[itsmeek]

Hi all,

Since I have purchased the '09 e90 manual awd, I have noticed that the suspension is VERY harsh on this car. Especially the front, very unforgiving when I hit bumps on the road. It feels like the wheels will pop and the car has no suspension. Is this normal, or should I be looking at my shocks/struts? The GT-R was much more forgiving when hitting bumps on the road. I have OEM setup all around.

[psmitty95]

I'd say first try to get rid of the OEM rock hard runflats. For me that got rid of a good amount of harshness going over bumps.

[MrQuickR1]

You have the sport package?
Mine too is harsh, Avoiding pot holes is a daily thing. If I run over a dime, I feel it lol.

[zipstic]

Sport package on i =/ sport package on xi.

OP, I haven't heard many (or any?) people say the OEM xi suspension is harsh. RFT do play a role in it, but it might be worth while to see if something is damaged/broken in the suspension. Are you the first owner? Did a previous owner make any changes to the suspension?

[Vegetable]

Originally Posted by zipstic

Sport package on i =/ sport package on xi.

OP, I haven't heard many (or any?) people say the OEM xi suspension is harsh. RFT do play a role in it, but it might be worth while to see if something is damaged/broken in the suspension. Are you the first owner? Did a previous owner make any changes to the suspension?

My OEM Xi suspension is pretty harsh. It's smooth on good highway surfaces, but small potholes or bumps in the road can be jarring at highway speeds.. if I only had a penny for every time my CD player has skipped after hitting a small road imperfection on the highway. I do have have RFT, which is likely a big part of the problem.

[ajsalida]

RFT are the issue as far as harshness. Get rid of them and you'll find out how soft the OEM suspension is. I think maybe BMW tried to tune around or offset the RFT harshness by making the rest of the suspension too compliant.

Anyway for a company that brags about ultimate driving machines the whole RFT thing on sloppy suspensions is an embarrassment. This car (335xi) is my only experience with OEM supplied RFT though, I hear they are better on more performance oriented models.

I went with 18" staggered Conti DWS and they are super. May be tweaking the suspension soon.

[kavadarci]

what did you have as a previous car? that makes a huge difference. i have a 300 and the suspension is day and night, the 300 being much softer. yet, softer suspension means bad cornering and the car is all over the place but great touring car. the 3 series doesn't really qualify as touring car so as long as you know what you have.
changing to any other version of suspension setup will not make it better as this is not that type of vehicle.

[King mode]

When I hit bumps that are raised it feels like the struts completely compress, hard as a rock. I'm not sure if I need new struts but the car only has 30,000 miles. I'm not on RFT btw. I think it's just "sporty" BMW suspension.

[itsmeek]

Drove another one today- same exact thing. I guess it's just the nature of the "beast". Thanks all for the replies!!

[cb4]

Originally Posted by itsmeek

Drove another one today- same exact thing. I guess it's just the nature of the "beast". Thanks all for the replies!!

Get rid of the RFTs as others have suggested. Once I did that the ride improved immensely. The xi suspension is pretty good. It's those darn RFTs that cause the suspension to bottom out and the wheels to hop.

[SlantedEyeXI]

Honestly the 335xi stock suspension, sport package or not is crap!! Plainly put. Car feels like the whole front is gonna tare off when you hit a bump. Just invest some money in some coils or a good spring, strut combo, then ditch rfts. TRUST ME its the only way you'll get peace of mind and enjoy the car. My 2 cents..

[itsmeek]

Well, the next buyer can do that. I was making sure that the car didn't need any new parts before I put it in the forums for sale. After driving the other one last week and seeing comments here, I realize it's the "nature of the beast".

Thanks again, everyone!

[GoBlue3785]

Sometimes when I hit potholes it sounds like there's an explosion in the wheel well. Unfortunately, there's not a whole lot of options for struts. I think the runflats are mostly to blame...

[802Bimmer]

Ditch the Run-Flats. The stock XI suspension is very soft, Too much so for me. The only problem is that the upgrades are limited and $$$$$$.

[itsmeek]

802, do you have the sport suspension or regular?

[ajsalida]

Originally Posted by itsmeek

802, do you have the sport suspension or regular?

There is no such thing as a Xi sport suspension. Just one (unique to Xi).

[itsmeek]

Apologies, you are correct. I'm still thinking in "non xi" terms- no idea why.