Hi All Had my F80 M3 Comp for a good few months now and what a lovely car to drive, did go a bit mad when I first got it but have calmed down now for the sake of my licence. My previous M3, think it was the E36, had no traction control so it was a bit lively. I remember once going to work at 5am on a frosty morning half asleep driving slowly and the back end stepped out and I was lucky to catch it! Driving home yesterday in the snow and ice it was very difficult at low speed for the wheels not to spin. I nearly pranged it reversing it onto my drive as the wheels started spinning and it started sliding towards a brick wall. The same thing happened when I tried to do a 3 point turn and instead had to go round the block. My question is, is DSC useless in these conditions? The traction control has kicked in a few times when I have been a bit lively off the line when it's been wet but it does not look like it works in snow / ice? Any pointers / experiences / information would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
Try searching the forum for "traction". Lots of interesting threads. Keep in mind your M3 may have (probably has) different control features to stuff the majority of us drive.
Not sure what you would expect DSC to do, if you are lacking grip. You are slipping on your drive in reverse? I suspect tyres? 'Summer' I imagine. M Dynamic Mode (MDM), appears to be very similar to DTC in non M-cars. That gives you a bit more freedom and slip before DSC takes over. Which can assist in snow, but only if there is grip to use. It appears you don't need that, but rather more intervention. I've been on snow today and hardly any DSC intervention, no slipping around, but I'm on winter tyres. Peter
Very similar issue with my 440i last winter, drive is on a slope, tried to drive straight on but the rears started to spin, pulling to car towards the boundary wall. In those conditions the traction control didn’t help, but then I didn’t expect it to. A case of wide rear summer tyres just not coping.
The problem is that the F80 is lively in the dry so in the snow and ice it is a disaster when on summer tyres. On winters it will be a completely different story but it boils down to a lively chassis on the wrong tyres. My E60 M5 wouldn’t even make it up a dropped kerb in the snow once so I never tried again. My X3 that I had on M&S tyres (Pirelli scorpions) was absolutely fabulous and nothing stopped it. In this weather it is all about the tyres whether you have RWD or 4wd. My G80 is going nowhere because when it started snowing I swear I saw it shaking lol
Thanks All Looks like it won't be coming off the drive until the snow and ice clears. You're right its lively, on a road covered in ice took me a while to get it moving as it just would not grip. Once I got going it was ok driving very slowly. I only have one set of tyres and prob not worth having two as we have not had weather like this for many years in London.
Have found in my f33 that if I select drive then slide it in to manual and engage second I can pull away uphill just using tick over on sheet ice
