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I have a 51 reg BMW 320d saloon 150BHP with 74k on the clock. Recently, since changing both rear tyres (fronts are dunlops, rears are Goodyear), I've noticed the back-end is very floaty and will break-away at the slightest thing. The BMW garage can't find anything wrong, but they've suggested getting the wheel alignment done. Does anyone here have any idea what might be wrong? Thanks in advance....
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This is very odd, if the Dunlops had been on the back I could understand it but I would have assumed that the Goodyears, especially as they are new, would have given better grip on the rear.
I hate to state the bleedin obvious, but have you double checked the new rear tyre pressures ?
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Which Goodyears and which Dunlops?
Generally, Goodyear are better than Dunlops in my opinion.
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Generally it is better to have four indentical tyres however if the car has four good condition tyres from reputable brands and the pressures are within 2-3 psi of that recomended by the manufacturer then it should not exhibit the characterstics mentioned.
Are the new tyres bedded in, have they done a few hundred miles?
Does the car have traction control and/or ESP, if so is it/they switched off or not working when it/they were before?
Could it be simply that the new tyres have coincided with wet, leaf strewn roads, you are experiencing different characteristics and blaming the car?
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Check the tyres are fitted correctly - if they are directional check they are rotating the correct way when driving forward, and check if the tyre walls have 'inside' and 'outside' markings they read 'outside' as you look at them.
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Generally it is better to have four indentical tyres however if the car has four good condition tyres from reputable brands and the pressures are within 2-3 psi of that recomended by the manufacturer then it should not exhibit the characterstics mentioned. Are the new tyres bedded in, have they done a few hundred miles? Does the car have traction control and/or ESP, if so is it/they switched off or not working when it/they were before? Could it be simply that the new tyres have coincided with wet, leaf strewn roads, you are experiencing different characteristics and blaming the car?
The tyres have done probably about 5k-7k miles and the pressures are fine. ESP, ABS, DSP etc. etc. all switched on and working OK, in fact they seem to cut in all the time, even at slow speeds....
I had to have one of the rears repaired this morning as it was flat. The man at the garage said the poor handling was due to the salt and molasses they put on the roads to stop them freezing! He described it like driving on lino.... Anyone else having the same problem!
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Many of the rounabouts near me have anti-skid road surfaces but one I use regularly hasn't - it's become so slippy over the last few wks that it's difficult to drive around without the car sliding all over the place.
I wondered if it's because we've had very little rain recently and the roads aren't being 'washed' clean, so a bit of seasonal dampness on a greasy surface makes for for treacherous conditions.
I hate having my tyres changed, because you get used to whatever is fitted. Mine is a leased, company car and I used to let them fit whatever they wanted to but now I insist on like for like, even if it has to be ordered in.
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Yes, they were all OK.
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"The man at the garage said the poor handling was due to the salt and molasses they put on the roads to stop them freezing! He described it like driving on lino.... Anyone else having the same problem!"
someone on the discussion board was complaining about the handling of his new 1 Series the other day (can't find the thread now) but I suggested that it might be the road conditions. Some roundabouts near us are particularly greasy at the moment - combination of no rain, salt, damp road, diesel spills, rubber left by those 3rear axle trucks, mud etc I reckon. If I can get wheelspin exiting a roundabout in my Berlingo I reckon a RWD BMW might be a handful at times!
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RogerPJ is complaing about oversteer, I seem to remember that the 1 Series issue was understeer.
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Thread was in discussions
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?f=2&t=27...8
Did sound like oversteer- but only when turning left.
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"the front end keeps breaking away from me", it is understeer, i.e the opposite to Roger's oversteer.
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Yep- sorry- mis read that.
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