grease

Ordered 2006 530i for delivery in Munich on May 2. Need to firm up final options by next week. How much difference is there in handling with or without sport suspension? I have seen several postings that the sport suspension is more fatiguing on long trips due to stiff run flat tires and that you will probably need to buy a new rim if you go over a bad pothole with the lower profile tires. Appreciate your advice. Thanks!

manc5

530dse with 18" 124's and runflats.. 32k miles .. plemty of bad potholes, no new rims yet..

I tried cars with and without sports and IMHO without is is nicer if you are a less spirited driver and like a really smooth ride.

I like sports suspension because it felt to me like it stiffened the ride and increased steering precision and made the car look better, (the 15mm lower ride makes the arches look fuller with the 18" rims).

I wouldn't buy an e60 with std suspension mainly on the driving style i have..

I do plenty of long trips and always get out smiling !

good luck, ether way it is a good drive !

David

grease

Hi David,
Thanks for your prompt response. and advice.

Is the sports suspension cornering performance that much better? Any problems in wet weather? Is there a lot more road noise? I have driven many sports cars and a Nascar racing car, so I have truly no idea as to the difference in ride quality between the two suspensions....

manc5

Hi
i wouldn't say it made the car into a sports car but sharpens it up quite well and controls body roll more .

As i live in the UK it is nearly always wet !.. to be honest i think the wide runflats do cause tramlining and sometimes spirited cornering in the wet can be a bit variable but with the softer suspension you probably get a bit more roll and warning.. to be honest the DTC and CBC has dug me out of a few over enthusiastic corners, (within the bounds of physics that is).

On the noise front i did not have a fair comparison.,. i drove a manual 530 petrol with std suspension and an auto 530d with sports prior to buying a 530dse manual with sports suspension. I do find the e60 generally much noisier than my last car, a Jag xj8, but all the extra noise is acceptable engine noise (diesel !). There is one noise i have not experienced.. the dreaded runflat rumble that has been posted on the forum.

I reckon you will get a pretty high amount of people saying "fit the sports suspension" over the "go with std..". if you look at members car specs most appear to either be sports or have the sports packs.

David

ISUK

I've racked up 23000 miles in my car with sports suspension and 18" 124 alloys. I have also had a fair bit of experience of a 530d without sports suspension on 17" alloys which I had for 2 weeks and over 1000 miles whilst my own car was off the road having a new engine fitted. I have to say that in normal driving my own car's ride does not seem to suffer comfort wise against the softer standard suspension nor was there an appreciable difference in tyre noise levels which came as a surprise. The real difference comes in cornering ability. The sports suspension corners more flatly giving you greater confidence in the car's ability and making it easier (in my opinion) to sense when you are approaching the limits. I felt that my progress across twisting A and B roads was greatly improved with the sports suspension and passengers suffer less body roll.

David is correct about the improved looks as well. The car looks a lot better when lowered by the sports suspension. 15mm may not sound like much but when you park next to a car on the same wheels with standard suspension you will get a shock.

If you value comfort over handling, don't drive very quickly and drive with your slippers on get the standard suspension. If you want to experience the true potential of the car without sacrificing much in terms of comfort go for the sports suspension.

Merv the Derv

I probably wouldn't go for the optional sports suspension on the SE model If I were you. You don't say whether you going for Dynamic Drive or not.
I found with my SE on Sports suspension that the body roll was much more apparent than my stock E39 (could be due to taller car) and the ride was really uncomfortable. IMHO a sports setup should eliminate the majority of body roll so either take the standard suspension or go with Dynamic Drive/sports suspension as just sports suspension on its own doesn't work.

JayEll

I probably wouldn't go for the optional sports suspension on the SE model If I were you. You don't say whether you going for Dynamic Drive or not.
I found with my SE on Sports suspension that the body roll was much more apparent than my stock E39 (could be due to taller car) and the ride was really uncomfortable. IMHO a sports setup should eliminate the majority of body roll so either take the standard suspension or go with Dynamic Drive/sports suspension as just sports suspension on its own doesn't work.
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I have an SE + Sports suspension. Find ride perfectly comfy, though little bouncy on UK roads around town. Body roll perfect, handling perfect (for a big car), and definitely appreciate the 15mm lowered suspension.

colejl

I agree. I tried both before purchase and preferred the sports suspension. The 'ordinary' suspension was too soft for me - but it's an inidividual thing. I had a very hard riding car before and now it's a far better ride, but I can see why people would want the non-sports option for day-to-day town driving...

OnOn

Hey Grease!

I will be picking up on May 2nd in Munich as well.....530 WITH sports package! I drove both, sepcifically on pot-holed roads, and found the ride even w/ the sports package acceptable.

Cheers,

OnOn