Uneven ride height??? Anybody else?
#11
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Not sure what's so hard to believe about the suspension being engineered to sit level when it's in motion. When you consider that the overwhelming majority of the time (especially when doing spirited driving), people drive cars with no passengers - it make sense to engineer the ride height to account for that majority of time.
To the one who asked "what happens when a passenger gets in?" - clearly, the balance would be offset somewhat again. However this is a better solution than it being uneven during the aforementioned majority of the time when only the driver is in it. You'd have to go with one or the other, short of getting a costly/complicated/heavy self-leveling suspension.
And it's not a new concept - drivers who do autocross and other auto racing routinely get the suspension setup calibrated by a shop while siting in the driver's seat. Also some cars come from the factory with spring rate that are a bit higher on the front drivers side for this same reason. Also, the aftermarket suspension I bought for my last car had specific drivers and passengers side springs in front - for the same reason.
Lastly, I think the comment about the ground not being level is a good point - it''s probably safe to say that almost no ground is perfectly level, even if it "looks" level. Driveways are not built to tight tolerances in slope/angle. Neither are parking lots, alleys, roads, etc. The garage floor of a house might be best, but is still going to have some built-in slope by design. The ground alone can potentially provide more of a perceived unevenness in ride height than the actual suspension.
So based on all that, I think considering this to be an "issue" is a bit dramatic - it's a "feature".
And a good one.
To the one who asked "what happens when a passenger gets in?" - clearly, the balance would be offset somewhat again. However this is a better solution than it being uneven during the aforementioned majority of the time when only the driver is in it. You'd have to go with one or the other, short of getting a costly/complicated/heavy self-leveling suspension.
And it's not a new concept - drivers who do autocross and other auto racing routinely get the suspension setup calibrated by a shop while siting in the driver's seat. Also some cars come from the factory with spring rate that are a bit higher on the front drivers side for this same reason. Also, the aftermarket suspension I bought for my last car had specific drivers and passengers side springs in front - for the same reason.
Lastly, I think the comment about the ground not being level is a good point - it''s probably safe to say that almost no ground is perfectly level, even if it "looks" level. Driveways are not built to tight tolerances in slope/angle. Neither are parking lots, alleys, roads, etc. The garage floor of a house might be best, but is still going to have some built-in slope by design. The ground alone can potentially provide more of a perceived unevenness in ride height than the actual suspension.
So based on all that, I think considering this to be an "issue" is a bit dramatic - it's a "feature".
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Last edited by Crckrjck; 12-18-2012 at 09:26 AM.
#12
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There's no small amount of debate out there on this issue, here's a quote from a thread from a couple of years ago...
"Why don't you do a little search on Teh Google and see how many BMWs "sit higher on the driver's side?" It's been like this at least since 1980's 3 series."
and I like this one also:
"let's put this ridiculous urban legend to rest once and for all - please.BMW does not engineer their cars to ride higher on the driver's side. And if they did, it wouldn't be by 1-2 centimeters. Go grab a couple of friends and see how many of you have to get into the front seat to make the rear sag 2cm. If your car sagged 2cm every time you got in it, there'd be no use for lowering kits."
"Why don't you do a little search on Teh Google and see how many BMWs "sit higher on the driver's side?" It's been like this at least since 1980's 3 series."
and I like this one also:
"let's put this ridiculous urban legend to rest once and for all - please.BMW does not engineer their cars to ride higher on the driver's side. And if they did, it wouldn't be by 1-2 centimeters. Go grab a couple of friends and see how many of you have to get into the front seat to make the rear sag 2cm. If your car sagged 2cm every time you got in it, there'd be no use for lowering kits."
Last edited by Crckrjck; 12-18-2012 at 09:54 AM.
#13
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CKS coilovers... I love them they are a bit softer then my previous H&R coilovers. I haven't played with the dampening options yet. I also did not purchase them with the (swift springs) which I hear is near stock ride quality.
#14
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#15
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I have an 06 530i w/ Sport suspension and it sits about 3/8" higher on the left front than the right front with noone in the car. I have also read that the difference is coming from the back. I happened to measure the front difference when I put on my 166's as that's where I was seeing it. Pretty close on the right front with 245/40/19's. It rub's a little, but the left doesn't seem too. I wonder what they figure an average person weighs? I guess i'm not evening it out at 175lbs.
You can see it slightly tilted in that last shot
You can see it slightly tilted in that last shot
#16
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My Ride: 08 550i sport. n62tu
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I just noticed my 08 550 with sport/active suspension sits about 3/8 lower on the right side. This is the same no matter where I park. If you measure from the bottom lip on the rim to the fender that's how you'll get the measurement. I stare at my car daily and this is def. Something new.
however there's no way in hell bmw engineered these cars to sag to one side when parked. I work at bmw and never seen a e60 or f car come in sagging. There would be a ton of very unhappy customers.
My first thought was a broken spring, I checked and found nothing. My next thought was maybe the sway bar got jammed slightly twisted in one direction. Then I thought, surely id feel that around corners. I haven't actually spent time looking to find the problem, but I do know this is not factory.
however there's no way in hell bmw engineered these cars to sag to one side when parked. I work at bmw and never seen a e60 or f car come in sagging. There would be a ton of very unhappy customers.
My first thought was a broken spring, I checked and found nothing. My next thought was maybe the sway bar got jammed slightly twisted in one direction. Then I thought, surely id feel that around corners. I haven't actually spent time looking to find the problem, but I do know this is not factory.
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My Ride: 08 550i sport. n62tu
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I just noticed my 08 550 with sport/active suspension sits about 3/8 lower on the right side. This is the same no matter where I park. If you measure from the bottom lip on the rim to the fender that's how you'll get the measurement. I stare at my car daily and this is def. Something new.
however there's no way in hell bmw engineered these cars to sag to one side when parked. I work at bmw and never seen a e60 or f car come in sagging. There would be a ton of very unhappy customers.
My first thought was a broken spring, I checked and found nothing. My next thought was maybe the sway bar got jammed slightly twisted in one direction. Then I thought, surely id feel that around corners. I haven't actually spent time looking to find the problem, but I do know this is not factory.
however there's no way in hell bmw engineered these cars to sag to one side when parked. I work at bmw and never seen a e60 or f car come in sagging. There would be a ton of very unhappy customers.
My first thought was a broken spring, I checked and found nothing. My next thought was maybe the sway bar got jammed slightly twisted in one direction. Then I thought, surely id feel that around corners. I haven't actually spent time looking to find the problem, but I do know this is not factory.
#18
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I just noticed my 08 550 with sport/active suspension sits about 3/8 lower on the right side. This is the same no matter where I park. If you measure from the bottom lip on the rim to the fender that's how you'll get the measurement. I stare at my car daily and this is def. Something new.
however there's no way in hell bmw engineered these cars to sag to one side when parked. I work at bmw and never seen a e60 or f car come in sagging. There would be a ton of very unhappy customers.
My first thought was a broken spring, I checked and found nothing. My next thought was maybe the sway bar got jammed slightly twisted in one direction. Then I thought, surely id feel that around corners. I haven't actually spent time looking to find the problem, but I do know this is not factory.
however there's no way in hell bmw engineered these cars to sag to one side when parked. I work at bmw and never seen a e60 or f car come in sagging. There would be a ton of very unhappy customers.
My first thought was a broken spring, I checked and found nothing. My next thought was maybe the sway bar got jammed slightly twisted in one direction. Then I thought, surely id feel that around corners. I haven't actually spent time looking to find the problem, but I do know this is not factory.
BMW Workshop Manuals > 5 Series E60 545i (N62) SAL > 3 Technical Data > 33 Rear Axle > 0 General > 5 TD Rear Axle - Ride Height E60
So I went out to my car and measured and was glad to see only had less than 4mm difference between R/L rear, which could account for the battery and my toolbox in the trunk.....LOL
With all that being said, I know from my personal experience that broken coil springs are a common occurrence and difficult to spot UNLESS you know where to look for it, have a very close look at the bottom of you coils in the seat of the shock/strut...
Last edited by cmyachtie; 06-06-2015 at 08:44 AM.
#19
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There is a ride height tolerance of 10 MM from right to left . If its within that spec all is good . Anything more than that needs to be looked into .. Here is a pdf of rides height specs for front and rear ..
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