[wagz0627]

Hi all,

I'm a current early 2012 335i driver and my lease will be ending early March 2015 so I'm starting to play around with the configurator for my next car order. I've posed some of these questions to a BMW knowledgeable friend of mine and wanted to get more opinions here.

So essentially I'm not happy with the ride quality of my 335i now. I got the 19 inch sport wheels and hitting any bumps/potholes/lousy asphalt in this car is very rough and uncomfortable. I'm sure some of that is due to the run flats they use now, but I'd have to guess that some is also due to my low profile tires on the 19s.

For the next car I'm going 335xi M Sport (I'm from Philadelphia and the rear wheel drive didn't work out too well for me last winter, so XDrive it is!). The 19 inch wheels were a terrible idea especially with roads around here and the terrible potholes from last winter. While I've had the car I've had 3 or 4 bent rims, 1 cracked rim and 4 or 5 tires replaced (thank God for the wheel and tire insurance). So next time I'm sticking with the standard 18 inch wheels in an attempt to combat that.

So I guess what it boils down to, is will my ride quality be better on 18s and what affect will the M Sport suspension have? Also I'm trying to decide on whether or not to add Dynamic Handling Package. My friend has told me that in Comfort DHP should improve my ride quality a bit.

Thanks for the input.

[Michael Schott]

Number one, the Xdrive cars do not have the MSport suspension. That in itself will help the ride comfort. Xdrive cars ride 10mm higher and have the softer base suspension.

Number two, 18" wheels will definitely ride better than 19's. There is more sidewall and the wheel is lighter, both contributing to a better ride.

If you want sportier handling in your 335xi, get the DHP. With it you can adjust the stiffness of the shocks.

[warmtoes]

Not quite the same as I have a 435i xDrive but I can imagine there are similarities. I found the 435i xDrive without DHP to be okay over bumps and railroad tracks but with DHP in comfort mode you barely notice them and both were with 19" staggered setup with RFT's.

In comfort mode you can feel how the suspension mutes imperfections in the road compared to the non-DHP and compared to the DHP in sport. Even in sport I found it to be more compliant to imperfections than the non-DHP suspension.

[chrisny]

Originally Posted by Michael Schott

Number one, the Xdrive cars do not have the MSport suspension. That in itself will help the ride comfort. Xdrive cars ride 10mm higher and have the softer base suspension.

Number two, 18" wheels will definitely ride better than 19's. There is more sidewall and the wheel is lighter, both contributing to a better ride.

If you want sportier handling in your 335xi, get the DHP. With it you can adjust the stiffness of the shocks.

^ this. I have a '13 335xi M Sport with DHP. I stuck with the stock 18's that came with the M sport package for the exact reasons you want to get away from the 19's and I have no complaints after 20,000 miles, most of which was spent commuting over the GW bridge and down the NJ turnpike. There's never a shortage of pot holes getting to and over that bridge I also preferred the style of the 18's over the M sport 19's, which helped me show some restraint and stick with the more practical 18's.

Do keep in mind what Michael pointed out, with x-drive you do not have the stiffer, lower springs you have on a RWD sport or m sport model. So while that will help the ride quality as you want it to, it will naturally have a negative impact handling as well. DHP is a requirement with x-drive, IMHO (and most others on here) to help the standard suspension. Still won't be as good as a RWD with DHP, but it's better than x-drive / standard suspension alone.

[300hp]

I have xdrive with DHP and 19s. My 2013 had the same set up and I had to get 4 tires replaced. When I returned the 13 to pick up my 14, the 13 had a tire with a bubble on it.

My 13 had a blown tire at 1000 miles. My 14 had a bubble at 1000 miles too. Lol. So in total 6 tires that needed changing. However no worries since I have tire and wheel insurance.

Wro to ride quality I have no complaints with the 19s with xdrive and DHP. It's perfect on all road surfaces, that's my view on the 17000 miles I put on the 13 and over 3000 on the 14. Don't worry about the blown tires especially if you have tire insurance, the looks alone are worth it to me

To run 19s you need run flats and tire and wheel insurance otherwise you could find yourself with huge bills. 6 tire changes cost over $2,000

[chrisny]

Originally Posted by 300hp

I have xdrive with DHP and 19s. My 2013 had the same set up and I had to get 4 tires replaced. When I returned the 13 to pick up my 14, the 13 had a tire with a bubble on it.

My 13 had a blown tire at 1000 miles. My 14 had a bubble at 1000 miles too. Lol. So in total 6 tires that needed changing. However no worries since I have tire and wheel insurance.

Wro to ride quality I have no complaints with the 19s with xdrive and DHP. It's perfect on all road surfaces, that's my view on the 17000 miles I put on the 13 and over 3000 on the 14. Don't worry about the blown tires especially if you have tire insurance, the looks alone are worth it to me

To run 19s you need run flats and tire and wheel insurance otherwise you could find yourself with huge bills. 6 tire changes cost over $2,000

On the plus side, I love seeing those policies actually paying off. Not that you want the hassle, but doesn't it feel good knowing you actually got your money's worth out of the W&T insurance? I replaced 4 AMG wheels and 4 tires on a C300 I had. And that policy only cost me $1000. First time in my life I was happy to have bent rims lol

[300hp]

Originally Posted by chrisny

On the plus side, I love seeing those policies actually paying off. Not that you want the hassle, but doesn't it feel good knowing you actually got your money's worth out of the W&T insurance? I replaced 4 AMG wheels and 4 tires on a C300 I had. And that policy only cost me $1000. First time in my life I was happy to have bent rims lol

Agreed. Those guys are great in terms of paying off any claims and it's done on the same day if you get the car to the dealer early enough.

Wheels are expensive, I remember having to replace wheels on my Infiniti long back and those were $700 each (ouch). The German wheels must be pricier than that.

[jonkarn]

Not sure of your guys driving styles, but that's crazy having that much tire/rim damage.

I didn't waste my money on the tire protection plan. In 23 years of driving I've had 3 tire bubbles, 4 flat tires(from driving over road debris)and rim damage only from curb rash, which is not even covered by insurance. Granted I've never had 19's, but multiple cars had lower profile 18's. I've leased 3 cars and never bought nor needed the tire protection plans.

I try to avoid potholes or drive slower on roads that are a mess. I lived in NYC my whole life, and now live in NJ and drive around the tristate area. I set DHP to Drivetrain only when driving on bad roads, giving me Sport throttle with more relaxed and cushy Comfort suspension and handling. This mutes the road imperfections and I think may lessen the damage potential if the shocks absorb more of the hit.

Originally Posted by chrisny

On the plus side, I love seeing those policies actually paying off. Not that you want the hassle, but doesn't it feel good knowing you actually got your money's worth out of the W&T insurance? I replaced 4 AMG wheels and 4 tires on a C300 I had. And that policy only cost me $1000. First time in my life I was happy to have bent rims lol

[wagz0627]

Thanks for the input everyone. And yes I highly agree the W&T insurance has more than paid for itself by now. While the 19s certainly look better on the car, it's not worth the hassle for me. Driving to work and getting a random low tire pressure warning to find it 10lbs under spec is no fun. The dealer also had my car for almost a week last time too because apparently they're required to get an inspector to verify all wheel insurance claims now.

A lot of my problem recently has been random unexpected potholes from the winter. Driving 75 on a highway and then hitting a lone crater you never saw coming is no fun. Also one tire had a bubble as well. Seems like a lot of you have had the same problem with bubbles.

[chrisny]

Originally Posted by 300hp

Agreed. Those guys are great in terms of paying off any claims and it's done on the same day if you get the car to the dealer early enough.

Wheels are expensive, I remember having to replace wheels on my Infiniti long back and those were $700 each (ouch). The German wheels must be pricier than that.

I was told $1000 a wheel for the AMG's (and that's just for 18's) and I believe even saw an invoice that showed $2500 for 2 rims and a tire or two, but the 0 due at the bottom was all I really cared about

[chrisny]

Originally Posted by jonkarn

Not sure of your guys driving styles, but that's crazy having that much tire/rim damage.

I didn't waste my money on the tire protection plan. In 23 years of driving I've had 3 tire bubbles, 4 flat tires(from driving over road debris)and rim damage only from curb rash, which is not even covered by insurance. Granted I've never had 19's, but multiple cars had lower profile 18's. I've leased 3 cars and never bought nor needed the tire protection plans.

I try to avoid potholes or drive slower on roads that are a mess. I lived in NYC my whole life, and now live in NJ and drive around the tristate area. I set DHP to Drivetrain only when driving on bad roads, giving me Sport throttle with more relaxed and cushy Comfort suspension and handling. This mutes the road imperfections and I think may lessen the damage potential if the shocks absorb more of the hit.

I'm sure driving style has something to do with it, faster you go the less time you have to react.. But it isn't always that simple. Traffic doesn't always allow swerving around them and going slow isn't always an option either (and only helps so much on some of the craters getting over the GW...).

Low profile tires just don't offer much protection, simple as that. Like I said, I put 18,000 miles of that same commute on my F30 with just a little more sidewall and had no issues. So don't discount how much difference an 18" wheel compared to a 19" can be, just a little more sidewall helps a ton.

That said, the W&T protection can be hit or miss. Sometimes it pays off twice over, or more. Sometimes they're very strict and you could have a nasty vibration in your steering wheel from a bent rim, but the rim holds air, so they don't replace it. Mercedes replaced 4 of mine no question. Then by the end of the lease, 2 more bent and they had gotten more strict on claims, wouldn't replace nor repair them. I also think there's a sweet spot where the insurance cost gets too high to make sense.

[BimmerBoomer]

I drove the last five winters with 225/40 18s on my M3 without incident. That's almost exactly the same sidewall as the summers on my 435i with 19s - about 90mm. Now the 255/30 19s on the rear of my 2007 335i coupe - they were brutal.

[300hp]

Originally Posted by chrisny

I'm sure driving style has something to do with it, faster you go the less time you have to react.. But it isn't always that simple. Traffic doesn't always allow swerving around them and going slow isn't always an option either (and only helps so much on some of the craters getting over the GW...).

Low profile tires just don't offer much protection, simple as that. Like I said, I put 18,000 miles of that same commute on my F30 with just a little more sidewall and had no issues. So don't discount how much difference an 18" wheel compared to a 19" can be, just a little more sidewall helps a ton.

That said, the W&T protection can be hit or miss. Sometimes it pays off twice over, or more. Sometimes they're very strict and you could have a nasty vibration in your steering wheel from a bent rim, but the rim holds air, so they don't replace it. Mercedes replaced 4 of mine no question. Then by the end of the lease, 2 more bent and they had gotten more strict on claims, wouldn't replace nor repair them. I also think there's a sweet spot where the insurance cost gets too high to make sense.

+1 on driving style and side wall. My SUV has 19" tires with a huge sidewall. I have never had a bubble or puncture on the SUV so I declined W&T protection on that one. My driving style is a little more relaxed in the SUV. I drive on similar roads with my F30 with the 19s and yep, 2 punctures and 4 bubbles on that one.

If you are going with 18s probably no need for W&T insurance and possibly no need for run flats. But once you go an inch higher from the 18s I highly recommend both W&T with run flats because it's going to happen over the 4 years and you are most likely going to recoup the $1,200 within that time frame.

[300hp]

Originally Posted by BimmerBoomer

I drove the last five winters with 225/40 18s on my M3 without incident. That's almost exactly the same sidewall as the summers on my 435i with 19s - about 90mm. Now the 255/30 19s on the rear of my 2007 335i coupe - they were brutal.

For me my front tires have been the problem. Of the 6 incidents I had only one was the rear tire. It got a bubble

[BimmerBoomer]

Whether this is a good idea or not depends on a lot of factors. If you're going to keep the car for four years and run with OEM tire and wheel packages it's a good deal. I'm a fairly high mileage driver - my P Zeros will be worn out after two years and replaced with Michelin Pilot Super Sports. My winter tire and wheel package is unlikely to be BMW. And I won't likely keep the car more than two or three years in any case. Even if I end up replacing two tires - which is unlikely - the insurance would be a bad deal for me.

By the way, in Canada at least, curb rash is covered.