35i with adaptive M suspension

E

eng622

Member
Just purchased a 35i DCT and the spec says it has adaptive M suspension. There is nothing I can find in the handbook that tells you how to make adjustments. I have normal, sport and sport+ controls which I assume control things like the DCT upshift speed etc
Am I missing something?
 
I am similarly curious about exactly what effect the DDC (Comfort/Sport/Sport+) and DCT Drive/Sport Programs have on the car's systems in my 2012 35i DCT. The BMW docs are not very helpful at all in this area and most people simply simply assume that the DCT controls suspension stiffness while the DCT Sport Program changes the transmission shift points and throttle response. I believe there is quite a bit of interaction between the two controls.

As an example, in addition to controlling the adaptive suspension, the DDC mode appears to have an effect on transmission shift points. DCT Sport raises up shift RPM as does use of the DCT Drive Program. However when one selects both, you get a third, even higher up shift RPM.

It would appear that quite a bit of thought went into design of this complex system. As an owner/driver, I would like to see an explanation of what the engineers were intending for these controls.
 
Taken from another forum,

"Adaptive Suspension. This features electronically controlled dampers that adapt to both driving styles and road conditions.
Their operating characteristics can be adjusted via the Driver Experience Control button.
The optional adaptive suspension is also lowered by 10mm without any adverse effects on ride comfort. A stiffer suspension setting is available by selecting Sport, or Sport + using the Driver Experience Button.

I also read that adaptive M suspension offers better ride comfort than a standardly sprung car. Which maybe the reason why i have found the ride to be surprisingly supple.
 
Can you tell me where I will find the 'Driver experience control' button as I cannot seem to find anything with that marked on it. I can select normal, sport and sport + and they come up on the dash display. I thought I read somewhere that the suspension had 3 settings so are they selectable on their own (independent of other settings) or is 'soft' with normal, 'medium' with sport & 'hard' with sport+?
 
Everything is tied to the normal/sport/sport+.

Normal is soft, sport hard, sport+ harder. This one switch influences suspension, throttle mapping, steering assistance, dct transmission response times and shift points along with changes to traction and stability controls.
 
It's probably not deemed necessary as the suspension is dynamic, start throwing it around and it adapts anyhow, just not to the degree the manual settings do.
 
Yeah I suppose. I was thinking "normal" suspension and "sport" DCT settings, but you could probably get to that by nudging the gearshift into "sport" and keeping the DDC at "normal", would that work?
 
To be honest I find normal to soft for quick manoeuvres but yes you can set the dct into sport and leave the rest in normal.

If I'm doing quick manoeuvres on the motorway for example, at high speeds normal is too soft and you can get too much lean or corner to corner cadence build up. Setting this to sport minimises this effect so all in all I think BMW got it right and as its more of a fun cruiser then simplification of controls is probably best.

We all like the option to change this and that but when it comes down to it we rarely want to spend time setting up this and that and this and that and... It's just easier to press one button.
 
I'm learning already. I think I read in a test report that the hardest suspension setting was just too hard. If correct and it is tied to the Sport+ mode then it seems a shortcoming as I understand that is the mode with minimum traction control, which you may want to have with the mid suspension setting.
As I have just purchased to be fair have no experince other than in the normal mode to date, but I assume there will be some benefit from the adjustable suspension. In the 'normal' mode I have found so far that on a bumpy B road the front end pitches with a diagonal effect far more than I would like. Comments please.
 
I've got the adaptive m suspension and in My humble opinion it's totally overrated.
I've had it back to the dealers because I thought it was faulty.
they said it was fine

Hmm! Just remembered how much BMW

Charge for it rip off comes to mind.

Rant over

Cheers Paul
 
Sandygate128 said:
I've got the adaptive m suspension and in
My humble opinion it's totally overrated
I've had it back to the dealers because I
Thought it was faulty they said its fine
Hmm! Just remembered how much BMW
Charge for it rip off comes to mind
Rant over
Cheers Paul
Click to expand...


Thought this was going to be a limerick at first.... :rofl:
 
Sandygate128 said:
I've got the adaptive m suspension and in My humble opinion it's totally overrated.
I've had it back to the dealers because I thought it was faulty.
they said it was fine

Hmm! Just remembered how much BMW

Charge for it rip off comes to mind.

Rant over

Cheers Paul
Click to expand...

Why are you disappointed with it?
 
I ran a e85 3.0 for five years and loved the car but found the suspension very hard I did have the 18" wheels.
When I started looking for a 35i I made sure I only looked at cars with the adaptive suspension.
But the car I fell for had 19" wheels so this doesn't help.

Just feel what I'd read ie . It's so fast to react to road imperfections it can adjust the rear dampers before they hit imperfections that the front wheel have gone over is not really true in real life .

Just feels a bit bouncy at the rear it creaks/groans when reversing out of the drive it is steep though so I'll forgive that.
hitting even small imperfections causes bad shudder and shake through the whole car.

I have to stop myself paying more attention to the state of the roads than the things I should be paying attention to
Our roads ( Sheffield ) are atrocious but I feel the suspension is not forgiving enough for a car that really is more GT than
Hardcore sportscar .
Cheers Paul.
 
I drove a zed with the adaptive suspension prior to getting mine and didnt find it very 'adaptive' to my style of driving, particularly when running RFT and 19"'s. Since switching out the springs I have to admit the car feels alot more planted, yes it takes the hits when you go over a pothole or minor bump but its certainly not an uncomfortable ride (you dont need iron buttcheeks lets put it that way). Compared to my E92 its a much better handling car and doesnt wallow as much, which is miraculous considering the folding roof. Plus it no doubt saved me some £ over the adaptive opinion and would be inclined to trust it alot more under fast cornering.
 
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