What are the BMW 318i's wheels doing?

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Cap'n Jack

Cap'n Jack

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GoldMineGutted
This was bugging my dad and I today. My dads partner drives a BMW 318i. After driving the front and rear wheels always manage to rotate back into the same position as one another.

Just like this picture. Notice how the spokes on the rims are positioned exactly the same on the front and rear (not the same model, but it still shows what I'm curious about).

bmw-3.jpg


I hope you get what I'm saying, I'm not always the best at explaining things.
 
I don't understand how this is a legit question.

Get him to do a standstill burnout, and you'll have a less chance they'll be in the same positions.

If all 4 wheels are turning at generally the same speed at all times, then obviously the rim spokes will never be misplaced. You'd have to have one pair moving at a separate speed as the other. In normal driving, this doesn't happen often.
 
I assumed that when the front wheels turned that they would go out of sequence.
 
How often do your front wheels turn and your back wheels don't?

Are you doing a lot of Tray drifting? Or are you pulling a Ferris Bueller every now and then?

Although I understand what you mean, there is no difference between the drive wheels and the others as long as all four tires have the same amount of grip. Which is the case in normal driving.
 
MistaX
How often do your front wheels turn and your back wheels don't?

Are you doing a lot of Tray drifting? Or are you pulling a Ferris Bueller every now and then?
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Well, actually I'm not doing anything, since I don't own the car. :p

But thanks for the answer. I guess it was rather silly of me to think the wheels are doing something magical.
 
Jackington
I assumed that when the front wheels turned that they would go out of sequence.
Click to expand...

Actually it's the rear wheels that should go out of sequence, unless the differential is welded together or something.

I bet you the left and right sides are not lined up.
 
My best guess is what you're seeing is just a coincidence. I could test the theory on my Bimmer, but I have to many spokes. :boggled:
 
Are you sure that guy doesn't have spinners? :D. I've never noticed this happen, but I'd imagine it's just a coincidence. If nothing else, the front wheels are not turning at the same speed while you're going around a corner.
 
Omnis
Actually it's the rear wheels that should go out of sequence, unless the differential is welded together or something.

I bet you the left and right sides are not lined up.
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That's what I was thinking.

Though technically, if sh'es ever done a slightly agressive take-off that caused some wheel spin they go out of sync. Could just all be down to a perfectionist mechanic.
 
I'm guessing every time she rounds a corner, she gets out of the car, jacks up the front, and rotates the front tires till they're aligned with the rears... :D
 
niky
I'm guessing every time she rounds a corner, she gets out of the car, jacks up the front, and rotates the front tires till they're aligned with the rears... :D
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That's probably it. I remember my brother mentioning that his friend does it.
 
In any cornering situation there will be, at the very least, small differences in the rotational speeds of the four wheels. It's all in the geometry -- the outside wheels have a longer distance to travel than the inside wheels, and the rear wheels have a shorter distance to travel than the front wheels (that second part is related to how busses have to make wide turns). It must be coincidence.

If it helps, my 318i doesn't do this. ;)
 
Jackington
This was bugging my dad and I today. My dads partner drives a BMW 318i. After driving the front and rear wheels always manage to rotate back into the same position as one another.

Just like this picture. Notice how the spokes on the rims are positioned exactly the same on the front and rear (not the same model, but it still shows what I'm curious about).

bmw-3.jpg


I hope you get what I'm saying, I'm not always the best at explaining things.
Click to expand...

I think that this is coincidence. I bet the BMW logos on the hubs don't line up.
 
It has to be a coincidence. Every time the car makes a turn, no matter the degree, the wheels on the outside of the car are moving faster than the wheels on the inside, and they travel farther in order to get around the bigger radius within the same time. And on top of that, the rears would be spinning slower than the front wheels on their respective side of the car because the rear as a whole makes a smaller circle than the front wheels.
 
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