weird throttle cut despite dsc turned off?

[zee.rowe]

Hello, everyone, I'm new here, and very new to BMW's. Anywho, there's an interesting problem with my current BMW (2002 325i sedan non-M).

Lately, it's been snowing here, and I decided, "Hey, why not have some fun?" So I take me car out to an isolated area far from all civilization to give it a little rip (I'm completely new to RWD, so I was taking it REALLY easy).

While I was doing some 5 mph skids, I started to lose my angle and basically start to spin out. I added more gas with more steering wheel angle to attempt to maintain my angle as well as make it more aggressive. But the crazy thing is that my engine started cutting throttle and made it impossible to go further. The weird thing is that DSC is turned off, so engine throttling shouldn't happen... right?

I don't know if I'm missing another safety feature to disable, or if there is some obscure mechanical problem, or if it is because my diff is still open...

Everything is stock besides some coilovers (I keep planning to upgrade more, but I have to use my money for other things, big sad), and as said earlier, diff is still open, but I plan to weld it when I get paid enough to get a welding rig.

And yes, I understand that even in an isolated area quiet of any hazards and risks, it's still irresponsible to do things like tiny skids outside of the track. I plan on going to this track close by to me once my diff is welded, and start learning how to drift for real. I just wanted to experiment, but more so have fun, and have a better understanding of how a rwd car differs from a fwd vehicle (I'm also aware that practicing controlled loss of control in the snow isn't a good entry point for learning how to drift, but again, I just wanted to have fun).

Um... thank you for having me

[shadowpuck]

hello...

if you plan to drive rwd (or any drive for that matter) in winter conditions - i'd heartily recommend winter/snow tires.....

yes, DSC on an e46 has two stages of intervention. the owner's manual should explain this (i'm nearly positive its in there)....
an owner's manual is readily available on the internet.

oh...hmm. welding a diff? that would be worthless in any track driving i'm most familiar with - so, unfortunately, i can't offer you much advice on drifting (or welding diffs for that matter).

after years of instructing folks in how to drive their cars fast on track - i've learned that the best way to learn is less modification, more stock.....
learning car control and the proper techniques, at lower speeds, is a great introduction into such things.....

[MarcoZandrini]

You need to press the DSC button for 5 seconds to totally disable DSC. +1 on the snow tires recommendation. Buy 4 (!) steel wheels and mount snows on them. It’s all in the tires.

[marcva]

When you start driving at schools, leave your car stock. It will tell you what it needs. I started driving in 1995 with a stock E36 325. No sport suspension...nada. I slowly migrated up through brake pads to suspension (eventually, when the transient at Summit Point got scary) to R compound tires and even a recaro SRD as I found I hit the limits of what my car could do. You'll be a lot more thoughtful changing components when you know *Why* you want to change something. For instance, I ended up with a softer suspension than many for the track, because I realized that my track driving time was limited and my car was a commuter (Konis and Dinan Springs). Many people jump straight to "Sport" suspensions that get old pretty quickly commuting. I even helped a friend install then remove coilovers within a month

Definitely get yourself to a drivers school with the BMWCCA. Skills will make you enjoy your car more than ANY other modification (OK, maybe an understeer shift kit for $75, including the solder wrap for your select rod.)

[bmwdirtracer]

+1 to the recommendations above. Playing in a snowy empty parking lot is great, but there is a whole lot you will never learn without a good teacher.

The DSC button needs to be held down for 5 seconds to be totally shut down; it will reset to 'on' whenever the ignition is cycled.

Welding a diff is the worst thing you can do to a car's handling. When you go around a corner, the wheels must turn at different speeds, because they have different distances to travel. When you weld the diff, you make this impossible, and the car becomes a nasty, slow slug around corners. Find yourself a used limited slip diff instead.

- - - Updated - - -

[zee.rowe]

Thank you all for responding! And thank you for the DSC button thing. Never knew that holding the button would completely disable it, good to know haha...

And thanks for all the recommendations. While I would've grabbed some winter tires, I was completely out of money, and as I expected, the roads are more wet than icy.

And yes, I planned on keeping the car mostly stock. My current plan is to upgrade the coilovers (I bought some eBay ones, and I believe it's time to get some proper ones), and then new rims and tires, to seats and steering wheel. Mainly aesthetic stuff, I also firmly believe learning from a stock low power vehicle is key to healthy progression.

While welding a diff is detrimental to a car's handling... the idea of my BMW is a beater drift daily. I don't hammer corners a lot, and I'm a pretty safe driver... I think haha. I've also done a lot of research into welded diffs, and a lot of people with welded diffs on youtube say they don't notice a degradation in handling, but actually an improved case of handling... I take that with a heavy grain of salt, but again, I don't plan to be cornering or much of track/autocross stuff anyways; that's for my dream car.

I would love a school, although as of now, I don't have the money to do it, my welding job isn't paying me well right now. For now, I will take it easy at a track and just use the skid pad and move up to the track itself when I feel an improvement. Having a ton of things to worry about right now, paying for a school is out of the question... for now.

The common motif in my current standing is lack of money. It's hard to find a lsd for a sedan e46, used at that, anywhere (at least, from my extensive search). It would seem no one really touches the sedans, and for good reasons, but one thing I saw was using an M lsd, but that'd involve a subframe mod, and this car is still my daily for now. A mod like that would take too long and cost too much to get done. For now, a welded diff is good enough for me, and I can get it done when I get a personal welding rig.

Thank you guys so much for the replies, much love <3

[323i E30]

(...)
While welding a diff is detrimental to a car's handling... the idea of my BMW is a beater drift daily. I don't hammer corners a lot, and I'm a pretty safe driver... I think haha. I've also done a lot of research into welded diffs, and a lot of people with welded diffs on youtube say they don't notice a degradation in handling, but actually an improved case of handling... I take that with a heavy grain of salt, but again, I don't plan to be cornering or much of track/autocross stuff anyways; that's for my dream car.
(...)

For drifting it’s an improvement indeed.
I would say it can be dangerous for a daily driver of someone that is not an experienced drifter.
A tighter corner might surprise you on a rainy day.
To be fair; I’ve never driven a car with a welded diff, so no experience with it, but I do appreciate what the diff is doing for my rear wheel grip and reduced tire wear..