C32 Rear end twitch

[jtimkey]

HI Chaps,
today i noticed if i am turning left at speed (constant and accelerating) the back end tends to twitch and/or step out?

I have new tyres, although budget on 19" C63 copy rims (already on the car when i bought it)

with BC racing shocks with the standard springs.

Any well know gotchas with these?

TA
Happy new Year

 

[shorty]

Could be bushings worn , best to jack the car and look for play within any bushings . The lower bushing on the hub might be the most likely one to go first . I had one of these go a 210

 

[tdh-syorks]

Sounds like rear shocks

 

[moonloops]

I would have though the conversation would end at the phrase "Budget Tyres"...

What make are they ?

 

[Howard]

Accelerating out of a corner , in a 350bhp car with budget tyres , I would have thought your answer is right there ?

Surprised it only twitches as opposed to swapping ends at high speed !

 

[230K]

the back end tends to twitch and/or step out?

And you are complaining?...

Sorry couldn't resist

230k

 

[SavMan]

Has anything changed or is everything as you bought it and it has always twitched. If you have changed something i.e. tyres that would be first place to look.

If everything is the same spec and the rear end has only just started to step put then chances are something has worn so check all bushes, condition of all moving parts and the wheels and tyres for any signs of damage for abnormal wear.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Has anything changed or is everything as you bought it and it has always twitched. If you have changed something i.e. tyres that would be first place to look.

If everything is the same spec and the rear end has only just started to step put then chances are something has worn so check all bushes, condition of all moving parts and the wheels and tyres for any signs of damage for abnormal wear.

+1


A few further thoughts which you may have already considered:

1. Are the tyres the same manufacturer and tread/type on the same axle?

2. Are the tyre pressures correct and consistent? For now use those stated in the filler cap, despite the increase in diameter.

3. How deep is the tread?

4. Does the ESP intervene? Does the traction light flash (amber) in the cluster?

5. Do the symptoms ease if you switch the gearbox from S to W? Button is beside the gear selector between driver and passenger seats.


At the risk of sounding like a brand-snob, I would seriously look into replacing the budget tyres. In cold, wet, greasy conditions, if provoked with a generous portion of accerlator pedal, the C32 will very happily twitch or step out when the front wheels are turned even with new premium tyres, so with budget tyres it will be even more likely to do so.

 

[Will]

Have to be honest, I agree - budget tyres on an AMG - no way.

My CLK55 had been fitted with a set of cheap tyres before I bought it - probably by a motor trader or some casual seller at some point (they were nearly new tread-depth wise). In the dry, brisk acceleration would cause the traction control to kick in as they lit up struggling for traction. Stuck a full set of Michelin Pilots on it straight away and it was like a different car - pinned down and gripped in the dry, steering felt more precise, quieter etc.

Maybe look out for a set of original C32 wheels (correct dimensions/offset etc) and stick some decent tyres on them - has to be the most logical starting point

 

[V12]

Cheap tyres can make a diesel feel twitchy...I know what my money is on.

Budget tyres seem to feel ok when new but get very bad, very quickly.

 

[bigmacplease]

Cheap tyres on any car are a no no! It baffles me how people scrimp on the actual part that contacts the road!

 

[horgantrevor]

+1

Sent from my iPhone using MBClub UK

 

[gIzzE]

Have you got different tyres on the front to the rear??

This comes up all the time on the BMW forums, 99 times out of 100 it ends up with one type of tyre on the front and a different one on the front.

 

[Dieselman]

Have you got different tyres on the front to the rear??

This comes up all the time on the BMW forums, 99 times out of 100 it ends up with one type of tyre on the front and a different one on the front.

Um...right...

 

[gIzzE]

Um...right...

.....99 times out of 100 it ends up with one type of tyre on the front and a different one on the rear.

 

[jtimkey]

thanks for the replys guys, yes the fronts are diffenent to the rears, the car had them on when i bought it, the are brand new..i checked all the bushes etc, some have movement on the rubber bushings but im sure it should have some movement. time for Olly to check it out i think and tell me whats worn and whats normal. can you get after market poly bush kits for the C32?

 

[gIzzE]

........yes the fronts are diffenent to the rears...........

And there is your answer!!

 

[V12]

Hmmm...I never experienced this on my clk and I constantly had different tyres "overlapping" as the rears wore so quickly. No problem with michelin front and continental rear, then kumho rear and michelin front, then kumho front and back and finally kumho front and vredestein rear.
Never gave any of these attributes.

 

[gIzzE]

So the traction light never came on on damp roads, or you never felt flooring on a corner needed you to take it a bit easy?
These cars you should never really get the traction kicking in, or the feeling that you are are the limit, that is the tell tale sign.
When they are a real mismatch it starts to feel very twitchy.



Having said that, michelin pilot sport 2s and conti sport contacts do work well together, but virtually the same tread pattern as each other, and I had Kumho KU39's (I think was the name of them?) with PS2s on the M3 for a few days while I was waiting for new PS2 fronts to arrive and they also seemed to be fairly good together.

I am not saying all combos are poor, just that when you start to get a twitchy car this is the first thing I would think of before issues with suspension etc.

 

[V12]

Nope, never felt twitchy and I pushed that car to the limit regularly...