BMW have gone too far

[RobM77]

Devil2575 said:

RobM77 said:

s has been mentioned over and over again in this thread, M Sport gives a BMW different suspension; it's not just a "look at me" option. Well, it might be for so called 'peacock' car buyers who buy things for the looks alone, but so is buying a proper sports car for them too (and watches, surfboards, bikes and basically everything!) and you could argue that all day and get nowhere. The fact is there are very genuine reasons for choosing M Sport over standard spec if you're a petrolhead interested in driving. The difference on the latest models is particularly pronounced, as the standard 'SE' BMW setup has slipped somewhat from what it used to be for the E9* era cars. As I described earlier, my wife and I test drove two new 1 series cars a couple of years ago - one with M Sport and one without - and the handling was very different between the two. I haven't tried the latest 3 series with and without yet, but from what I hear the difference is echoed there too. This isn't a subtle geeky thing, it's something most petrolheads would notice immediately on twisty roads if they're keen drivers.

That's interesting because when I bought an E46 330i I drove both the Sport and the SE and while the Sport was lower and stiffer the SE was perfectly composed on a twisty B road. In fact on uneven surfaces it was better IMHO. The same applied to the E39.

Historically, non sport/M-Sport BMWs have always had a beautiful balance and 'sport' just got you better quality dampers tuned for a more handling orientated drive, rather than a comfort, but still sporty, orientated drive. Things appear to have changed for the latest range though. As I say above, I've tried the 1 series with and without, but not the others. The M-Sport 1 series to me felt like my SE E90, nice and balanced and enjoyable through the corners, whereas the non M-Sport felt horrible - in fact my wife said it was the first time I'd ever scared her in a car, which is saying something given that she often rode in my 2-Eleven on road and track! A close friend who has identical taste in cars to me has tried the latest 3 and the 5 and says the difference is pretty much the same as the 1 series. He bought an M-Sport F11 5 series.

[Devil2575]

bodhi said:

Devil2575 said:

That's interesting because when I bought an E46 330i I drove both the Sport and the SE and while the Sport was lower and stiffer the SE was perfectly composed on a twisty B road. In fact on uneven surfaces it was better IMHO. The same applied to the E39.

I ran an E46 330d SE for 3 years, and frequently drove a friend's Sport, and there was quite a large difference between the two, the SE was composed but suffered quite badly with body roll - the Sport was much sharper, and rolled far less. The Sport did get unsettled by bumps, and the ride is noticeable harder - the only real common characteristic they has was that they both tramlined like a bh

I think a lot of the tramlining comes down to width of wheels and choice of tyres. My mate had a 330d sport on 18s and it tramlined like crazy. My 330i se was on 225 16s and it was fine. Yes a bit more body roll but given the roads round where I live it was a good trade off for better composure on the less than billiard table smooth tarmac that you get on the North Yorkshire moors.

[anonymous-user]

Weirdly on PSS I don't get much at all until the tyres are on the legal limit?

[RobM77]

Devil2575 said:

bodhi said:

Devil2575 said:

That's interesting because when I bought an E46 330i I drove both the Sport and the SE and while the Sport was lower and stiffer the SE was perfectly composed on a twisty B road. In fact on uneven surfaces it was better IMHO. The same applied to the E39.

I ran an E46 330d SE for 3 years, and frequently drove a friend's Sport, and there was quite a large difference between the two, the SE was composed but suffered quite badly with body roll - the Sport was much sharper, and rolled far less. The Sport did get unsettled by bumps, and the ride is noticeable harder - the only real common characteristic they has was that they both tramlined like a bh

I think a lot of the tramlining comes down to width of wheels and choice of tyres. My mate had a 330d sport on 18s and it tramlined like crazy. My 330i se was on 225 16s and it was fine. Yes a bit more body roll but given the roads round where I live it was a good trade off for better composure on the less than billiard table smooth tarmac that you get on the North Yorkshire moors.

I've found that too. My E90 on 16" wheels is fine - you also get to play on the limit more often due to the lower limits, which can only ever be a good thing, plus tyres are about £80 each, so enjoying yourself is cheap!

[anonymous-user]

RobM77 said:

I've found that too. My E90 on 16" wheels is fine - you also get to play on the limit more often due to the lower limits, which can only ever be a good thing, plus tyres are about £80 each, so enjoying yourself is cheap!

£80. That's depressing. Just spent £500 on a pair of rears, and don't just don't mention discs and pads to me right now.

[Linkpad]

I have owned 2 dervs BMW's and have to agree to some extent, not with how they look but more about how friggin powerful these things are !

I swear to god i've never driven anything so god damn evil looking and s*** fast even i'm scared of my own car !

I mean getting a Inline 6 engine was a bad idea to lol ! But with BMW's now any Tom dick and Harry can own one, and I find the worst road encounters i've had has actually been with other BMW drivers as they will go hell for leather to beat your BMW !

I think they should cap the power handling of these beasts, and stop making them look so god damn evil ! Which they probably will never do, so we myswell get accustomed to see the luftwaffe fly over your ass and gun you off the road !

[Devil2575]

RobM77 said:

I've found that too. My E90 on 16" wheels is fine - you also get to play on the limit more often due to the lower limits, which can only ever be a good thing, plus tyres are about £80 each, so enjoying yourself is cheap!

I think that applies to a lot of cars these days.