She’s home, but i nearly wasn’t!

M

MurrayZ4

Member
So, been an picked the Z4C up today a short 40 minute drive away- a long time coming i may add!

After Heading back up(averaging 40/50mph) and saw the opportunity to overtake the misses, foot to floor, smile on the face, and a massive wobble on the steering wheel like trying to fight a wild animal! (Appeared relatively flat road with slight camber on the offside)
I’m new to RWD, so thought i was maybe a little happy on the right foot, so pulled on to a busy A road and thought i’d stretch the legs, with that as soon as i got over 65mph it was again like trying to tame a beast!
I sat at 65mph all the way home trying to avoid anything and everything when bad roads came up. The misses also beat me home, and of course i had to blame the car!😉

Now i have read various bits about tram lining, RTAB, run flats etc. Is there anything else that could cause this affect?

It feels very much like theres a fight on between the front right and front left wheel, whenever there is uneven road it seems to want to have a look in the nearest bush??
It has a brand new set of runflats on, and i’ve checked pressures and all sat at 32psi.

I’m checking the alignments tonight and i have spoke with my local tyre guy who is happy to have a look at the situation tomorrow.
Any advice/guidance/waterproof pants appreciated

Thank you
 
Hi, runflats make tramlining worse but yours does sound extreme, alignment/lollipop check wouldn’t go amiss :thumbsup:
Rob
 
My old Sabre does that on tyre worn impressions in tarmac.
Noticeable on tarmac inside lanes worn in by many trucks.
The Sabre is very lightweight and has no power steering.
My Roadster RFs are no particular trouble on the much heavier Z4.
 
It's actually a feature of the hatchback and you should just get used to it. You could of course scrap it and just buy a Roadster as they don't suffer from the crap steering and suspension of the Coo Pee. :poke: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:


There was an advisory on the MOT for this car in 2016....

Nearside Front Front suspension has slight play in a lower suspension ball joint (2.5.B.1a)
Offside Front Front suspension has slight play in a lower suspension ball joint (2.5.B.1a)

I'd also get the past MOT mileage checked out as it's showing 11,575 miles in 2016 and 47213 in 2015. Might just be an error on the MOT History site.... https://www.check-mot.service.gov.uk/

If the front suspension had some play it may not have been fixed by the previous owner(s).

Meyle HD or Powerflex bushes if you're replacing them.

Sadly it'll probably be the runflats that are causing or adding to the tram-lining. Goodyear / Michelin / Pirelli will transform the car but sadly not into a Roadster!

Get it into your local trusted indy garage and get them to check the bushes, springs and shockers.

I'd also get the tyres checked for balance and a Hunter Alignment done.

Worst case scenario is new bushes, set of non runflats and an alignment!
 
Just bought it?
From a dealer? Take it back for them to fix BEFORE doing any work.
Privately? Is it bad enough to be considered "unroadworthy"? If so, ask them for refund/discount to cover work/engineer's report to confirm and small claims court.
 
That doesn't sound overly joyous as a trip home in your new Zed. The run flats will not be helping, but sounds like you have other things not right too. Get the geometry checked and those Bushes replaced if they have not been.

Don't panicked, a little tlc and you should have your self a cracker.
 
The first time I drove my zed, I thought it was trying to kill me. Ditched the RF's and that made the car so much better, I fitted 18" wheels and it improved even more. I then adjusted the ring and it is a s good as any other car I own.
 
firebobby said:
The first time I drove my zed, I thought it was trying to kill me. Ditched the RF's and that made the car so much better, I fitted 18" wheels and it improved even more. I then adjusted the ring and it is a s good as any other car I own.
Click to expand...

What's a ring?
 
bg1 said:
firebobby said:
The first time I drove my zed, I thought it was trying to kill me. Ditched the RF's and that made the car so much better, I fitted 18" wheels and it improved even more. I then adjusted the ring and it is a s good as any other car I own.
Click to expand...

What's a ring?
Click to expand...
Concentric ring on the steering column, it's by the electric motor :thumbsup:
 
My current Coupe was a bit prone to it but only on roads with the ruts that get worn in by heavy HGV traffic - especially the inside lane of the M6!

But it's recently had new "lollipop" bushes and is better - probably be better still if I ever wear my run-flats out! :roll:
 
firebobby said:
bg1 said:
firebobby said:
The first time I drove my zed, I thought it was trying to kill me. Ditched the RF's and that made the car so much better, I fitted 18" wheels and it improved even more. I then adjusted the ring and it is a s good as any other car I own.
Click to expand...

What's a ring?
Click to expand...
Concentric ring on the steering column, it's by the electric motor :thumbsup:
Click to expand...

Thank you.
 
Thank you for all the replies!

Just been to see my local independent mechanic (lives a few streets away and is a good friend) he has had BMWs most of his life, and he *was* one of the “its a hairdressers car” clan too.
He took it up on a 5 mile trip around some decent roads we know, and his verdict is “what a bloody good drive that is” :driving:

He has said the biggest culprit he can think is the tyres and potentially an alignment to start, and then we can start playing with bushes 8) at a later date if its still a pain.

On reflection, i think as i didn’t know the road and also it caught me by surprise played a factor!
I have done about 60 miles since the post and everytime i stop and get out i’ve got a big grin on my face :D

It only appears on the less cared for roads to be an issue..

With regards mileage & lower suspension play, theres a stack of receipts i went through and don’t recall anything dodgy but will go back through tomorrow and see!!

Its got a few items i want to sort, cracked rear brake light bar, scuffed internal door bar, little bit of touch up on stone chips, seat bolsters. But overall i’m really happy, and as an added bonus found out it had cup holders tonight!

Overall, I’m still happy as larry :thumbsup:
 
If you are still grinning when you get out despite everything you have described, then it sounds like the E86 has already got you under it's spell OP. :lol: (I'm a fellow sufferer).

I used to get the dreaded tramlining in my 1 Series (with run-flats) on roads with HGV ruts in them, and it got worse the more worn the tyres got then worse still if the pressures were a bit low!

Let's hope you can get in back under control relatively easily. :thumbsup:
 
Just to add to the conversation my experience of runflats was that even the hateful original Bridgestone Potenzas were ok when new. It was when they were about half worn that they were horrible and then when tired that they tried to kill me.
Continental Contact Sport runflats were much better but still a handful when tired.
OP has new tyres so I’d say needs to get the shock absorbers and alignment checked.
 
Mine was the same when I first got it, the tramlining and the feel that you were fighting the car all the time was awful.
Got rid of the runflats and it transformed the car. :thumbsup:
 
Something doesn't sound right here - bearing in mind these cars were launched with runflats as std there is no way BMW would have put them onto the market with borderline dangerous handling like the OP describes.

I don't have runflats so it's difficult to make any comparisons - although the cars do feel lively and very direct (almost go-kart like) I have never once had the car feel or go unstable on me. A bit twitchy and darty yes, especially over uneven cambers etc, but you should be able drive the absolute wheels off them (even doing things that you really shouldn't like going too fast into a bend and having to brake hard on entry etc) without any unsettling traits.

When things do go over the limits, I have always found the DSC to be extremely well judged (esp in sport mode).

I suspect something is definitely not right with your car OP. I would be looking at front lollipop bushes and rear trailing arm bushes as a starter for 10 as per this thread, then get your alignment done....

https://z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=117848
 
ph001 said:
Something doesn't sound right here - bearing in mind these cars were launched with runflats as std there is no way BMW would have put them onto the market with borderline dangerous handling like the OP describes.

I don't have runflats so it's difficult to make any comparisons - although the cars do feel lively and very direct (almost go-kart like) I have never once had the car feel or go unstable on me. A bit twitchy and darty yes, especially over uneven cambers etc, but you should be able drive the absolute wheels off them (even doing things that you really shouldn't like going too fast into a bend and having to brake hard on entry etc) without any unsettling traits.

When things do go over the limits, I have always found the DSC to be extremely well judged (esp in sport mode).

I suspect something is definitely not right with your car OP. I would be looking at front lollipop bushes and rear trailing arm bushes as a starter for 10 as per this thread, then get your alignment done....

https://z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=117848
Click to expand...

Yes they did.

Read some of the original reviews as the "journalists" complained about the ride. There's one from that w***er Clarkson about how bad it was.

It's more than likely the runflats that are causing the issue although the bushes will need replaced sooner rather than later.

Probably not a Forum car as the tyres and bushes would probably have been replaced by now with something decent.

I had runflats on the 2003 2.5 SE I had in 2005 and quickly found how bad they were as the car was possessed in the rain, in the dry, going into corners, coming out of corners, going straight and on any rutted road. Very safe to drive if you didn't actually go anywhere though! The tramlining etc. was 100% caused by the runflats. After they were replaced the car was fine.

As the bushes are probably 10+ years old they should probably be replaced as the rubber will probably be perishing.
 
I was a little freaked out by the amount of tramlining when I got my roadster. Certainly not “wrestling a wild animal”, but surprising for sure.

Runflats were the main contributor but I also now know that my lollipop bushes weren’t in great shape back then either.
 
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