[Purplehearts79]

Hi guys sorry if this has been answered elsewhere but I couldn't find anything.

Ive just bought an f34 320d xdrive which I love but...there's been a couple of times its fishtailed whilst going round roundabouts, I was being careful as I was in town but it was drizzling both times.

I previously had a 320d xdrive f30 which never did this once, even in the snow...

Is this an issue with the gt in general or my particular car. Any ideas of the cause?

Thanks!

[erickonphoenix]

Assuming your TC is active? If so you might check overinflation of the rear tires, tread wear or get the TC looked at.

[Purplehearts79]

Yeah, I havent turned it off and driving in comfort mode so assume its still on.

I'll check the tyre pressures and treads tomorrow. Its contiwinter tyres on all 4 tyres so would expect much better grip.

[erickonphoenix]

Originally Posted by Purplehearts79

Yeah, I havent turned it off and driving in comfort mode so assume its still on.

I'll check the tyre pressures and treads tomorrow. Its contiwinter tyres on all 4 tyres so would expect much better grip.

Well, you're right it shouldn't fishtail even in greasy wet conditions. Tires would be my first look and of course you might try working the drive train in a safe area in the wet and see if it's fishtailing is consistent. Some road materials are more or less susceptible to sliding. There are some areas of town where I do need to watch how much gas I apply because whatever they made the road out of it just lets the grease and water sit on the surface. That said usually the TC is engaging repeatedly so I know it's working albeit sloppily.

[Billfitz]

I can't imagine fishtailing mine even if I tried. I agree that the tires are probably the culprit. Unless you're in the Highlands you should consider Michelin CrossClimate 2. Mine are superb in all conditions.

[Call me the breeze]

Learn how to drift bruh and go with the flow

[Sportstick]

If you are running winter tires on bare but wet asphalt, the possibility to fishtail with speed is not unexpected. The early stage of a drizzle is when all the road contaminants (e.g. oil) surface and compound the problem further. The tire behavior is the downside of winter tires being strongly superior on snow/ice. If this is the case, take it easier until you swap back to your three-season tires again.

@Breeze....what's a drift bruh?

[Purplehearts79]

So update on the fishtailing issue...

Turns out the winter tyres were only on the rear and 3season tyres were on the front! My poor TC was so confused 😕

I've had the rear tyres replaced to match the front and hey presto problem solved 😀

Thanks for your help and advice guys! 🤗

[Billfitz]

That indicates the previous owner was very old school. In the distant past common practice with RWD cars was to put winter tires only on the rear, the reasoning being they were only needed for traction in snow. Using winters on all four wheels didn't become SOP until the 1980s. Of course with AWD that never would have been done, but since widespread use of AWD is also fairly recent that also leads me to believe the previous owner's auto acumen wasn't exactly cutting edge.