View Single Post
      09-19-2011, 12:14 PM   #301
Sinister Crayon
floccinaucinihilipilifica tion
15
Rep
249
Posts

Drives: 2008 E90 M3
Join Date: May 2010
Location: St. Louis, MO

iTrader: (0)

Quote:
Originally Posted by 2012_135i View Post
My sales guy said the harsher ride in the convertible was due to its heavier chassis, and I was expecting some difference in ride quality because of that, but the difference was so great I thought it had to be more than just additional weight. Whatever the differences in the two chassis, the ride quality in the convert was flat out unacceptable. If your car is anything like that I'm not surprised at the squeaks and rattles that have developed.
Technically he's correct, but missed a very important part of it. Although the 135i convertible is a VERY rigid car, there's no doubt that there is a certain amount of cowl flex in it when pushed. Cowl flex at the handling limits also impacts low-speed in that often the twisting of the chassis can set up pretty awful harmonics that actually render all that suspension engineering almost completely irrelevant. An extreme example of this is the Volkswagen Eos, which rides horribly when the roof is open, and a little better (but not much) when the roof is closed because it has a metal roof that adds to the rigidity. The 1'er is SOL there because the fabric top does nothing to quell the flex, and so nothing to improve the ride.

I too drove a 135i 'vert and was less than impressed. I mostly got the coupe as well because of that.
Appreciate 0