Suspension question

I have a 2005 BMW 645 coupe and am not happy with how stiff the ride is. What are my options to soften up the ride.

You might switch to non-RFT's as they have a little softer sidewalls.

Are those OEM m6 wheels or replicas on your car, and are you referring to the tires when you say non-RFT'S?

Originally Posted by seans4976

Are those OEM m6 wheels or replicas on your car, and are you referring to the tires when you say non-RFT'S?

RFT = Run Flat Tires

Stay out of Sport Mode.

Take the Run Flats off & you will have a softer ride. You will not have a spare, but most of us don't. I really don't think the sport mode will affect most of the 6 series suspension, maybe the M6's.

I have a set of replica 19 inch M6 wheels on my 2005 645 coupe and I had to put hub centrix pieces on to make the vibrating go away. After I put the hub centrix pieces on I still have a vibration.

Any suggestions?

If you had to add rings to the wheels to make them hubcentric then I would get the wheels rebalanced now that the rings are installed. Have the shop check for bends while they are at it.

Are you also running spacers?

Originally Posted by HerbP

Take the Run Flats off & you will have a softer ride. You will not have a spare, but most of us don't. I really don't think the sport mode will affect most of the 6 series suspension, maybe the M6's.

Sport mode make for a much stiffer ride to keep the car flatter for cornering.

Originally Posted by seans4976

I have a 2005 BMW 645 coupe and am not happy with how stiff the ride is. What are my options to soften up the ride.

I felt the same way. When I changed to NRFs it was like getting a new car. I went with Hankook V12s but there are many good choices. Give it a try.

Originally Posted by Mulchman

Sport mode make for a much stiffer ride to keep the car flatter for cornering.

The 6 does not have any dynamic shock adjustments, I believe Sport mode only affects transmission shifts and throttle response.

The Dynamic Drive is an option, but it is always on, and it only really changes the dynamics in cornering. It applies force left to right to compensate for the car tilting to one side. The shocks and springs are just standard and do not change.

Seans - I'm running the Miro replica M6 wheels which I got in a swap with another six owner who wanted to go back to stock for tradein. I had the same issue with a little vibration even after the hub-centric rings so I took it to a good custom tire/wheel shop that performed "on-car" high speed balancing, which completely fixed it the past couple of years. This shop now gets my business and I run non-RFT Michelin pilot super sports. Good luck.

Originally Posted by tampamark

The 6 does not have any dynamic shock adjustments, I believe Sport mode only affects transmission shifts and throttle response.

The Dynamic Drive is an option, but it is always on, and it only really changes the dynamics in cornering. It applies force left to right to compensate for the car tilting to one side. The shocks and springs are just standard and do not change.

I also believe that the steering also stiffens up in Sports mode as well as the transmission and throttle!!!! It doesn't have dynamic suspension!!!

Originally Posted by 645/333

I also believe that the steering also stiffens up in Sports mode as well as the transmission and throttle!!!! It doesn't have dynamic suspension!!!

yep - I've experienced slight stiffening and tighter response from the steering with sports mode.

I also run the Miro M6 style wheels and have experienced the vibration. For me, the solution was an alignment. My rear tires where wearing out on the inside edge. I had two alignments done within a few months of each other. The indie shop aligned it but the vibration was still there. I got the wheels on and had it balanced twice, attempting to smooth it out. I had to keep searching for the solution. The wheel alignment, from the BMW dealer, did the trick. They charged $169 verse the indie who charged $120. I have no issues now. Talk about temperamental?

Originally Posted by gregb

yep - I've experienced slight stiffening and tighter response from the steering with sports mode.

You know, the manual doesn't say that Sport mode affects steering and I really don't notice much of a difference. But RealOem does show different power steering pumps for different car systems, one for the regular car, another for those with Dynamic Drive and a third for a car with Dynamic Drive and Active Steering?

Originally Posted by tampamark

You know, the manual doesn't say that Sport mode affects steering and I really don't notice much of a difference. But RealOem does show different power steering pumps for different car systems, one for the regular car, another for those with Dynamic Drive and a third for a car with Dynamic Drive and Active Steering?

This question was driving me crazy so I looked it up.
From the BMW lit.
Sport mode.
Tune up: when sport mode is activated, engine output and driving dynamics take on sportier qualities, letting you enjoy your BMW's dynamic character at its peak.
Depending on which BMW model you drive, the sport mode can be activated by a touch of the "Sport" button on the central console. Immediately, your BMW feels even more dynamic: the electronic control units switch to sportier settings, making the engine more responsive and the suspension stiffer.
This increase in sports-style characteristics is accompanied by a reduction in powered assistance for the steering at low and medium RPMs for more direct and immediate steering, giving you an even closer sense of the character of the road.
In vehicles with automatic transmission or the Sequential Manual Gearbox (SMG), activating the sport mode (also known as Driving Dynamic Control) shortens gearshift times and makes the gearshift characteristic even more dynamic.

Originally Posted by roseng

This question was driving me crazy so I looked it up.
From the BMW lit.
Sport mode.
Tune up: when sport mode is activated, engine output and driving dynamics take on sportier qualities, letting you enjoy your BMW's dynamic character at its peak.
Depending on which BMW model you drive, the sport mode can be activated by a touch of the "Sport" button on the central console. Immediately, your BMW feels even more dynamic: the electronic control units switch to sportier settings, making the engine more responsive and the suspension stiffer.
This increase in sports-style characteristics is accompanied by a reduction in powered assistance for the steering at low and medium RPMs for more direct and immediate steering, giving you an even closer sense of the character of the road.
In vehicles with automatic transmission or the Sequential Manual Gearbox (SMG), activating the sport mode (also known as Driving Dynamic Control) shortens gearshift times and makes the gearshift characteristic even more dynamic.

Thanks Roseng! I haven't had the time to go look that up. It is completely obvious (at least to me in my car) that the suspension is tighter in Sport Mode. All you have to do is hit a man hole cover to prove it But I wanted to see it in writing.

BTW - did you code DVD in Motion, windows up or tire pressure? If so, do you remember the module and function?

Originally Posted by Mulchman

Thanks Roseng! I haven't had the time to go look that up. It is completely obvious (at least to me in my car) that the suspension is tighter in Sport Mode. All you have to do is hit a man hole cover to prove it But I wanted to see it in writing.

BTW - did you code DVD in Motion, windows up or tire pressure? If so, do you remember the module and function?

I did DVD in motion but I added the NAVVIDEO module to I can't tell you if it did anything. (BTW, I really like NAVVIDEO)
We did Windows up from the FOB but I have to look up the code.
Did not do tire pressure, what are you attempting there?

Originally Posted by roseng

I did DVD in motion but I added the NAVVIDEO module to I can't tell you if it did anything. (BTW, I really like NAVVIDEO)
We did Windows up from the FOB but I have to look up the code.
Did not do tire pressure, what are you attempting there?

Don't want to highjack the thread for coding, but some cars can add tire pressure to the TPM on iDrive. No more checking pressure at each tire.

..and back on topic. Mark & Herb - try your favorite corner or on-ramp with and without Sport Mode. I think you'll feel a big difference in suspension / cornering.

Originally Posted by Mulchman

Don't want to highjack the thread for coding, but some cars can add tire pressure to the TPM on iDrive. No more checking pressure at each tire.

I did the tire monitor on my wife's 2012 F10 and it now shows both pressure and temp. The problem is I don't get any readings, just blank. Not sure if the coding is incomplete or it requires a special sensor. I don't think it will work on our cars.

On the suspension issue, I was surprised about the power steering changes. No one had mentioned that in the discussions. Makes sense.