gIzzE

Just got the car back.

WOW!!!!

I never realised just how much difference it would make, it is now a luxury car, with fantasic sporty handling.

The comfort is the first thing you notice, it soaks up potholes and speed bumps as if they are not there, in fact this was such a change I actually stopped at the service station and checked the pressures as I thought they may have got them wrong, but it was spot on.

Now I know you are meant to give new tyres a couple of hundred miles to bed in but straight away you can feel how much more control they have, there is a bend near me just after a hump back bridge and even at 45mph the back end clunks round it, the best way I can describe it is the shocks do not respond quick enough and it skits out. Well even with less than 10 miles on the Pirellis I was able to crusie round this at 60mph and it stuck like glue, no skitting at all.

Anyone who is using run flats all I can say is ditch them, the comfort is improved ten fold and the handling is in a different league.

Can't comment on the tramlining, I always have 18" wheels so don't really notice, but driving the old mans S320CDi with 17" wheels does not feel any different in this regard, if anything the first time I really noticed it was with the run flats.


If anyone wants a set of Bridgestone runflats cheap, let me know!

needforspeed

gIzzE, how does the 535d compare to the M3 you test drove - now that you've ditched the run flats?

http://forums.e60.net/index.php?showtopic=24177&st=30

colejl

This is a familiar story... You'll never go back!

gIzzE

I posted this on www.bm3w.co.uk replying to someone about his Contis, but it will give you an idea...



I think alot of this has to do with those Continentals, I had them on our A4 cab and it would do exactly the same, put some PS2's on it and it stopped skipping across the road, presumed at the time it was because the contis were part worn.

I have just changed the run flats on the 535d today for Pirelli P Zero Rosso's and the difference is like night and day, for a start it feels like a luxury car at last, the comfort is improved 10 fold, but more important than that is the handling.

Their is a hump back bridge near me followed by a sharp right bend, and going over and round this in the 5, with runflats, is a nightmare, it sort of gets grip back just in time for the corner but then the back end skips out again, and it isn't just because it is a bumpy road either, I notice it on roundabouts that are not perfect too.

The reason I am saying this is I had an M3 CS with the CSL style wheels and Conti tyres the other day and going over the same bit of road I noticed it was alot better than the 5 series, but still quite skitty. However I did notice the comfort was far better than my 535d, even though the M3 had 19's, so I decided to change the tyres, I picked my car up with some new P Zeros Rosso's earlier and the difference is amazing, over that same bit of road where the car used to skip at 45mph and the m3 was a little skitty at 55mph the 5 was now completely stable at over 60mph. I never realised just how much difference a decent tyre really makes. Iwould love to have another go in the M3 again but with Zero Rosso's on and see what difference it makes, I bet it wouldn't be subtle.

I would change your tyres, I have had a couple of mates with M3's and have all ditched the Sport Contact 2's asap.

needforspeed

Thanks gizze nice comparison of handling vs m3, which is what I wanted

I have 19inch non-runflats and the handling is generally very 'composed'

Funnily enough I just put sport contact 2's on the back of my car - and am really pleased with them..... .. If anything I think the fronts tyres tend to slip more now (pzero nero)

Although - a lot of this might be just going from part worn to brand new with nice deep treads.

gIzzE

The big difference is now going over that bridge and hitting the sharp right I can throw the car into it, the car just feels so much lighter too, not just a bit but a massive amount.
It now feels like a really nimble car, the way you can throw the M3 around is great and I can now do that with the 535d, before I would always be really worried going into a corner, whether it would keep grip or not, but now you can throw it around and you can feel when it is on the edge, you are not constantly thinking "I hope these tyres don't let go!"

I was seriously considering ditching the car for an M3 CS or even a CSL and had even made a couple of calls to people about it, but now I have had these tyres fitted it is a keeper, it has made that much of a difference.

needforspeed

Ever had any problems with the DMS ?

gIzzE

Only one.....




The DMS is awesome, it really transforms the car and when you stick it in S mode you just want to drive it!
You can brake hard going into a corner and with 600nm of torque there is enough power there to fly out the other side again at any rev range.
The transofrmation is just unreal, and well recommended.

needforspeed

Well I'll ONLY get 570nm and 260 bhp, but I think it might be fun how did you handle it with regard to insurance ?

My insurance is paid by my employer - so no worries for me on cost - I'm actually just a little but embarassed about telling them I've had it tuned.... sounds a bit boy racer I s'pose.

gIzzE

I will PM you about that!