Has anyone had this experience and/or can suggest a cause?
I have a 1995ish K reg BMW 320i (E36) coupe auto. I've had 320's before and the handling was always great. So it was on this current car for a while until a few months ago when I started to experience poor handling in the sense that the front wheels seem to skate around on the road when the road is rough. No problem on nice flat road/motorways etc but decidedly unnerving on rough roads. Cornering also now feels less stable than before.
I've had the car to the dealers several times to have tracking and various suspension/steering parts checked over but with no improvement. The only suggestion I had from one garage is that the tyres I'm using (Uniroyal rallye 440) are "soft-walled" and that perhaps the previous ones (replaced not long before I started to notice this problem) were "hard-walled", thus giving a different feel. I'm not really convinced.
This is a really great car but the "ultimate driving experience" is being spoiled by poor handling. Can anyone please suggest a cause or perhaps suggest what else I might get the garage to inspect?
Many thanks
Chas
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I would take a good look at the front shock absorbers. If they have lost some of their damping ability, the front wheels will 'patter' on rough roads, leading to reduced grip. This sort of problem tends to be easier to notice on a fine-handling car like a 3 series. If the car has done more than 60K, new front shocks might not be a bad idea.
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Chas
I'd agree with Richard. I reckon there's more wrong than the tyres. There is no doubt cheap tyres can damage handling, but frankly this 'hard/soft wall' sounds most unlikely, given that Uniroyals are perfectly good quality - I ran a 3 series on them a while back, and the handling was fine. Also they were factory fitted tyres, so BMW were happy.
Obvious culprits are dampers or, I suspect, wheel alignment. May need a decent 4-wheel alignment check rather than a quick toe in check.
Regards
John
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Thanks Richard and John. I'll have the front shock absorbers rechecked (or possibly just replaced) and have the 4 wheel alignment done somewhere that knows what it's doing. Thanks for the rapid responses.
Chas
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If you drove an R-reg M3 Evolution like me, you wouldn't suffer such problems.
But then, I am considerably richer than you.
Terry Maxwell
R17 TJM - provate plate too. Sexy or what!
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Terry Maxwell - are you really LAC/LAS in disguise?
El Dingo.
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It might be dampers,but I think I would book it in for a full Geometry check before i spent any money.
I had an Audi coupe that never seemed to handle in spite of the supplying dealers assurances that all was well.The front suspension,which was very adjustable on that model,was way adrift on the nearside.Not only that but the people that checked it recommended some slightly non standard settings which made it even better than when it left the factory,at the cost of slightly heavier steering.
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I'd go for the tracking check first. Think about shock absorbers next. They must gradually go off before they fail and on a well balanced car you will feel this.
I wonder if you changed all four tyres or just the fronts?
I've always praised my Xantia for a responsive turn in performance and this has just been ruined by changing the existing front Michelins for a different model of Michelin. The new ones have only done 100 miles so I hope they may bed in to give a better grip.
If I fitted these new ones to the rear the turn in should return to normal but I like the best tyres on the front.
David
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Yep, tyres can make a big difference. Over Christmas I swapped the newish Firestones on the front of the Xantia for a pair of new Michelins and it feels like a different car.
Lee.
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The only car I ever spun.
316 (!! company car) with at least 6mm left on both back tyres.
Damp road, deceptively solid feel to handling, no warning, whoops, a quick 180.
Sorry, but would someone give me back my Mazda 323 1.8, please? I like cars on rails rather than fancy badges.
rg
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