12-27-2014, 09:52 PM | #1 |
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Who has driven F8x on track in rain?
Back in October I drove my new car in the wet on the track - very interesting experience... it was a follow the leader type of event, so no passing allowed. The leader of my group was driving an F82, so by following the cars in front of me, I knew I could keep up as long as I didn't go any faster...
That being said, the car was able to maintain lateral grip in the corners on wet pavement much better than I would have thought (I am not a professional driver, so I never would have had the courage to go that fast had I not seen a car with identical tires/suspension setup, etc. being able to do the same). The only thing I really noticed vs. the E9x in such conditions - I definitely had to modulate the power more or just wait a little longer into the turn to get on the power. However, although the first few turns that I took in the wet caused me to drift - I did find that easing off the throttle and countersteering allowed for easy corrections (I had traction control full on - I did not want to try MDM under such conditions since I don't believe I'm experienced enough for that). Overall, after a few laps, I found that the car handled very well in the wet on the track, as long as you know where the limits are and don't get too aggressive on the throttle. Once I began straigtening out the wheel, however, I could nail the gas and accelerate up to about 95 mph on the straights before braking hard for a 35 mph reverse turn (steel brakes with Michelin Pilot Super Sports were great at reducing a lot of speed very quickly in the driving rain - I was very impressed). Who else here has driven the F8x on the track in the wet? I'd be curious to hear your experiences. |
12-27-2014, 10:13 PM | #2 |
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I've driven the car to the limits of grip/traction with DSC on in the wet for extended periods and it's very impressive IMO. just as in the dry it feels significantly faster than the E9X since the grip seems higher and when fully hooked up it accelerates faster. It doesn't communicate as well though so it's not as intuitive/natural to me. It's not bad, it's very good just that my E90 M3 was truly telepathic here.
I.e it's faster in the wet as well but you need to work a tad more. A lot more if it's dark and rainy is my experience. Last edited by solstice; 12-27-2014 at 10:18 PM.. |
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12-27-2014, 10:40 PM | #3 |
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Got a chance to do a little rainy track driving when we did our Euro Delivery, at Spa Francorchamps no less.
As you can see in the video, I could feel the understeer at times if I was too hot into a corner, but because I kept TCS on, the car refused to put any power down until I turned it at least to MDM. Which is when I almost slid out... That said, I think the car is very manageable in the wet, as long as you're kind to the throttle. I'd keep it in sport or efficient throttle; sport + is too touchy to allow you any light control.
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12-27-2014, 11:00 PM | #4 |
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You lucky Bay Area people...calling that light drizzle rain Must been very tricky though, the immidiate transition from dry to wet in the same session, not only due to the adjustment required but also the usual release of grease when it start to get wet. Looks soooo much fun though!
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12-28-2014, 01:52 AM | #5 |
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This is a great post, I mentioned something similar in another thread.
The power delivery of this engine is vastly different than most cars, since turbocharging is only now becoming more popular. This requires a very different driving style than what most people are used to. Like taking corners in 3rd or 4th gear instead of 2nd, to cut down on torque and putting even more importance on throttle control. Even professional F1 drivers had difficulties this year, switching from a N/A V8 to a Turbo V6. F1 cars don't have traction control and you can see even professionals sometimes have problems with low end power. I think a lot of the bad press the F8x gets for it's handling and traction issues, is due to the driver, not the car. I don't blame them either, we're all so familiar with the linear power that comes from N/A engines, that's how we're used to driving, but we're just getting started with low RPM torque, just look at electric cars, the Tesla P85D has insane torque, instantly! |
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12-28-2014, 05:42 AM | #8 | |
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12-28-2014, 06:40 AM | #9 | |
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12-28-2014, 07:01 AM | #11 |
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No tracks, but we've had 1 autocross in pretty heavy rain. I ran in Dynamic mode, and was pretty slow, although that was down to me taking it really easy. The car seemed to have plenty of grip and I never spun or left the track. The low powered FWD cars had a good day though.
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12-28-2014, 07:32 AM | #12 | |
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12-28-2014, 10:35 AM | #13 | |
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If you take the higher gear and drop down to 2-4K RPM you are at max torque, of course depending on throttle position. If you take a gear that will give over 6K RPM you will be in the downward slope of the torque curve and possibly have less tendency to slip the tires? Am I missing something? |
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12-28-2014, 11:10 AM | #14 | |
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Interestingly, I wasn't able to tell the car was slipping from the steering as much as I was able to feel it in my ass. When people say you drive this car with your bottom, I think that's a very valid assessment. Heh, "ass"essment.
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12-28-2014, 11:40 AM | #16 | |
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Power to the ground means more than peak torque, torque just means more power at a given rpm. At high rpm you would be putting a lot of power down and would have more traction issues as a result. More tq just means the engine is more flexible and makes more power over a broader interval. Considering the power of the car and somewhat limited traction on corner exit, the car can perform well staying in higher gears so that you have to shift less and be less precise with throttle control :twocents: |
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12-28-2014, 01:03 PM | #17 | |
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I liked your quick narration during the slide OT. What made you drive up to that track? Cool to see a different track posted than the usual ED ones such as Nurburgring etc. and before anybody jumps on me there is obviously nothing wrong with Nurburigring. Would love to do it someday myself. |
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12-28-2014, 01:33 PM | #18 | ||
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I actually planned most of my trip around a public day at Spa. It's a beautiful track, and an amazing one with crazy elevation. And to your comment, I enjoyed it far more than Nurburgring, though I was clearly out of my element. As far as MDM cut-in goes, my understanding (from the CA at the Welt) is that it will let you spin out the car as long as you don't let up. If you let up, the car senses that and cuts in, so people who are experiencing the cut in are probably modulating the throttle a bit more before as they approach the car's limits.
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Last edited by dclowd9901; 12-28-2014 at 01:41 PM.. |
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12-28-2014, 01:40 PM | #19 | |
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Don't blame yah on the narration, as I'm sure I would be the same and probably worse. |
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12-28-2014, 07:46 PM | #20 | |
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Take a 65mph curve as an example, torque at the wheels would be as follows (for a DCT): 2nd gear -> 7300rpm -> 306lb-ft x 2.593 x 3.462 = 2745lb-ft 3rd gear -> 4800rpm -> 406lb-ft x 1.701 x 3.462 = 2391lb-ft 4th gear -> 3600rpm -> 406lb-ft x 1.277 x 3.462 = 1795lb-ft Last edited by CanAutM3; 12-30-2014 at 11:00 PM.. |
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12-28-2014, 08:28 PM | #21 |
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On the only track event I have attended thus far with my M4, it was a 3 day event with a rather wet second day. A perfect opportunity to test the new ride in varying conditions. The car remains very manageable in the wet. That new electronic rear diff is pure magic and makes the car very controllable. I turned down the EDC from Sport+ to Sport, the Engine from Sport+ to Sport and the DCT from S3 to S2. I mostly used MDM (for the benefit of that extra safety net), but I did a few laps with DSC off to explore the car's handling. The throttle can easily be modulated and the car remains very easy to control and manage in the wet even without the aids.
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12-28-2014, 09:27 PM | #22 | ||
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