[puzzlepuzzling]

Hello all,

Are BMW's M Adaptive Suspension systems finely tuned prior to delivery to the owner? If so, can BMW engineers further fine-tune them for an even more comfortable ride?

Thank you

[FlashMonkey929]

Originally Posted by puzzlepuzzling

Hello all,

Are BMW's M Adaptive Suspension systems finely tuned prior to delivery to the owner? If so, can BMW engineers further fine-tune them for an even more comfortable ride?

Thank you

I doubt they are individually tuned at all, this is the entry level BMW after all. BMW can probably tune them a bit via software, but I don’t think it would be on an individual basis, more like an update to push to all owners that *maybe* could give you the option to select from different dampening presets.

[gqbriel]

Originally Posted by puzzlepuzzling

Hello all,

Are BMW's M Adaptive Suspension systems finely tuned prior to delivery to the owner? If so, can BMW engineers further fine-tune them for an even more comfortable ride?

Thank you

I can tell you for sure even Porsche GT devision doesnt do that for customers,if you want to do it - Mantey

In general - tuning suspension is not as simple as you might think.Yes they BMW can change some settings based on internal testing and simulation but i havent heard that for any model so far.
But having and engineer especially for you - wont work like that

It definately needs tweeking with rebound in comofort mode in certain situation .

[puzzlepuzzling]

Originally Posted by gqbriel

I can tell you for sure even Porsche GT devision doesnt do that for customers,if you want to do it - Mantey

In general - tuning suspension is not as simple as you might think.Yes they BMW can change some settings based on internal testing and simulation but i havent heard that for any model so far.
But having and engineer especially for you - wont work like that

It definately needs tweeking with rebound in comofort mode in certain situation .

If it needs tweaking with rebound in comfort mode who will do that if it not bmw engineers or garagiste ?

[gqbriel]

Originally Posted by puzzlepuzzling

If it needs tweaking with rebound in comfort mode who will do that if it not bmw engineers or garagiste ?

Reading your comments - i am pretty sure you have no idea on car electronics ,suspension etc.
Garagiste - what does that even mean?

Its one thing to add a newly developed 3rd party suspension which took like a year of development and testing and to bolt on to the car...
Another story of taking 2 years developed setup and "bmw engineer" or "garagista" will tweak it with his phone ...

Short answer - NO

[FlashMonkey929]

Originally Posted by puzzlepuzzling

If it needs tweaking with rebound in comfort mode who will do that if it not bmw engineers or garagiste ?

Here's a good read on how the system works, though it's a bit old so some things may be slightly different but overall still pretty accurate I think.

Adaptive Suspension Explained

From what I understand, the only way your current suspension could be tuned is if BMW themselves decide that there is better parameters to tune the suspension to and issues a software update to all users. Your other option would be to replace the suspension with something aftermarket you feel is more comfortable (though none have been released yet to my knowledge). What you should do is talk to your dealer, have the mechanics test drive it and see if there is an undiagnosed issue, and go from there.

Just curious, is this your first BMW?

[puzzlepuzzling]

Originally Posted by gqbriel

Reading your comments - i am pretty sure you have no idea on car electronics ,suspension etc.
Garagiste - what does that even mean?

Its one thing to add a newly developed 3rd party suspension which took like a year of development and testing and to bolt on to the car...
Another story of taking 2 years developed setup and "bmw engineer" or "garagista" will tweak it with his phone ...

Short answer - NO

Yes I am not inclined with car electronics, suspension, engine and more. It’s just that the suspension in the car I test drove back in January 2023 was much smoother than the one I received a few days ago. I was thinking that maybe there is something they need to tweak to bring to the same comfort level as when I test drove the car.

[puzzlepuzzling]

Originally Posted by FlashMonkey929

Here's a good read on how the system works, though it's a bit old so some things may be slightly different but overall still pretty accurate I think.

Adaptive Suspension Explained

From what I understand, the only way your current suspension could be tuned is if BMW themselves decide that there is better parameters to tune the suspension to and issues a software update to all users. Your other option would be to replace the suspension with something aftermarket you feel is more comfortable (though none have been released yet to my knowledge). What you should do is talk to your dealer, have the mechanics test drive it and see if there is an undiagnosed issue, and go from there.

Just curious, is this your first BMW?

Yes this is my first bmw. I love the car. Great handling, great power, great quality interior and exterior just these damn bumps.

[FlashMonkey929]

Originally Posted by puzzlepuzzling

Yes this is my first bmw. I love the car. Great handling, great power, great quality interior and exterior just these damn bumps.

BMW in general tunes their suspensions on the stiffer side compared to other manufacturers, and they are generally the sportier of the Luxury European brands. They'll never glide over bumps and cracks like a higher end Benz or Lexus. Add to that that this is an entry level BMW, whenever you add "premium" options like this, there are almost always sacrifices they make compared to the higher tier models. You also got the M Sport Package, which lowers the ride height 15mm, which probably also increases the spring rate contributing to the stiffness of the suspension. For overall ride comfort, the standard suspension *may* have been a better option for you.

[puzzlepuzzling]

Originally Posted by FlashMonkey929

Here's a good read on how the system works, though it's a bit old so some things may be slightly different but overall still pretty accurate I think.

Adaptive Suspension Explained

From what I understand, the only way your current suspension could be tuned is if BMW themselves decide that there is better parameters to tune the suspension to and issues a software update to all users. Your other option would be to replace the suspension with something aftermarket you feel is more comfortable (though none have been released yet to my knowledge). What you should do is talk to your dealer, have the mechanics test drive it and see if there is an undiagnosed issue, and go from there.

Just curious, is this your first BMW?

After reading the link you shared thoroughly it seems that the adaptive suspension are also tailored by wheel and tire size. The car I test drove was a 20inch wheel with tire size 245/40/20. Maybe the tuning of the adaptive suspension is better on the 20inch wheels than the car I bought with the 18inch wheels.

[MontyB1]

Originally Posted by puzzlepuzzling

After reading the link you shared thoroughly it seems that the adaptive suspension are also tailored by wheel and tire size. The car I test drove was a 20inch wheel with tire size 245/40/20. Maybe the tuning of the adaptive suspension is better on the 20inch wheels than the car I bought with the 18inch wheels.

In almost all situations the larger the sidewall the more supple the suspension normally feels, it's very rare that isn't the case unless the tyre tech changes between them and smaller are runflats for example.

If you want a car to ride bumps well and then don't get M-Sport go for X-line. We test drove the X-Line on 19" wheels and it rode surprisingly well for a BMW. Note I said for a BMW as they are almost always as mentioned the sportier brand. They didn't have the tag line for years the Ultimate drives machine because they were soft and wallowed going round the corners its because they are made to be driven.

We have gone for an M-Sport as we prefer the looks and spec and are happy with the firmer ride, in an ideal world my wife might have opted for the softer suspension if asked or know here said I'm not bothered.

[FlashMonkey929]

Originally Posted by puzzlepuzzling

After reading the link you shared thoroughly it seems that the adaptive suspension are also tailored by wheel and tire size. The car I test drove was a 20inch wheel with tire size 245/40/20. Maybe the tuning of the adaptive suspension is better on the 20inch wheels than the car I bought with the 18inch wheels.

The "tuning" is merely adjusting the formula to compensate for the different wheel/tire size, and is more important for systems like stability control, traction control, and ABS. It's highly unlikely that there is a noticeable difference in suspension comfort because of this. Like the above post, a 20" wheel with shorter sidewalls is much more likely to feel like a stiffer ride.

[FlashMonkey929]

Curiously, the BMW Canada website describes the Adaptive Suspension as:

It features frequency-selective damping elements: mechanical, self-regulating system with regulation depending on road condition and driving style.

This to me, sounds like a standard variable valve shock to me and not an electronically variable valve controlled strut and is purely mechanical. If that's the case, then the Adaptive Suspension is just marketing lingo and there's nothing to tune. If I have time, I'm going to see if I can get under the car and see if any solenoids or wiring is attached to the struts and verify.

[ramen.slayer]

Unless a company comes with a programmable unit for the adaptive suspension, we are kinda stuck.

For example, a company in the US manage to “hack” into Bilstein’s system for Porsches, and that unit is programmable with a much faster processor and active program. That one made a noticeable difference to how quickly/active the valves work compared to the lazier factory setup from Porsche. However, I am not aware that any manufacture has managed to do that for BMW cars.

[JFDIT]

Originally Posted by FlashMonkey929

Curiously, the BMW Canada website describes the Adaptive Suspension as:

It features frequency-selective damping elements: mechanical, self-regulating system with regulation depending on road condition and driving style.

This to me, sounds like a standard variable valve shock to me and not an electronically variable valve controlled strut and is purely mechanical. If that's the case, then the Adaptive Suspension is just marketing lingo and there's nothing to tune. If I have time, I'm going to see if I can get under the car and see if any solenoids or wiring is attached to the struts and verify.

Suspension changes depending on Driving Mode so must have some electronic component.

[FlashMonkey929]

Originally Posted by JFDIT

Suspension changes depending on Driving Mode so must have some electronic component.

That’s what I thought, but this has me questioning that.

[MontyB1]

The system in the X1 / X3 has become less intelligent in the current generation. They used to have a solution that would allow for intelligent monitoring of several functions.

I've got the ability to have Adaptive functions in the pre-LCI X3 that has been removed from the post LCI. If I press it and start throwing the car around it will effectively jump into Sport mode amongst other things, in the post LCI car and in the X1 it has to be removed.

Let's also remember that pre U11 cars adaptive suspension I don't think this was an option at all it was all passive spring / damper for the F48.

[JFDIT]

https://www.bmw.co.uk/en/shop/ls/dp/VDC_Offer_gb

[puzzlepuzzling]

Originally Posted by FlashMonkey929

Curiously, the BMW Canada website describes the Adaptive Suspension as:

It features frequency-selective damping elements: mechanical, self-regulating system with regulation depending on road condition and driving style.

This to me, sounds like a standard variable valve shock to me and not an electronically variable valve controlled strut and is purely mechanical. If that's the case, then the Adaptive Suspension is just marketing lingo and there's nothing to tune. If I have time, I'm going to see if I can get under the car and see if any solenoids or wiring is attached to the struts and verify.

So I took the liberty to go under the car and take a few pictures. Let me know what you all think. Thank you.

[ramen.slayer]

Originally Posted by MontyB1

The system in the X1 / X3 has become less intelligent in the current generation. They used to have a solution that would allow for intelligent monitoring of several functions.

I've got the ability to have Adaptive functions in the pre-LCI X3 that has been removed from the post LCI. If I press it and start throwing the car around it will effectively jump into Sport mode amongst other things, in the post LCI car and in the X1 it has to be removed.

Let's also remember that pre U11 cars adaptive suspension I don't think this was an option at all it was all passive spring / damper for the F48.

In short: cost cutting. BMW didn’t even bother with making the center console lid open properly for RHD cars lol

[ramen.slayer]

Originally Posted by puzzlepuzzling

So I took the liberty to go under the car and take a few pictures. Let me know what you all think. Thank you.

Hard to tell. Typically electronically controlled non-inverted dampers will have a cable/wire coming out the top near the top mounts.

[FlashMonkey929]

Originally Posted by puzzlepuzzling

So I took the liberty to go under the car and take a few pictures. Let me know what you all think. Thank you.

All I can see is the brake line and what looks to be the line for the ABS sensor.