[Stinger77]

Hello folks just bought a RWD M4 Comp and I live in Atlanta, what do I need to be aware about a RWD M4 Comp to avoid any accidents, I wonder if I should have bought the XDrive, as yall know in Atlanta seldomly snows so should I just be fine with a RWD? I am not a traffic light racer or try to beat any youngster in a Mustang that I encounter

Thanks for your input, maybe a stupid question but wan to make sure what to expect in terms of safety.

[Info@mad-us.com]

Always keep some form of traction control on and you will be fine.

[Berzerker]

Originally Posted by Stinger77

Hello folks just bought a RWD M4 Comp and I live in Atlanta, what do I need to be aware about a RWD M4 Comp to avoid any accidents, I wonder if I should have bought the XDrive, as yall know in Atlanta seldomly snows so should I just be fine with a RWD? I am not a traffic light racer or try to beat any youngster in a Mustang that I encounter

Thanks for your input, maybe a stupid question but wan to make sure what to expect in terms of safety.

If you're not doing anything that you think might trigger traction control, you don't need to worry about it.

[Stinger77]

Originally Posted by Berzerker

If you're not doing anything that you think might trigger traction control, you don't need to worry about it.

Sorry for my ignorance but what are those things that can trigger traction control? Thank you

[DefiantVitreous]

Going too fast in a corner, the back end can slip out. Honestly, unless you are pushing the limits or tracking it, you aren't even going to notice.

[sob2137]

While in dsc off you have 10 stages of traction control, start with high setting and work your way down once you feel confident

[Berzerker]

Originally Posted by sob2137

While in dsc off you have 10 stages of traction control, start with high setting and work your way down once you feel confident

That's only if you option the M Drive Professional package, just to clarify.

[JDUNITNOW]

I have a RWD m3 and honestly I never take traction control off. I dont track my car and I live in a area with lots of back roads so I have to be careful of objects in road, deer and other animals. Also driving in suburbs, I don't want a instance of rear snapping and catching a curb and do damage to suspension. Dont get me wrong, I have fun with my car and am smart and old enough to know my limits. AWD is for people that are chasing timeand using the car for drag racing. If you are not trying to beat and impress others, you will enjoy your car and take time to learn it and know your limitations . If you are a stoplight racer and want straight line speed to beat everyone you got the wrong car. Get a hellcat redeye....

[r0wr]

Don’t turn off traction control until you are fully comfortable with the car.

[Stinger77]

Originally Posted by JDUNITNOW

I have a RWD m3 and honestly I never take traction control off. I dont track my car and I live in a area with lots of back roads so I have to be careful of objects in road, deer and other animals. Also driving in suburbs, I don't want a instance of rear snapping and catching a curb and do damage to suspension. Dont get me wrong, I have fun with my car and am smart and old enough to know my limits. AWD is for people that are chasing timeand using the car for drag racing. If you are not trying to beat and impress others, you will enjoy your car and take time to learn it and know your limitations . If you are a stoplight racer and want straight line speed to beat everyone you got the wrong car. Get a hellcat redeye....

Awesome advice mate, thank you!

[Rodizzle]

One of the best RWDs out there; it’s quite stable. I haven’t had any ‘oh shit’ moments, but then again, I’ve never turned off stability/traction completely. MDM is the way to go if you’re trying to have a bit more fun.
On the other hand, I’ve seen many cars with xdrive end up in ditches when hitting the back roads with RWD enabled. Almost every post I’ve come across where a car ended up in a ditch involved an X drive vehicle. The issue is that xdrive doesn’t guarantee you’ll stay on the road 😂.
Enjoy the car within your comfort zone

[mike@x-ph.com]

Use MDM, but never disable traction control fully.

[dxx]

As I known, most of accident m3/m4 are Xdrive not RWD. It gives driver too much confidence.

When you drive a 510hp RWD car, you will always be in awe.

Traction control is much better compare to previous Gen.

You should be fine with RWD. Just monitor the temperature of your tyre and don't turn dsc off when it is a rainy day.

[Stinger77]

Originally Posted by dxx

As I known, most of accident m3/m4 are Xdrive not RWD. It gives driver too much confidence.

When you drive a 510hp RWD car, you will always be in awe.

Traction control is much better compare to previous Gen.

You should be fine with RWD. Just monitor the temperature of your tyre and don't turn dsc off when it is a rainy day.

Thank you sir, wise advice. Learning a lot from you guys.

[BIGW0RM]

Originally Posted by JDUNITNOW

I have a RWD m3 and honestly I never take traction control off. I dont track my car and I live in a area with lots of back roads so I have to be careful of objects in road, deer and other animals. Also driving in suburbs, I don't want a instance of rear snapping and catching a curb and do damage to suspension. Dont get me wrong, I have fun with my car and am smart and old enough to know my limits. AWD is for people that are chasing timeand using the car for drag racing. If you are not trying to beat and impress others, you will enjoy your car and take time to learn it and know your limitations . If you are a stoplight racer and want straight line speed to beat everyone you got the wrong car. Get a hellcat redeye....

Im with you on this. I use to turn my TC off thinking I knew what I was doing. It wasnt until I went to M school where I quickly learned that I could not drive as well as I thought. They had us push M2's around corners faster than I have ever gone and did it with TC on! I would not dare attempt corners like those at those speeds with it off now. Then again. I just cruise these days. Im getting old. lol.

[JDUNITNOW]

Originally Posted by BIGW0RM

Im with you on this. I use to turn my TC off thinking I knew what I was doing. It wasnt until I went to M school where I quickly learned that I could not drive as well as I thought. They had us push M2's around corners faster than I have ever gone and did it with TC on! I would not dare attempt corners like those at those speeds with it off now.

Yep...I have traction control on in MDM mode.

[Needsdecaf]

Originally Posted by Stinger77

Thank you sir, wise advice. Learning a lot from you guys.

First, kudos to you for having the guts to ask a question like you did on the forum. Appreciate your self-awareness and lack of ego.

Second, kudos to those that have responded civilly with helpful suggestions. They could have flamed you hard but didn't.

My suggestion would be to follow what those guys said but also find your local BMW CCA or Porsche Club of America Car Control School. I would assume that one of those two chapters would have it in Atlanta. I'd say do Street Survival but you have to be under 21 to do that. Ask around, there will be an event to join.

This is not a full track day. This is a low speed event focusing on driver and vehicle dynamics basics such as where to look, how to smoothly turn the vehicle, emergency maneuvers, and small autocross. You'll learn what the car feels like on the limit in a safe environment and learn not to be scared of it....and when to actually be scared. Ask around in both those groups or in the regional forum here and see what you can find. For instance, this is the program I had my son do. I did it with him and it was great.

https://lsrpca.com/ccs/

[Indo Rider]

Originally Posted by Needsdecaf

First, kudos to you for having the guts to ask a question like you did on the forum. Appreciate your self-awareness and lack of ego.

Second, kudos to those that have responded civilly with helpful suggestions. They could have flamed you hard but didn't.

My suggestion would be to follow what those guys said but also find your local BMW CCA or Porsche Club of America Car Control School. I would assume that one of those two chapters would have it in Atlanta. I'd say do Street Survival but you have to be under 21 to do that. Ask around, there will be an event to join.

This is not a full track day. This is a low speed event focusing on driver and vehicle dynamics basics such as where to look, how to smoothly turn the vehicle, emergency maneuvers, and small autocross. You'll learn what the car feels like on the limit in a safe environment and learn not to be scared of it....and when to actually be scared. Ask around in both those groups or in the regional forum here and see what you can find. For instance, this is the program I had my son do. I did it with him and it was great.

https://lsrpca.com/ccs/

This. The only way to gain confidence and capability is to actually drive the car to the limit. Best to do that in a safe environment, and with some professional instruction. To say to "never turn off traction control"... what a boring life.

[toolband66]

I will say this, my m3 rwd has been in Europe the entire time I’ve had it-this means nearly no red lights, all roundabouts. In a roundabout even if I’m going slow, if I gently tap on the accelerator my back end will kick out. This happens very easily when it’s wet. Of course no one should accelerate in a turn-I do it just for fun. Just don’t do what I do in other words and you’ll be fine haha

[mike@x-ph.com]

Originally Posted by toolband66

I will say this, my m3 rwd has been in Europe the entire time I’ve had it-this means nearly no red lights, all roundabouts. In a roundabout even if I’m going slow, if I gently tap on the accelerator my back end will kick out. This happens very easily when it’s wet. Of course no one should accelerate in a turn-I do it just for fun. Just don’t do what I do in other words and you’ll be fine haha

Driving the car in wet conditions is tricky for sure, but its also the most fun

[davidmct-M3]

Originally Posted by dxx

As I known, most of accident m3/m4 are Xdrive not RWD. It gives driver too much confidence.

When you drive a 510hp RWD car, you will always be in awe.

Traction control is much better compare to previous Gen.

You should be fine with RWD. Just monitor the temperature of your tyre and don't turn dsc off when it is a rainy day.

I couldn’t let this pass. On what basis can you support your accident claim? There will be a number of confounding variables to take into account to determine whether this is a true statement or not. For instance what is the relative number of each version of the car, what are the local conditions for each cluster of accidents eg mountain roads or streets, rain/snow/ road state, driver experience etc. all these will vary by location. Also xdrives aren’t marked as such.

In aggregate you would still need to normalise for population of each car eg if 10x xdrives were sold.

[evidence]

MDM mode does nicely letting you lay power down, but limiting things before you spin out. TC fully off can get RWD sideways fairly easily, especially w a tune, not a lot of use on the street unless you're trying to show off <roll montage of cars in ditches and up on curbs>.