ansetou

I'm a new owner of E60. I have a 535xi with 17" rim. After a few thousand miles, I feel that the 535xi has a little more power than it can handle. My biggest problem with it is the body rolling is too much when I change lane fast or cornering.

So my question is what kind of + and - effects would it have to install a swaybar on my car? It seems that swaybar will help in reducing the rolling. But, does it also make the ride stiffer (harder impact on running over bumps on the road). I enjoy the comfortable and yet strong ride I have in the stock car. I am not looking for the kind of stiffness my G35 coupe (18" rim and sports suspensions) used to give me.

any idea? Thanks.

Nick@Jlevi SW

A sway bar is definitely a worthy upgrade to reduce body roll but if you do just the rear you are going to induce more oversteer and upset the balance of the car so I recommend doing it as a pair. The car will ride slightly stiffer over uneven surfaces as there is more rigidity between the struts. Another thing to consider to reduce body roll is a spring upgrade as this will lower the car and provide a more dramatic improvement in performance over your stock setup.

ansetou

I'm not very sure how my car is tuned to such a good combination of firmness and comfort. Wouldn't changing the springs cause the ride to be harsh? Can anyone explain to me how our car's suspension system is different from others? thx

C's Bimmer

Since you, like me, have the xi, you can't do aftermarket sway bars. I tried with H&R and Eiach, but the rears won't work due to the reconfigured AWD system and the layout of the underside compared to that of the RWD cars. Not sure it makes sense to do the front only, but I know at this point that the rears won't work. Sorry.

JMD535

Note, per my research, the e60 M5 front swaybar is 26.2mm vs the 25mm on 535xi Sport! So, one gains little with the M5's larger swaybar!,...that is, if it would fit! As for the rear,...the numbers are 18mm vs 13mm,....the e60 M5 swaybar is dome 38.4% stiffer than the OEm stock 535xi rear swaybar!

If someone has information to the contrary, please post!

Edit: The e60 M5 Rear Swaybar is a direct install! You will need the proper (...larger 18mm swaybar) bushings!

Hth
JMD