I went to visit the 325d again today, and drove it on some different roads: no motorway this time, but poor town surfaces and a little bit of fast B-road, some of which had an odd, undulating quality with a short 'wavelength'.
I remain impressed by how well it rides at low speeds, even over the kind of broken Tarmac that can be a real chore in other cars, even the mattressy LEC. It doesn't crash, it doesn't jiggle, it just feels planted and secure. It's the same at motorway speed. But the bumpy B-road was odd: it seemed to hit the crest of each bump before it had recovered from the previous one, which wasn't exactly unpleasant but was a little disconcerting. More strangely, I couldn't say whether the effect came from too little compliance in the undercarriage - or too much. Or whether it was just an unusual stretch of road.
What I'm wondering is how others here assess the ride comfort of a car. 'Hard' and 'soft' are just too simplistic, and I've read descriptions using the terms 'primary' and 'secondary' ride, which don't mean much to me. In most of my cars I've not noticed the ride; it's just been there. Our Fabia felt smooth and planted; our Verso eventually drove me nuts with its jiggling; even after 12 years I couldn't tell you much about how the Volvo rides.
So how do you judge yours? Or do you even notice it?
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Which tyres/rims has it got?
I can't remember the sizes now, but my 528 had quite large rims / low profile tyres and the ride was tiresome.
When I changed it to the alternatives of higher profile tyres and smaller rims, again I can't remember sizes but BMW said it was ok, the change was dramatic.
It didn't seem to impact the feel at high speed or cornering, but bumpy B roads were significantly more pleasant.
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If you ever get the chance to be in a Peugeot 405 on a tricky or bumpy road, you'll quickly find out.
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The wheels are 18in and the tyres 255/35 rear and 225/45 front. This wasn't a bit of road I knew, so perhaps I should try it in a familiar car as a benchmark. But it did surprise me, given how composed the car has felt everywhere else I've taken it. It's nothing like the nervous monster of a 2003 320d saloon that was my last BMW experience until the start of this round of shopping.
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The Cruiser has a firm ride that feels the bumps and potholes in our drive, and most road irregularities. It has no handling at all. There's a regular left-hander I take here with a slight lumpy bit at the apex, and the car does a bit of a rear-end skip there. Of course it's better all round now that all the bushes are good... but for how long?
The thing goes all right though sanely driven, no problem. What I notice most is the road noise which on rough surfaces is loud. But there are nice new smooth bits of road where it's quite civilized sounding.
It doesn't drink juice driven gently. I do that more now with lots of light throttle and overrun. I'm often below the speed limit even when the other mimsers aren't in the way. Fortunately, this being the overpopulated mimsing South East, there are usually a lot of them which gives one a sort of excuse. I went to London and back today and hardly even reached the speed limit even when unobstructed. It's strangely relaxing in a way.
Sometimes long for a snorting monster though even now.
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>> What I notice most is the road noise which on rough surfaces is loud. But there are nice new smooth bits of road where it's quite civilized sounding.
Tried to add, the jalopy has big fat expensive tyres, decently high-profile though. That's why the road roar gets bad on those abrasive high-grip surfaces.
Thought today to check the pressures which I normally keep at 35psi all round. To my horror both the rears were down in the 20s, one only 23psi. That was after ten days or a fortnight. Hell's bells! That means 50p worth of air every couple of days from now onward, if I remember. Tsk!
Could get the tyre place to take them off, clean everything up and put gunge round the rims again. But that will cost what, a tenner a wheel, with no guarantee of a real cure.
Tubed tyres were better in a way.
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Funnily enough, you know that road out of Henley through Rotherfield Greys passed the Malsters? It was that road I was thinking of.
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...out of Henley through Rotherfield Greys...
That road is much slower than today's, and I think the BMW would handle it well. (The LEC is too soft to manage easily through it; requires a lowish gear and a delicate balance of foot and steering to keep it tidy.) Today's was a bit off my patch, near Beaconsfield, but quite an easy detour on the way home from work this week.
This is the only oddity I've been able to find with this car, though. Really like it. I can even fit in the back seat, although I wouldn't fancy it for long. Working hard on the man maths.
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Ride quality is very much a personal thing. A lot of the feeling of ride is actually aural. I have been in some cars that are really quite smooth and composed, but clonky noises from suspension makes it seem worse, and in comparison I have been in some that fall silently off every pimple they have turned into a cliff edge.
Without doubt low profile tyres are a curse
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We had BMW 325d police cars in London as faster response cars, just before I left.
Quick, capable, looked the part, handled very well, well put togther....but by Christ the ride was unreal. Pot holes and speed humps were bone shaking affairs.
They must have had sports suspensions on them, because I cannot imagine normal people would want ride quality that bad.
So, if I were to have a modern Beemer I'd want no sports suspension, I'd drop the run flat tyres (which are less supple) and as already mentioned try to have a smaller rimmed wheel and larger profile tyre.
By which time you might as well buy an Audi, Merc or Jag.
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What's puzzling me is that the effect I noticed today wasn't any of the over-hard horrors I often read about. I'd expect an over-tyred, over-hard car to be horrible in town, which this one certainly isn't (and the friend's car I borrowed years ago was - even he got tired of it before long.) The B-road effect was just odd, and I don't think the wheels or tyres really contributed to it.
Incidentally, three different BMW salesmen have now told me that 2000s BMWs were too hard and nervous, and today's (or 2012's, as in this case) are much better sorted - but then, that's what I wanted to hear, innit?
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>> - even he got tired of it before long.) The B-road effect was just odd,
>> and I don't think the wheels or tyres really contributed to it.
It was probably some kind of bump/wheelbase/speed frequency thing.
Funny - you can go over a cattle grid slowly and you feel it, faster and it disappears. Speed humps that can be felt at 20, at 30 40 they disappear, at 50 they become cliff faces.
Last edited by: Zero on Sun 10 May 15 at 23:08
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>> Funny - you can go over a cattle grid slowly and you feel it, faster and it disappears. Speed humps that can be felt at 20, at 30 40 they disappear, at 50 they become cliff faces.
All depends on the car and its suspension, road clearance and so on. There are huge gouges on virtually all speed bumps from contact with front subframe bolts, or worse still sump fins, when people hit them too fast. Much of that will cause damage for sure. As any fule kno actually, no offence to Zero.
There are techniques for going over humps quickly without risking undercart damage, but they have their own problems - a certain violence with the drivetrain and expensive throttle pumping - and take careful, more or less perfect timing. I find a gentle lolloping approach more relaxing and it's got to be kinder to the car. Doesn't slow you down all that much either.
Local authority traffic wonks who commission speed bumps with their contractor friends should be nailed to trees or walls and pelted with filth until they die. So should their contractor friends. It's a disgusting scam.
Meanwhile those desert racers with long-travel suspension are what one would need for rapid unworried progress in places ruled by these carphounds.
Last edited by: Armel Coussine on Mon 11 May 15 at 01:07
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>>, at 50 they become cliff faces.
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I've never driven over a cliff face at any speed, but I imagine that the feeling is like being airbourne on a soft cushion.
Probably though there is a nasty bump later.
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You may be confusing cliff faces with cliff edges, erm, Cliff.
};---)
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>> Local authority traffic wonks who commission speed bumps with their contractor friends should be nailed
>> to trees or walls and pelted with filth until they die. So should their contractor
>> friends. It's a disgusting scam.
Couldn't agree more.
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Ride comfort: how do you judge it? - No FM2R
