F31 335d XDrive Handling

F31 335d XDrive Handling

Author
Discussion

smashy

3,030 posts

157 months

Sunday 24th April 2016
quotequote all
Wills2 said:
I can vouch for Rossiters (ACS UK) good set up, know what they're doing, very good to do business with.

,,,and the workshop they use up there run by an ex BMW Guy who is another really decent friendly bloke has to be the cleanest establishment ive ever been in mechanic wise ,and never seen any bad reviews comments about themm on any forum yep im a fan......if you go up there do a before an after run in a place called Prick Willow 5 mile road that really undulates going my partner and I were nearly hitting the roof with the crazy bouncing we were laughing but if I thought this is it for ever id have been cryingsmile The after run was fantastic totally planted as I put my foot down.

Those springs and dampers were probably the best thing ive ever bought daft but maybe true

ratty6464

627 posts

209 months

Sunday 24th April 2016
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Are Rossiters based in Norfolk?

Totally agree with the view of the OP. I have a 435d and the suspension is a complete let down, considering the ACS springs and will definitely swap the tyres for non-runflats.

Has anyone swapped their tyres? I'd like Michelin Pilot Supersports but they don't seem to have them for a similar load rating on the fronts (225/40/19 89 currently on the car at the front)

JNW1

7,696 posts

193 months

Sunday 24th April 2016
quotequote all
ratty6464 said:
Are Rossiters based in Norfolk?

Totally agree with the view of the OP. I have a 435d and the suspension is a complete let down, considering the ACS springs and will definitely swap the tyres for non-runflats.

Has anyone swapped their tyres? I'd like Michelin Pilot Supersports but they don't seem to have them for a similar load rating on the fronts (225/40/19 89 currently on the car at the front)
Swapped Bridgestone run-flats for conventional Goodyear AS2's on my F31 335d; they improved the ride slightly but the main difference has been a significant reduction in road noise. I don't dispute that Pilot Super Sports are very good tyres but they were the best part of 30% more expensive for 18" wheels and, having experienced AS2's on both an E92 335i and an E91 335d, I had no hesitation in fitting them again!

wakaday

Original Poster:

24 posts

173 months

Monday 25th April 2016
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Little concerned regarding comments on Birds. They were my preferred choice. I feel the job is bigger than just springs, but don't want to go to the expense of ACS coil overs. Birds are some distance from my location so I was intending on getting a trusted local BMW indy garage to fit the parts. All parts have 3 years warranty and they insure anything that BMW will not. Do you think it's safer to get Birds to fit the kit?

wakaday

Original Poster:

24 posts

173 months

Monday 25th April 2016
quotequote all
JNW1 said:
Swapped Bridgestone run-flats for conventional Goodyear AS2's on my F31 335d; they improved the ride slightly but the main difference has been a significant reduction in road noise. I don't dispute that Pilot Super Sports are very good tyres but they were the best part of 30% more expensive for 18" wheels and, having experienced AS2's on both an E92 335i and an E91 335d, I had no hesitation in fitting them again!
I've just scrapped a front tyre from a pot hole. So decided to moved away from Bridgestone S001 to Contisport 6 in non-run flat. Getting two fronts fitted today. Planning using the other Bridgestone front tyre as spare wheel.

smashy

3,030 posts

157 months

Monday 25th April 2016
quotequote all
wakaday said:
I've just scrapped a front tyre from a pot hole. So decided to moved away from Bridgestone S001 to Contisport 6 in non-run flat. Getting two fronts fitted today. Planning using the other Bridgestone front tyre as spare wheel.
Wakaday just reread your OP reckon normal tyres will make a big difference re crashy stuff it did for me and I reckon ACS Springs could well be all you need ,many BMW Dealers fit them. If I were you I would have a chat with Lorcan at Rossiters hes a very straight guy he will give you honest advice


Edited by smashy on Monday 25th April 14:17

JNW1

7,696 posts

193 months

Monday 25th April 2016
quotequote all
wakaday said:
JNW1 said:
Swapped Bridgestone run-flats for conventional Goodyear AS2's on my F31 335d; they improved the ride slightly but the main difference has been a significant reduction in road noise. I don't dispute that Pilot Super Sports are very good tyres but they were the best part of 30% more expensive for 18" wheels and, having experienced AS2's on both an E92 335i and an E91 335d, I had no hesitation in fitting them again!
I've just scrapped a front tyre from a pot hole. So decided to moved away from Bridgestone S001 to Contisport 6 in non-run flat. Getting two fronts fitted today. Planning using the other Bridgestone front tyre as spare wheel.
Are you changing all four tyres or just the fronts? My hand was forced by a puncture to one of the fronts and I decided to bite the bullet and change all four even though the rears had over 4mm of tread left; didn't fancy mixing conventional tyres on the front with run-flats on the rear but that could just have been me being over cautious!

Wills2

22,612 posts

174 months

Monday 25th April 2016
quotequote all
smashy said:
Wills2 said:
I can vouch for Rossiters (ACS UK) good set up, know what they're doing, very good to do business with.

,,,and the workshop they use up there run by an ex BMW Guy who is another really decent friendly bloke has to be the cleanest establishment ive ever been in mechanic wise ,and never seen any bad reviews comments about themm on any forum yep im a fan......if you go up there do a before an after run in a place called Prick Willow 5 mile road that really undulates going my partner and I were nearly hitting the roof with the crazy bouncing we were laughing but if I thought this is it for ever id have been cryingsmile The after run was fantastic totally planted as I put my foot down.

Those springs and dampers were probably the best thing ive ever bought daft but maybe true
Yep Ian is a nice bloke, had my springs and exhaust fitted by his team.

wakaday

Original Poster:

24 posts

173 months

Monday 25th April 2016
quotequote all
JNW1 said:
wakaday said:
JNW1 said:
I've just scrapped a front tyre from a pot hole. So decided to moved away from Bridgestone S001 to Contisport 6 in non-run flat. Getting two fronts fitted today. Planning using the other Bridgestone front tyre as spare wheel.
Are you changing all four tyres or just the fronts? My hand was forced by a puncture to one of the fronts and I decided to bite the bullet and change all four even though the rears had over 4mm of tread left; didn't fancy mixing conventional tyres on the front with run-flats on the rear but that could just have been me being over cautious!
Yes, I'm now running Contisport 6 non-run flats on front and S001's run flats on rear. Not ideal, and intend to be cautious in case of odd handling, it handles like a boat at the moment , so I don't expect it to be worse. I'm planning on getting the rears changed over when the ContiSport 6 are avalible in the rear size.

Huskyman

653 posts

126 months

Tuesday 26th April 2016
quotequote all
wakaday said:
JNW1 said:
Swapped Bridgestone run-flats for conventional Goodyear AS2's on my F31 335d; they improved the ride slightly but the main difference has been a significant reduction in road noise. I don't dispute that Pilot Super Sports are very good tyres but they were the best part of 30% more expensive for 18" wheels and, having experienced AS2's on both an E92 335i and an E91 335d, I had no hesitation in fitting them again!
I've just scrapped a front tyre from a pot hole. So decided to moved away from Bridgestone S001 to Contisport 6 in non-run flat. Getting two fronts fitted today. Planning using the other Bridgestone front tyre as spare wheel.
First and foremost do NOT run a mix of run-flat and conventional tyres on a car, get all four changed as you stand a chance of getting into serious trouble in the event of a claim. Change all four to the Conti Sport 6 and then go from there, and make sure you notify your insurance as this is classified as a modification.
Get one of those mobility kits and put it in the boot, there are a few on the market.

I have a Birds B3 suspension kit fitted to my car with the same tyres as you on all four corners and the handling and grip is immense, however my car is an E90. The parts in the Birds B3 kit are made by Eibach and Bilstein, but the dampers are custom valved as Birds carry out a fair bit of R&D on their kits.

If the dampers do start to wear you can send them to Bilstein UK and get them overhauled which is what I will be doing very shortly on my car, it costs around £400 for all four.

I hope this helps.

JNW1

7,696 posts

193 months

Tuesday 26th April 2016
quotequote all
Huskyman said:
First and foremost do NOT run a mix of run-flat and conventional tyres on a car, get all four changed as you stand a chance of getting into serious trouble in the event of a claim. Change all four to the Conti Sport 6 and then go from there, and make sure you notify your insurance as this is classified as a modification.
Get one of those mobility kits and put it in the boot, there are a few on the market.
I think different insurance companies view the change to conventional tyres from run-flats in different ways; I did notify mine (LV) but their reaction was along the lines of "thanks for letting us know but there was no need as we don't classify that as a modification". I have one of those Continental mobility kits in the boot (which I hope and pray I'll never need!) and agree with your view about not mixing conventional tyres and run-flats; don't think it's inherently dangerous but not good practice IMO.

Slippydiff

14,712 posts

222 months

Tuesday 26th April 2016
quotequote all
Huskyman said:
First and foremost do NOT run a mix of run-flat and conventional tyres on a car, get all four changed as you stand a chance of getting into serious trouble in the event of a claim. Change all four to the Conti Sport 6 and then go from there, and make sure you notify your insurance as this is classified as a modification.
Get one of those mobility kits and put it in the boot, there are a few on the market.

I have a Birds B3 suspension kit fitted to my car with the same tyres as you on all four corners and the handling and grip is immense, however my car is an E90. The parts in the Birds B3 kit are made by Eibach and Bilstein, but the dampers are custom valved as Birds carry out a fair bit of R&D on their kits.

If the dampers do start to wear you can send them to Bilstein UK and get them overhauled which is what I will be doing very shortly on my car, it costs around £400 for all four.

I hope this helps.
I ran runflats (F) and non-runflats (R) on my car (E90 335D M Sport) for nearly 10k miles without any issues whatsoever. It's a myth that mixing them can causes issues, initially the TC light was more active than when running runflats all round, but I suspect the TC system is adaptive and learns how the chassis responds to the improved grip/compliance gained from the non-runflats.

As for concerns about insurance companies using a combination of RF's and NRF's as a get out clause in the event of claim, as long as the tyres on the car are legal (tread depth etc) and they meet the speed/load ratings specified by the manufacturer, no insurer would stand a chance of refusing a claim.

Gruber

6,313 posts

213 months

Tuesday 26th April 2016
quotequote all
Slippydiff said:
I ran runflats (F) and non-runflats (R) on my car (E90 335D M Sport) for nearly 10k miles without any issues whatsoever. It's a myth that mixing them can causes issues, initially the TC light was more active than when running runflats all round, but I suspect the TC system is adaptive and learns how the chassis responds to the improved grip/compliance gained from the non-runflats.
Slightly different set of issues with the xdrives though.

wakaday

Original Poster:

24 posts

173 months

Tuesday 26th April 2016
quotequote all
Totally agree with you guys. It's not best practice, and I certainly wouldn't mix on an axle , but the ContiSport 6 in rear size isn't available until about June. Really want a matching set. Incidentally, covered about 100 miles, some fast road not noticed any issues, just the normal excessive body roll.

Huskyman

653 posts

126 months

Tuesday 26th April 2016
quotequote all
Slippydiff said:
Huskyman said:
First and foremost do NOT run a mix of run-flat and conventional tyres on a car, get all four changed as you stand a chance of getting into serious trouble in the event of a claim. Change all four to the Conti Sport 6 and then go from there, and make sure you notify your insurance as this is classified as a modification.
Get one of those mobility kits and put it in the boot, there are a few on the market.

I have a Birds B3 suspension kit fitted to my car with the same tyres as you on all four corners and the handling and grip is immense, however my car is an E90. The parts in the Birds B3 kit are made by Eibach and Bilstein, but the dampers are custom valved as Birds carry out a fair bit of R&D on their kits.

If the dampers do start to wear you can send them to Bilstein UK and get them overhauled which is what I will be doing very shortly on my car, it costs around £400 for all four.

I hope this helps.
I ran runflats (F) and non-runflats (R) on my car (E90 335D M Sport) for nearly 10k miles without any issues whatsoever. It's a myth that mixing them can causes issues, initially the TC light was more active than when running runflats all round, but I suspect the TC system is adaptive and learns how the chassis responds to the improved grip/compliance gained from the non-runflats.

As for concerns about insurance companies using a combination of RF's and NRF's as a get out clause in the event of claim, as long as the tyres on the car are legal (tread depth etc) and they meet the speed/load ratings specified by the manufacturer, no insurer would stand a chance of refusing a claim.
That is quite different from what I was told, and is in all probability true, but I wouldn't give them any excuse to refuse a claim as it is in their best interest to do so financially speaking. As for the modification stance, any change to your car from manufacturer's specification can and may be used as a get out clause. I know this and that is why I fit only N0 rated tyres to my Boxster, as non N0 tyres can invalidate my insurance and unbelievably my warranty. Sorry for taking it off topic a bit.

Slippydiff

14,712 posts

222 months

Wednesday 27th April 2016
quotequote all
Huskyman said:
Slippydiff said:
Huskyman said:
First and foremost do NOT run a mix of run-flat and conventional tyres on a car, get all four changed as you stand a chance of getting into serious trouble in the event of a claim. Change all four to the Conti Sport 6 and then go from there, and make sure you notify your insurance as this is classified as a modification.
Get one of those mobility kits and put it in the boot, there are a few on the market.

I have a Birds B3 suspension kit fitted to my car with the same tyres as you on all four corners and the handling and grip is immense, however my car is an E90. The parts in the Birds B3 kit are made by Eibach and Bilstein, but the dampers are custom valved as Birds carry out a fair bit of R&D on their kits.

If the dampers do start to wear you can send them to Bilstein UK and get them overhauled which is what I will be doing very shortly on my car, it costs around £400 for all four.

I hope this helps.
I ran runflats (F) and non-runflats (R) on my car (E90 335D M Sport) for nearly 10k miles without any issues whatsoever. It's a myth that mixing them can causes issues, initially the TC light was more active than when running runflats all round, but I suspect the TC system is adaptive and learns how the chassis responds to the improved grip/compliance gained from the non-runflats.

As for concerns about insurance companies using a combination of RF's and NRF's as a get out clause in the event of claim, as long as the tyres on the car are legal (tread depth etc) and they meet the speed/load ratings specified by the manufacturer, no insurer would stand a chance of refusing a claim.
That is quite different from what I was told, and is in all probability true, but I wouldn't give them any excuse to refuse a claim as it is in their best interest to do so financially speaking. As for the modification stance, any change to your car from manufacturer's specification can and may be used as a get out clause. I know this and that is why I fit only N0 rated tyres to my Boxster, as non N0 tyres can invalidate my insurance and unbelievably my warranty. Sorry for taking it off topic a bit.
Invalidate your warranty ? Yes. Your insurance ? No.

Slippydiff

14,712 posts

222 months

Wednesday 27th April 2016
quotequote all
Gruber said:
Slightly different set of issues with the xdrives though.
How so ?

julian64

14,317 posts

253 months

Wednesday 27th April 2016
quotequote all
are the aftermarket springs marked in some way? Anyone got a picture of their originals?

I bought my car 335xd at nine months old with adaptive and 20" wheels. I don't get excessive body roll and I'm quite happy with the ride. I'm now wondering if the guy that owned my car shoved aftermarket springs on because I can't be the only 335xd owner who thinks his car handles fine from stock.

Last car was an E39 M5 which I owned for nearly ten years, and my other cars are all faster, so I'm fairly hard on the handling side of my cars. So somewhat confused


Ross_T_Boss

163 posts

217 months

Wednesday 27th April 2016
quotequote all
My experience with Birds wasn't perfect but was certainly not bad. And their B3x kit has transformed my pre-LCI F31 335d.

I always felt the car was reasonable in stock form, but not quite what I expected. From an Audi background I was expecting something S-car equivalent in terms of performance. The drivetrain is awesome but suspension a bit disappointing considering I had ticked the M-Sport+ box; adaptive suspension lived in Sport mode and the Golf R became the family car as my wife and one of the kids got travel sick in the 335d.

Back in November I opted to keep the car longer term, so took the car to Bird's. Unfortunately they couldn't decode the Adaptive so I was left with the option to fit springs only. I opted for that on the basis I could add the dampers later for parts cost only - not a bad way to make the most of a poor situation.

I was very impressed with the improvement, enough that I almost didn't bother getting dampers fitted. No more travel sickness - the body control is much improved but without any cost to comfort. Really - if anything it's better as it's less floaty. From a drivers perspective the car was more balanced and responsive, body roll greatly reduced, and more predictable. I found I could have a bit of fun with it; I was very surprised that softening up the rear gave it a slight oversteer tendency but not complaining!

For most enthusiastic drivers this would be enough, especially with Adaptive - Sport actually become 'sport' mode and comfort much more useable. The car would feel horribly floaty at speed in Comfort before. For my wife it was enough, and for me, almost! But on that occasional B-road drive where you push it a bit harder the flaws still came through and I was left wanting a bit more.

I decided to bite the bullet this week and fit the Birds dampers as well. I was a bit apprehensive. I was right to be - the ride is certainly a bit firmer, and the bumps can be felt. Anyone considering this does need to take a test drive and ensure it's not too much. The car with updated springs only is a fantastic fast cruiser, and it would be nice to have the option to flip into 'comfort' on a longer lazy motorway drive. But I don't regret it in the slightest. The car is still comfortable enough and I really appreciate being able to feel the road now and have an engaging drive. I actually looked forward to having to drive the car the past few days and even found an excuse to take it for a late evening hoon to B&Q and back last night.

What's improved... everything. I didn't really notice pitch/dive after the springs but suddenly the car just feels flat and responsive on a launch or hard on the brakes. Traction is nuts, and that's still on winter tyres! I am putting Non-RFT's on in the next couple of weeks and can't wait to see how that is. It is so much more effective at putting the power down on rough, bumpy roads and out of corners. The car is now on rails - turn-in is so much sharper and responsive, it takes a bit of getting used to! Unexpectedly the DCS seems to work a lot better with the chassis now, it'll allow more movement and yaw with more subtle inputs if you unsettle it. It's more like Sport+ was before - except the car is much more predictable and controlled - which is perhaps part of it. All in all it's a transformation, exciting to drive, and feels like something well worthy of an M-badge now.

AliMc99

161 posts

175 months

Wednesday 27th April 2016
quotequote all
I've got a pre LCI 335d x drive m sport touring and fitted the ACS Spring kit (£600 fitted by Sandal BMW Wakefield) and they transform the car. I subsequently have replaced the Bridgestone run flats with Michelin PSS (which are Extra load only on the 19" wheel size). These have further improved the car (notably steering feel and turn in). I think the ACS springs are essential on this model (although there is some suggestion BMW have improved the LCI version but I haven't driven it)