RE: BMW M4 Competition Pack: Review

[Cheib]

Wills2 said:

RossP said:

I already said that Don't think Dan has.

Forgive me but it's such a long thread, I didn't have time to read all the posts....

Sums it up doesn't it.....once upon a time a new "edition" of an M3/4 would have the masses salivating.

I drove a dealers demo car about three weeks ago which I am guessing must have been an LCI car. I thought it was trying way too hard....suspension was just way way too unsettled. The hardest setting was just ridiculous. I have had two M3's before and was really disappointed. I bought a 5 year old 997 GTS for the same money as a new M4 last week.

[rs4al]

Krikkit said:

Didn't BMW implement a feature in damp weather where it automatically does that? I'm sure I saw a TV ad with that in once upon a time...

Not that I have noticed, when driving in heavy rain with the steel brakes, there is a definite feeling of no braking until the water is wiped from the disc by the brakes. One of the only features of the M4 that is not very confidence inspring.

[Dan Trent]

RossP said:

I would also say that you need to compare a comp pack to a current standard car. Many claim that there were revisions from Sept last year (when the M3 LCI was released) to the suspension over your long termer.

This is a fair point; I haven't driven the updated 'standard' car and BMW said they roll out mods (the Comp Pack 'reinforced bedplate' will be introduced to standard cars too) as they go along. 'Our process of continuous development' was the official line... I'll see if I can get in an LCI'd car at some point, though it is a little tricky given the variances in wheels, tyres, etc... so there is that caveat to this drive, which I hope was clear enough. When we book it back in with the 'proper' wheels on that would seem a good chance to compare with the LCI car.

More on this anon but, overall, it was definitely a step in the right direction over the long-term car I had. Which, as you'll probably know, I was a huge fan of anyway!

Cheers,

Dan

[Wills2]

Cheib said:

Wills2 said:

RossP said:

I already said that Don't think Dan has.

Forgive me but it's such a long thread, I didn't have time to read all the posts....

Sums it up doesn't it.....once upon a time a new "edition" of an M3/4 would have the masses salivating.

I drove a dealers demo car about three weeks ago which I am guessing must have been an LCI car. I thought it was trying way too hard....suspension was just way way too unsettled. The hardest setting was just ridiculous. I have had two M3's before and was really disappointed. I bought a 5 year old 997 GTS for the same money as a new M4 last week.

I can't agree with that, the suspension for me is very well judged, sport+ is fine and will handle a rutted pock marked b road with ease.

[Cheib]

Wills2 said:

Cheib said:

Wills2 said:

RossP said:

I already said that Don't think Dan has.

Forgive me but it's such a long thread, I didn't have time to read all the posts....

Sums it up doesn't it.....once upon a time a new "edition" of an M3/4 would have the masses salivating.

I drove a dealers demo car about three weeks ago which I am guessing must have been an LCI car. I thought it was trying way too hard....suspension was just way way too unsettled. The hardest setting was just ridiculous. I have had two M3's before and was really disappointed. I bought a 5 year old 997 GTS for the same money as a new M4 last week.

I can't agree with that, the suspension for me is very well judged, sport+ is fine and will handle a rutted pock marked b road with ease.

Each to their own, we all have different opinions!

Salesman seemed to agree with me though on the firmest setting..."that's for the track only".

[Dan Trent]

I've got a pretty high threshold for such things - probably higher than most - and I very, very rarely drove it in Sport+ on the road. I generally defaulted to Comfort for mooching and cruising but in the standard car that could be underdamped so if you neglected to go to Sport things could get a bit lairy on a bumpy bit of road. Which is where the Comp Pack to me seems a big improvement - Comfort now has sufficient damping that you can use it for most things and not fear getting bucked off the road if you hit an unexpected bump at speed, with Sport again OK for when you're a little more committed. I did try Sport+ but probably wouldn't use it unless the road was smooth.

Dan

[Cotic]

Dan Trent said:

I've got a pretty high threshold for such things - probably higher than most - and I very, very rarely drove it in Sport+ on the road. I generally defaulted to Comfort for mooching and cruising but in the standard car that could be underdamped so if you neglected to go to Sport things could get a bit lairy on a bumpy bit of road. Which is where the Comp Pack to me seems a big improvement - Comfort now has sufficient damping that you can use it for most things and not fear getting bucked off the road if you hit an unexpected bump at speed, with Sport again OK for when you're a little more committed. I did try Sport+ but probably wouldn't use it unless the road was smooth.

Dan

Why? Why can't they develop a setting suitable for the UK? We're one of their biggest markets, after all? I see the need for a track setting, fine - but surely a well-damped comfort setting without spending big money on a 'comp pack' would be the least we could ask for... Grrrr.

[Kawasicki]

some manufacturers have a brake disc wiping function where about half a bar of brake pressure is used every couple of minutes. This is usually to clear water off the disc.

Also, I think the rear of the M4 also maybe has an overly stiff anti roll bar, which transfers single wheel bump forces to the other side. It REALLY feels like a live axle at times, at least to me.

[mat205125]

jamespink said:

"it pays to skim the discs periodically" so who does that? I have run M cars for years and just changed the disks when they need it...

Sounds like something that would be recommended to sir when sir has his car serviced, and sir gets relieved of £500 for the pleasure ...... sir might as well have new pads whilst we're doing the job.

[RossP]

Cheib said:

Each to their own, we all have different opinions!

Salesman seemed to agree with me though on the firmest setting..."that's for the track only".

First thing I do with mine is stick it in the comfort suspension setting. As the system is adaptive it dynamically adjusts each corner of the car based on current conditions. I believe that even in comfort the dampers can go to the equivalent of sport+ if the conditions dictate it.

I think that Sport+ is too stiff for the road too. Was the same in my E92 M3.

[Mikeeb]

Couldn't the different steering feel be just down to the winter tyres. They have made every car I have run them on feel completely different.

[MWM3]

Dan Trent said:

I generally defaulted to Comfort for mooching and cruising but in the standard car that could be underdamped so if you neglected to go to Sport things could get a bit lairy on a bumpy bit of road.
Dan

Wonder if this is the reason why the default start up settings are efficient power, sport suspension and steering?

[cerb4.5lee]

RossP said:

I think that Sport+ is too stiff for the road too. Was the same in my E92 M3.

I didn't like the sport setting in my E92 M3 either and I found it just wanted to bounce you off the road because it was so stiff because our roads aren't exactly smooth or very flat.

I thought it was brilliant in comfort mode though and if I was pushing on I just flicked it into normal instead of sport.

[grumpynuts]

Why can't BMW simply build a car with quality dampers and well judged settings? All these buttons seem to confuse not only the car, but the punters as well, as to what setting to have the car on. Each different setting seems to be such a compromise that a single great setting isn't available. Waste of money IMO. Give me a car with great damping, and an engine with well balanced and judged characteristics, then a nice slick manual gearbox so I can make sure it's always in the right gear for the right conditions. I can then learn the car, and adjust my driving style to get the best from it. Way too much tech, too many buttons, too many choices, none of them satisfy, utterly pointless.

[cerb4.5lee]

grumpynuts said:

Why can't BMW simply build a car with quality dampers and well judged settings? All these buttons seem to confuse not only the car, but the punters as well, as to what setting to have the car on.

A lot would agree with you and certainly on the E9x M3 most people preferred the car without EDC because the standard suspension was really well judged anyway.

[RossP]

grumpynuts said:

Why can't BMW simply build a car with quality dampers and well judged settings? All these buttons seem to confuse not only the car, but the punters as well, as to what setting to have the car on. Each different setting seems to be such a compromise that a single great setting isn't available. Waste of money IMO. Give me a car with great damping, and an engine with well balanced and judged characteristics, then a nice slick manual gearbox so I can make sure it's always in the right gear for the right conditions. I can then learn the car, and adjust my driving style to get the best from it. Way too much tech, too many buttons, too many choices, none of them satisfy, utterly pointless.

No confusion here and I am very happy with my dampers. Comfort most of the time, maybe Sport if pressing on, Sport+ for track use.
Engine pulls hard all the time.
Nice slick manual box? Tick!

[MWM3]

cerb4.5lee said:

A lot would agree with you and certainly on the E9x M3 most people preferred the car without EDC because the standard suspension was really well judged anyway.

EDC on the E9x was an essential for me. The only people I know who have said you didn't need EDC are the people who didn't have it.

Plus if EDC wasn't specced, you had the blank middle button on the centre console, which is a truly heinous crime.

[Wills2]

I had a passively sprung e92 and found it was nicely judged also had a CP EDC e92 sport+ was quite firm on that car.

I've just driven back from having my F80 serviced in sport+ mode and whilst firm, it isn't bouncy/crashy or uncomfortable, that was over some pretty bad surfaces as well. (over the Pennines and into north Yorkshire on a mixture of a and b roads)

I couldn't imagine anyone being in the car and saying the ride is ridiculous/harsh or for tracks only, if it was I'd freely admit it.

[cerb4.5lee]

MWM3 said:

cerb4.5lee said:

A lot would agree with you and certainly on the E9x M3 most people preferred the car without EDC because the standard suspension was really well judged anyway.

EDC on the E9x was an essential for me. The only people I know who have said you didn't need EDC are the people who didn't have it.

Plus if EDC wasn't specced, you had the blank middle button on the centre console, which is a truly heinous crime.

I wouldn't have bought mine without it and it was a must to be fair, but I didn't find the one I drove without it bad at all either.

Funny you mention the blank middle button and that was a big enough reason for me to go for one with it because if I didn't it would have drove me mad every time I looked down at the gearbox!

[Wills2]

Dan Trent said:

This is a fair point; I haven't driven the updated 'standard' car and BMW said they roll out mods (the Comp Pack 'reinforced bedplate' will be introduced to standard cars too) as they go along. 'Our process of continuous development' was the official line... I'll see if I can get in an LCI'd car at some point, though it is a little tricky given the variances in wheels, tyres, etc... so there is that caveat to this drive, which I hope was clear enough. When we book it back in with the 'proper' wheels on that would seem a good chance to compare with the LCI car.

More on this anon but, overall, it was definitely a step in the right direction over the long-term car I had. Which, as you'll probably know, I was a huge fan of anyway!

Cheers,

Dan

You're more than welcome to try mine Dan.