understand how you cant stop the rear wheels spinning by pressing the brake though? - My vxr8 started to crawl forwards whilst the front brakes were locked - so I just pressed the brake pedal harder and it stopped.
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