F31 335d xDrive - experiences?

[drmark]

julian64 said:

Hmmm every time someone posts on this thread about the obvious upgrade I am less and less likely to take it up. People are confusing spring rates with dampening in their hyperbole about the benefits of simply changing the spring rate.

As a first question does anyone even know what the spring rate change is? I know the car sits 10mm lower on the ACS which I thin kwould be hard to spot anyway. I am sceptical

I don't think there is anything wrong with BMW set up, but I went with adaptive Msport suspension.
People who seem dissatisfied went with standard set up so not surprised it was soft. My advice? Forget after market springs and get right spec in the first place.

PS it is damping, not dampening

Edited by drmark on Monday 22 June 20:33

[Tengocity]

drmark said:

I don't think there is anything wrong with BMW set up, but I went with adaptive Msport suspension.
People who seem dissatisfied went with standard set up so not surprised it was soft. My advice? Forget after market springs and get right spec in the first place.

PS it is damping, not dampening

Edited by drmark on Monday 22 June 20:33

I have adaptive and had to drive around in sport mode permanently!

[smashy]

..the consensus of opinion on the internet re 335d is the Xdrive even on adaptive doesnt cut it ....and the A C schnitzer springs turns the suspension into a far better handling ride.

[Osinjak]

Be interesting to see how the 'new' model rides, I did read somewhere that BMW may have tweaked the suspension to give it a more dynamic ride.

[JNW1]

Tengocity said:

I have adaptive and had to drive around in sport mode permanently!

My car has adaptive and even in sport mode I think it leaves a bit to be desired if you're trying to make progress on a twisty, undulating, road. I've tended to overlook this on the basis I knew I was buying a relatively big and heavy estate car and hence didn't expect sports-car agility; however, I'm quite prepared to believe that a bit of suspension tweaking could improve things as IMO the standard set-up isn't perfect even with adaptive!

[Maz_uk]

Can you have adaptive suspension and change the springs?

I'm using the adaptive suspension is just the dampers firming up?

[drmark]

Tengocity said:

I have adaptive and had to drive around in sport mode permanently!

So, you wanted a sportier better handling ride so you put it in sport instead of comfort? Isn't that what the switch is for?
Or am I missing something? A lot easier than changer the springs methinks - and best of both worlds.

[Osinjak]

From Evo mag:

The outgoing model impressed us so much that we labelled it as ‘the most entertaining drivers’ car in its segment,’ but we did concede that it wasn’t quite as focused and sharp as previous generations. BMW appears to have taken note, because it says that the 2015 car has received further developed dampers, stiffer suspension and more precise steering.

Full article here: http://www.evo.co.uk/bmw/330d-m-sport/7244/bmw-330...

[smashy]

Sounds good ...now they just need to lose those howling lumps of concrete they put round the alloys and they may have a car....I mean the noise was crazy on some surfaces never mind the ride...

[Tengocity]

drmark said:

So, you wanted a sportier better handling ride so you put it in sport instead of comfort? Isn't that what the switch is for?
Or am I missing something? A lot easier than changer the springs methinks - and best of both worlds.

Yes, it still wasn't handlin that well. Having changed springs and anti roll bars it's now bloody superb as a fast road car and not at all bad on track for a diesel family estate car. But it still works as a family car and retains excellent ride comfort.

[JNW1]

Maz_uk said:

Can you have adaptive suspension and change the springs?

I'm using the adaptive suspension is just the dampers firming up?

The upgraded springs can be fitted to cars with adaptive (looks like that's what Tengocity's done?) and yes, all adaptive does is firm-up the dampers. The issue some owners have is that even with adaptive in sport mode the car is still a bit soft and to be honest I'd probably agree with that; if I did lots of my driving over twisty, undulating, roads I'd think seriously about the spring upgrade but I don't and hence for me the expenditure isn't really worthwhile at the moment.

[bad company]

I really think some on here have bought a great sports saloon when they really wanted a sports car. I wouldn't even consider changing from the manufacturer's spec.

[tengocity]

bad company said:

I really think some on here have bought a great sports saloon when they really wanted a sports car. I wouldn't even consider changing from the manufacturer's spec.

Of course... This is pistonheads isn't it!

They needn't be complete mutually exclusive, as the existence of cars like the M3 show. I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't rather have an M3, but just can't afford to run one over the annual mileage I do.
So are you really suggesting that BMW have built a perfect car that can't be improved?
I said earlier that there is too big a gap in price and ability between the top Msport and the M3. Audi have the S cars and Mercedes have the new C450.
There is the alpina, but the prices are crazy.

[smashy]

http://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/showthread.php?t=...

Good set of posts re ACS

[JNW1]

bad company said:

I really think some on here have bought a great sports saloon when they really wanted a sports car. I wouldn't even consider changing from the manufacturer's spec.

Not so much that, more that some of us think BMW could (and should) have done a better job on the suspension in the first place. Those who've had the ACS springs fitted claim they make a significant difference (much better handling and a more controlled ride) and that seems to be the case even if the car's got adaptive suspension; however, BMW must have a testing and development budget way beyond that of AC Schnitzer so why on earth couldn't they manage to get the car sorted properly before it leaves the factory? Credit to ACS that they've come-up with a decent after-market modification at a reasonable cost but if BMW had got it right in the first place people wouldn't be feeling the need to spend several hundred pounds changing springs when they've just paid the thick-end of £40k for the car! I never thought my big heavy estate would be a sports car but I do understand where those that criticise the standard suspension set-up are coming from; it's far from awful but people like ACS are demonstrating that it's also not quite as good as it should be and personally I find that a tad frustrating.....

[Zod]

Wills2 said:

Sheepshanks said:

Yet it's common to see people getting shut of M5 and C63 after only owning them for a few months - M5's as they're too intense for day-in day-out use and the usual C63 complaint is people get fed up of having to buy new tyres every 4K miles.

The M5 is a wafty barge when you want it to be, in the default settings it falls asleep.

exactly; I drove one for five years.

[bad company]

JNW1 said:

Not so much that, more that some of us think BMW could (and should) have done a better job on the suspension in the first place. Those who've had the ACS springs fitted claim they make a significant difference (much better handling and a more controlled ride) and that seems to be the case even if the car's got adaptive suspension; however, BMW must have a testing and development budget way beyond that of AC Schnitzer so why on earth couldn't they manage to get the car sorted properly before it leaves the factory? Credit to ACS that they've come-up with a decent after-market modification at a reasonable cost but if BMW had got it right in the first place people wouldn't be feeling the need to spend several hundred pounds changing springs when they've just paid the thick-end of £40k for the car! I never thought my big heavy estate would be a sports car but I do understand where those that criticise the standard suspension set-up are coming from; it's far from awful but people like ACS are demonstrating that it's also not quite as good as it should be and personally I find that a tad frustrating.....

Your opinion is shared by others on here but I think you will find that the vast majority of owners (me included) are very happy with the car the way BM made it.

[JNW1]

bad company said:

JNW1 said:

Not so much that, more that some of us think BMW could (and should) have done a better job on the suspension in the first place. Those who've had the ACS springs fitted claim they make a significant difference (much better handling and a more controlled ride) and that seems to be the case even if the car's got adaptive suspension; however, BMW must have a testing and development budget way beyond that of AC Schnitzer so why on earth couldn't they manage to get the car sorted properly before it leaves the factory? Credit to ACS that they've come-up with a decent after-market modification at a reasonable cost but if BMW had got it right in the first place people wouldn't be feeling the need to spend several hundred pounds changing springs when they've just paid the thick-end of £40k for the car! I never thought my big heavy estate would be a sports car but I do understand where those that criticise the standard suspension set-up are coming from; it's far from awful but people like ACS are demonstrating that it's also not quite as good as it should be and personally I find that a tad frustrating.....

Your opinion is shared by others on here but I think you will find that the vast majority of owners (me included) are very happy with the car the way BM made it.

I think much depends on where and how you drive. Over the last couple of days I've done a return trip with work to Kent from North Yorkshire and on that sort of running (almost all dual carriageway/motorway) the standard set-up is fine; I tend to have the adaptive in sport mode if I'm going relatively quickly (to remove a bit of the float) but to be honest comfort mode is also ok. However, for brisk A or B road work it's not quite where it should be even in sport mode (still a touch soft and wallows a bit too much for my taste) and hence if I did the majority of my driving on those sort of roads I'd be thinking quite seriously about the spring upgrade. You may be right when you say the vast majority of owners are very happy with the standard car but I suspect none would be less happy on a car with the ACS springs while those of us that are not convinced by the standard set-up would also be content; therefore, why don't BMW do the job right in the first place and make all owners happy? I'm sure the upgraded springs would cost peanuts extra over the standard offering if fitted at the time of production and even if BMW increased the list price slightly to recover any increased outlay - on the basis they'd upgraded the suspension - I suspect they wouldn't lose any prospective customers!

Edited by JNW1 on Friday 26th June 09:14

[creepy coupe]

I borrowed a 435d x-drive for the weekend and found the ride really good. It was on adaptive dampers and when I switched from comfort to sport the difference was noticeable if not day and night.The car cornered very flat. I though the comfort mode was about right. I understand the 3 series LCi will address the wallow issues. Maybe the 4 series is already sorted.

[JNW1]

creepy coupe said:

I borrowed a 435d x-drive for the weekend and found the ride really good. It was on adaptive dampers and when I switched from comfort to sport the difference was noticeable if not day and night.The car cornered very flat. I though the comfort mode was about right. I understand the 3 series LCi will address the wallow issues. Maybe the 4 series is already sorted.

I think the ride quality is generally very good on the F31, my only issue is that even with the adaptive suspension in sport mode it feels a bit soft for quick A and B road work. Not driven a 435d but I'd expect it to be a bit better on the twisty stuff given it weighs a bit less and has a lower centre of gravity?