X3 '06 vs '09 Ride

Hello again

I am still happy with the wife X3 '06; she is even happier. Quick question/observation
Before we made the decision for the '06 with 23K miles we also drove another '06 with 33K, we opted for Xenon lights vs. the winter package. During the test drive both cars felt pretty much the same even when ours came with the Turanzas tires and the other one had the Pirellis. I know the differences on both tire models and I know the Pirelli STRs are much better according to people on the web (bimmerfest)
Anyway, the dealer had to check the windshield on the X3 and I got a loaner ’09 with the STRs on it. I know the ’07 and later have the bigger output engine and 6speed tranny. Is the suspension different on these two models? Or it is just the better tires that give a better ride. I cannot believe how good it felt on the ’09 while driving. It felt like a totally different car and not as stiff/bouncy as mine. Please illustrate me.

Thanks

Figman

8^) -- there I illustrated you.

As far as illuminating you -- I would def say its the suspension. Tires make a diff -- especially proper (lower) inflation pressure, and the scorpians are great for the ride especially in 17inch guise. However the suspension in the 07, 08, 09 cars is softer than prior years. Go drive an 04 and you`ll see your 06 is way better than that. Much has been writtin about this in the press and on the forums.

The 2007s were softened yet again.

Originally Posted by AzNMpower32

The 2007s were softened yet again.

That sounds like a boring drive to me

So my guess is, if I want to be happy with a '07+, I would need the sport pkg to be at least equivalent to my '06 without sport pkg

Originally Posted by 06BMWX3

TSo my guess is, if I want to be happy with a '07+, I would need the sport pkg to be at least equivalent to my '06 without sport pkg

Might still be apples and oranges.
The "facelifted" model just feels different, or less spartan, in some greater way- so you might not achieve the pre-'07 ride just through having the sport pkg.

The reduction in "harshness" from '04 to '05/'06 pales in comparison, to the extent that some find it hard to detect.

Originally Posted by 06BMWX3

That sounds like a boring drive to me

So my guess is, if I want to be happy with a '07+, I would need the sport pkg to be at least equivalent to my '06 without sport pkg

Well, from what I was able to discern, there isn't any real loss of stability when cornering at moderate speeds. I was concerned that given the 2008 loaner's compliant ride on the highway, that it would wallow in the corners. I took a couple corners briskly (about 7/10ths driving, what most people have the confidence to do) and found no discernible drawback in body roll. Now, I'm sure that if I drove at my definition of "sportingly" , I'd find the non-sport 2007 too soft. And like I reported before, I did a test drove of a 2007 M sport model and i found the suspension just right.

Bought an 06 M with 12,000 miles in Sept. Bought without driving and love it. Am ignoring the Infiniti M45 in driveway. What tires complement the handling the best?

Originally Posted by Supercourse

Might still be apples and oranges.
The "facelifted" model just feels different, or less spartan, in some greater way- so you might not achieve the pre-'07 ride just through having the sport pkg.

The reduction in "harshness" from '04 to '05/'06 pales in comparison, to the extent that some find it hard to detect.

Goodness. Maybe I have a throwback because I cannot imagine a harsher, bouncier, less comfortable ride than what I have.

It's amazing they sold any '04s....must have been many hard core buyers.

I wish I knew what they did to soften the ride so I could see if I have the old stuff.

Originally Posted by PPXYZ

Goodness. Maybe I have a throwback because I cannot imagine a harsher, bouncier, less comfortable ride than what I have.

It's amazing they sold any '04s....must have been many hard core buyers.

I wish I knew what they did to soften the ride so I could see if I have the old stuff.

...aaaand another useless post by the resident whiner.

FWIW, my '09 has a much nicer/softer suspension than the '07. Neither is a sport package. The only difference (both have/had Pirellis) is that my '09 has 17s instead of 18s. I can't imagine that wheels alone made THIS MUCH of a difference. It feels like the whole suspension has been improved.

PPXYZ - if you want a soft ride, go buy a GM that'll float all over the place and have steering wheel slop worse than an 18 wheeler.

yeah thats it PeePee. They took your 09 X3 and put the 04 suspension in it. Seriously. Those whacky elves at Magna Steyr do that every 50,000 vehicles or so -- just to entertain themselves. I am begging you to go out and buy a Lexus so we dont have to read your drivel.

As regards the rest of the remarks on this thread -- it is possible to make the ride more compliant yet not compromise the handling. It is called chassis and suspension tuning. It is what BMW does better than everyone else. So while the 07 and later X3`s are more comfortable, they still handle like bimmers. You dont need the sport package to benefit from BMW`s efforts -- in fact there are those who argue that the SPort/M package degrades the ride handling formula in the X3. I thnk its a matter of taste. But I love the way my non-sport X3 drives and although I`d rather have the 18 inch style 205`s just for looks, I trust the 17 inch formula that the engineers chose and believe it is the best size for this vehicle with the scorpians.

T1T2GRE -- I do think its the wheels and tires that make the diff. I recently increased the psi in my tires to stop the TPWS from barking in the winter. It definitely made a difference in ride compliance. But for whatever reason I think the car does respond to wheel/tire differences in a noticeable way...

interesting discussion.

We have an '06 sport with 18" wheels and Pilot Sport tires. Maybe a bit harsh on huge speed bumps, but overall a great ride. My wife agrees. Never a complaint over the ride.

Interesting. I just replaced my old 18" Scorpions with the Pilot Sport Plus and found them a great improvement. I have about 1K miles on the new rubber now and was very surprised that the former harsh, jolting, awful ride over rough pavement has been moderated somewhat and is not quite as bad now. As a card carrying "ride hater" I am delighted with this improvement, however slight. I also like the handling, which I am surprised is even better now with the Michelins. Time will tell how they wear (the Scorpions did 49K miles) but right now I am very happy.

Originally Posted by smithsonga

interesting discussion.

We have an '06 sport with 18" wheels and Pilot Sport tires. Maybe a bit harsh on huge speed bumps, but overall a great ride. My wife agrees. Never a complaint over the ride.

Yep. This kind of goes back to what Cubed was saying. I did change the tires on my '07 (it had the 18s) and just that alone made a huge difference from stock. I hope when I change the rubber on the 17s on my '09 it won't be too mushy.

Originally Posted by Supercourse

Might still be apples and oranges.
The "facelifted" model just feels different, or less spartan, in some greater way- so you might not achieve the pre-'07 ride just through having the sport pkg.

The reduction in "harshness" from '04 to '05/'06 pales in comparison, to the extent that some find it hard to detect.

When I was buying the car, I test drove at least 4 of them, 1 of them was 04 other three were 05s, the difference in suspension was immediately noticeable not just between 04 and 05 but among the 05s too, one of them was pretty much same as 04 while other two were noticeably softer.