[CanadianGOLD2010]

I don't know if any of you have also noticed this but when the road is slightly damp (not when it is raining and there is loose water but just when it is damp) my car seems to be slightly hydroplaning as if I am driving through puddles and I don't have enought rubber on my tires. It is really strange. I don't know if it is the DSC or what. It is not the tires as the issue is not present when there is lots of water. Am I losing it or have others noticed the same thing?

[juztinl]

you have a heavy right foot. it is a powerful car.

[Bmrmeup]

Slow down in the rain. Leave early & arrive alive..............

[CanadianGOLD2010]

Thanks for the advise but I can tell you something is not right. I am not speeding. The car is just giving off the sensation that I am hydroplaning but it isn't because there is no water pooling on the road. The road is just damp. As for it being a powerful car, my previous car was an M3 which makes my 535 feel pretty slow.

[Jon D]

Originally Posted by CanadianGOLD2010

Thanks for the advise but I can tell you something is not right. I am not speeding. The car is just giving off the sensation that I am hydroplaning but it isn't because there is no water pooling on the road. The road is just damp. As for it being a powerful car, my previous car was an M3 which makes my 535 feel pretty slow.

I agree that you appear to have a problem; I've just been out for a blast on some very damp (just stopped raining) twisty country roads in my 535d and I didn't hold back on the throttle. At all times I was in either sport or sport+ and the car felt really secure at all times, even when sport+ allowed controlled rear wheel spin.
I'd recommend that you take the car back to the dealer; I had an alignment problem which was fixed this afternoon and it transformed the car - details to follow in a separate thread.

[vortexx]

How new is the car? New tires have a mold release compound on them that significantly reduces traction, and this is most noticable when the road is damp - exactly the conditions you describe. The mold release is substantially gone after a few hundred miles.

There is a lot that has been written on this, but here is a quote from tirerack:

"Tires are comprised of many layers of rubber, steel and fabric. Due to these different components, your new tires require a break-in period to ensure that they deliver their normal ride quality and maximum performance. As tires are cured, a release lubricant is applied to prevent them from sticking in their mold. Some of the lubricant stays on the surface of your tires, reducing traction until it is worn away. Five hundred miles of easy acceleration, cornering and braking will allow the mold release lubricant to wear off, allowing the other tire components to begin working together."

[Jon D]

Originally Posted by vortexx

How new is the car? New tires have a mold release compound on them that significantly reduces traction, and this is most noticable when the road is damp - exactly the conditions you describe. The mold release is substantially gone after a few hundred miles.

Very good point, but if the OP's tyres aren't new, something's wrong and I'd strongly recommend a dealer visit ASAP.

[raleedy]

Whatever it is you're experiencing, it surely isn't hydroplaning without standing water. If there were an actual loss of traction, stability control would intervene, and you would know it from the warning light.

[juztinl]

check your tire pressure. my tire pressure was a bit low and the tires didn't perform well in wet. after pumping them up a bit it is much better now.

[HighlandPete]

Is this the OP's first 'long term' experience of run-flat tires?
If so could simply be that, as there are some strange driving characteristics, depending on road surfaces, ambient temperature, tire temperature and pressure. I know many, including myself, have described the feeling like "driving on ice" in some conditions. Obviously it is not, but it is that sort of sensation, so can see how hydroplaning is the sense described. It is definitely a 'disconnected from the road' feeling.

HighlandPete

[RC3]

you have the RFTs?

[Jon D]

Originally Posted by CanadianGOLD2010

I don't know if any of you have also noticed this but when the road is slightly damp (not when it is raining and there is loose water but just when it is damp) my car seems to be slightly hydroplaning as if I am driving through puddles and I don't have enought rubber on my tires. It is really strange. I don't know if it is the DSC or what. It is not the tires as the issue is not present when there is lots of water. Am I losing it or have others noticed the same thing?

You could be experiencing something similar to a problem I had with my 535d, but to a higher degree.
My steering felt decidedly vague on-centre; I was struggling with a way to describe it any clearer than that, but the senior BMW technician put it in a better way - it was a case of whenever you made a correction to keep the car straight, you immediately had to make another correction to counter the previous input and so on...
The problem now appears to have been cured by an alignment check and rectification, but I'm reserving final judgement until I've done some more miles in the dry. Suffice it to say that yesterday afternoon and evening I drove about 100 miles on very damp roads and the car felt transformed - secure, well planted on the road and beautifully responsive. I will post full details as and when I'm completely happy with the car.
If your tyre pressures are ok and there's no obvious damage, I'd recommend that you take it back to the dealer.

[CanadianGOLD2010]

Now thats some great advise. Thanks everyone. My car has about 5000k. The description above about feeling like you are on ice is a good one. I am going to take the car in and have it checked.

[Touring]

Originally Posted by CanadianGOLD2010

The description above about feeling like you are on ice is a good one.

I have the same feeling too. But the problem is that Im actually driving on ice

[Jon D]

Originally Posted by Touring

I have the same feeling too. But the problem is that Im actually driving on ice

Probably not long before we're doing likewise in Scotland - what tyres do you have?

[Touring]

Nokian R 225/55-17. Good grip on ice and snow, not so good on wet. But they are runflats, so I dont have to mess with a spare tire.