BMW I3S with evolve dampers
Discussion
Evolve dampers on the I3S. Long Post Warning.
I wrote this for an I3 f.b group a year ago and am cross posting here as I saw a query about the Evolve damper change.
Summary for the impatient. The Evolve dampers only package is not designed as a performance enhancement, but it does improve the ride, especially at low speeds, without any deterioration of the handling.
Let's make it clear. I am not an engineer. I have been driving for 60 years and I still sometimes just get in the car and 'go for a blat'. I have never had a car that didn't get modified in some way, and I built my own GTM Libra (look it up) which was used for track days including a couple of trips to Zolder.
As I was particularly wanting to improve the low speed ride over poor surfaces, there was no point in going for lowered ride height, so the springs are stock. The replacement dampers were fitted by Arthur from Wisely, whilst the car was having a biennial service. On my car, the top mounts were only 10k miles old as they had already been swapped out previously. New gaiters were fitted as they are cheap items and the fitting was free at the time. The car has done just over 60,000 miles.
These are my before and after impressions. There have been no measurements, I have no figures to back up my impressions.
The difference is subtle but definite. This car lives in rural Oxfordshire and we have some truly shocking roads around here. The main difference is that prior to the change there were occasions where the suspension could be 'caught out' by the severity of the poor road surface. The resultant 'crashiness' of the suspension reaching its limit of travel would put a shock through the whole structure of the car. Personally I think it is exacerbated by the carbon 'Life Cell' of the I3 generating an audible response which is probably greater than in a conventional construction car.
With the Evolve dampers the car feels as if the damping is increasing rapidly at the extremes of travel, thus making reaching that end of travel a better controlled experience, removing the "crashes" without making the car feel over damped. Some cars with relatively light front ends can exhibit a nodding effect at the front if the dampers are quite firm. I was surprised to find a very slight front end nodding, but it is very slight.
The car seems to handle just like before the change, and a run to Milton Keynes for roundabout testing made me grin just as before.
The final testing was to take my wife for a run round our worst roads. Carol has a spinal curvature and is very susceptible to rough roads, and she was the main reason that we swapped out the original flat seats of the I3 for some F30 series M sport seats. This trip was a great success, if I'd been counting there would have been fewer sharp intakes of breath as we hit some of the lumps and bumps due to the actual better handling of the road imperfections and the reduction of audible structure born sounds.
Yes the Evolve dampers have improved the ride, and there appears to be no downside. The car feels much better. They were worth it for me.
I wrote this for an I3 f.b group a year ago and am cross posting here as I saw a query about the Evolve damper change.
Summary for the impatient. The Evolve dampers only package is not designed as a performance enhancement, but it does improve the ride, especially at low speeds, without any deterioration of the handling.
Let's make it clear. I am not an engineer. I have been driving for 60 years and I still sometimes just get in the car and 'go for a blat'. I have never had a car that didn't get modified in some way, and I built my own GTM Libra (look it up) which was used for track days including a couple of trips to Zolder.
As I was particularly wanting to improve the low speed ride over poor surfaces, there was no point in going for lowered ride height, so the springs are stock. The replacement dampers were fitted by Arthur from Wisely, whilst the car was having a biennial service. On my car, the top mounts were only 10k miles old as they had already been swapped out previously. New gaiters were fitted as they are cheap items and the fitting was free at the time. The car has done just over 60,000 miles.
These are my before and after impressions. There have been no measurements, I have no figures to back up my impressions.
The difference is subtle but definite. This car lives in rural Oxfordshire and we have some truly shocking roads around here. The main difference is that prior to the change there were occasions where the suspension could be 'caught out' by the severity of the poor road surface. The resultant 'crashiness' of the suspension reaching its limit of travel would put a shock through the whole structure of the car. Personally I think it is exacerbated by the carbon 'Life Cell' of the I3 generating an audible response which is probably greater than in a conventional construction car.
With the Evolve dampers the car feels as if the damping is increasing rapidly at the extremes of travel, thus making reaching that end of travel a better controlled experience, removing the "crashes" without making the car feel over damped. Some cars with relatively light front ends can exhibit a nodding effect at the front if the dampers are quite firm. I was surprised to find a very slight front end nodding, but it is very slight.
The car seems to handle just like before the change, and a run to Milton Keynes for roundabout testing made me grin just as before.
The final testing was to take my wife for a run round our worst roads. Carol has a spinal curvature and is very susceptible to rough roads, and she was the main reason that we swapped out the original flat seats of the I3 for some F30 series M sport seats. This trip was a great success, if I'd been counting there would have been fewer sharp intakes of breath as we hit some of the lumps and bumps due to the actual better handling of the road imperfections and the reduction of audible structure born sounds.
Yes the Evolve dampers have improved the ride, and there appears to be no downside. The car feels much better. They were worth it for me.
Great review Paul. I've been looking at these since I got my i3 over a year ago. I've heard mixed reviews (mostly positive however), some people claim they don't make much difference. I have a mate with a lift so I can do the 'conversion' myself which makes it less of a financial gamble! Did you declare the new shocks with your insurance company? I'm not sure if you would need to TBH?
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