Quote:
Originally Posted by Bill Bumface
This is what I'd love to know though. Naive tire physics for the BMW in question:
- RWD car
- Fairly even weight distribution
- Higher pressure in rear = smaller contact patch, less grip
- Lower pressure in front = larger contact patch, more grip
Doesn't that actually create more oversteer? Is this setup to make the car feel sportier? I can't wrap my head around it.
I would love a BMW engineer who knows exactly what this achieves to chime in, but I'm doubting we have one of those in the house.
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I wonder if there's a difference in a vehicle behaving in a way that "feels" sportier to the average consumer vs "performing" sportier to a high skill racing driver. Some might assume they're the same at the lower and higher levels of driving, but perhaps it's possible they're not?
I have pride in my skills as a driver, but I honestly would say I don't really know the difference between over/understeer. Stability, fish tailing, power slides... I am absolutely able to note those observations. I assume these are just some of the lower levels that contribute before a set of several situational things are combined together into an over/understeer scenario analysis/evaluation.
After tweaking the tire pressure yesterday, the vehicle seems more stable/less floaty in a straight line, more sporty/responsive, and the back swings out a little easier and seems slightly easier to control/accelerate through when turning. Hell, the back feels like an anchor pulling the vehicle straighter and the front doesn't really have a moment of wobble when braking. Whether this continues translating towards improved performance in a racing level situation, I don't know. But as a consumer who has a pretty good level of observation, I'd say I notice a difference in improved control when attempting more aggressive maneuvers at lower speeds. Power slides so far seem easier to do and more fun, as are 180 degree ish turns on snow.
I'll probably try to practice more lower speed power slides on the snow to better confirm how the vehicle handles in those situations, but as far as I can tell, the vehicle at 35/39 seems more stable and capable of evasive maneuvers than 35/35. But... this is also an AWD vehicle, not a RWD. Things could be totally different than what I notice with RWD.