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BMW 3-Series and 4-Series Forum (F30 / F32) | F30POST > Technical Forums > Suspension | Chassis | Brakes > Adaptive M Suspension or M performance Suspension Kit
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      12-23-2012, 11:44 AM   #1
infinitigor
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Adaptive M Suspension or M performance Suspension Kit

I'm planning on getting a RWD m-sport f30 in a few months, and suspension is my #1 concern when it comes to the car.

It seems you cannot get the M perf kit or any other kit that changes the shocks if you have the adaptive suspension since you wouldn't be able to change out the settings.

The cost of getting just the m-sport and then adding the m perf kit would be slightly more if i just get the Adaptive m sport. I also would be open to some other aftermarket suspension upgrade.

My question really is, is the adaptive m sport suspension awesome or does it have it's downsides? I really do not care much for switching out the settings.
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      12-23-2012, 08:06 PM   #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by infinitigor View Post
I'm planning on getting a RWD m-sport f30 in a few months, and suspension is my #1 concern when it comes to the car.

It seems you cannot get the M perf kit or any other kit that changes the shocks if you have the adaptive suspension since you wouldn't be able to change out the settings.

The cost of getting just the m-sport and then adding the m perf kit would be slightly more if i just get the Adaptive m sport. I also would be open to some other aftermarket suspension upgrade.

My question really is, is the adaptive m sport suspension awesome or does it have it's downsides? I really do not care much for switching out the settings.
Test drive the Msport you want with the non adaptive sport/stock suspension. If you like it, then you'll also like the adaptive suspension.
Adaptive in sport mode and OEM sport suspension have the same firmness and 10mm drop. Adaptive simply gives the damper a bit more flexibility with regards to rebound and compression damping on different types of bumps as the damper can adjust it's damping.
Also, adaptive can be set to "comfort" mode which gives the car a very nice and supple ride if you want it such as on a longer highway cruises as it absorbs dips and bumps better than the sport suspension, as the sport susp tuning can't be changed.

Again, for sport mode, both adaptive and sport suspension are about the same. If you want a firmer sport ride and firmer control, then don't get the
M adaptive option on your Msport, and use that money towards the
M Performance kit or different aftermarket kit.

Personally, I think the sport and M adaptive suspensions are still not firm enough. BMW really should have firmed up these suspensions from the factory, by at least another 20-25%.
I'm leasing so I'm not going to invest in a whole new set up. If I were buying and wanted a truer sport suspension I would not have optioned the adaptive. I would either get the M Perf kit or something else.

I am however considering installing the M Perf springs to use with the M adaptive dampers. I don't know if the increased spring rates will match nicely to the M adaptives damping circuits, but I may just give it a try as it will cost much less than getting the whole kit. If it works I think the added spring rate will give me what I want, and then I can just uninstall the M Perf springs on lease turn in, and maybe sell the springs later.
I'm waiting to find out how much just the M Perf springs will cost. Also waiting to do this in the spring.
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      12-23-2012, 09:28 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RPM90 View Post
Test drive the Msport you want with the non adaptive sport/stock suspension. If you like it, then you'll also like the adaptive suspension.
Adaptive in sport mode and OEM sport suspension have the same firmness and 10mm drop. Adaptive simply gives the damper a bit more flexibility with regards to rebound and compression damping on different types of bumps as the damper can adjust it's damping.
Also, adaptive can be set to "comfort" mode which gives the car a very nice and supple ride if you want it such as on a longer highway cruises as it absorbs dips and bumps better than the sport suspension, as the sport susp tuning can't be changed.

Again, for sport mode, both adaptive and sport suspension are about the same. If you want a firmer sport ride and firmer control, then don't get the
M adaptive option on your Msport, and use that money towards the
M Performance kit or different aftermarket kit.

Personally, I think the sport and M adaptive suspensions are still not firm enough. BMW really should have firmed up these suspensions from the factory, by at least another 20-25%.
I'm leasing so I'm not going to invest in a whole new set up. If I were buying and wanted a truer sport suspension I would not have optioned the adaptive. I would either get the M Perf kit or something else.

I am however considering installing the M Perf springs to use with the M adaptive dampers. I don't know if the increased spring rates will match nicely to the M adaptives damping circuits, but I may just give it a try as it will cost much less than getting the whole kit. If it works I think the added spring rate will give me what I want, and then I can just uninstall the M Perf springs on lease turn in, and maybe sell the springs later.
I'm waiting to find out how much just the M Perf springs will cost. Also waiting to do this in the spring.
Thanks for the reply, seems the consensus regarding the f30 suspension that is simply is not firm enough. The whole changing it to comfort setting to cruise for nice highway trips is nice, but if the roads are smooth then the firm suspension won't really matter that much.

I too will be leasing, but even though i won't own the car, it will still be mine for THREE years so i can worry about taking the parts off before my lease is due.

So sounds like the sport in the dynamic is not sportier / firmer than the regular sport suspension. I think i will opt out for the dynamic package. Also, good call on the springs from the performance package, an additional 10mm drop will def be nice and won't be too harsh on the other stock parts.
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      12-23-2012, 09:37 PM   #4
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OP, when I read your post I wondered, "how's he going to use his car?" as giving suspension advice doesn't really work until you can relate it to usage.

Adaptive is by far the best of the stock options IMO, and will suit the daily driver who likes to enjoy some twisty mountain roads on a weekend tour. If however, you're going to track your car (and the F30, while sporty, isn't the ideal track BMW) you'd likely fit the M Perf or your aftermarket manufacturer's gear of choice.
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      12-23-2012, 10:57 PM   #5
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It depends on whether u can accept the ride quality on the passive M-sport suspension. If it's ok for u then u can opt out of DHP & just get the standard passive system for now, pending an upgrade later.
For me the passive system rides fine, just being slightly firm on bad roads, so I didn't bother with adaptive M.
Btw, the only difference between passive & adaptive is the dampers - they have identical springs & anti-roll bars. The retrofit M-performance kit uses the anti-roll bars from the passive/adaptive sports suspension.
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      12-24-2012, 10:32 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by infinitigor View Post
Thanks for the reply, seems the consensus regarding the f30 suspension that is simply is not firm enough. The whole changing it to comfort setting to cruise for nice highway trips is nice, but if the roads are smooth then the firm suspension won't really matter that much.

I too will be leasing, but even though i won't own the car, it will still be mine for THREE years so i can worry about taking the parts off before my lease is due.

So sounds like the sport in the dynamic is not sportier / firmer than the regular sport suspension. I think i will opt out for the dynamic package. Also, good call on the springs from the performance package, an additional 10mm drop will def be nice and won't be too harsh on the other stock parts.
If you are going to get a different suspension for your 3, then I'd say save the money from adaptive and apply towards the new setup.

If you're not going to get a different setup, then do get the adaptive system as it works great. It has better all around damping compared to the static sport suspension, because it is adaptive, and that allows the damper to do it's thing better. Even though the "sport" setting isn't firmer than the static sport suspension you do get the better dampers and a few more "driver mode" settings that are not available with the static sport suspension if you're also getting the sport automatic trans.

With M adaptive and VSS, DH pkg, you can choose sport steering with sport suspension along with comfort trans and comfort throttle.
That's not available without the DH pkg.
For me that setting has been great and it's the one I use most of the time, because it allows the trans to use all 8 gears at reasonable speeds for quieter running and better MPG, while still getting a sport ride and handling with firmer steering effort. When I want sportier shifting I move the lever to the left and now it's in D/S sport trans mode, which holds gears longer.
For full on sport I switch to sport+. If I want to keep DSC fully active I can go into iDrive and set all the settings to sport, which then feels like sport+ but retains DSC fully.

So it's not just about over all firmness of the suspension.
Yes, I wish it were stiffer all around, but that's just personal choice.
As it is it's still a very nice sport setup.
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      12-25-2012, 10:23 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RPM90 View Post
If you are going to get a different suspension for your 3, then I'd say save the money from adaptive and apply towards the new setup.

If you're not going to get a different setup, then do get the adaptive system as it works great. It has better all around damping compared to the static sport suspension, because it is adaptive, and that allows the damper to do it's thing better. Even though the "sport" setting isn't firmer than the static sport suspension you do get the better dampers and a few more "driver mode" settings that are not available with the static sport suspension if you're also getting the sport automatic trans.

With M adaptive and VSS, DH pkg, you can choose sport steering with sport suspension along with comfort trans and comfort throttle.
That's not available without the DH pkg.
For me that setting has been great and it's the one I use most of the time, because it allows the trans to use all 8 gears at reasonable speeds for quieter running and better MPG, while still getting a sport ride and handling with firmer steering effort. When I want sportier shifting I move the lever to the left and now it's in D/S sport trans mode, which holds gears longer.
For full on sport I switch to sport+. If I want to keep DSC fully active I can go into iDrive and set all the settings to sport, which then feels like sport+ but retains DSC fully.

So it's not just about over all firmness of the suspension.
Yes, I wish it were stiffer all around, but that's just personal choice.
As it is it's still a very nice sport setup.
Thanks for the response, tough choice. But can't go wrong with either.
I am not looking to track the car, but i love to take sharp corners and go through twisties with as little body roll as possible. I think I just need to test drive them both first.

Enjoy your 3!
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