335 DTC smoother drive, tire wear?

Hi everyone,
I have an '11 335i coupe with the sport pack and 19" rims. The ride has been pretty harsh, especially on uneven surfaces, which I felt was normal given the 19" rims and the sport suspension. The other day I experimented turning on DTC by briefly pressing the DTC button. I found that the ride was a lot more smooth in general and was a lot less harsh on uneven surfaces. Has anyone else experienced this?

My question now is, will driving with DTC affect my tire wear at all?

I would appreciate any help.

Matt

I think you mean DTC. DTC is Traction, DCT is the Dual clutch transmission. I never noticed it myself but I wouldn't think it wouldn't have anything to do with the suspension at all, thought it just allowed some wheel spin and stopped cutting the throttle when wheel spin does happen.

Get rid of the run flats, one of the worst tire feels over bumps out there....with 19', must feel your driving on 50 lb pressure tires...

I agree...dump the runflats and the ride will be transformed. I went with Hankook Evo 12's from discount tire direct.com and the price was simply so inexpensive you will save a bundle and its a great tire.

Good luck and congrats on your new car!

I find the suspension to be great. Harsh is certainly not a word I would use. How are the roads where you're driving? Perhaps the tires are the key?

Originally Posted by energetik9

I find the suspension to be great. Harsh is certainly not a word I would use. How are the roads where you're driving? Perhaps the tires are the key?

I found the suspension on my 07 to be the most poorly sorted out suspension of any car I have ever owned. Harsh is not a word I would use either but I don't know of a word for "Beyond Harsh". With the RFTs and the stock suspension the car was borderline undriveable on poor surfaces.

Getting rid of the RFTs and installing Koni FSD shocks made a huge difference and the car finally has become the car I thought I was buying.

CA

My question is can I leave my car on DTC at all time if I have RFT?

The roads where I drive aren't very bad, and when the surface is smooth the drive is fine. But when the pavement is uneven, sometimes it feels like the car might bounces into the next lane. And don't even ask about driving in Los Angeles with all the potholes, every time I've hit one, even smalls ones, I have to look behind me to make sure no parts fell off :-/

Also, I am driving with the stock Bridgestone RFTs, do you think DTC would increase the wear of the tire?

Originally Posted by matt00721

The roads where I drive aren't very bad, and when the surface is smooth the drive is fine. But when the pavement is uneven, sometimes it feels like the car might bounces into the next lane. And don't even ask about driving in Los Angeles with all the potholes, every time I've hit one, even smalls ones, I have to look behind me to make sure no parts fell off :-/

Also, I am driving with the stock Bridgestone RFTs, do you think DTC would increase the wear of the tire?

Ditch the RFTs and install Koni FSD shocks and the crashiness over bad surfaces will go away.

CA

Sport Package rides stiffer than regular suspension, but provides more feedback, and 19" wheels magnify the harshness on rough roads. DTC has no impact on suspension stiffness, you would need something like EDC, available on M3.

Sounds like regular suspension and 18" wheels would fit you better. It doesn't make sense to spend $$ on SP and 19" (harsher ride), then spend even more money to soften the ride.

Especially because it's a lease. Don't think there's a smart way to get out of it right now and switch out to a 535 or 335 without the sports pack so I guess I'll have to wait it out. Only 30 more months

Originally Posted by skier

Sport Package rides stiffer than regular suspension, but provides more feedback, and 19" wheels magnify the harshness on rough roads. DTC has no impact on suspension stiffness, you would need something like EDC, available on M3.

Sounds like regular suspension and 18" wheels would fit you better. It doesn't make sense to spend $$ on SP and 19" (harsher ride), then spend even more money to soften the ride.

I found that the sport suspension with the FSDs retains all of the good attributes of the sport suspension but eliminates the bad aspects. I don't feel like I gave up any performance but I got rid of the harshness. The car still feels firm (which I like) but it does not feel like it is going to break in half when it goes over a rough road. It is also much better at keeping the contact patches on the road. It by no means made the car feel like it had the standard suspension. What it did do was make the sport suspension what it should have been in the first place.

CA

Originally Posted by GiaGiaJa

My question is can I leave my car on DTC at all time if I have RFT?

DTC has *NOTHING* to do with RFT.

For that matter, DTC has *NOTHING* to do with "regular" tires.

It only modifies the way the traction control, automatic differential braking and stability control works.

Originally Posted by floydarogers

DTC has *NOTHING* to do with RFT.

For that matter, DTC has *NOTHING* to do with "regular" tires.

It only modifies the way the traction control, automatic differential braking and stability control works.

Ok...So I can leave it on DTC all the time to get a better control?

Am I wrong in thinking that DTC is on all the time [U]unless [U] you press the button?

Yes, you are wrong.

Sent from my DROIDX using BimmerApp

Originally Posted by GiaGiaJa

Ok...So I can leave it on DTC all the time to get a better control?

You wont have better control per say, but you will have less wheel spin and I believe it reduces the chances of back end from coming out. The bad thing about DTC (for me at least) is that it cuts power when you are trying to floor it into or out of a turn, that can be dangerous when trying to cross a busy intersection and you want constant acceleration. I usually turn DTC off when turning left across traffic or I want to throw the back end out a bit.

Originally Posted by zweirad

Am I wrong in thinking that DTC is on all the time [U]unless [U] you press the button?

You are correct, when you hit the DTC button it turns just DTC off, if you hold it down it will turn DSC off too, and it's really only a good idea to do that if you're in an empty parking lot or on a track.

Ignore the grumpy M-rated, he hasn't had his pills yet I'm guessing.

I'm sorry I had to join and post up a correction to the above post. When u press the DTC button, it turns it ON and u get a DTC light on ur dash. On my iDrive it says, DTC Activated, DSC limited. This showing that it limits DSC and enables DTC.

I just read the manual and it is indeed confusing. The button in question apparently controls 2 functions independently. The normal state is: no dash indicators on or flashing=DSC on but not active, DTC off. When DSC is active, the triangle indicator will flash. If you press and hold the button, DSC will be disabled and the triangle indicator will remain lit rather than flash. If you press the button briefly, DTC will be enabled and the indicator trapezoid DTC indicator will remain lit. If the DTC is active, the same triangle indicator as above with DSC will flash.

So...if the triangle is steady, DSC is off, if the trapezoid DTC is steady, DTC is on. If the the triangle is flashing, either one may be active, although after reading the descriptions I am guessing that "DTC active" pretty much implies that DSC is not, and vice versa.

At least this is how I read it.

Originally Posted by Dc5_champ88

I'm sorry I had to join and post up a correction to the above post. When u press the DTC button, it turns it ON and u get a DTC light on ur dash. On my iDrive it says, DTC Activated, DSC limited. This showing that it limits DSC and enables DTC.

That is incorrect, go read the manual. Hitting the DTC button will turn off DTC and keep DSC on, when you hold the DTC button down it will turn DTC and DSC off. If you are too lazy to go reading through a manual then go try it out in a parking lot, let me know if your car slides more after pressing DTC or holding DTC.

Originally Posted by SteveGu

I just read the manual and it is indeed confusing. The button in question apparently controls 2 functions independently. The normal state is: no dash indicators on or flashing=DSC on but not active, DTC off. When DSC is active, the triangle indicator will flash. If you press and hold the button, DSC will be disabled and the triangle indicator will remain lit rather than flash. If you press the button briefly, DTC will be enabled and the indicator trapezoid DTC indicator will remain lit. If the DTC is active, the same triangle indicator as above with DSC will flash.

So...if the triangle is steady, DSC is off, if the trapezoid DTC is steady, DTC is on. If the the triangle is flashing, either one may be active, although after reading the descriptions I am guessing that "DTC active" pretty much implies that DSC is not, and vice versa.

At least this is how I read it.

From the manual:


Dynamic Stability Control DSC

DSC prevents the driving wheels from losing
traction when you pull away from rest or accelerate.
The system also recognizes unstable
driving conditions, for example if the rear of the
car is about to swerve or if momentum is acting
at an angle past the front wheels. In these
cases, DSC helps the vehicle maintain a safe
course within physical limits by reducing engine
output and through braking actions at the individual
wheels.

Deactivating DSC

Press the button for at least 3 seconds; the indicator
lamps for DSC in the instrument cluster
light up. Dynamic Traction Control DTC and
DSC have been simultaneously deactivated.
Stabilizing and drive-output promoting actions
are no longer executed.


Activating DSC

Press the button again; the indicator lamps in
the instrument cluster go out.


If the indicator lamp flashes:
DSC is regulating the drive and braking
forces.

If the indicator lamps are on:
DSC is deactivated.

Dynamic Traction Control DTC

DTC is a version of DSC in which the drive output
is optimized for particular road conditions,
e.g. unplowed snow-covered roads. The system
assures the maximal drive output, but with
reduced driving stability. It is therefore necessary
to drive with appropriate caution.

You may find it useful to briefly activate DTC
under the following special circumstances:
> When driving uphill on snow-covered roads,
in slush or on unplowed, snow-covered
roads
> When rocking a stuck vehicle free or starting
off in deep snow or on loose ground
> When driving with snow chains

Activating DTC

Press the button; the indicator lamps for DTC in
the instrument cluster come on.


If the indicator lamp flashes:
DTC is regulating the drive and braking
forces.

If the indicator lamps are on:
DTC has been activated.

Deactivating DTC

Press the button again; the DTC indicator
lamps in the instrument cluster go out.

Deleted

are you accelerating pretty good when going over them? if youre breaking traction and the car is trying to stop it you'll bounce around but if you turn off dtc, it allows the wheels to spin to an extent..

Originally Posted by SteveGu

From the manual:


Dynamic Stability Control DSC

DSC prevents the driving wheels from losing
traction when you pull away from rest or accelerate.
The system also recognizes unstable
driving conditions, for example if the rear of the
car is about to swerve or if momentum is acting
at an angle past the front wheels. In these
cases, DSC helps the vehicle maintain a safe
course within physical limits by reducing engine
output and through braking actions at the individual
wheels.

Deactivating DSC

Press the button for at least 3 seconds; the indicator
lamps for DSC in the instrument cluster
light up. Dynamic Traction Control DTC and
DSC have been simultaneously deactivated.
Stabilizing and drive-output promoting actions
are no longer executed.


Activating DSC

Press the button again; the indicator lamps in
the instrument cluster go out.


If the indicator lamp flashes:
DSC is regulating the drive and braking
forces.

If the indicator lamps are on:
DSC is deactivated.

Dynamic Traction Control DTC

DTC is a version of DSC in which the drive output
is optimized for particular road conditions,
e.g. unplowed snow-covered roads. The system
assures the maximal drive output, but with
reduced driving stability. It is therefore necessary
to drive with appropriate caution.

You may find it useful to briefly activate DTC
under the following special circumstances:
> When driving uphill on snow-covered roads,
in slush or on unplowed, snow-covered
roads
> When rocking a stuck vehicle free or starting
off in deep snow or on loose ground
> When driving with snow chains

Activating DTC

Press the button; the indicator lamps for DTC in
the instrument cluster come on.


If the indicator lamp flashes:
DTC is regulating the drive and braking
forces.

If the indicator lamps are on:
DTC has been activated.

Deactivating DTC

Press the button again; the DTC indicator
lamps in the instrument cluster go out.

Wow, I failed hardcore there. Sorry for the misinformation.

Had no idea this is how it worked, all this time I thought I was turning off DTC when I was actually activating it. Thanks for posting up the proof.