[JO3]

Originally Posted by Discodancingrover

Meh it's not that bad. I drove around with my last car for about 2 years without front or rear sway bars, only put them on when we sold it.

OK then, just disconnect the front sway bar, and have fun drifting and oversteering through every turn

[JO3]

Originally Posted by rossmelvin

i did a driving school in the xc90(fun as hell!) on one corner i could do 75mph in the xc90 with only tire noise, in the 330i i can only 60 mph to keep the car from geting side ways tried it 2 times.
both of the cars had the DSC and DSTC(xc90) on in normal mode, could it be the AWD in the volvo?

A-HA!

There's the problem, you're a AWD driver. With the power going through 4 wheels, you can give it more throttle, earlier into the corner to have a quick exit.

BUT... with the balance and lower center of gravity, you can have a much faster entry speed with the 330. You just need to be patient with the throttle - you can't give it so much, so soon. Give it some gas as soon as you take a set in the corner, and then give it more throttle as you unwind your steering wheel out of the corner, in proportion.

Remember, all the power of the 3 is going to the rear wheels, so if you punch it, you're just going to lose traction and go sideways. When you master RWD, and you're at the limit, and you figure out how to steer the car just with the throttle, then you've found a whole new definition of fun. :rocks:


And just when you thought you were only going to get flames in this thread, someone reads past the word "volvo" and actually tries to be helpful

[cntlaw]

Originally Posted by rossmelvin

Last weekend I drove to Gainesville along 2-lane twisting roads the same way i took in my xc90, i was driving rather quickly and was not pleased with the ride, cornering or the acceleration. i had just as much fun as i did in my xc90. its a good car but is dosen't get my pulse racing, what is it?

Blame the rft

[BMW0]

Originally Posted by shimshimhada

Lack of extreme body roll.

I concur

[Romulus]

Originally Posted by Romulus

why did you buy it if it's not fun?

?

[h_curtis]

I didn't know a volvo suv can out handle an e90. I am bummed.

[TENCHI]

Its just you Ross. Matter in fact I don't know any SUV that can take a corner at 75mph with only one tire squeal let alone a Volvo.


Perhaps you are better off getting the Audi S4.

[croaker]

Turn off the traction control. It will allow you to gradually test the limits of the car. Think of it as taking off the training wheels. The key word being GRADUAL. You don't want to end up in a ditch or worse.

-Croaker

[Krockit]

Best advice I ever got after buying my Porsche- go to a driver's school. Suddenly my car was faster than hell and handled like a track car. I test drove every car in it's class- guess what I'm picking up this month? 330i w/sport package. Nothing came close. It's not your car.........

[sblument]

here are the numbers

Volvo XC90 T6

Base price 34-40k
Engine 2.5L 5-in-line, 208hp, 236lb/ft, t/c and i/c
or 2.9L 6-in-line, 268hp, 280lb/ft
Curb wt 4450-4600
0-60 8.7-9.3
Top speed 128 (governor limited)

BMW 330i ZSP

Base price 37k
Engine 3.0L 6-in-line, 255hp, 220lb/ft
Curb wt 3450
0-60 5.6
Top speed 155 (governor limited)

[voltron1011]

I agree that the car is pretty underwhelming with all of the safety controls turned on. They rob power from you as you are trying to power out of a corner and kick the tail out oh-so-slightly.
Turn off all of the "electronic-nanny's" on the E90 and start to appreciate the well-ballance poise of a rear-wheel drive car.

[cntlaw]

because you were the only car on the road

[Garvel2527]

I use the traction button and the car feels much faster and the handeling is much different. Is it good to use once in awhile when wanting the extra power???

[obLu]

60 mph to keep the car from geting side ways tried it 2 times

What was ambient temp btw? I hate the blowtenzas because they have absolutely *NO* grip when it's less than 60F out. Spring here in the pacnw means sunny and 50-55F and I'm still sliding around like a camaro with bald tires. And don't tell me it's summer tires, I've had summer tires on all my previous cars (michilen pilot sport, contisportcontact 2) that still had grip down into the 50s. They even had decent grip down into the 40's and in rain.

The blowtenzas have no grip in the rain, no matter what the ambient temp and then don't have any grip in the dry unless it's 60F+. Once it warms up they have a surprising amount of stick, and I like them ... until it cools down a little and I'm sliding all over the place.

I can't wait to wear these things out so I can justify a new set of tires to the wife.

[KungFuJoe]

When you say you used the button, do you mean you held it down and turned everything off?

[pharding]

Just turn off the two nannies, DSC and DTC, if you want to have fun and you are a competent driver. The 330 performs significantly better especially if you have the sport package.

[Robert]

Pretty simple. The XC90's limits can be reached rather quickly giving you the on the edge feeling. If you want the same feeling in the e90 push it harder. If your rearend isn't slightly hanging loose on the turns you are not driving hard enough and please dont attempt this on public roads.

Originally Posted by rossmelvin

Last weekend I drove to Gainesville along 2-lane twisting roads the same way i took in my xc90, i was driving rather quickly and was not pleased with the ride, cornering or the acceleration. i had just as much fun as i did in my xc90. its a good car but is dosen't get my pulse racing, what is it?

[RPM90]

Originally Posted by obLu

What was ambient temp btw? I hate the blowtenzas because they have absolutely *NO* grip when it's less than 60F out. Spring here in the pacnw means sunny and 50-55F and I'm still sliding around like a camaro with bald tires. And don't tell me it's summer tires, I've had summer tires on all my previous cars (michilen pilot sport, contisportcontact 2) that still had grip down into the 50s. They even had decent grip down into the 40's and in rain.

The blowtenzas have no grip in the rain, no matter what the ambient temp and then don't have any grip in the dry unless it's 60F+. Once it warms up they have a surprising amount of stick, and I like them ... until it cools down a little and I'm sliding all over the place.

I can't wait to wear these things out so I can justify a new set of tires to the wife.

That's interesting that you experienced that.
A few days ago I test drove a Caddy CTS-V that was shoed with the RFT Potenza RE050. The CTS-V is an awesomely powerful sport sedan at 400hp/390lb ft., 6spd. It too has traction and stability controls which can either be switched off or set to some competition mode, which allows you to hang out the rear and throttle steer.
I took the test drive alone and the salesguy told me about how to turn off and chang the TC and stability.
However, I didn't realize that he or someone else had already turned it off. So, off I go to test these beast and it's a LOT of fun to drive with all that power. 2nd gear hard shifts easily spun the RFT's.

I took a few corners in a semi sporty manner as I built up knowledge of the car, but the tires felt like the weak link.
As I was headed back to the dealership I went to a triple set of turns of a left hand 90 degree, short straight follwed by an odd 70-80 degree turn. I hit the 90 just fine and throttled out of the apex no problem. I hit the 70 degree "sweeper" kind of fast and hit the throttle before the apex expecting the traction and stability to kick on, but WAIT, the rear slid out nicley but it was sent out much to easily. Granted, in 2nd gear with 400hp/390lb ft. one must be careful in a turn like that, but I wasn't going extremely fast yet those tires simply let loose. They did let go progressively though and were easy to reel back in with lighter throttle. It's just that it seems they let go too early.
I wonder if that is due to the extreme non forgiving nature of the sidewall not corresponding to rubber compound. I would think that given the stiffness of the sidewall the contact rubber should have been softer to provide added grip.

The CTS-V has a cool G-meter function. It's hard to see how much you're pulling as you're concentrating on the turn, but still want to see the guage. In the 90 degree I think I hit .75 and don't think I hit too much more in the next 70 degree sweep, but the power and available traction mixed for a nice rear out power slide around that turn.

[obLu]

I had entertained the idea of a cts-v before buying the e90 ... I actually would've bought one too if it weren't for the finish of the interior vs american car resale value.

400hp, manual transmission, more room than the e90 (I have to transport the family sometimes) and I actually am one of the few who likes the way it looks.

But ultimately it suffered from corvettitis ... blast to drive, just can't see myself living with it as a daily driver. Interior was so cheezy and then knowing in 2 years that the car will only be worth $19.95.

[jpsquared]

Originally Posted by rossmelvin

T6?

yep... 2005 T6. I love it. It's built like a tank, and does handle well for an SUV. But I hate the 4-speed tranny. Unless I'm gunning it, I always feel like it's searching for the right gear. The auto-stick helps a little.

[carl_d]

Originally Posted by rossmelvin

Last weekend I drove to Gainesville along 2-lane twisting roads the same way i took in my xc90, i was driving rather quickly and was not pleased with the ride, cornering or the acceleration. i had just as much fun as i did in my xc90. its a good car but is dosen't get my pulse racing, what is it?

Check your tire pressures - its the most likey reason.