High Speed Stability E60 Sports
11-27-2004, 02:25 PM
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Have the car not even a week, and yes I did take it up top once at 140mph and today a shy over 120. Im not even flooring the car or beating on it yet
I tend to cruise at about 85-90MPH
The car just doesnt not seem as stable as my previous Jaguar S TypeR
Granted the Jaguar was a bit heavier and didnt have active steering but the steering on my high speed sprints was rock steady. I regularly hit 150MPH since the car was modified.
I have to blame the active steering, it feels awesome around town and up to 60mph but when you really want to hold on and go for a long high speed stretch I am scared to death. The steering ratio keeps changing constantly when I really just want it firm and steady. Or I assumed the aerodynamics and the wind? But this car should be so sleek in the wind tunnel according to BMW so i ruled that assumption out already.
Now I realize why the M5 will not have the active steering, Im sure there will be some nuts trying to degovern it for a 200MPH sprint.
So fellow owners Have you experienced what I am mentioning here? How fast do you cruise and average on top end?
Believe it or not in NY there are some nice open stretch highways to really have a blast early in the morning on a weekend when nobody is out on them.
I still love the car, annoyed at the boomy bass, lack of storage, no seatbelt chime and now the high speed stability. All in all no car is perfect but I think for what it is on top end this E60 should react differently, just my opinion.
I tend to cruise at about 85-90MPH
The car just doesnt not seem as stable as my previous Jaguar S TypeR
Granted the Jaguar was a bit heavier and didnt have active steering but the steering on my high speed sprints was rock steady. I regularly hit 150MPH since the car was modified.
I have to blame the active steering, it feels awesome around town and up to 60mph but when you really want to hold on and go for a long high speed stretch I am scared to death. The steering ratio keeps changing constantly when I really just want it firm and steady. Or I assumed the aerodynamics and the wind? But this car should be so sleek in the wind tunnel according to BMW so i ruled that assumption out already.
Now I realize why the M5 will not have the active steering, Im sure there will be some nuts trying to degovern it for a 200MPH sprint.
So fellow owners Have you experienced what I am mentioning here? How fast do you cruise and average on top end?
Believe it or not in NY there are some nice open stretch highways to really have a blast early in the morning on a weekend when nobody is out on them.
I still love the car, annoyed at the boomy bass, lack of storage, no seatbelt chime and now the high speed stability. All in all no car is perfect but I think for what it is on top end this E60 should react differently, just my opinion.
11-27-2004, 02:34 PM
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My Ride: 545iSMGSilver GrayAuburn Dakota LeatherLogic 7 Premium SoundSports Package
Originally Posted by 2004RType' date='Nov 27 2004, 04:25 PM
Believe it or not in NY there are some nice open stretch highways to really have a blast? early in the morning on a weekend when nobody is out on them.
[snapback]61364[/snapback]
Humm sounds like the LIE...
DUDE... I hope the car is stable... Havent received mine yet... so I cant comment... but others that have and live in germany...
11-27-2004, 04:29 PM
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I think it may just be you. Now let me qualify that statement...
I don't have active steering but I made a post exactly like this one a while back. I felt, like you do, that the car was not as stable at speed as it should be. But now with 8000 miles on the odo and me beginning to trust the car I hit the limiter and held it there at 154 mph a dozen times this weekend during my trip to the E60 meet in Belgium. I regularly cruise in the 120 to 130 range and, I might add, get quite annoyed at people driving in the left lane who are only going 100 (boy am I in trouble when I get back to the States
) So back when I made that post it was either me or the fact that the car was not really broken in. More me than the car for sure but the car keeps getting better and better all the time.
We all like to think we are speed demons but living in the 130+ world really does take some getting used to. Unless you are a race car driver and make regular visits to the track you really can?t clock much time above 130 in the States. Cruising at 130 is not like cruising at 90 only faster. It?s a whole new ballgame. I always thought it was cool to talk about high speed driving and to compare notes to see who really had the biggest one and all that. I guess I still do
But it really is an art. Even if you have the machine to do it it still takes time and practice for your brain to keep up. Just keep practicing and see if it doesn't feel better in a couple of months! The E60 is a great machine and will hold up its end.
The car is however very susceptible to crosswinds. So there goes your assumption about aerodynamics. A 10 to 20 mph crosswind and it is very difficult to cruise above 100 mph. Iceman and I were talking about this at our last meet and both agreed. Even passing a truck going 60 on a calm day when you are going 130 gives you a little push to the left that can be quit dis-nerving till you do it 50 times. Then your body seems to react on its own and you don't even notice. It becomes second nature.
Another problem is the wide low-profile tires trying to center themselves on less than perfect US pavement
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Sorry got a little carried away there but I just spent the last 6 hours driving in the zone
I don't have active steering but I made a post exactly like this one a while back. I felt, like you do, that the car was not as stable at speed as it should be. But now with 8000 miles on the odo and me beginning to trust the car I hit the limiter and held it there at 154 mph a dozen times this weekend during my trip to the E60 meet in Belgium. I regularly cruise in the 120 to 130 range and, I might add, get quite annoyed at people driving in the left lane who are only going 100 (boy am I in trouble when I get back to the States
) So back when I made that post it was either me or the fact that the car was not really broken in. More me than the car for sure but the car keeps getting better and better all the time.We all like to think we are speed demons but living in the 130+ world really does take some getting used to. Unless you are a race car driver and make regular visits to the track you really can?t clock much time above 130 in the States. Cruising at 130 is not like cruising at 90 only faster. It?s a whole new ballgame. I always thought it was cool to talk about high speed driving and to compare notes to see who really had the biggest one and all that. I guess I still do
But it really is an art. Even if you have the machine to do it it still takes time and practice for your brain to keep up. Just keep practicing and see if it doesn't feel better in a couple of months! The E60 is a great machine and will hold up its end.The car is however very susceptible to crosswinds. So there goes your assumption about aerodynamics. A 10 to 20 mph crosswind and it is very difficult to cruise above 100 mph. Iceman and I were talking about this at our last meet and both agreed. Even passing a truck going 60 on a calm day when you are going 130 gives you a little push to the left that can be quit dis-nerving till you do it 50 times. Then your body seems to react on its own and you don't even notice. It becomes second nature.
Another problem is the wide low-profile tires trying to center themselves on less than perfect US pavement
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Sorry got a little carried away there but I just spent the last 6 hours driving in the zone
11-27-2004, 04:45 PM
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On my break-in drive I had it up to 120 for a few minutes on I75 in north florida. The road was quite smooth and the ride stability was awesome. I had the car up to 100 on the skyway bridge yesterday and even with a 20 mph crosswind it felt like other cars at 60. Active steering does take sometime to adjust to and maybe that is why you feel the car is unstable.
11-28-2004, 06:26 AM
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High speed (over 100MPH) driving on a public highway, empty or not, is a recipe for disaster one day. It's completely stupid and immature. Like it was mentioned, you need to get used to driving consistently at over 100MPH to really get a feel for what it feels like. And you do this on a TRACK, not on publick roads/highways. It IS a completely different ballgame in terms of reaction times, steerting input, aerodynamics, etc. Active steering, although personally I hate it, has nothing to do with this I believe. It's just you getting used to the car. But please go do it at the track. Bravado is something you outgrow, but why put your life or others at risk? Don't be stupid and drive within the limits. I'm not saying to drive like a grandma, but 100+ is stupid unless you're at a track. Hopefully you won't have to learn the hard way as many already unfortunately have. A lot of people think that once they are in a nice BMW or nice sports car they are racers and act as such. Part of it is due to human nature and part due to advertising, movies, etc. But go karting for a while or autocrossing and then you'll see how much you need to learn.
11-28-2004, 06:30 AM
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Originally Posted by urbo73' date='Nov 28 2004, 04:26 PM
High speed (over 100MPH) driving on a public highway, empty or not, is a recipe for disaster one day. It's completely stupid and immature. Like it was mentioned, you need to get used to driving consistently at over 100MPH to really get a feel for what it feels like. And you do this on a TRACK, not on publick roads/highways. It IS a completely different ballgame in terms of reaction times, steerting input, aerodynamics, etc. Active steering, although personally I hate it, has nothing to do with this I believe. It's just you getting used to the car. But please go do it at the track. Bravado is something you outgrow, but why put your life or others at risk? Don't be stupid and drive within the limits. I'm not saying to drive like a grandma, but 100+ is stupid unless you're at a track. Hopefully you won't have to learn the hard way as many already unfortunately have. A lot of people think that once they are in a nice BMW or nice sports car they are racers and act as such. Part of it is due to human nature and part due to advertising, movies, etc. But go karting for a while or autocrossing and then you'll see how much you need to learn.
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Thanks, got it.
11-28-2004, 07:47 AM
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The point of my post was to try to tell you that the kind of negativity you displayed is not done here, and we like it that way.
There is another place, just for that..
There is another place, just for that..
11-28-2004, 08:10 AM
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Originally Posted by EBMCS03' date='Nov 27 2004, 06:34 PM
[quote name='2004RType' date='Nov 27 2004, 04:25 PM']Believe it or not in NY there are some nice open stretch highways to really have a blast? early in the morning on a weekend when nobody is out on them.
[snapback]61364[/snapback]
Humm sounds like the LIE...
DUDE... I hope the car is stable... Havent received mine yet... so I cant comment... but others that have and live in germany...
[snapback]61371[/snapback]
[/quote]No I87 and the NYS Taconic, LIE has too much traffic and I dont live on the Island.
11-28-2004, 08:15 AM
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Originally Posted by 2004RType' date='Nov 28 2004, 11:10 AM
[quote name='EBMCS03' date='Nov 27 2004, 06:34 PM'][quote name='2004RType' date='Nov 27 2004, 04:25 PM']Believe it or not in NY there are some nice open stretch highways to really have a blast? early in the morning on a weekend when nobody is out on them.
[snapback]61364[/snapback]
Humm sounds like the LIE...
DUDE... I hope the car is stable... Havent received mine yet... so I cant comment... but others that have and live in germany...
[snapback]61371[/snapback]
[/quote]No I87 and the NYS Taconic, LIE has too much traffic and I dont live on the Island.
[snapback]61603[/snapback]
[/quote]Actually I87 and the NYS taconic is nice and smooth. It depends when you take them. Most of the time that I take them they are very empty to say the last. I have done 120 on I87. But I dont have the active steering wheel. ( I just did the 120 to test it.) I am a 65-70mph driver though.