Just bought X6M, terrible ride quality

[Aqid]

Hi guys,

I just bought an X6M from out of state. I had a PPI done and it came back great, but I guess he didn't state anything about the ride quality. It's unmanageable. I was expecting a little harsh ride due to it being an M car and on sport suspension, but this is something else. Can hardly do 70 on the highway without being thrown all over the place. It also seems like there is NO difference between Comfort, Sport and Sport Plus.

I could tell from the pictures it was lowered, so I inspected the springs up front and found that the H&R VRF Adjustable lowering springs are installed.

Here's a pic of the car:


I'm wondering what the best route is to take going forward. Is it a known issue that the lowering springs make the ride this harsh? Or could there be something else that went bad? I read somewhere that the rear air suspension is a known issue too. Could it have something to do with that or is there an easy way to test this? Since I can't feel a different between Comfort and Sport Plus I was wondering if it had anything to do with it. Sorry if I'm coming over as ignorant, this is the second day with this car so I'm still learning.

[Msondeck]

Yes lowering springs change ride quality, especially those adjustable ones that are maxxed out. They will also shorten the shocks life much faster when maxxed out.

First thing id do is make sure whats on the car.
I.e stock shocks? Lowering links? Rear airbag delete?

Then decide what you want your ride hight to look like.

If you want to keep that look but want a much better ride quality id reccomend getting kw v3 coilovers. They remove the "suspension settings" but ride quality is a night and day difference at that ride height. With kw coilovers the 2 front coilovers, 2 rear shocks and lowering links are as much as 4 new shocks from bmw.

As far as the rear bags go those are know to fail eventually. Many notice the rear sag overnight then inflate when you start the car. Sure sign you need to replace those.

Also, with sticky tires the car is known to tramline over patchwork on roads. If your feeling pulling over those patches on roads thats pretty normal with low profile summer tires. If your feeling the car bounce and get unsettled when hitting bumps at highway speeds it sounds like bad shocks to me.

Good luck. These cars are badass when you get them working right. Good news is all this stuff has been figured out theres a very knowlegable group here. Those are just my thoughts

[Sabs1815]

the rear end of the truck looks ridiculously low, like lower than it should on any lowering kit. I have a regular F15 X5 and when my air bags and compressor went it was like driving a hay wagon with leather seats.

I would check and make sure the bag are inflating, check that the compressor (exterior under passenger seat) is turning on when one of the passenger doors is opened and closed, you can also force it to turn on by looking for the ride height sensor on the back axel and manually moving it.

If you could get your hands on ISTA see if you could cycle the compressor manually if the height changes at all, this is the easiest way to root out the issue.

[shimmy23]

The H&R VTF kit is known to have a crap ride when maxed out low. I would raise it up to a modest drop (1" front .5" rear) vs what you have now and that should help. If you adjust to the dinan height drop, i'd think you'd be much happier. If its still not tolerable, raise it back to stock height.

[MGESTO]

Back in the day I had the same problem when I bought it with the blue H&R springs which were more comfortable but the height didn't look very good for my taste, then I decided to try the H&R VTF and improved the height of the car although it was too hard. In the end I decided to put the Kw V3 and taking it down to the maximum it is still quite comfortable and you can tell that you are safe on the road.
I'm going to look for some old photos so you can see the differences.
Greetings amigos👍

1:H&R BLUE
2:H&R VTF
3:KW V3

[katchup]

there should be an adjustable link on the rear suspension. Give it a few turns and raise the rear up about an inch(should take you 10 mins) and im guessing will fix a lot of your issues

[Aqid]

First of all, thanks to everyone who replied. You guys' input is super valuable. Buying this car was a huge step for me, so when I realized it didn't drive to my liking it was a bit of a disappointment. Other than that I definitely love the car, but every time I drive it I just get this feeling that it could be so much better.

Originally Posted by Msondeck

Yes lowering springs change ride quality, especially those adjustable ones that are maxxed out. They will also shorten the shocks life much faster when maxxed out.

First thing id do is make sure whats on the car.
I.e stock shocks? Lowering links? Rear airbag delete?

Then decide what you want your ride hight to look like.

If you want to keep that look but want a much better ride quality id reccomend getting kw v3 coilovers. They remove the "suspension settings" but ride quality is a night and day difference at that ride height. With kw coilovers the 2 front coilovers, 2 rear shocks and lowering links are as much as 4 new shocks from bmw.

As far as the rear bags go those are know to fail eventually. Many notice the rear sag overnight then inflate when you start the car. Sure sign you need to replace those.

Also, with sticky tires the car is known to tramline over patchwork on roads. If your feeling pulling over those patches on roads thats pretty normal with low profile summer tires. If your feeling the car bounce and get unsettled when hitting bumps at highway speeds it sounds like bad shocks to me.

Good luck. These cars are badass when you get them working right. Good news is all this stuff has been figured out theres a very knowlegable group here. Those are just my thoughts

Thanks for the in-depth reply! I agree, I should start figuring that out first. I'm currently on a road trip with it, but once I get back that will be the first thing I'd do. My guess is the stock shocks with the H&R springs. I'm not sure about the rear airbag, I don't hear a compressor or see a difference in ride height.

I definitely noticed the tramline feeling you're describing, but I had a feeling that had little to do with the suspension. You're also right with how you're describing the second part, bouncing and getting unsettled. Some parts (of Colorado's not-so-great) highways felts outright scary at 70-80 mph. But also in town, going over a bump it does another 3 bounces or so. My poor passengers are getting shaken as if they're in a cocktail shaker.

As of what I want my ride height to be like, I wouldn't mind trading back some height for more comfort, but at the same time I think the stock height is slightly too high. I'm glad you mentioned the kw v3's because I was thinking about that as kind of a last resort fix. It's quite the investment but if the ride quality becomes better and I can select the exact right height I want, it might just be worth it.

Originally Posted by Sabs1815

the rear end of the truck looks ridiculously low, like lower than it should on any lowering kit. I have a regular F15 X5 and when my air bags and compressor went it was like driving a hay wagon with leather seats.

I would check and make sure the bag are inflating, check that the compressor (exterior under passenger seat) is turning on when one of the passenger doors is opened and closed, you can also force it to turn on by looking for the ride height sensor on the back axel and manually moving it.

Yep, that's pretty close to how it feels LOL. Again, pardon my ignorance (I'm kind of new to the concept of air bags), but by checking if it turns on do you mean listen to it and see if the compressor makes noise? And do you mean when the passenger doors open the first time overnight or just at any time? I haven't heard a compressor noise yet but I've also not really paid attention to it. I'll definitely give that a try, thanks!

Originally Posted by shimmy23

The H&R VTF kit is known to have a crap ride when maxed out low. I would raise it up to a modest drop (1" front .5" rear) vs what you have now and that should help. If you adjust to the dinan height drop, i'd think you'd be much happier. If its still not tolerable, raise it back to stock height.

Thanks, I have a feeling it might be maxed out low and I think this might be a good first step to try.

Originally Posted by MGESTO

Back in the day I had the same problem when I bought it with the blue H&R springs which were more comfortable but the height didn't look very good for my taste, then I decided to try the H&R VTF and improved the height of the car although it was too hard. In the end I decided to put the Kw V3 and taking it down to the maximum it is still quite comfortable and you can tell that you are safe on the road.
I'm going to look for some old photos so you can see the differences.
Greetings amigos��

1:H&R BLUE
2:H&R VTF
3:KW V3

Thanks for the information! It's really cool to see all three of them side by side, thanks. In your opinion, is the KW v3 at that height still comfortable? Did you lower the v3's from the default setting they ship in? I wouldn't even mind having the v3's cranked up a little higher, somewhere in between your first and your third pic, if that made the ride more comfortable. But if it makes little difference compared to just having it as low as possible like your third pic, then thats even better.

Also (and again, this might be a dumb question), but if you switch to the kw v3s does that mean you get rid of the bags all together?

Originally Posted by katchup

there should be an adjustable link on the rear suspension. Give it a few turns and raise the rear up about an inch(should take you 10 mins) and im guessing will fix a lot of your issues

Thanks! Do you know if there's any DIY guides out there on how to do that by any chance? I'll start looking through the forums too, but thought you might knew of some.

[Aqid]

I tried listening for a compressor sound, couldn't hear anything. I tried looking for the bags but having a hard time seeing those, then again, I'm not sure if you're supposed to with the wheel on.

In the meanwhile, here are some pictures I snapped during my road trip of the things I did find. Any insights would be most helpful!

Driver side front:


Passenger side front:


Lowering link 1:


Lowering link 2:


Driver side rear:


Passenger side rear:

[Autobacs]

If you are not into the low look, just take off so those springs

Their handling is already awesome with the OEM suspension. Even with OEM suspension, comfort mode is not going to be a soft ride. If you are wanting a softer ride, switch to 20" wheels.

[Aqid]

Agreed, I'm definitely going to get rid of the H&R's up front. Just debating what to replace them with.

I do like the lowered look, but not how it is currently driving. I'm not expecting a soft ride by any means, but the hay wagon with leather seats comment was pretty close to how it's currently driving. I read decent reviews on the Eibach ones on this forum, would it be worth to switch to those? Or the Dinan ones with the ride quality and handling kit?

I'm also wondering if the rear is working as it's supposed to. Technically, as someone commented before, I should be able to extend those links and it should raise the rear some, correct? Might see if I can get a wrench along the way today and try to extend those some.

[katchup]

Yes id change the rear sensor before replacing. Google VTF adjustment

[Msondeck]

For some reason i cant load the pictures. With the adjustable springs youre able to raise them up so no need to swap to different springs. I believe you can run the dinan bump stops with any brand springs but if the cars been running at that height for a long time i think shocks are most likely blown, thats just a guess.

Raise it up and assess from there. (If bags are staying inflated, if bouncing still happens, if you can feel a difference between suspension settings...)

Dinan springs provide a VERY moderate drop but really improve body roll compared to oem.

My shocks were going bad so instead of buying oem shocks I just switched to kw v3. Kw v3 ride quality and asthetics are so much better than the dinan springs. I wish i could still have the edc but im very happy with the coilovers and wish i did them from the beginning. To answer your question, the coilovers do not get rid of the rear bags. They come with a kit to disable the edc/suspension settings. They come pre loaded and at oem height. I only had them lowered didnt mess with the dampening.

If i was you i would raise up the springs and extend lowering links. If ride is still shit then the shocks are toast. 4 shocks from bmw are expensive. I believe its 1200 for 1 front and 1000 for 1 back. Anything but oem height will wear them faster. Mine lasted 45-50k miles at the most moderate spring drop available(dinan).

1st is dinan
2nd kw v3

[secretariat]

I had new rear air bags installed by BMW. it was obvious they needed to be changed. 6 days later I came out of a shopping mall and heard right crunch and then left crunch. The back end of the vehicle felt like it was riding on those blocks that the dealer sometimes forgets to remove. It was going up and down all over the highway on my way back to the dealer. Both new bags broke (for a lack of a better word) It was like I had no suspension. OP, get the rear end back to OEM and you will enjoy a first class machine.

[Aqid]

You guys were right! It was the rear links. I think the previous owner had it set so incredibly low, that they pretty much didn't do anything anymore. The left one felt flimsy because of how low it was set.

I stopped at a Walmart during my road trip, got a 10mm wrench and lengthened the links as far as I could. I think they're the H&R lowering links that came with the front springs. The two adjustment nuts were almost touching before, and now they're pretty much as wide apart as they could be. So, they're at their max height now. To my surprise, the moment the car started the rear raised! I was really afraid the bags were broken or there was some sort of other issue. But nope, it came right up.

It looks a little silly now with the rear sitting higher than the front, but it drove SO MUCH better and my rear passengers weren't thrown around anymore. Once I get back from my road trip I'll probably fine tune the rear by adjusting the links first, I'm thinking slightly lower than how it is now but definitely nowhere near as low as it was. And then raise the front to match the rear looks-wise.

I assume in order to increase the height up front I'd have to get a tool from H&R and then jack up the car, take the wheel of, and adjust the ring at the bottom of the shock?

Originally Posted by Msondeck

My shocks were going bad so instead of buying oem shocks I just switched to kw v3. Kw v3 ride quality and asthetics are so much better than the dinan springs. I wish i could still have the edc but im very happy with the coilovers and wish i did them from the beginning. To answer your question, the coilovers do not get rid of the rear bags. They come with a kit to disable the edc/suspension settings. They come pre loaded and at oem height. I only had them lowered didnt mess with the dampening.

If i was you i would raise up the springs and extend lowering links. If ride is still shit then the shocks are toast. 4 shocks from bmw are expensive. I believe its 1200 for 1 front and 1000 for 1 back. Anything but oem height will wear them faster. Mine lasted 45-50k miles at the most moderate spring drop available(dinan).

1st is dinan
2nd kw v3

Yep you're right, that's exactly what I'm going to do. Thanks for the advice.

Extending the lowering links already made a night and day difference. I really think it was set to a setting that shouldn't have been drivable lol.

Your car looks absolutely stunning on the kw v3's. If the increased height up front and the extended links at any point give me problems, I will make the same switch. Was just hard to throw that money at it on the second day of ownership, so I'm glad I at least got an intermediate solution.

Originally Posted by MGESTO

3:KW V3

Same with yours btw, absolutely stunning in that third picture!

Thanks to everyone who replied and guided me through this as I'm on the road, because of your help I can actually enjoy my car on the rest of road trip. Much appreciated.

[katchup]

Should be any coil over wrench but if you don't have one you can get cheap from h&r. And you should be able to lower the rear about an inch before gets bouncy

[musa]

Originally Posted by Aqid

You guys were right! It was the rear links. I think the previous owner had it set so incredibly low, that they pretty much didn't do anything anymore. The left one felt flimsy because of how low it was set.

I stopped at a Walmart during my road trip, got a 10mm wrench and lengthened the links as far as I could. I think they're the H&R lowering links that came with the front springs. The two adjustment nuts were almost touching before, and now they're pretty much as wide apart as they could be. So, they're at their max height now. To my surprise, the moment the car started the rear raised! I was really afraid the bags were broken or there was some sort of other issue. But nope, it came right up.

It looks a little silly now with the rear sitting higher than the front, but it drove SO MUCH better and my rear passengers weren't thrown around anymore. Once I get back from my road trip I'll probably fine tune the rear by adjusting the links first, I'm thinking slightly lower than how it is now but definitely nowhere near as low as it was. And then raise the front to match the rear looks-wise.

I assume in order to increase the height up front I'd have to get a tool from H&R and then jack up the car, take the wheel of, and adjust the ring at the bottom of the shock?



Yep you're right, that's exactly what I'm going to do. Thanks for the advice.

Extending the lowering links already made a night and day difference. I really think it was set to a setting that shouldn't have been drivable lol.

Your car looks absolutely stunning on the kw v3's. If the increased height up front and the extended links at any point give me problems, I will make the same switch. Was just hard to throw that money at it on the second day of ownership, so I'm glad I at least got an intermediate solution.



Same with yours btw, absolutely stunning in that third picture!

Thanks to everyone who replied and guided me through this as I'm on the road, because of your help I can actually enjoy my car on the rest of road trip. Much appreciated.

The look you got is called the rake look suspension - rear sitting higher than the front. I love that sitting.. Mercedes vehicles come from factory with that look.